La lutte de Jacob avec l’ange (Gn 32,23-32) dans l’exégèse médiévale

Abstract

This study comes within the scope of a larger reflection on the great narratives of Genesis in medieval exegesis. It is founded on twenty Latin commentaries, from the High Middle Ages (Isidore of Seville, Alcuin, Rabanus Maurus, Angelom of Luxeuil…) up to the beginning of the 14th cent. (Dominic Grima, Nicholas of Lyre), including authors of the 12th (Guibert of Nogent, Rupert of Deutz, Rainaud of St-Éloi, Andrew of St-Victor, Peter Comestor, Stephen Langton) and of the 13th cent. (Hugh of St-Cher, Nicholas of Tournai, ps. William of Alton, Nicholas of Gorran, Peter of John Olieu). The medieval exegetes go closely into the difficulties of this complex pericope. Their solutions are interesting for us from the point of view of scientific study of the text, as well as for the lessons we could draw from the point of view of the faith. Following the study of the Latin text (Vulgate), which was available to the medieval authors (especially its differences from the massoretic text), several approaches are analysed. The narrative approach examines Jacob’s solitude, questions about the nature of the assailant, and about the reality of the struggle (spiritual or corporal ?), about the request of the angel, about the blessing and about the prohibition of eating sciatic nerve. The typological approach develops first the allegory of Jacob as a figure of the Jews (his limp refers to those who believed in the Christ and to those who did not) ; it also proposes (Rupert of Deutz) parallels with the attitude of Moses in the episode of the golden calf and of Elijah at the Mount Horeb. The tropological approach aims to draw from the narration some teachings about human soul : besides the commentary of Guibert of Nogent, which is entirely an application of this method, we can find several themes inspired from Gregory the Great : the episode tells us the tension of the soul which wants to contemplate divine realities ; this approach lays out the problem of the knowledge and of the vision of God. The meaning of the proper names (Jacob, Israël, Penuel) is the subject of a precise study from the interpretationes. The commentaries display a wide richness and we could not but admire the earnestness and science of the medieval exegetes.