THE EXEGETICAL WORLD THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR THE GLOSSA ORDINARIA: A STUDY OF MANUSCRIPTS, GLOSSES, AND COMMENTARIES ON MATTHEW IN THE TWELFTH CENTURY

Abstract

Recent scholarship has shown a revived interest in twelfth-century biblical commentaries and exegesis, particularly in and around Laon. In this essay, we argue that a certain kind of exegetical world was being forged in twelfth-century Laon which prepared the way for the widespread success of the Glossa ordinaria, both as a book form and as a bearer of certain theological ideas and exegetical techniques. Based on our examination of the manuscript evidence, two main versions of the Matthew Gloss are discernible in that century. This discovery makes it possible for scholars to reconstruct a primitive version of the Gloss which existed prior to the one used by Comestor and others, should such an edition be deemed useful. By examining the relationship between pre-Glossa ordinaria glossed manuscripts of Matthew and various stand-alone commentaries like Cum post ascensionem, our work clarifies existing understandings of how the Matthew Gloss originated and developed. Although the Gloss initially drew from patristic and Carolingian sources and contemporary masters, the mise-en-page of the gloss-form invited continued modification, with later scribes adding or subtracting material and interweaving their own insights with received tradition. As masters, students, and scribes glossed manuscripts of Matthew from Laon near and far, they left a lasting impact on how Latin Christendom read, studied, discussed, preached from, copied, and wrote in their Bibles.