Book review: Form and Function in the Late Medieval Bible, written by Eyal Poleg and Laura Light

Abstract

which brought together experts in medieval liturgy and sermons, art, religion and manuscripts, to examine the material culture of the late medieval Bible and its setting. The volume contains fifteen contributions, followed by an epilogue by Peter Stallybrass. According to the introduction it was devised as a stage in the research on medieval manuscripts as cultural artefacts, emphasizing on use and appearance, form and function, and to direct scholarly attention to the late medieval Bible and offer directions in its analysis. The volume is divided into two (unmarked) parts. The first part focusses on the evolution and use of the late medieval Bible through an investigation of size, illumination, addenda and other physical features; the second focusses on Bibles in Italian, French and English, and challenges the Latin-vernacular dichotomy.