Olivi and the Interpretation of Matthew in the High Middle Ages

“Olivi and the Interpretation of Matthew in the High Middle Ages is an excellent contribution to the growing bibliography on the study of the Bible in the Middle Ages. Kevin Madigan reads the difficult Franciscan texts with skill and shows the complex ways in which exegesis and apocalypticism intersect. It is especially interesting to see the importance of these controversial texts in a larger medieval context.” —E. Ann Matter, University of Pennsylvania

“Olivi and the Interpretation of Matthew in the High Middle Ages is a wonderfully clear and original study of the primary forms of high medieval gospel exegesis.” —Amy Hollywood, Dartmouth College

“. . .A truly excellent book, one that places Olivi’s commentary within a long, developing exegetical tradition and makes good sense of it in the process. Madigan writes well, too, a rare gift in historians.” —David Burr, Virginia Tech

Kevin Madigan studies the development and union of scholastic, apocalyptic, and Franciscan interpretations of the Gospel of Matthew from 1150 to 1350. These interpretations are placed within the context of high-medieval religious life and shifting attitudes of the papacy toward the Franciscan Order. Madigan uses the fortunes of the Franciscan Peter Olivi (d. 1298) and his commentary on Matthew as a lens through which to observe the larger theological and ecclesiastical developments of this era.

Kevin Madigan is assistant professor of the history of Christianity at Harvard Divinity School.