Challenging the Paradigms:Holy Writ and Lay Readers in Late Medieval Europe

This introductory chapter summarizes the main results of the research project ‘Holy Writand Lay Readers. A Social History of Vernacular Bible Translations in the Late Middle Ages’(2008–2013). The project, funded by the European Research Council and the University ofGroningen, aimed at reconstructing the process of translation and dissemination of vernacular Bibles in three European areas (Italy, France, and the Low Countries) during the late Middle Ages (from the end of the thirteenth to the beginning of the sixteenth century). Challenging paradigmatic views and research traditions on severe restrictions of the circulation ofvernacular Bible by the medieval Church, the project has chosen to specifically concentrateon readers and readerships and investigates the varied modes of approach taken by lay andnon-professional users of the Holy Writ. The emphasis is laid on the dynamic approach of laybelievers, male and female votaries, primarily involved in wordly activities and experiencingtheir religious life within the framework of family, marriage, and professional activities