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

This introductory chapter summarizes the main results of the research project ‘Holy Writ
and 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 of
Groningen, 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 of
vernacular Bible by the medieval Church, the project has chosen to specifically concentrate
on readers and readerships and investigates the varied modes of approach taken by lay and
non-professional users of the Holy Writ. The emphasis is laid on the dynamic approach of lay
believers, male and female votaries, primarily involved in wordly activities and experiencing
their religious life within the framework of family, marriage, and professional activities.