Peter of John Olivi: Commentary on the Gospel of Mark

Introduction

introduction olivi AS A biblicAl exeGete Franciscan friar Peter of John Olivi (1248-1298) was educated in Paris and lectured for most of his academic life in Franciscan study houses (studia), especially in the south of France.1 Olivi’s Commentary on the Gospel of Mark bears the title, Lectura super Marcum, and no doubt stems from his lectures in a Franciscan study house. I will briefly discuss his other biblical lectures, so that readers might better understand in what ways Olivi’s Commentary on the Gospel of Mark is unique and at the same similar to his other biblical lectures. 1 It is not my intention to enter into more details of Peter of John Olivi ’s life and thought. Nor do I intend to rehearse how his Franciscan Order and the papacy responded to his thought. Nor is it my intention to explore the fact that thousands of people from all over Languedoc participated in the popular, but ecclesiastically unsanctioned celebration of the “feast” of Peter of John Olivi at his tomb in the Franciscan church at Narbonne. For general orientation to many aspects of the life and thought of Peter of John Olivi, see Pierre de Jean Olivi (1248-1298): Pensée scolastique, dissidence spirituelle et société, edited by Alain Boureau and Sylvain Piron, Études de philosophie médiévale 79 (Paris: J. Vrin, 1999). See also Pierre de Jean Olivi – Philosophe et théologien, edited by Catherine König-Pralong, Olivier Ribordy, Tiziana Suarez-Nani, Scrinium Friburgense 29. (Berlin/New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2010). For orientation to Peter of John Olivi’s Franciscan thought in particular, see David Flood, “The Theology of Peter John Olivi: A Search for a Theology and Anthropology of the Synoptic Gospels ,” in The History of Franciscan Theology, edited by Kenan B. Osborne (Saint Bonaventure, NY: The Franciscan Institute, 1994; reprinted 2007), 127-84. Commentary on the Gospel of mark 8 In his lectures on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Olivi generally follows his customary way of interpreting a biblical book by quoting other biblical passages and renowned authorities and providing the literal and mystical meaning of the text.2 However, his lecture on Proverbs concludes with his comments on Proverbs 16. In other words, he offers no exegesis of Proverbs 17-31. Moreover, his comments on Proverbs 1216 are largely limited to the citation of a biblical word or two plus “that is.” For example, he comments on Proverbs 12:4a: “A diligent woman, that is, one who diligently does all the good things that are required of her.”3 This style of exegesis shows how Olivi could comment on many verses in a short compass, but it is not the summary style of exegesis that he employs in his Lectura super Marcum. In his Commentary on Isaiah Olivi comments in his usual style on the first twelve chapters and then adopts a cursory style for Isaiah 13-66.4 As far as I can determine, Olivi’s cursory style on Isaiah 13-66 offers very little, if any, interpretive parallel for his Lectura super Marcum. In his commentary on The Song of Songs Olivi follows his usual style of exposition by citing interpretive scripture passages and renowned authorities.5 As an example I give Olivi’s exposition of The Song of Songs 4:7: “You are totally beautiful, my love, and there is no stain in you. In this verse he commends her in a positive fashion as well as in a nega2 Petri Iohannis Olivi, Lectura super Proverbia et Lectura super Ecclesiasten , edited by Johannes Schlageter, Collectio Oliviana 6 (Grottaferrata [Rome]: Collegium S. Bonaventurae, 2003). 3 See Lectura super Proverbia, 289. 4 Peter of John Olivi on the Bible: Principia quinque in Sacram Scripturam , Postilla in Isaiam et in I ad Corinthios; Appendix: Quaestio de Oboedientia et Sermones duo de S. Francisco, Franciscan Institute Publications Text Series 18, edited by David Flood and †Gedeon Gál. (St. Bonaventure, NY: The Franciscan Institute, 1997), 153-347. Olivi’s comments on Isaiah 13-66 are found on 293-345. On p. 154 the editors observe: “Peter Olivi divides the whole book of Isaiah into three parts, the first one covering the first twelve chapters. Once he has finished with this first part, he stops his verse-by-verse analysis and goes over into a lectura cursoria.” 5 Petri Iohannis Olivi, Expositio in Canticum Canticorum, edited with a German translation by Johannes Schlageter, Collectio Oliviana 2 (Grottaferrata [Rome]: Collegium S. Bonaventurae, 1999...