| Summary: | <p>This thesis examines the Middle English <em>Declaracion on the Bible</em> contained uniquely in Oxford, Bodleian Library, Trinity College MS 93. The text represents a fascinating and methodologically varied response to the Later Version of the Wycliffite Bible (LV), written very soon after its completion. </p>
<p>The thesis is in two parts. The opening chapter of Part I provides a brief overview of the manuscript and its contents, and considers evidence concerning how, where and when the manuscript might have been produced, proposing that the text was likely the product of a scholar or group of scholars working in Oxford in the 1390s. Chapter 2 develops the themes of the opening chapter by examining the evidence for authorship and intended audience, suggesting that the text was almost certainly produced by and for the scholarly community, but perhaps also to facilitate small group learning outside the university. Chapter 3 considers the context in which the Declaracion was compiled, suggesting that, while it would have been condemned by some, the text might have appealed to a relatively wide audience, possibly including some moderate opponents of scriptural translation. The chapter then considers the Declaracion from an ideological standpoint, suggesting that, though it is not polemical, its themes and concerns are consistent with Wycliffite ideas. Chapter 4 examines the Declaracion as a work which balances exegesis and paraphrase. Comparing the text to analogous Wycliffite works, it argues that the Declaracion is the most varied and experimental Wycliffite response to scripture. Chapter 5 provides an in-depth examination of the Declaracion’s use of sources. It argues that the main biblical source is LV, but that the level of engagement with other sources, notably the Vulgate, Lyra’s <em>Postilla</em>, the <em>Magna</em>, and the <em>Glossa</em>, has long been underestimated. A brief conclusion suggests that the Declaracion is an exceptional and intricate example of Wycliffite biblical scholarship deserving of further study.
Part II includes a selection of text edited from the manuscript, along with Explanatory and Textual Notes, brief introductory material for each biblical book edited, and an Editorial Note. The edited text consists of all the books of Ezra (including 3 and 4 Esdras), the Penitential Psalms, Isaiah, the Gospels and Acts.</p>
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