Though little-known today, Nicholas of Lyra's commentaries are arguably among the most widely-read and influential commentaries of all time. For more than two hundred years, from the time of their composition, well into the Reformation era, they were copied and recopied, printed and reprinted, as an indispensable guide to the meaning of scripture. Naumann presents here a complete translation of Lyra's literal commentary on Galatians in English for the first time, with a freshly-edited Latin text, and provides ample notes on its significance in relation to the works of previous authors.

Nicholas of Lyra lived in an era of political turbulence0and0spiritual0conflict,0when0the papacy was in Avignon and the Franciscans were clashing with the more radical and strict “Spirituals.” Nicholas’s commentary on St. Paul’s letter0to0the0Galatians0aims0to0restore0a0firm understanding of the literal meaning of the text, looking at the innate internal meaning, stressing that we must keep in mind what St. Paul most directly intended to be understood. Filling a longstanding gap of research, this edition of Nicholas’s commentary on Galatians will help not only to broaden our understanding of the tradition of the interpretation of this epistle, but also to facilitate and promote further research and0interest0in0the0influence0of0Nicholas’s0Postilla on later works and authors, including Martin Luther, who stated that “Lyra’s Commentaries upon the Bible are worthy of all praise.”

Many commentaries on the Apocalypse were produced in the early Middle Ages. This book provides translations of two Apocalypse commentaries from the seventh and eighth centuries. On the Mysteries of the Apocalypse of John is part of a large one-volume "Reference Bible" composed about 750. Written probably by an Irish teacher residing in northern France, it answers difficulties arising from the biblical text. The Handbook on the Apocalypse of the Apostle John, attributed erroneously to Jerome and written before 767, contains brief moral and allegorical interpretations of particular words and phrases of the Apocalypse. The introduction highlights the unique features of each commentary and the interrelationship of the three texts.

This book is the first critical edition of two fascinating but overlooked devotional texts. Each shines its own light on medieval faith. The Holkham Prayers and Meditations (ca.1410) is a rare example of female authorship, written by an unnamed woman to guide a "religious sustir." Simon Appulby's Fruyte of Redempcyon (1514) is more popular in aim, composed by one of England's last anchorites to serve his urban community. Both texts are accompanied by extensive notes and introductory essays to aid students and specialists alike.

This long overdue new edition of Guillaume de Machaut's twenty-three motets, the largest surviving collection of such works by a single composer in this period, is based on the most authoritative of the surviving manuscripts and is designed to meet the needs both of advanced scholars and musicians as well as students and performers. This user-friendly format indicates variants on the scores and has a layout that makes each work's structure clearly visible; the lyrics, with full English translation, are presented at the end of each work.

These six poems explore some of the courtly and chivalric themes that preoccupied late medieval Scottish society. The volume includes Sir David Lyndsay's Historie and Testament of Squyer Meldrum, as well as his Answer to the Kingis Flyting; and three anonymous fifteenth-century poems: Balletis of the Nine Nobles, Complaint for the Death of Margaret, Princess of Scotland, and Talis of the Fyve Bestes.

This edition contains four Middle English Charlemagne romances from the Otuel cycle: Roland and Vernagu, Otuel a Knight, Otuel and Roland, and Duke Roland and Sir Otuel of Spain. A translation of the romances' source, the Anglo-French Otinel, is also included. The romances center on conflicts between Frankish Christians and various Saracen groups, and deal with issues of racial and religious difference, conversion, and faith-based violence.