Herbert of Bosham

In-depth study of an important writer and close associate of Becket.Herbert of Bosham (c.1120-c.1194) was one of the most brilliant, original and versatile thinkers of the twelfth century. Herbert was Thomas Becket's closest confidant, a theologian, biblical commentator, historian, letter-writer and Hebrew scholar; he wrote a Life of St Thomas unlike any other contemporary biography, produced one of the most visually-arresting illuminated Bible books of his age, and composed a commentary on the Psalms inspired by Jewish scholarship. His uncompromising character, and the originality and complexity of his thought, meant that Herbert's works were largely ignored during his lifetime and forgotten for centuries, but more recently they have begun to receive the attention and approval that their author insisted they deserved. The chapters in this book, the first to be devoted to Herbert's life and works, examine his eventful and troubled life, his remarkable corpus of works,and how they came to be neglected and rediscovered. They provide an introduction to his life, writings and legacy, direction to existing scholarship on the subject, and new insights on, interpretations of and discoveries about anidiosyncratic representative of the "twelfth-century renaissance". MICHAEL STAUNTON is Associate Professor of History at University College Dublin. Contributors: Julie Barrau, Laura Cleaver, Matthew Doyle, Anne J. Duggan, Christopher de Hamel, Sabina Flanagan, Michael Staunton, Nicholas Vincent.

A superb book which will be the first port of call for anyone choosing to study the life and works of Herbert of Bosham. It is also an essential read for anyone interested in the intellectual culture of the twelfth century., [E]xtremely useful and enlightening. . . . This should be the starting point for graduate students and other scholars seeking to understand Herbert's contributions to ecclesiastical culture as well as to learn the contours of his corpus and its reception. Beautifully illustrated and accessible throughout thanks to the contributors' uniformly clear presentations, Staunton's collection adds new layers to our understanding of the era of Thomas Becket and his circle of eruditi.