Book Review: The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel: Leviticus

Abstract

published and an honest indication that changes in methods and styles of annotation have led to inconsistences across the volumes. This volume also contains a cumulative index of all five collections, which will be invaluable to scholars wishing to examine Aelred’s treatment of specific biblical passages. Professor Lange has provided an insight into how useful this may be by herself briefly considering his use of Job 7:1. The text of the Sermons is in the familiar readable format with wide margins, and references to Aelred’s sources (biblical and non-biblical) indicated in the margin. When useful, Dr Griggs and Dr Licence have included the Latin original and occasional footnotes, usually noting when a sermon in this collection bears a striking similarity to another. Anyone who listens to the same priest (or any speaker) on a regular basis will be aware that there are themes, anecdotes and turns of phrase that are repeated, whether wittingly or not, so it should not be a surprise when some of St Aelred’s discourses are nearly the same at times; he did preach on the same feasts every year for twenty years! The translation is excellent and eminently readable, and both Dr Griggs and Dr Licence are to be warmly commended for this. The style of translation means that this volume could be used in a monastic setting during an Abbot’s or Abbess’s Conference, or an extract could be identified to be read at Matins on the relevant feast day. Similarly these sermons would be an excellent choice for spiritual reading as well as academic research on the thought of St Aelred and life at Rievaulx Abbey. This volume is a welcome addition to the scholarship on the works of St Aelred and Cistercian Publications should also be commended for making these sermons available.