Exegesis of the End: Limitations of Lollard Apocalypticism as Revealed in a Commentary on Matthew 24

摘要

Lollard writing is characterised by a preoccupation with the end times, but the kind of eschatological mindset the texts reflect has become a matter of some debate. This article seeks to shed some light on this issue through an analysis of the text Of Mynystris in the Chirche, a commentary on Matthew 24 and one of the longest Lollard discussions of the Bible's eschatological prophecies. Specifically, this article points to a correspondence between a tension at the heart of Lollard attitudes to the theory and practice of scriptural exegesis and a tension at the heart of Lollard perspectives on end times events. It therefore demonstrates how this text reveals the way in which Lollard hermeneutics helped to determine the limits of Lollard apocalypticism.