The reproductive
copyright of articles often belongs to the publishers, nevertheless the
intellectual copyright belongs to the author. For a publicationlist, see
google scholar or
researchgate.
Below a selection of my academic publications, to which I added some 'extras',
often material I had to suppress because of the scholarly demand to
be succinct, or illustrations. Some hard to find sources I uploaded (= internal
hyperlinks).
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The legend of Marot offering his Psalms to the Emperor Charles V in 1540
(the Villemadon Letter)
A critical essay about the 'legend' that in the winter of 1539/1540 Marot
offered his Psalm paraphrases first to King Francis I and then to the
Emperor Charles V (passing through Paris). One can read this story
everywhere, but its historicity does not stand scrutiny. Even worse: this
legend obscures some elementary facts in the chronology of Marot's Psalm
paraphrases. The original article was published in
Renaissance Studies, Volume 22 Issue 2, Pages 240 - 250
[online: 21 Mar 2008. DOI: 10.1111/j.1477-4658.2008.00489.x]
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"Dear Doctor Bouchart, I am no Lutheran... : Marot addressing the
core-issue of the theological debate of his time. In this essay an often
quoted poem (Epistre à M. Bouchart) is close-read. The reference to
his own captivity and his
plaidoyer of not being guilty of the charge of heresy (core: I confess
'being a christian', and reject the addition of any confessional
adjective to this confession) is carefully examined and reinterpreted from
its publication date: after the 'Wonder-Year' (1533) and before the 'Affaire
des Placards' (1534, the annus horribilis of the French Reformation).
En passant the famous story of Marot having been imprisoned because he
had eaten 'the bacon' (1526) is critically assessed and demythologised. The
article was published in Bibliothèque d’Humanisme et Renaissance –
Tome LXX – 2008 – no. 3, pp. 567-578.
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New light on Marot's final days, his tomb and laudatory epitaph in Turin
(published in Studi Francesi
161/2010 [anno LIV - fascicoloII - maggio/agosto 2010], 293-303; re-edited
to better fit the way articles are read on www). In this research-essay the
Turin Cathedral (the shrine of the shroud) is explored looking for traces of
Marot's burial place. Because of some coincidences the exact spot of the
epitaph inside the Church (erased by the Inquisition) could be established.
A reproduction and some photographs make things imaginable.
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How not to publish a bibliographical Summa of sixteenth-century books
(French Vernacular Books).
This critical assessment of a major bibliographical achievement, coordinated
by Andrew Pettegree (St Andrews), finds its origin in high expectations
(created by the propaganda around this project), and the disappointment when
the two impressive volumes appeared and did not meet their own basic
standards. Even worse: next to new publications, discovered by the team of
St Andrews, the publication of the results added to the chaos on the terrain
of 16th century bibliography because new ghost-entries were created. It was
published as a Review Article in Brill's Church History and Religious
Culture, Volume 88, Number 3, 2008 , pp. 445-461.
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François Vatable, so much more than
a ‘name’
Bibliothèque d’Humanisme et Renaissance
– Tome LXXIII – 2011 – no 3, pp. 557-591:
slightly abridged article and illustrations
from the 1540 Bible. Vatable (appointed in 1530 as royal lecturer of Hebrew
in Paris) is mainly, if not exclusively, remembered for his collaboration with
Robert Estienne in the production of the famous 1545 Latin Bible in which the
old Bible translation (Vulgate) and a new one directly translated from the
Hebrew are printed side-by-side. However this Humanist scholar did so much more:
He translated the main philosophical (physics) treatises of Aristotle from the
Greek, published the Hebrew text of the Old Testament and collaborated in a
number of other Bible editions of Robert Estienne.
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Clément Marot, the Learned Poet: Jewish Medieval Exegesis and the Genevan
Psalter, Reformation and Renaissance
Review
12.1 (2010) 71–107. This article suggests that viewing the French
poet, Clément Marot, as a ‘learned poet’ opens up new possibilities both for
understanding why he translated the Classics and for better appreciation of
how he versified the Hebrew Psalter. It outlines the Renaissance rediscovery
of medieval Jewish exegetes and how the Strasbourg Reformer, Martin Bucer,
valorized their insights in his Psalms Commentary. Instead of allegory and
direct prophecy, a plain historical meaning is often preferred, supplemented
by typological reference to Christ. Analysis of Marot’s versification of
Psalm 110 shows that he went even further to construct a consistent literary
and historical narrative. To achieve this he folllowed an unusual Jewish
interpretation. Instead of presenting Psalm 110 as a messianic prophecy,
Marot produced a poem evoking an oracle on the enthronement of an ancient
king and his victory in battle. Thereby he so seriously diminished the
christological potency of this psalm that his versification was not
acceptable to the Genevans who adapted it to fit the traditional
interpretation. This last element is close-examined in an
article in French in BSHPF (see below).
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« Marot, est-il aussi parmi
les rabbins ? » Pourquoi Théodore de Bèze a corrigé quelques traductions de
Clément Marot, Bulletin de la Société du Protestantisme Français.
Tome 158. Fasc. 2, pp. 235-258. (avril-mai-juin 2012).
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RÉSUMÉ: La peur que l’usage de notions exégétiques rabbiniques (propagé
par Martin Bucer, utilisé par Clément Marot pour versifier les psaumes,
accueilli avec empressement par les philologues et les poètes néolatins)
puisse saper la revendication chrétienne que l’A.T. annonce le Christ a
provoqué la suppression de cette influence pendant la deuxième partie du
16ème siècle. Conformément à ce changement de biais herméneutique
Théodore de Bèze a ‘corrigé’ les textes de Marot à deux reprises (Ps. 45
et Ps. 110).
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SUMMARY: The fear that perusing Jewish and more particularly rabbinical
exegetical insights (propagated by Martin Bucer, used by Marot for his
versifications and greeted with open arms by philologists and neolatin
poets) might undermine the Christian claim that the O.T. announces
Christ, led to the suppression of this influence in the second half of
the 16th century. This change of hermeneutical bias induced Theodore de
Bèze to ‘correct’ Marot’s translations on two occasions (Ps. 45 and Ps.
110).
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ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Die Befürchtung, rabbinische exegetische Konzepte
(propagiert von Martin Bucer, von Marot für seine Psalmübertragung
benutzt, und eifrig begrüßt von Gelehrten und neolateinischen Dichtern)
könnten den christlichen Anspruch untergraben, dass das A.T. Christus
verkündige, hat in der zweiten Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts zu einer
Unterdrückung dieses Einflusses geführt. Diese hermeneutische
Befangenheit hat Theodore de Bèze dazu veranlasst Marot‘s Übersetzungen
an zwei Stellen zu ‘korrigieren‘ (Ps. 45 und Ps. 110).
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