Cardinal Hugh of St. Cher’s Commentary on Jesus’ Parable of Dives and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31)

By Robert J. Karris

Cardinal Hugh of St. Cher was a water walker. He was learned in both law and theology. His leadership skills were so outstanding that he quickly became a major superior in his Dominican Order. Having gotten word of Hugh's talents, the pope made him a cardinal. The famed artist Fra Angelico placed Hugh in a crucifixion scene with the words "biblical interpreter" above his head. These words beautifully sum up what he was to generation after generation of biblical scholars and preachers till the sixteenth century. The Franciscan Cardinal St. Bonaventure (d. 1274) generously copied from Hugh's Commentary on Luke without attribution. So did the Dominican Bishop St. Albert the Great (d. 1280). Producers of homily aids in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries filled their pages with nuggets from Hugh. What will you like about Hugh? First, he's not in an ivory tower. He calls out his fellow prelates for being more interested in gold than in sharing God's mercy with sinners and the poor. Second, he knows how to preach the text, breaking it down into memorable soundbites. Third, he knows and creatively adapts the Scriptures and tradition. Reading his commentary on Dives and Lazarus will not only activate your mind and warm your heart. Would you be surprised if it also were to trouble your conscience?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Release date: Oct 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666714777

Robert J. Karris

Robert J. Karris is Professor Emeritus at The Franciscan Institute of St. Bonaventure University. His books include: St. Bonaventure’s Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (three volumes; 2000–2004); Luke: Artist and Theologian (2009); The Admonitions of St. Francis of Assisi: Sources and Meanings (2015); and Peter of John Olivi’s Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke (2017). Many weekends he preaches for Food for the Poor.

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Cardinal Hugh of St. Cher’s Commentary on Jesus’ Parable of Dives and Lazarus

(Luke 16:19–31)

Robert J. Karris

Cardinal Hugh of St. Cher’s Commentary on Jesus’ Parable of Dives and Lazarus (Luke

16

:

19

–

31

)

Copyright ©

2021

Robert J. Karris. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers,

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

, Eugene, OR

97401

.

Pickwick Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

Eugene, OR

97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-6667-1475-3

hardcover isbn: 978-1-6667-1476-0

ebook isbn: 978-1-6667-1477-7

Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Names: Karris, Robert J.

Title: Cardinal Hugh of St. Cher’s commentary on Jesus’ parable of dives and Lazarus (Luke

16

:

19

–

31

) / Robert J. Karris.

Description: Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications,

2021

| Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers:

isbn 978-1-6667-1475-3 (

paperback

) | isbn 978-1-6667-1476-0 (

hardcover

) | isbn 978-1-6667-1477-7 (

ebook

)

Subjects: LCSH: Rich man and Lazarus (Parable)—Criticism, interpretation, etc. | Lazarus, Saint (Poor man from the Gospel of Luke) | Bible. Luke XVI,

19-31

—Criticism, interpretation, etc. | Hugh, of Saint-Cher, Cardinal, approximately

1200–1263

.

Classification:

BS2595.52 K37 2021

(print) |

BS2595.52

(ebook)

Robert J. Karris, "The Interpretation of the Parable of Dives and Lazarus (Luke

16

:

19

–

31

) by Cardinal Hugh of St. Cher (d.

1263

) and Cardinal Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (d.

1274

)," Franciscan Studies 2020

,

67

–

108

. ©Franciscan Institute Publications. Used by permission.

Some Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition ©

2010

,

1991

,

1986

,

1970

Confraterity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Unless otherwise indicated, all translations of the Vulgate are based on the Douay-Rheims translation, which is in the public domain. I have modified that venerable translation to reflect current American language usage and spelling. So for example, thou and ye has become you. I have used inclusive language, e.g., changing he to person or people.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

Translation

Bibliography

Karris . . . provides us with a rare treat in this gem of a book that brings to life a thirteenth-century interpretation of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Karris shows that the work of Hugh of St. Cher is still as relevant today as in his own time. The parable, as Hugh interprets it, continues to disturb Christians of means and move them to action on behalf of persons who are made poor today.

—

Barbara E. Reid

, OP, Catholic Theological Union

Modern biblical scholars can sometimes forget that their patristic and medieval predecessors could also analyze the Scriptures with intelligence and grace. . . . A fresh translation, an illumination of the historical context, and an annotated presentation of Cardinal Hugh’s provocative interpretation of the parable make this work a delight.

—

Donald Senior

, CP, Catholic Theological Union

Today the name of Cardinal Hugh of St. Cher may not be well known—even among biblical scholars—but it should be. Readers will owe a great debt to the work of Robert Karris, who has so deftly shown the perspicacity and breadth of intellect of this medieval Dominican friar. Karris writes that he became enthralled with the work Hugh of St. Cher. Having read this study of Hugh’s commentary on the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, I now not only understand the thrall that Fr. Karris confesses, but I share it.

—

William L. Burton

, OFM, St. Mary’s Seminary and University

After years of studying the influence of Cardinal Hugh of St. Cher’s influence on Saint Bonaventure, Karris’s turn to studying the influential source of the Seraphic Doctor’s exegetical inspiration is most welcome. This long-anticipated study is a crucial tool for those seeking to understand the depth and breadth of mendicant scriptural exegesis in thirteenth-century Paris.

—

Timothy J. Johnson

, School of Humanities and Sciences, Flagler College

Composed in the vibrant spiritual and cultural context of the Dominican convent of Paris, the Postilla circulating under the name of Hugh of St. Cher is one of the most surprising and influential medieval commentaries to the Bible. By translating and analyzing its interpretation of the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Karris offers an excellent entry point into this rich world, ideal for anyone interested in the thirteenth-century pastoral revolution and in the reception history of the Bible.

—Pietro Delcorno,

University of Bologna

Dedicated to Michael Guinan and Jeannette Scholer

Preface

You might ask: Why Hugh of St. Cher (d. 1263)? Why his commentary on the Parable of Dives and Lazarus? Let me tell you a story. In 2000 it fell to me, a doctor in New Testament Studies, to translate the Commentary on Luke’s Gospel by St. Bonaventure (d. 1274). As a friend remarked: You’ve gotten a promotion. You’ve moved from the first century to the thirteenth! As I worked on my annotated translation of Bonaventure’s interpretation, I began to realize that Bonaventure’s interpretations were often dependent upon those of Hugh of St. Cher. Like his predecessors Bonaventure followed the current custom of not acknowledging/footnoting a previous recent interpreter. I have provided a parade example of Bonaventure’s borrowing from and independence from Hugh in a 2020 article on Luke 16:19–31.

¹

After writing that article, I confess that I put my fellow Franciscan, Bonaventure, to the side. You see, I had become enthralled by the interpretation of Hugh, a Dominican. Let me tell you the ways.

First of all, Hugh of St. Cher, a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, was transparent. He called a spade a spade. He was not afraid of calling out a fellow Prelate for being lazy or padding his nest and nest egg. Second Hugh brought the best of the tradition of his predecessors to bear on the interpretation of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. I mention just a few illustrious saints: Augustine, Jerome, Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Bede. Third Hugh was a consummate preacher/communicator. He had a sense of humor. Finally much of what he said seemed to me to be quite contemporary.

So in this book I want to share with you the treasure trove I have found in Hugh’s commentary on Luke 16:19–31. In general I follow the pattern established by Hugh Feiss in his book on Hugh’s commentary on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32).

²

I commence with an extensive Introduction which I end with a brief section on how Hugh’s insights agree and do not agree with contemporary interpretations of Luke 16:19–31 (I have not forgotten my ThD in NT!) The third and final section is long. It is an annotated translation. Many of the annotations are references to the commentaries by Bonaventure and Albert the Great (d. 1280). The interpretations of Bonaventure, an eminent Franciscan and Cardinal Prelate, and Albert the Great, a Dominican like Hugh and a Bishop Prelate, benefited richly from Hugh’s postils.

I imitate Hugh’s transparency and share why I selected Luke 16:19–31 rather than Luke’s Emmaus account (Luke 24:13–35). I wanted to see how Hugh of St. Cher, a Cardinal Prelate, dealt with the age-old issue of the rich and the poor. I wanted to see how he wrestled with the deep questions: How did the rich man end up where he did? and How did the beggar Lazarus end up where he did? Implicit, of course, is the question raised for all believers, whether in the first century CE, the thirteenth century, or in the twenty-first century. I paraphrase Hugh’s articulation of that question: How many Lazaruses do you see today, but your attention is captivated more by a shiny brand-new SUV than by the misery of your brother and sister in need?

I gratefully acknowledge the expert assistance I have received from Michael Guinan and Jeannette Scholer who carefully read my work and were lovingly transparent in their assessments. I dedicate this study to them.

1

. Karris, Dives and Lazarus,

67

–

108

.

2

. Feiss, Hugh of St. Cher.

Abbreviations

Albert the Great B. Alberti Magni, Opera omnia, Vol. XXIII. Enarrationes in secundam partem Evang. Lucae (X-XXIV). Ed. Steph. C. A. Borgnet. Paris: Vives, 1895.

Bonaventure Bonaventure’s Commentary on the Gospel of Luke Chapters 1–8, 9–16, 17–24. Introduction, Translation and Notes by Robert J. Karris, OFM. Works of St. Bonaventure VIII, Parts I-III. Saint Bonaventure, New York: Franciscan Institute Publications, 2001–2004.

CCSL cxx Bedae Venerabilis Opera Pars II Opera Exegetica 3: In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, In Marci Evangelium Expositio.Cura et stvdio D. Hurst. Corpus Christianorum Series Latina CXX. Turnhout: Brepols, 1955.

FC Fathers of the Church

Hugonis de S. Charo Hugonis de Sancto Charo . . . Tomus Sextus in Evangelia secundum Matthaeum, Lucam, Marcum & Joannem. Venice: Nicolas Pezzana, 1732.

Hurst Gregory the Great: Forty Gospel Homilies. Translated from the Latin by Dom David Hurst. Cistercian Studies Series 123. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian, 1990.

JSNTSS Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series

LCL Loeb Classical Library

LNTS Library of New Testament Studies

NAB New American Bible

NTS New Testament Studies

Opera Omnia S. Bonaventurae Opera Omnia. Studio et Cura PP. Collegii a S. Bonaventura (Ad Claras Aquas). Quaracchi: Collegium S. Bonaventurae, 1882–1902. The volume number is first given and then the page number, e.g., 7:24.

PL J.-P. Migne, ed. Patrologiae cursus completus. Series Latina. 221 vols. Paris: Migne, 1844–1864.

PG J.-P. Migne, ed. Patrologiae cursus completus. Series Graeca. 166 vols. Paris: Migne, 1857–1886.