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Columbia University professor gives Phi Beta Kappa lecture at Luther

Date 10/15/1998 12:00 AM | Topic: Arts & Culture

Carmela Vircillo Franklin will deliver a slide lecture entitled Before the Printed Book: Manuscripts and Their Role in Medieval Culture on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 in the CRH. Franklin will discuss the Bible as manuscript in a variety of settings: its production, its use in divine liturgy and university teaching and its function as holy icon and secular luxury object.

"It's a very different sense of the Bible than what we have today," said Mary Hull Mohr, professor of English. "This is before the printed book, in the medieval world. Someone could only listen to the Bible in a cathedral, or if they were very wealthy, they might own one. These books were done by monks in a monastery so as you can imagine, they're quite valuable."

Franklin is an associate professor of Classics at Columbia University and is also on the advisory committee of Columbia's Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Before going to New York City, she taught history and classics at St. John's University in Minnesota. She is a recipient of the Mellon Fellowship in Medieval and Renaissance studies of the American Academy in Rome, and in 1990-91 was a fellow of the National Humanities Center. She has written extensively on the history of handwritten books and more recently has done research on the study of the Bible and of Greeks in the West.

Dr. Franklin's visit is sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program. "These lecturers are chosen by Phi Beta Kappa to select people who are experienced in lecturing to undergraduate students so they're able to make their subject broadly appealing," said Mohr.

While at Luther, Franklin will talk to several classes and honor students. A reception will follow the Thursday night lecture which everyone is welcome to attend.

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John Raymond
Chips Staff Writer

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