In Reading Matthew with Monks, Derek Olsen seeks to evaluate whether early
medieval monastic biblical interpreters can serve as effective conversation
partners for modern readers who are committed to broadening their reading of
Scripture. Olsen puts the interpretations of four modern Scripture commentaries in
conversation with Ælfric of Eynsham's interpretations of four texts from the Gospel
of Matthew. In so doing, he clarifi es early medieval monastic interpretive contexts
and assesses their usefulness in modern scholarship. As outsiders in modern
critical debates, Ælfric and his sources may provide alternative approaches or
perspectives that open interpretive possibilities where modern interpreters are
locked in disagreement. Early medieval monastic interpreters can serve as excellent
guides for understanding the potential for moral, spiritual, or formative meanings
of a biblical text. By adding their voices to modern hermeneutics, modern readers
can find new depth in biblical texts.