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Sacred Geography, Antiquarianism and Visual Erudition: Benito Arias Montano and the Maps in the Antwerp Polyglot Bible

2003/10/01 by Zur Shalev · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research #Polyglot #Philology #Exegesis #Literature #Palaeography #Art #Period (music) #Classics #Reading (process) #History #Philosophy #Art history #Sociology

paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/0308569032000097495

openalex publication_date 2003/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/03

Abstract

The final volume of the Polyglot Bible, edited by Benito Arias Montano and printed in Antwerp by Christophe Plantin, was published in 1571–1572. Forming part of the Bible's Apparatus, the volume contains a number of essays, illustrations and maps by Montano relating to questions raised by the biblical text. Montano's maps were a product of his philological training in Oriental languages and exegesis, his profound interest in antiquarianism and geography and his practice of visualizing and tabulating knowledge. He designed his maps both as study aids and as devotional‐meditative devices. Moreover, the maps reflect his wider philosophical outlook, according to which Holy Scripture contains the foundations of all natural philosophy. Montano's case encourages us to re‐examine early modern Geographia sacra in the light of the broader scholarly trends of the period.

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