I “celesti lumi del mondo”: Immagini della luce nelle bibbie rinascimentali

Biblical books are vividly illumined by frequent images of light, which may vary depending on different editions and reverberate in the mind of readers with varying degrees of resplendence. This occurs due to both discrepancies between different versions of the Holy Writ which have been offered by translators and curators, and the different ways in which figures from the books of the Bible were taken into consideration in paratextual materials. In fact, dedicatory epistles, commentaries and illustrations are in turn rich of images of brightness, which draw on, develop and interpret those suggested by the Scriptures. In this brief essay, focusing on some of the most significant Renaissance editions of the Bible (Malerbi 1490; Brucioli 1530, 1532, 1542–1547; Diodati 1641), some relevant “images of radiance” are examined: 2 Pet. 1.19 (where the prophetic word is compared to a lamp which is shining in the dark); Exod. 34.33 (where it is said that Moses covered the brilliance of his own face with a veil); John 1.1 (where it is deplored that the light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it), especially analyzing the impact of their interpretation on the Renaissance debate on the ways and methods of transmission of Christian doctrine and the aim of the Holy Scriptures.