Interview with Lauren Randall

 Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from?

I grew up in Hereford, which has influenced my love of walking, either out on the hills or along the river. I have also always loved old churches, and there are some particularly good ones in Herefordshire (see Kilpeck, for instance), and I think wondering about the beliefs expressed though the carvings and symbols of some of the older churches in particular has fuelled a lot of my research, which tends to centre on how people have developed and expressed their beliefs at different points in history. 

What brought you to your current university?

I came to Durham for a PhD studentship in the Theology department, researching the paratext of Codex Amiatinus. Durham feels like the ideal setting for this project, as it has so many links to much of the wider heritage that led to the production of Amiatinus, as well as having a half-size facsimile of the codex. 

What is your favorite aspect pertaining to the medieval/early modern period?

I really like being able to trace people’s hopes and aspirations in their books and letters, then seeing how they go about achieving them. Or when they have a setback, and their work shows how they have overcome it. It’s amazing to be able to see something so real, so human, being preserved after all this time, but still totally relatable today. 

What is your research focus?

My research is centred on Codex Amiatinus, one of the three great Bible pandects commissioned by Abbot Ceolfrith in the joint monastery that is mainly famous for being the home of the Venerable Bede. I’m focussing on the paratext, that is, everything in the manuscript around the main text itself, and how it expresses the political aims and theological views of the scriptorium that produced it. 

In brief, what will you be discussing in your seminar talk?

The use of Mary Magdalene as a character in Amiatinus’ Song of Songs, voicing a portion of text that long predates her. The text is set out like a script, and in this tradition she is the only individual, other than Christ, who is given a portion of the text. This presentation of the erotic poetry of Song of Songs from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament helps to show how the text was used and understood by the monks of Wearmouth-Jarrow, as well as how they understood the significance of Mary Magdalene for the Church.

What is your favorite piece of art/text from the medieval/early modern eras?

One of the Medieval texts I keep coming back to is Bald’s Leechbook. It’s a fascinating collection of healing charms, potions, and medical (and veterinary) guidance. It combines advice for dealing with elves, with ways to use written lines of scripture to add potency to remedies. 

If you could choose any one figure from medieval/early modern history to spend a weekend vacation with, who would it be, why would you choose them, and where would you go?

This is a difficult questions! But I think I would like to meet Ceolfrith, on his return from a trip to Italy acquiring goods for the Wearmouth-Jarrow monastery. I would mainly like to see firsthand the art and manuscripts he had chosen, and ask him about his choices.