Kommentar und Säkularisierung in der Moderne
Vom Umgang mit heiligen und kanonischen Texten
[Commentary and secularization in modernity. On dealing with sacred and canonical texts]

In the modern era, the approach to sacred texts and, by extension, the traditional practice of commenting on these texts changes significantly. On one hand, such texts are now being commented scientifically and critically. On the other hand, religious forms of commentary continue to exist in secular contexts: in poetry, philosophy, or philology.

For a long time, commentary was the ideal way of dealing with classical, canonical texts and with those considered ‘holy.’ Since the practice of commentary exerts a deep influence on the understanding of literacy, the history of commentary is key to understanding the development of a modern, secular culture of writing. The essays in this book investigate the practice of commenting on religious texts under the terms of secularization. They illuminate which figures of thought and textual practices sacralize secular texts as well as the ways in which these shifts change our understanding of commentary.