What is "postil"

Postil \Pos"til\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Postiled (?) or Postilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Postiling or Postilling.] To write postils, or marginal notes; to comment; to postillate.

Postiling and allegorizing on Scripture.
--J. H. Newman.

Postil \Pos"til\, n. [F. postille, apostille, LL. postilla, probably from L. post illa (sc. verba) after those (words). Cf. Apostil.]

1. Originally, an explanatory note in the margin of the Bible, so called because written after the text; hence, a marginal note; a comment.

   Langton also made postils upon the whole Bible.
   --Foxe.

2. (R. C. Ch. & Luth. Ch.) A short homily or commentary on a passage of Scripture; as, the first postils were composed by order of Charlemagne.

Postil \Pos"til\, v. t. [Cf. LL. postillare.] To write marginal or explanatory notes on; to gloss.
--Bacon.

Etymology 1 n. 1 (context archaic English) A Bible commentary written in its margins. 2 A marginal note. 3 A short homily or commentary on a passage of Scripture. 4 A collection of homilies. Etymology 2

vb. 1 (context transitive English) To write marginal or explanatory notes on; to gloss. 2 (context intransitive English) To write postils, or marginal notes; to comment; to postillate.

A postil or postill (; ) was originally a term for Bible commentaries. It is derived from the Latin "post illa verba textus" (after these words), referring to Biblical readings. The word first occurs in the chronicle (with reference to examples of 1228 and 1238) of Nicolas Trivetus, but later it came to mean only homiletic exposition, and thus became synonymous with homily in distinction from the thematic sermon. Finally, after the middle of the fourteenth century, it was applied to an annual cycle of homilies.