The Exegetical Jerusalem: Maps and Plans for Ezekiel Chapters 40–48

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Delano-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Literal Meaning ◽  
Biblical Exegesis ◽  
Literal Interpretation ◽  
Regional Context ◽  
Jewish Scholar ◽  
Nicholas Of Lyra ◽  
Visual Exegesis ◽  
The Temple

Drawing for explanation flourished in the medieval West in biblical exegesis. Some Christian and Jewish scholars, holding that the literal meaning of the holy scriptures had to be established before the allegorical and typological meanings could be reached, made good use of visual exegesis. Of the few Christian scholars who attempted a literal interpretation of the notoriously difficult Old Testament book of the prophet Ezekiel, one was Richard of St Victor (In visionem Ezechielis, before 1173) and another was Nicholas of Lyra (Postilla literalis super totam Bibliam,1323–32), who had read Richard's work and also, like him, seen the Jewish scholar Rashi's illustrations for Ezekiel. Both Richard and Nicholas supported their arguments with the plans of Ezekiel's visionary temple and the map that places the temple in its regional context discussed in this essay. Also discussed is the subsequent adaptation of these medieval diagrammatic maps for a quite different readership.

Peter Abelard, Heloise and Jewish Biblical Exegesis in the Twelfth Century

2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19
Author(s):  
CONSTANT J. MEWS ◽  
MICHA J. PERRY
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Twelfth Century ◽  
Biblical Exegesis ◽  
Peter Abelard ◽  
Jewish Scholar ◽  
1 Samuel

This paper revisits the question of the influence of Jewish biblical exegesis on Christian scholars in twelfth-century France, by focusing in particular on Abelard's response to a question of Heloise in herProblemataabout questions raised by1 Samuel ii.35–6 (=1 Regum ii.35–6)concerning ‘the faithful priest’ prophesied as Eli's successor, the meaning of ‘will walk before my anointed’ and the nature of the offering his household should make. Abelard's discussion of the views of an unnamed Jewish scholar illustrates a consistent movement evident in the late eleventh and twelfth centuries for certain Christian exegetes to approach Jewish scholars to resolve problems posed by the text of the Old Testament. While the passage in1 Samuelwas traditionally interpreted in a Christocentric fashion, Heloise implicitly supports a more historical reading of the text in the question she puts to Abelard. The Jewish scholar's interpretation reported by Abelard is very close to that of Rashi's twelfth-century disciples.

The Virgin and the Word

Martin Delrio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Machielsen
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
The Self ◽  
Biblical Exegesis ◽  
Stepping Stone ◽  
Classical Poetry ◽  
Catholic Tradition

This chapter sketches two areas of Martin Delrio’s output that have received little notice so far: his Mariology and his biblical exegesis. It argues that alongside the Disquisitiones magicae, the Jesuit’s sermons on the Virgin proved another important stepping stone in his transition from humanist philology to theology. Delrio’s editions of some of the poetical books of the Old Testament also followed on quite logically from his earlier commentaries on classical poetry. The chapter notes similarities with the Jesuit’s earlier scholarship. Much like the Disquisitiones, his editions of biblical exegesis were also sustained by the careful collation of patristic and medieval authorities and exude an encyclopedic exhaustiveness. Study of how the Jesuit justified the need for these editions also tells us much about his scholarly persona as the self-styled spokesperson of Catholic tradition.

Calvin, the Bible, and History

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Pitkin
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Historical Consciousness ◽  
Biblical Exegesis ◽  
Apostle Paul ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Introductory Overview ◽  
Historical Developments

Calvin, the Bible, and History investigates John Calvin’s distinctive historicizing approach to scripture. The book explores how historical consciousness manifests itself in Calvin’s engagement with the Bible, sometimes leading him to unusual, unprecedented, and occasionally deeply controversial exegetical conclusions. It reshapes the image of Calvin as a biblical interpreter by situating his approach within the context of premodern Christian biblical interpretation, recent Protestant hermeneutical trends, and early modern views of history. In an introductory overview of Calvin’s method and seven chapters focusing on his interpretation of different biblical books or authors, Barbara Pitkin analyzes his engagement with scripture from the Pentateuch to his reception of the apostle Paul. Each chapter examines intellectual or cultural contexts, situating Calvin’s readings within traditional and contemporary exegesis, broader cultural trends, or historical developments, and explores the theme of historical consciousness from a different angle, focusing, for example, on Calvin’s historicizing treatment of Old Testament prophecy, or his reflection of contemporary historiographical trends, or his efforts to relate the biblical past to present historical conditions. An epilogue explores the significance of these findings for understanding Calvin’s concept of history. Collectively these linked case studies illustrate the multifaceted character and expansive impact of his sense of history on his reading of the Bible. They demonstrate that Calvin’s biblical exegesis must be seen in the context of the rising enthusiasm for defining adequate and more formalized approaches to the past that is evident in the writings of Renaissance humanists, early modern historical theorists, and religious reformers across the confessional spectrum.

Recasting Genesis in Bronze: Ghiberti's Visual Exegesis in The Gates of Paradise

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 126-155
Author(s):  
Joel M. LeMon
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
First Century ◽  
Renaissance Art ◽  
Composite Image ◽  
Creation Story ◽  
Critical Elements ◽  
Adam And Eve ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Visual Exegesis ◽  
The Mind

AbstractThe bronze doors of Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378–1455) on the east side of the Baptistery at Florence are composed of ten “Albertian Renaissance windows” that depict scenes from the Old Testament in stunning detail. From an art-historical perspective, these panels demonstrate a significant development in Renaissance art. Rather than depicting a single instant in a biblical narrative, Ghiberti's panels combine multiple scenes into one composite image that conveys critical elements of long and complex stories. In the first of these panels, Ghiberti illustrates God's creation of Adam and Eve, the act of disobedience at the tree, and the expulsion from the garden. Ghiberti's organization of these events, his rendering of the characters, and the various details he includes (and omits) provide a window into the mind of a sophisticated exegete. When modern biblical scholars peer through this window, we note that Eve emerges as the central figure, while Adam is a largely peripheral one. We also note how Ghiberti establishes the literary pericope for his visual exegesis in a way that generally accords with modern source-critical hypotheses about Genesis 1-3. Indeed, by illustrating certain elements of the creation story and excluding others, Ghiberti is practicing de facto source criticism. Furthermore, Ghiberti's portrayal of the various characters in the text presaged twentieth- and twenty-first-century feminist readings of Genesis 1-3, as well as modern literary-critical analysis and ethico-theological critiques.

On the question of psalmody in the ancient synagogue

1986 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 159-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. McKinnon
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Present Author ◽  
Related Topic ◽  
Natural Assumption ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Meeting Room ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Jewish Liturgy ◽  
The Temple

Music historians are virtually unanimous in attributing the source of early Christian psalmody to the synagogue. In this they follow the vast majority of liturgical scholars, Protestant and Catholic alike. There is, after all, considerable plausibility to the view: nascent Christianity was a Jewish sect and its first liturgical gatherings shared with the synagogue its most revolutionary characteristic – the coming together of co-religionists in a meeting room rather than the witnessing of sacrifice in a temple court. Moreover, the liturgical practices of these gatherings resembled those of the synagogue; in particular the so-called ‘liturgy of the Word’ that preceded the Eucharist appears to have been modelled after the scripture-centred order of synagogue worship. And when one observes that the principal vehicle of early Christian chant was the Old Testament Book of Psalms it seems a natural assumption that the singing of those psalms was a practice borrowed from the synagogue. The present author shared this assumption until coming to question it when pursuing a related topic. The study that follows is a fulfilment of the intention stated then to explore the subject more thoroughly. In doing so it is necessary to begin with a general examination of Jewish liturgy in the time of Jesus, both the liturgy of the Temple and that of the synagogue.

scholarly journals Sophia's theme in world and national spirituality

2004 ◽  
pp. 86-95
Author(s):  
Yevgen A. Harkovschenko
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Wisdom Of Solomon ◽  
The Temple ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Middle Ages

The Sophia tradition was formed in European philosophical and religious creativity and was developed in the pre-Christian period by Plato. Then it was reflected in Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism, the writings of prominent theorists of Christianity - fathers and teachers of the church, mystics of the Middle Ages. This tradition was reflected in the temple architecture and iconography of the Orthodox East, and took a systematic form of the doctrine of sophiology in the "philosophy of unity." The doctrine of Sophia the Wisdom of God is set forth in the biblical book of the parables of the Solomons, as well as in the non-canonical books of the Old Testament - the Wisdom of Solomon and the Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach. In Ukraine, Sofia teaching has been known since medieval times and was a feature of Kyiv Christianity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document