Scriptural Exegesis or Speculative Philosophy

Summary Dogmatic debates in early Christianity shaped philosophical discourse just as Greek philosophy offered the conceptual tools to engage and, accordingly to crystalize early Christian practice, into a formal system of belief. Thus, in the recently-published The Rise of Christian Theology and the End of Ancient Metaphysics, Johannes Zachhuber notes that “Patristic thought as a whole can be identified as a Christian philosophy.” Following suit – though not without nuance – this paper suggests treating Patristic scriptural exegesis as an exercise of speculative philosophy, as evidenced in Augustine’s interpretation of the figure of the cross at Eph 3.18, where the cross progressively becomes a simple yet compelling paradigm of divine manifestation. This paradigm can be framed according to Augustine’s mature articulation of the ‘ontological principle’ of manifestation in s. 165: “From the depth which you cannot see rises everything that you can see.” By engaging in scriptural exegesis, within a gestalt where Wisdom, sacred and profane alike, merge in the incarnate God manifest in Christ, Augustine articulates unprecedented philosophical principles.

Antoine de la Roche Chandieu and the extra Calvinisticum into Early Reformed Orthodoxy

This chapter investigates the extra Calvinisticum in the Reformed tradition after the shift to scholastic theology in the 1580s by investigating the work of French theologian Antoine de la Roche Chandieu. Chandieu is widely considered one of the fathers of Reformed scholasticism and produced the most extensive work on the extra in this period. In De Veritate Humanae Naturae Christi (1585) he offers an exposition and defense of the extra in response to the christology of Lutheran theologian Martin Chemnitz. Chandieu’s work is distinguished from other treatments of the extra in both scope and depth, utilizing scholastic methodology, scriptural exegesis, and the church fathers. The work of Chandieu demonstrates the ongoing development of the extra in the period of early Reformed orthodoxy, which is in continuity with the precedent tradition and uses the new scholastic method not to unmoor it from the biblical witness but to secure it more firmly.

Spinoza and the Possibility of a Philosophical Religion

What is a philosophical religion? Carlos Fraenkel proposes that we use this term to describe “the interpretation of the historical forms of a religion in philosophical terms”. Such a philosophical interpretation allows religious traditions to be utilized in service of a political-pedagogical program, the goal of which is orienting society towards the highest good: human excellence. Here, I outline the idea of a philosophical religion as it can be found in the Arabic tradition of rationalist Aristotelianism and scrutinize Spinoza’s ambiguous response to this idea. Despite his programmatic separation of theology and philosophy, I argue, Spinoza, at least in some crucial passages, shows himself to be engaged in the project of retrieving the truths of philosophy through the interpretation of Scripture. Thus, there are two contradictory strains at work in Spinoza’s philosophy of religion: he systematically denies that Scripture is the locus of truth, yet he articulates parts of his philosophical anthropology and rational theology by means of Scriptural exegesis. Both of these strains, however, depend on the claim that the final arbiter of truth about the divine and the one true act of worship of God is metaphysics.

The Classics

The chapter examines the medieval idea of the literary ‘classic’—a notion that discriminated between ‘major’ and ‘minor’ authors (auctores maiores and auctores minores) to establish the status and function of both groups in Dante. It thus focuses not only on the ways in which the poet may have read ‘authoritative’ writers, but also on how and when he came into contact with their works. Specifically, the manner in which Dante utilized pagan writers is profoundly shaped by the commentary traditions on their works, by their presence in later writers, and by their exemplary status in an extremely wide range of genres from Scriptural exegesis to teaching manuals. Equally, the question of when and where Dante may have read, or whether he had even read in full, particular texts and authors is crucial when endeavouring to establish the poet’s education and intellectual formation (this chapter offers an illustrative account of Dante’s access to Virgil’s works).

Diodore of Tarsus. Preface to the Commentary on Psalms (Fragment)

Вниманию читателей предлагается первый перевод на русский язык основного фрагмента из введения, которым Диодор, епископ Тарсийский, предварил своё «Толкование на псалмы». Указанный фрагмент, содержащий рассуждения Диодора о преимуществах историко-грамматической экзегезы над аллегорической, даёт важный материал для изучения методов толкования Священного Писания, развивавшихся в Антиохийской школе. Введение не оставляет сомнений в том, что Диодор, вопреки распространённому мнению, чётко различал аллегорию и анагогическое толкование, или «более возвышенное умозрение», фактически близкое к типологии. Последнюю он несомненно считал допустимой, хотя и подчинённой буквальному знанию текста. В своём «Толковании» Диодор раскрыл expressis verbis основы своего подхода к исследованию Библии, сформировавшего не одно поколение толкователей в рамках «школьной» традиции. Изучение указанного текста позволит составить представление о позднеантичных и средневековых моделях и инструментах познания. The author offers the first translation into Russian of the theoretical introduction, which Diodore, bishop of Tarsus, placed at the beginning of his Commentary on Psalms. This fragment, including Diodore’s thoughts on the advantages of historical-grammatical exegesis in comparison with allegory, provides an important material for studying biblical interpretation having been used by the School of Antioch. The introduction leaves no doubt that Diodore, contrary to the previously widespread views, clearly discerned between allegory and anagogical interpretation, or «the more elevated insight», which is, in fact, close to typology. Unquestionably, the latter he considered valid, but subordinate to literal meaning of the text. In the introduction, Diodore had revealed expressis verbis the foundations of his scriptural exegesis, which formed some generations of interpreters within the «school» tradition. Studying this text will make it possible to understand late antique and medieval models and tools of cognition.

Midrash

In modern parlance, midrash (Hebrew root drš, “to investigate, seek, search out, examine”) refers to any act of interpretation, but in its strictest and most precise sense it refers to ancient rabbinic biblical interpretation. Midrash is both the process and product of interpretation contained in vast compilations of midrashim (plural) as well as in other rabbinic works such as the Talmud. Compendia of midrashim not only preserve interpretations and teachings but also reveal a curiously postmodern, polysemic approach to scriptural exegesis. These compilations are often categorized according to three (problematic) descriptive binaries: halakhic or aggadic; tannaitic (70–200 ce) or amoraic (200–500 ce); and exegetical or homiletical. Through the midrashic process, the Jewish sages of antiquity made the Bible relevant to their contemporaries, taught moral lessons, told fanciful stories, and developed as well as maintained theological beliefs and ethical codes of behavior. The study of midrash provides a portal into the cultural world of the rabbis of late antiquity; it also serves to highlight their approach to and assumptions about scripture, and their guiding hermeneutical practices and principles. Midrashic interpretation employs a variety of exegetical techniques that are often tightly connected to the language of scripture. In addition to wordplay, the rabbis occasionally use gematria, whereby the arithmetical value of Hebrew letters is used to interpret a word or verse. Intertextuality and the atomicization of scriptural words, phrases, and verses are fundamental characteristics of the midrashic method. Although the term midrash applies specifically to rabbinic biblical interpretation, it is sometimes used more broadly as a synonym for aggadah, which includes rabbinic stories, maxims, and parables. Critical editions of midrashic compilations as well as digital advancements and translations give scholars in cognate fields the necessary tools to understand rabbinic literature and undertake comparative studies.

Redemption Applied

Union with Christ is a crucial theme for Reformed soteriology with far-reaching implications in numerous areas, including the theology of the covenant, the sacraments, eschatology, and the outworking of the doctrine of grace as justification and sanctification in Christ. Through engagement with scriptural exegesis and the refining of various catholic and characteristically Reformed elements, a Reformed doctrine of union with Christ has much to offer to the broader theological and ecclesial discussion. Rather than reducing salvation to simply a forensic act or a gradual transformation, the Reformed tradition holds together God’s forensic declaration with the Spirit’s indwelling, transformative work. Rather than approaching the various acts of God in salvation as temporal stages for human ascent to God, God’s electing action unfolding in justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification are ‘manifestations’ of union with Christ. Rather than reducing salvation to a purely vertical or purely horizontal affair, the Reformed hold together communion with God in Christ with covenantal, reconciled communion with others who are adopted into his household. This cluster of topics continues to generate considerable debate and development in contemporary biblical and theological circles, and promises to be an area for lively discussion for years to come.

Redeeming Woman: A Response to the “Second Sex” Issue from within the Tradition of Catholic Scriptural Exegesis

The aim of this paper is to correct an historical error: the ancient claim, grounded in a flawed understanding of the reproductive act, that woman is inferior to man. I will show that the lineage of this can be traced as far back as the pre-Socratic philosophers, finally finding its earliest concrete expression in a claim most have either dismissed, forgotten, or never heard: Aristotle’s argument that women are merely “malformed males” and are therefore “inferior to man.” The theory found support in the first century with a historical interpretation of Genesis 2:18-23, traceable in particular to the Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, Philo (BC 13-AD 54). Philo’s own theory about woman echoed that of Aristotle’s; his legacy includes the vague feeling that Scripture itself declares that, since woman is created after man, she is necessarily subservient to him. She becomes, as it were, the “second sex.” I dispute both these accounts and show that they can be defeated on their own terms. Through the lens of Hebraic and Aristotelian-Thomistic anthropology, and building on the insights of St. John Paul II, I provide a robust, philosophically and theologically grounded account of man and woman from within the Catholic exegetical tradition.

Markus Barth on the Lord’s Supper

This article seeks to offer the first detailed exposition and analysis of the two major writings of Markus Barth on the theme of the Lord’s Supper, highlighting matters of scriptural exegesis and considering issues of theological import as well as noting its ecumenical implications. It proceeds in three main sections. First, it sets the scene for the investigation of Markus Barth’s work on the Lord’s Supper by considering briefly the genre and the purpose of the writings in view. Second, it engages in a close reading and analysis of both writings on the Lord’s Supper. Third, and by way of conclusion, it concisely explores the wider ramifications of Barth’s teaching in relation to the work of the ecumenical movement.