Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church PDF
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EARLY CHRISTIAN SOURCES AD FONTES: Presenting essential ancient texts for students of early Christianity “The volumes in the Ad Fontes series invite readers ‘to return to the sources,’ to discover first- G hand the riches of the common Christian tradition, and to gain a deeper understanding of the r a faith and practices of early Christianity. The selected texts not only chronicle how Christian v faith and practice came to adopt its basic shape, they also summon contemporary readers to e s consider how the events, insights, and social conditions of the early church continue to inform Christianity in the twenty-first century.” George Kalantzis, series editor Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church i B n Michael Graves, volume editor i b t l This volume in the Ad Fontes series focuses on how Scripture was interpreted and used for h i preaching, teaching, apologetics, and worship by early Christian scholars and church leaders. c Developed in light of recent patristic scholarship, it provides a representative sampling of theolog- e a ical contributions from both East and West, making it relevant for students in a variety of courses. E l a I Praise for r n Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church l t “Michael Graves is linguistically qualified to introduce these samples of patristic exegesis of the y e Old Testament, showing himself to be a careful and competent annotator who is conversant C r in contemporary theological literature. Graves recognizes the limited value of many common p h generalizations of patristic exegesis and finds the antidote to be exposing readers extensively to r primary texts. Graves proves himself here to be a worthy disciple of the great Adam Kamesar.” u e Thomas P. Scheck, Ave Maria University r t c a “Michael Graves has produced a wide-ranging and richly annotated selection of source texts that h t will help orient students and teachers to the world of early Christian biblical interpretation. i This is an excellent resource for the classroom.” o Peter Martens, Saint Louis University n Michael Graves, volume editor, is Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College, where he teaches courses in Hebrew Bible and the history of biblical interpretation. He has done extensive research in patristic and Rabbinic biblical interpretation, and his many publications include The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture: What the Early Church Can Teach Us (2014) and the translation of Jerome: Commentary on Jeremiah (2012). George Kalantzis, series editor, is professor of theology at Wheaton College and director of The Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies. Religion / Early Christianity / Theology Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church Michael Graves Fortress Press Minneapolis BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION IN THE EARLY CHURCH Copyright © 2017 Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email [email protected] or write to Permissions, Fortress Press, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209. Cover image: Photographer: Will Bergkamp Cover design: Laurie Ingram Print ISBN: 978-1-4514-9637-6 eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-2560-3 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences — Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z329.48-1984. Manufactured in the U.S.A. This book was produced using Pressbooks.com, and PDF rendering was done by PrinceXML. Contents Series Foreword vii Introduction xi Part I.Texts and Translations 1. Epistle of Barnabas 3 2. Justin Martyr 17 3. Irenaeus 27 4. Tertullian 43 5. Cyprian 53 6. Origen 65 7. Eusebius of Caesarea 91 8. Ephrem the Syrian 99 9. Diodore of Tarsus 129 10. Gregory of Nyssa 143 11. Jerome 165 12. Theodore of Mopsuestia 183 13. John Chrysostom 197 14. Augustine 215 15. John Cassian 243 Bibliography 253 Name and Subject Index 261 Scripture Index 269 Ancient Authors and Works Index 285 Series Foreword In his book The Spirit of Early Christian Thought, Robert Louis Wilken reminds us that “Christianity is more than a set of devotional practices and a moral code: it is also a way of thinkingaboutGod,abouthumanbeings,abouttheworldand history” (xiii). From its earliest times, Wilken notes, Christianity has been inescapably ritualistic, uncompro- misingly moral, and unapologetically intellectual. Christianity is deeply rooted in history and continues to be nourishedbythepast.Thegroundofitsbeingandthebasisof itsexistencearethelifeofahistoricperson,JesusofNazareth, whomChristiansidentifyasGod’sunique,historicalactofself- communication.Jesuspresentedhimselfwithinthecontextof the history of the people of Israel and the earliest disciples understoodhimtobetheculminationofthathistory,ushering inanewchapterinGod’songoingengagementwiththeworld. ThecrucialperiodofthefirstfewcenturiesofChristianityis known as the Patristic era or the time of the Church Fathers. BeginningafterthebooksoftheNewTestamentwerewritten andcontinuinguntilthedawnoftheMiddleAges(ca.100–700 CE), this period encompasses a large and diverse company of thinkers and personalities. Some came from Greece and Asia vii BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION IN THE EARLY CHURCH Minor, others from Palestine and Egypt, and still others from Spain, Italy, North Africa, Syria, and present-day Iraq. Some wrote in Greek, others in Latin, and others in Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, and other languages. Thisistheperiodduringwhichoptionsofbeliefandpractice were accepted or rejected. Christian teachers and thinkers forged the language to express Christian belief clearly and precisely; they oversaw the life of the Christian people in worshipandcommunalstructure,andclarifiedandappliedthe worshiping community’s moral norms. Every generation of Christians that has reconsidered the adequacyofitspracticeandwitnessandhasreflectedseriously on what Christians confess and teach has come to recognize the church fathers as a precious inheritance and source for instruction and illumination. After the New Testament, no bodyofChristianliteraturehaslaidgreaterclaimonChristians as a whole. The purpose of this series is to invite readers “to return to the sources,” to discover firsthand the riches of the common Christian tradition and to gain a deeper understanding of the faith and practices of early Christianity. When we recognize how Christian faith and practices developed through time we also appreciate how Christianity still reflects the events, thought, and social conditions of this earlier history. Ad Fontes: Sources of Early Christian Thought makes foundational texts accessible through modern, readable English translations and brief introductions that lay out the context of these documents. Each volume brings together the bestrecentscholarshiponthetopicandgivesvoicetovarying points of view to illustrate the diversity of early Christian thought.Entirewritingsorsectionsofwritingsareprovidedto allow the reader to see the context and flow of the argument. viii SERIES FOREWORD Together,thesetextsnotonlychroniclehowChristianfaith and practice came to adopt its basic shape, but they also summon contemporary readers to consider how the events, insights,andsocialconditionsoftheearlychurchcontinueto inform Christianity in the twenty-first century. George Kalantzis Series Editor ix
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