'What Did Ezekiel See?'' Christian Exegesis of Ezekiel's Vision of the Chariot from Irenaeus to Gregory the Great

208 Pages·2005·1.07 MB·English

by  Angela Russell Christman

“What Did Ezekiel See?”
Bible in Ancient
Christianity
General Editor
ff
D. Je rey Bingham
Editorial Board
Brian E. Daley
Robin M. Jensen
Christoph Markschies
Maureen A. Tilley
Robert L. Wilken
Frances M. Young
VOLUME 4
“What Did Ezekiel See?”
Christian Exegesis of Ezekiel’s Vision of the
Chariot from Irenaeus to Gregory the Great
by
Angela Russell Christman
BRILL
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2005
Cover design: Jeannet Leendertse
Coverart:AdaptedfromGreekNewTestament,withErasmus’stranslationintoLatin.
Special Collections Division, Georgetown University Library.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Christman, Angela Russell.
What did Ezekiel see? : Christian exegesis of Ezekiel’s vision of the chariot from
Irenaus to Gregory the Great / by Angela Russell Christman.
p. cm. — (Bible in ancient Christianity, ISSN 1542–1295; v. 4)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 90–04–14537–0 (alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T. Ezekiel I — Criticism, interpretation, etc. — History — Early church,
ca. 30–600. I. Title. II. Series.
BS1545.52.C48 2005
224’.406—dc22
2005047141
ISSN 1542–1295
ISBN 90 04 14537 0
© Copyright 2005 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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printed in the netherlands
For Tom, Sidney Marie, and Cecilia

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ...................................................................... ix
Abbreviations .............................................................................. xi
Chapter One Introduction ...................................................... 1
Chapter Two Ezekiel’s Vision and the Christian Reading
of the Old and New Testaments .......................................... 13
Chapter Three Ezekiel’s Vision and the Incomprehensibility
of God .................................................................................... 63
Chapter Four Ezekiel’s Vision and the Christian Moral
Life .......................................................................................... 99
Chapter Five Conclusion .......................................................... 155
Appendix 1 Ezekiel 1 in the Septuagint and Vulgate .......... 161
Appendix 2 Phaedrus 246–254 .................................................. 165
Bibliography ................................................................................ 175
Index
Scripture Passages Cited ........................................................ 187
Works of Ancient Authors .................................................... 191

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have acquired many debts in the course of bringing this project
to fruition, and I am happy to acknowledge them here. My thanks
must go first to Robert Louis Wilken who supervised the disserta-
tion out of which this book grew and urged me to revise it for pub-
lication. His wisdom, keen insight, and encouragement have been
invaluable. My appreciation extends to the other readers of the dis-
sertation, Gary Anderson, Harry Gamble, and Mark Morford, each
of whom made important suggestions for improvement.
I count myself fortunate to be a part of the Theology Department
at Loyola College in Maryland: my colleagues bring an infectious
enthusiasm to the enterprise of theology, and it is a privilege to work
with them. I am especially grateful to Jim Buckley who, initially as
department chair and more recently as Dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences, has been steadfast in his support. Special thanks also
go to Fritz Bauerschmidt, Steve Fowl, and Claire Mathews-McGinnis.
The Office of the Academic Vice-President and the Center for the
Humanities at Loyola provided assistance in the form of a Summer
Research Grant and a Junior Faculty Sabbatical. The staffs of the
Loyola/Notre Dame Library, the Knott Library at St. Mary’s Seminary
and University, and the Bishop Payne Library at Virginia Theological
Seminary were unfailingly helpful.
Fred Norris and Paul Blowers read the entire manuscript at various
stages, and it benefited greatly from their suggestions. Robin Darling
Young offered much-needed encouragement at several critical points.
Jeffrey Bingham, editor of The Bible in Ancient Christianity, and the edi-
torial staff of Brill Academic Publishers, especially Wilma de Weert,
Loes Schouten, Ivo Romein, and Patrick Alexander, have shepherded
my manuscript through the publication process with skill and patience.
Corry O’Neill prepared the indices with his usual diligence and care.
Finally, I thank my parents, Gene and Carolyn Russell, and my
mother-in-law, Katherine Christman, for their support. My only
regret with the publication of this book is that my father-in-law, Jack
Christman, did not live to see it. He would have loved to have held
it in his hands and perused its pages. My greatest debt is to my
husband, Tom, and our daughters, Sidney Marie and Cecilia. I ded-
icate this book to them as a token of my love and devotion.