History of Biblical Interpretation, Vol. 2: From Late Antiquity to the End of the Middle Ages (Society of Biblical Literature Resources for Biblical Study)

Volume 2 of History of Biblical Interpretation deals with the most extensive period under examination in this four-volume set. It begins in Asia Minor in the late fourth century with Bishop Theodore of Mopsuestia, the founder of a school of interpretation that sought to accentuate the literal meaning of the Bible and thereby stood out from the tradition of antiquity. It ends with another outsider, a thousand years later in England, who by the presuppositions of his thought stood at the end of an era: John Wyclif. In between these two interpreters, this volume presents the history of biblical interpretation from late antiquity until the end of the Middle Ages by examining the lives, works, and interpretive practices of Didymus the Blind, Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Isidore of Seville, the Venerable Bede, Alcuin, John Scotus Eriugena, Abelard, Rupert of Deutz, Hugo of St. Victor, Joachim of Fiore, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Rashi, Abraham ibn Ezra, and Nicolas of Lyra. History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 2: From Late Antiquity to the End of the Middle Ages 4 Contents 6 Abbreviations 8 Introduction 12 1. Famous Interpreters of Late Antiquity 14 1.1. It Depends on the Literal Sense: Theodore of Mopsuestia 14 1.2. The Deeper Sense Is Decisive: Didymus the Blind 32 1.3. A Bible for the West: Jerome 43 1.4. An Interpreter with the Shepherd’s Staff: Ambrose of Milan 56 1.5. Monastic Life with the Bible: John Cassian 80 1.6. The Bible and the Thought of Antiquity: Augustine 87 2. Mediators between Antiquity and the Middle Ages 108 2.1. A Roman on the Chair of St. Peter: Gregory the Great 108 2.2. A Collector of Antiquity’s Heritage: Isidore of Seville 117 2.3. A Learned Monastic Brother in the Northland: Venerable Bede 121 2.4. A Theologian in Charlemagne’s Service: Alcuin 129 2.5. Authority and Logical Thinking: John Scotus Eriugena 137 3. Bible and Theology in the Middle Ages 148 3.1. Ways of Preserving Tradition: Catena and Gloss 148 3.2. The Beginnings of Scholasticism: Sentences and Questions 152 3.3. Dialectics and Exegesis: Abelard 154 3.4. Monastic Scriptural Interpretation: Rupert of Deutz 162 3.5. History and Deeper Sense: Hugh of St. Victor 171 3.6. A Monk Expects the Age of the Spirit: Joachim of Fiore 181 3.7. The Bible and Aristotle: Thomas Aquinas 196 3.8. Understanding the World from the Bible: Bonaventure 212 4. Jewish Interpreters of the Middle Ages 230 4.1. Biblical Literal Sense and Talmudic Tradition: Rashi 233 4.2. Under the Influence of Arabic Culture: Abraham ibn Ezra 245 5. Late Medieval Exegetes 258 5.1. Learning from the Jews: Nicholas of Lyra 258 5.2. The Bible, God’s Eternal Book: John Wyclif 270 Concluding Word 286 Selected Resources and Readings 292 General 292 1. Famous Interpreters of Late Antiquity 293 1.1. Theodore of Mopsuetia 293 1.2. Didymus the Blind 293 1.3. Jerome 295 1.4. Ambrose of Milan 296 1.5. John Cassian 297 1.6. Augustine 297 2. Mediators between Antiquity and Middle Ages 298 2.1. Gregory the Great 298 2.2. Isidore of Seville 299 2.3. Venerable Bede 300 2.4. Alcuin 300 2.5 John Scotus Eriugena 301 3. The Bible and Theology in the Middle Ages 302 3.1. Catena and Glosses 302 3.2. Sentences and Questions 302 3.3. Abelard 302 3.4. Rupert of Deutz 303 3.5. Hugo of St. Victor 304 3.6. Joachim of Fiore 305 3.7. Thomas Aquinas 306 3.8. Bonaventura 307 4. Jewish Interpreters of the Middle Ages 308 General 308 4.1. Rashi 308 4.2. Ibn Ezra 309 5. Late Medieval Exegetes 309 5.1. Nicholas of Lyra 309 5.2. John Wyclif 310 Index of Names and Places 312 Index of Subjects 316 Index of Biblical References 319 History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 2: From Late Antiquity to the End of the Middle Ages......Page 4 Contents......Page 6 Abbreviations......Page 8 Introduction......Page 12 1.1. It Depends on the Literal Sense: Theodore of Mopsuestia......Page 14 1.2. The Deeper Sense Is Decisive: Didymus the Blind......Page 32 1.3. A Bible for the West: Jerome......Page 43 1.4. An Interpreter with the Shepherd’s Staff: Ambrose of Milan......Page 56 1.5. Monastic Life with the Bible: John Cassian......Page 80 1.6. The Bible and the Thought of Antiquity: Augustine......Page 87 2.1. A Roman on the Chair of St. Peter: Gregory the Great......Page 108 2.2. A Collector of Antiquity’s Heritage: Isidore of Seville......Page 117 2.3. A Learned Monastic Brother in the Northland: Venerable Bede......Page 121 2.4. A Theologian in Charlemagne’s Service: Alcuin......Page 129 2.5. Authority and Logical Thinking: John Scotus Eriugena......Page 137 3.1. Ways of Preserving Tradition: Catena and Gloss......Page 148 3.2. The Beginnings of Scholasticism: Sentences and Questions......Page 152 3.3. Dialectics and Exegesis: Abelard......Page 154 3.4. Monastic Scriptural Interpretation: Rupert of Deutz......Page 162 3.5. History and Deeper Sense: Hugh of St. Victor......Page 171 3.6. A Monk Expects the Age of the Spirit: Joachim of Fiore......Page 181 3.7. The Bible and Aristotle: Thomas Aquinas......Page 196 3.8. Understanding the World from the Bible: Bonaventure......Page 212 4. Jewish Interpreters of the Middle Ages......Page 230 4.1. Biblical Literal Sense and Talmudic Tradition: Rashi......Page 233 4.2. Under the Influence of Arabic Culture: Abraham ibn Ezra......Page 245 5.1. Learning from the Jews: Nicholas of Lyra......Page 258 5.2. The Bible, God’s Eternal Book: John Wyclif......Page 270 Concluding Word......Page 286 General......Page 292 1.2. Didymus the Blind......Page 293 1.3. Jerome......Page 295 1.4. Ambrose of Milan......Page 296 1.6. Augustine......Page 297 2.1. Gregory the Great......Page 298 2.2. Isidore of Seville......Page 299 2.4. Alcuin......Page 300 2.5 John Scotus Eriugena......Page 301 3.3. Abelard......Page 302 3.4. Rupert of Deutz......Page 303 3.5. Hugo of St. Victor......Page 304 3.6. Joachim of Fiore......Page 305 3.7. Thomas Aquinas......Page 306 3.8. Bonaventura......Page 307 4.1. Rashi......Page 308 5.1. Nicholas of Lyra......Page 309 5.2. John Wyclif......Page 310 Index of Names and Places......Page 312 Index of Subjects......Page 316 Index of Biblical References......Page 319 From the very beginning, Holy Scripture has always been interpreted Scripture, and its interpretation determined the development and the history of both early Judaism and the first centuries of the Christian church. In this volume, the first of four on the History of Biblical Interpretation, readers will discover how the earliest interpreters of the Bible made the Scriptures come alive for their times--within the contexts and under the influences of Hellenism, Stoicism, and Platonism, as well as the interpretive methods developed in Alexandria. Particular attention is paid to innerbiblical interpretation (within the Hebrew Bible itself and in the New Testament's reading of the Hebrew Bible), as well as to the interpretive practices reflected in the translation of the Septuagint and the writings of Qumran, Philo, the early rabbis, the apostolic fathers Barnabas and Clement, and early Christian leaders such as Justin Martyr, Marcion, Irenaeus, and Origen. --Book Jacket V. 1. From The Old Testament To Origen / Translated By Leo G. Perdue -- V. 2. From Late Antiquity To The End Of The Middle Ages / Translated By James O. Duke -- V. 3. Renaissance, Reformation, Humanism / Translated By James O. Duke -- V. 4. From The Enlightenment To The Twentieth Century / Translated By Leo G. Purdue. By Henning Graf Reventlow. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.