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Selected Essays
- Antioch and Alexandria: Christology as Reflection on God’s Presence in History Abstract: "Every theology student used to know that before Ephesus and Chalcedon theology was torn between the ‘Antiochene’ approach which divided the two natures of Christ and read Scripture realistically, and the Christology of the Alexandrians which united the natures in the person of the Logos but tended to diminish the humanity. This caricature has some truth but is also misleading. The Antiochenes looked at Scripture for moral improvement; the Alexandrians sought theosis through contemplative reading. Theodore of Mopsuestia prefers to speak of the ‘perfect union’ of Christ’s natures rather than synthesis. Nestorius affirms unity between the eternal Word and human Jesus, conceiving it as an exchange of perceptible forms wherein the Word shapes the human Jesus to reveal God and the humanity gives the Logos words and hands. Cyril of Alexandria, against the Nestorians, emphasized the singleness of the Christological subject in his saving acts."
Patristic Exegesis
Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church
by Covers the emergence of hermeneutical questions in the patristic period.Call Number: BS500 .B55 1984ISBN: 0800614143Publication Date: 1980-09-01
Handbook of Patristic Exegesis
byCall Number: Ebook CentralISBN: 9004137335Publication Date: 2003-12-01
History and Spirit
by Origen (185-ca. 254), one of the most prolific and influential of the early Church Fathers, is best known to us for his Scripture exegesis. Henri de Lubac's History and Spirit is a landmark study of Origen's understanding of Scripture and his exegetical methods. In exploring Origen's efforts to interpret the four different senses of Scripture, de Lubac leads the reader through an immense and varied work to its center: Christ the Word. As Hans Urs von Balthasar said in discussing this seminal work: "The theory of the senses of Scripture is not a curiosity of the history of theology but an instrument for seeking out the most profound articulations of salvation history..." (From the book: The Theology of Henri de Lubac.) What the reader finds on this journey is not only, then, a fascinating view of the mind and spirit of an important Father of the Church, but an essential key to a more profound understanding of the way in which Christ speaks to us through Scripture.Call Number: Twenthieth-Century Religious ThoughtISBN: 9780898708806Publication Date: 2007-02-28
Irenaeus and Genesis
by Irenaeus, the second-century bishop of Lyons, left such an impression upon the church that he is sometimes considered to be theology's "founding father." After all, his legacy includes such theological landmarks as the regula fidei (or "rule of faith") and the doctrine of recapitulation. Although these ought not to be minimized, we may gain a new appreciation for this early bishop by highlighting a facet of his work that is even more central: the distinctive shape of the hermeneutic guiding his readings of sacred texts as Christian Scripture. Within the contemporary climate of twenty-first century theology, the reopening of questions of power, truth, authenticity, and holism points to a critique of hermeneutical process (not just theological end-product). In Irenaeus's day, Gnostic Christians on the fringe of the church offered a vision of the telos of faith that many found compelling. Responding to this challenge required Irenaeus to articulate an even more satisfying Christian theology and anthropology on the basis of Scripture and received apostolic tradition. In this battle of hermeneutics, both sides considered protological texts such as Genesis 1:26 and 2:7 to be indispensible. Through a sympathetic reading, then, of Irenaeus and his competitors, we aim to better understand why Irenaeus's biblical interpretations ultimately were deemed more plausible, faithful, and fruitful within the mainstream of the church.Call Number: Ebook CentralISBN: 9781575067001Publication Date: 2009-06-30
The Multiple Meaning of Scripture
by The articles in this volume explore early-Christian and medieval biblical exegesis as the site of discourse on theological, philosophical and political issues and of the hermeneutics investigating the relation between the surface and the deeper meaning of the text.Call Number: Ebook CentralISBN: 9789004171848Publication Date: 2008-12-17
The Pauline Effect
by The series Studies of the Bible and Its Reception (SBR) publishes monographs and collected volumes which explore the reception history of the Bible in a wide variety of academic and cultural contexts. Closely linked to the multi-volume project Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR), this book series is a publication platform for works which cover the broad field of reception history of the Bible in various religious traditions, historical periods, and cultural fields. Volumes in this series aim to present the material of reception processes or to develop methodological discussions in more detail, enabling authors and readers to more deeply engage and understand the dynamics of biblical reception in a wide variety of academic fields. Further information on ,,The Bible and Its Reception".Call Number: Ebook CentralISBN: 9783110437706Publication Date: 2015-11-13
Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers
by Many Christians today long to become reacquainted with their ancient ancestors in the faith. They see a deeper worship and devotion in the prayers and hymns of the early church. And they believe that the writings of the early church can shed new light on their understanding of Scripture.But where and how do we begin? Our first encounter with the writings of the church fathers may seem like visiting a far country where the language, assumptions, concerns and conclusions are completely unfamiliar to us.In Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers Christopher Hall helps us through this cultural confusion, introducing us to the early church, its unique world, and the sights and sounds of Scripture that are highlighted for them. As Hall points out, the ancient fathers hear music in Scripture where we remain tone-deaf. Despite their occasional eccentricities, theirs is a hearing refined through long listening in song, worship, teaching, meditation and oral reading. And like true masters they challenge and correct our modern assumptions as they invite us to tune our ears to hear the divine melodies of the Bible.Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers is an exceptional guide. Hall provides a warm, winsome, informative and indispensable introcution to who these leaders and scholars were, how they read and interpreted Scripture, and how we might read Scripture with them for all its worth.Call Number: BS500 .H27 1998ISBN: 0830815007Publication Date: 1998-08-21
