|
Showing 1 - 12 of
12 matches in All Departments
This volume completes the Commentary on all the Psalms written by
Theodoret, bishop of Cyrus, in the decade before the Council of
Chalcedon held in 451, ""a triumph of Antiochene theology,"" in the
words of J. N. D. Kelly. The work thus bears the marks of the
theological currents of those years, especially as Theodoret was
instrumental in convening that Council and was involved in the
Christological and trinitarian debates of the period. Theodoret's
work of commentary offers readers a great spiritual classic that
has contributed to Christian spiritual formation and received the
attention of eminent commentators from Antioch and Alexandria in
the East, and from the likes of Augustine of Hippo in the West. As
this volume closes, Theodoret claims modestly to have offered his
readers the best of his predecessors' work (including Alexandrian
commentators) together with his own insights into ""the Spirit's
hidden mysteries."" He writes as a teacher, not a preacher in his
pulpit, with the purpose simply of dispelling ignorance, concerned
that ""those singing [the Psalter] daily and uttering the words by
mouth do not enquire about the force of the ideas underlying the
words."" his translation respects the conciseness which the bishop
sets as one aim for himself, his other principle being to let the
text speak for itself. Theodoret emerges in this work as a measured
commentator and balanced exponent of his school's hermeneutical and
theological principles.
Friend of John Chrysostom and pupil of Diodore of Tarsus, the
founder of the method of exegesis practiced in Antioch, Theodore
was appointed bishop of Mopsuestia in Cilicia in 392. His pedigree
thus seems impeccable, as was his early reputation as a commentator
on the Bible, which earned him the sobriquet ""The Interpreter.""
More than one modern scholar has been prepared to class Theodore as
""the foremost exponent of Antiochene exegesis."" Yet not long
after his death in 428--coincidentally, but significantly, the year
Nestorius acceded to the see of Constantinople--Theodore became the
object of intemperate criticism by the likes of Cyril of Alexandria
for his Christological views. His works were condemned by the fifth
ecumenical council of 553, and only the Commentary on the Twelve
Prophets, here appearing in English for the first time, survives
entirely in Greek. Does Theodore deserve either or both of these
extreme assessments? Why did his adversaries allow this one work to
survive the flames untouched? Is it because, as has been said in
facile repetition, ""it contains nothing of Christological
import""? The truth emerging from a reading of the Commentary is
that both views are wide of the mark. Theodore does not entertain a
Christological interpretation of verse after verse in the manner of
his Alexandrian contemporary Didymus, but he situates these twelve
prophetic figures from the eighth to the sixth century of Israel's
history within an overall Christological perspective. True to his
school's accent on historia, however, he prefers to look for a
factual basis to their prophecy (a problem in the case of Jonah),
is less sensitive to the moving imagery of a Hosea or a Micah than
modern readers would appreciate, and is unfamiliar with the genre
of apocalyptic, which appears especially in Joel and Zechariah.
Theodoret of Cyrus in the decades after Theodore's death had his
works open before him as he commented on prophets, just as modern
commentators will also appreciate his work.
The book of Zechariah is ""the longest and most obscure"" of the
Twelve Minor Prophets, Jerome remarked. That may have been the
reason why in 386 he visited the Alexandrian scholar Didymus the
Blind and requested a work on this prophet. Though long thought to
be lost, the work was rediscovered in 1941 at Tura outside Cairo
along with some other biblical commentaries. As a result we have in
our possession a commentary on Zechariah by Didymus that enjoys
particular distinction as his only complete work on a biblical book
extant in Greek whose authenticity is established, which comes to
us by direct manuscript tradition, and has been critically edited.
Thus it deserves this first appearance in English. A disciple of
Origen, whose work on Zechariah reached only to chapter five and is
no longer extant, Didymus's commentary on this apocalyptic book
illustrates the typically allegorical approach to the biblical text
that we associate with Alexandria. Even Cyril of Alexandria in the
next generation will lean rather to the historical style of
commentary found in the Antiochene scholars Theodore and Theodoret,
whose works on the Twelve are also extant and who had Didymus open
before them. Didymus alone offers his readers a wide range of
spiritual meanings on the obscure verses of Zechariah, capitalizing
on his extraordinary familiarity with Holy Writ (despite his
disability), and proceeding on a process of
interpretation-by-association, frequently invoking also etymology
and number symbolism to plumb the meaning of the text. No wonder he
remarks, ""The reader who understands it is a seer""; such is the
richness of the hermeneutical offering.
Originally published: Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2005.
The Library of Early Christianity will be a permanent enterprise
that publishes one new volume approximately every other year. The
Library will publish texts in the original ancient languages of
both East and West - Greek, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, Coptic,
Ethiopic, Armenian, and Georgian - accompanied by contemporary
English translations printed on the facing pages. In order to make
the texts more accessible to the nonspecialist and to aid readers
in comprehending the thought of the influential thinkers of the
early church, each volume will include an introduction, notes, and
a bibliography. Shortly before his death (ca. 460), as his health
was failing, Theodoret decided to undertake a monumental project of
exegesis. In the more than two decades of his episcopacy, he had
commented on both the prophets and the sapiential literature of the
""Hebrew Scriptures"". Now he would expound the historical books.
For his commentary on the Octateuch, he adopted the format of
question and answer. This device allowed the expositor to focus
attention on particularly challenging passages that could give rise
to misunderstanding. Long experience had taught him that ""careless
reading of holy Scripture is the cause of error among ordinary
people."" Intimately acquainted with every detail of the text,
well-informed about contemporary Judaism, and steeped in the works
of previous interpreters, he makes his way through a massive body
of text with concision, a sure sense for the significant and the
controversial, and a thoughtful moderation respectful of the
accomplishments of Alexandrian, as well as Antiochene, biblical
scholarship.
Early Christians were fed by their pastors a solidly scriptural
diet from both the Old and the New Testaments. The commentary on
Daniel by Theodoret, a member of the school of Antioch and
fifth-century bishop of Cyrus, illustrates the typically Antiochene
approach to biblical texts and shows the commentator posing key
questions such as, What is prophecy? or What does a prophet do?
While demonstrating the moderation for which his approach to the
Bible became proverbial, Theodoret here instructs his readers to
see in the dreams and visions of Daniel the pattern of prediction
and fulfillment that guarantees for an Antiochene the authenticity
of true prophecy. This commentary, with Greek text and English
translation on facing pages, will be valuable to biblical and
patristic scholars, theologians, and church historians.
This volume makes available for the first time in English the major
biblical commentary by one of the leading exponents of Antiochene
exegesis, Theodoret, bishop of Cyrus. Though originally intended as
an opening to his exegetical work--in the manner of his
predecessors in this school, Theodore of Mopsuestia and John
Chrysostom--Theodoret's Psalms commentary comes from his later
ministry in the decade before the Council of Chalcedon, which he
was instrumental in convening. It thus documents current
christological and trinitarian concerns and illustrates an
Antiochene hermeneutic that rests firmly on the literal sense of
the ""inspired composition of the mighty David."" Though
commentators less well acquainted with this lengthy work have been
ready to dismiss Theodoret as lacking originality, a sounder
assessment would acknowledge his willingness to take account of
previous work, from both Alexandria and Antioch, and steer a middle
course. He deliberately avoids the excesses of allegorical
interpretation of Origen, on the one hand, and of the historicism
found in Diodore and Theodore, on the other. Moderation and
flexibility are the hallmarks of his own approach to the Psalms, to
which he comes not as scholar or preacher but as teacher and
pastor. He aims simply to offer his readers ""some benefit in
concentrated form."" This translation respects the conciseness
which the bishop sets as one aim for himself, his other principle
being to let the text speak for itself. Theodoret emerges in this
work as a measured commentator and balanced exponent of his
school's hermeneutical and theological principles.
Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria (412-444), is best known as a
protagonist in the christological controversy of the second quarter
of the fifth century. Readers may be surprised therefore to find
such polemic absent from this early work on the twelve minor
prophets of the Old Testament. Another possibly unexpected feature
of this Alexandrian commentary is its focus on historical exegesis,
which reveals Cyril's serious interest in the fortunes of the
people of Israel and Judah in the centuries preceding and following
the exile. Unlike his predecessor Didymus the Blind, Cyril abjures
an approach that dismisses the historicity of the text (as in his
opening defense of Hosea's marriage), and he proceeds to other
levels of interpretation, moral and spiritual, only after a
preliminary examination of the historical. Indebted to the diverse
approaches of Didymus, Jerome, and Theodore, Cyril appears in this
work as a balanced commentator, eclectic in his attitude and
tolerant of alternative views. Although he displays an occasional
uncertainty in his grasp of historical and geographical details, as
well as an inclination to verbosity, Cyril has conspicuously
influenced the exegesis of his younger contemporary Theodoret of
Cyrus, and has made a vital contribution to the development of
biblical interpretation in the church.
The Library of Early Christianity will be a permanent enterprise
that publishes one new volume approximately every other year. The
Library will publish texts in the original ancient languages of
both East and West - Greek, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, Coptic,
Ethiopic, Armenian, and Georgian - accompanied by contemporary
English translations printed on the facing pages. In order to make
the texts more accessible to the nonspecialist and to aid readers
in comprehending the thought of the influential thinkers of the
early church, each volume will include an introduction, notes, and
a bibliography. Shortly before his death (ca. 460), as his health
was failing, Theodoret decided to undertake a monumental project of
exegesis. In the more than two decades of his episcopacy, he had
commented on both the prophets and the sapiential literature of the
""Hebrew Scriptures"". Now he would expound the historical books.
For his commentary on the Octateuch, he adopted the format of
question and answer. This device allowed the expositor to focus
attention on particularly challenging passages that could give rise
to misunderstanding. Long experience had taught him that ""careless
reading of holy Scripture is the cause of error among ordinary
people."" Intimately acquainted with every detail of the text,
well-informed about contemporary Judaism, and steeped in the works
of previous interpreters, he makes his way through a massive body
of text with concision, a sure sense for the significant and the
controversial, and a thoughtful moderation respectful of the
accomplishments of Alexandrian, as well as Antiochene, biblical
scholarship.
The Psalms, along with the Gospels, were the staple diet of early
Christians eager to develop their spiritual life. From the school
of Antioch we are fortunate to have at least partial commentaries
on the Psalms from its four major figures, including Theodore,
bishop of Mopsuestia in the early fifth century and later regarded
as "The Interpreter" by the Syriac church. A work of his early
career, this Psalms commentary shows Theodore under the influence
of his master Diodore in adopting a historical interpretation,
referring individual psalms to David's life, later kings of Israel,
Assyrians, and Babylonians, but rarely to Christ. This commentary
illustrates the typical hermeneutical strengths and weaknesses of
Antiochene interpretation. Biblical and patristic scholars in a
range of disciplines will be pleased to have this significant work
available from The Interpreter. Paperback edition available from
the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org).
The Library of Early Christianity will be a permanent enterprise
that publishes one new volume approximately every other year. The
Library will publish texts in the original ancient languages of
both East and West - Greek, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, Coptic,
Ethiopic, Armenian, and Georgian - accompanied by contemporary
English translations printed on the facing pages. In order to make
the texts more accessible to the nonspecialist and to aid readers
in comprehending the thought of the influential thinkers of the
early church, each volume will include an introduction, notes, and
a bibliography. Shortly before his death (ca. 460), as his health
was failing, Theodoret decided to undertake a monumental project of
exegesis. In the more than two decades of his episcopacy, he had
commented on both the prophets and the sapiential literature of the
"Hebrew Scriptures". Now he would expound the historical books. For
his commentary on the Octateuch, he adopted the format of question
and answer. This device allowed the expositor to focus attention on
particularly challenging passages that could give rise to
misunderstanding. Long experience had taught him that "careless
reading of holy Scripture is the cause of error among ordinary
people." Intimately acquainted with every detail of the text,
well-informed about contemporary Judaism, and steeped in the works
of previous interpreters, he makes his way through a massive body
of text with concision, a sure sense for the significant and the
controversial, and a thoughtful moderation respectful of the
accomplishments of Alexandrian, as well as Antiochene, biblical
scholarship.
|
You may like...
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|