Irenaeus vs. the Valentinians: Toward a Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
An under-studied dimension of Irenaeus's exegetical practice is his extensive use of Hellenistic literary-critical techniques. He couples this usage with a consistent claim that the meaning of texts should primarily be established by attending to the clear or manifest sense of terms and exp...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Johns Hopkins Univ. Press
[2015]
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| In: |
Journal of early Christian studies
Year: 2015, Volume: 23, Issue: 2, Pages: 153-187 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Irenaeus, Lugdunensis 140-202
/ Valentinianism
/ Exegesis
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| IxTheo Classification: | BF Gnosticism HA Bible KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | An under-studied dimension of Irenaeus's exegetical practice is his extensive use of Hellenistic literary-critical techniques. He couples this usage with a consistent claim that the meaning of texts should primarily be established by attending to the clear or manifest sense of terms and expressions. Irenaeus's practice culminates a gradual and deepening engagement with these techniques apparent in earlier Christian texts, but the suddenness and striking quality of his advance is best explained by seeing him as reacting to the Val-entinian production of commentary literature that claims the cultural capital of ancient literary-critical techniques to justify reading the texts of the New Testament as enigmatic ciphers for Valentinian myths. Irenaeus responds by making a distinct claim on the same cultural capitalone that utilizes an established anti-allegorical rhetoricto justify his own practice. Understanding Irenaeus's particular adaptation of ancient literary-critical practice provides a deeper context for considering his emphasis on reading in the light of the regula veritatis. In so doing he becomes a foundational figure in shaping the exegetical practice so central to early Christianity in the centuries that follow. |
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| ISSN: | 1086-3184 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of early Christian studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/earl.2015.0027 |