Transcript Scripture

Scripture: Its Formation and
Interpretation
Dr. Ann T. Orlando
2 May 2011
1
Overview



Judaism and Christianity
Christian Scripture: what is it
How to interpret it (hermeneutics, exegesis)

How (if at all) to use philosophy
2
Judaism(s) During Jesus’ Lifetime
Near end of Second Temple Judaism


Before and during Jesus’ life there were many types of Judaism in Palestine
(Josephus describes this):
 Pharisees: upholders of the Law (Torah)
 Sadducees: from aristocracy and high priests, did not believe in
resurrection of dead; closely associated with Temple
 Essenes: disgusted with impurities in Temple; left for desert ; Dead Sea
Scrolls usually associated with them
 Zealots: ‘terrorists’ against Roman occupation
Diaspora Jews not living in Palestine but scattered around Mediterranean;
 Then, as now, more Jews living outside of Palestine (Israel) than in it
 Greek Jews (Hellenists in Acts of Apostles); Septuagint (LXX) Greek
translation of Bible c. 200 BC in Alexandria
 Jews in Mesopotamia who did not return after the exile in 6th C BC, but
flourished under Persian rule; Scripture did not include any late Second
Temple Greek works (e.g., Maccabees, Sirach, Wisdom)
3
Map of First Century Jewish Communities
in Roman Provinces:
darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/europe/static/map11.html
4
Philo (20 BC – 50 AD)

Contemporary of Jesus and Apostles

Leader of Jewish community in Alexandria
Wrote many, many philosophical treatises, apologies
Tried to create a bridge between Judaism and Greek
philosophy





Especially Stoicism
Key was using allegory to interpret Scripture (LXX)
Huge influence on early Christians theologians in
Alexandria
5
Example from Philo:
Hexeameron, Six Days of Creation

Days of creation could not literally be 24 hours


‘Days’ instead are allegorical ways to speak of
order of creation


Time, sun not created yet on first ‘day’
May represent eons or seconds
Philo’s understanding is found in




Origen
St. Basil the Great
St. Augustine
St. Thomas Aquinas
6
Development of Rabbinic Judaism


During the First War with Rome 66-73 AD, the Sadducees,
Essenes and Zealots were destroyed
The Pharisees were the group out of which rabbinic
Judaism grew in the 2nd and 3rd C AD.




Reestablished contact with the Mesopotamian Jews and their theology;
Rejected use of Greek philosophy and parts of the OT written in Greek, not
Hebrew
Rejected developments of Alexandrian Jews like Philo
Hellenistic (Greek) Jewish theology was taken over,
preserved and used by early Christian theologians,
especially in Alexandria


St. Clement of Alexandria
Origen
7
Early Christianity


Acts of the Apostles tells the story of spread of
Christianity around Roman Empire
Christianity is




Primarily urban
Greek speaking
From many socials classes, but associated with Jewish
communities
But distinction between some forms of early
Christianity and Judaism were not clear

Both Christianity and rabbinic Judaism are establishing
themselves and evangelizing at the same time as
replacements to Second Temple Judaism(s)
8
Issues Surrounding
Christian Scripture




The OT (Septuagint): in or out?
 Relation of creator God to Father of Jesus Christ
 How can there be suffering if the creator God is a good God? (theodicy
problem)
 Is God anthropomorphic; as OT might indicate?
 Relation to Judaism
What is in NT?
 Paul primary or Gospels
 What literature about Jesus is sacred
 What writings of early believers is in/out (e.g., First Letter of Clement,
Epistle of Barnabas, Shepherd of Hermes)
Answers to these questions determined which books considered
authoritative by various Christian groups
In this era many Christian groups selected books to support their theology;
Canon is from Greek word for rule or measure

Stoic philosophical term
9
2nd C Gnosticism



Gnosticism is really a ‘catch all’ term for several
groups of early Christians which shared some
beliefs, usually with a Platonic philosophical
background
Gnostic is from Greek, gnosis, knowledge
Most Gnostic Christians believed:





Jesus was divine, not human (docetism);
Jesus was the son of Sophia (Wisdom) and God the Father
Physical, material world was, at best, irrelevant, at worst
evil
Believers have special, secret, knowledge of divine things
But only a few are believers; most humans do not have
souls
10
2nd C Gnosticism:
Scripture and Gnosticism

Gnostics rejected the OT



Gnostics accepted many different types of literature
about Jesus



God of OT was evil, creator God
God of OT was anthropomorphic, not spiritual
Gospel of Truth, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip;
Recent discovery (1945) of many Gnostic texts at
Nag Hammadi, Egypt
Key Gnostic: Valentinus, early 2nd C, Alexandria and
Rome
11
2nd C Marcion:
OT Out; only Paul, Luke In NT


Most important impetus for development of
Scriptural canon was Marcion (c. 110-160)
Wealthy sea captain, who carefully studied Christian
literature




Initially part of orthodox Roman church
Decided that only Paul and parts of Luke were
canonical
Opposed to Judaism and so rejected OT
Left Roman church to start his own church; spread
very rapidly around Mediterranean; Marcionites in
West for next 200 years; in East much longer
12
2nd C: Montanists
Continuing Prophecy In ‘NT’




Started by Montus, Prisca, Maximillia late 2cd
Century in Asia Minor
Believed in continuing prophecy and
revelation led by Holy Spirit
Believed apocalypse immanent
Believed that once Baptized, sins could not
be forgiven (similar to Donatists); Church only
for pure
13
Defenders (Developers) of Orthodoxy

2nd Century defenders of orthodoxy






St. Ignatius of Antioch
St. Justin Martyr
St. Irenaeus
Tertullian
Note how these people from different parts of
Empire knew of each other; network of
orthodox believers;
Rome, Antioch, Alexandria centers for large,
famous Christian schools
14
Christian ‘Systematic’ Theologian:
Origen (185-254)


Born in Alexandria; towering giant over Eastern theology; many subsequent
debates trace to how to interpret Origen
May have studied in same philosophical classes as Plotinus; also knew St.
Clement of Alexandria (not to be confused with late 1st C Pope St. Clement)





Along with Clement, Origen preserves the works of Alexandrian Jewish
philosopher and theologian Philo
Traveled extensively, including to Rome and met with Hippolytus
Wrote:
 An apology, Contra Celsum
 Many Biblical commentaries, including on OT books
 Biblical scholarship: Hexapla comparing Hebrew, and several different
versions of Greek OT (not extant)
 Different ways to interpret Bible, especially OT allegorically (debt to
Philo)
 ‘systematic’ presentation of Christianity: On First Principles
Suffered persecution during Decius reign, eventually died from wounds
Not declared a saint because of controversies about his ideas after he died
15
Styles of Christian Scriptural
Interpretation

Highly allegorical; associated with Alexandria; based
on Stoic interpretive techniques


More literal; associated with Antioch


Origen (3rd C)
St. John Chrysostom (late 4th C)
NB: Church now recognizes two senses of
Scripture: Literal and Spiritual; Spiritual includes
allegorical, tropological (moral) and anagogical
(goal) see CCC
16
rd
3


Founder was Mani (215 - 277), Persian
Synchristic combination of Gnostic and Montanist
Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism:





C: Mani
“As once Buddha came to India, Zoroaster to Persia, and
Jesus to the lands of the West, so came in the present
time, this prophecy through me, the Mani, to the land of
Babylonia"
Very potent, well organized religion
Accepts some aspects of NT
Lasted for over a Millennium (Dominicans founded
to combat Cathars, a Manichean sect is 13th C)
‘Martyred’ by Persians
17
Main Points of Manichaeism




Solve the theodicy problem by saying that
there are two gods: one evil, one good
Material world associated with evil god
Special knowledge comes from good god;
only available to initiated Manicheans
Scripture includes parts of NT,
Zoroastrianism and works of Mani

Mani considered himself reincarnation of Apostle
Paul and/or incarnation of Holy Spirit
18
New Philosophical Development:
NeoPlatonism

Plotinus (204-270) Alexandria, pagan philosopher





Considered himself a Platonist; wanted to defend Plato
against gnostics
Knowledge of the One is available to everyone
Steps to achieve spiritual unity with the One
Material world is not bad (but not complete; completion only
in the One)
Most important philosophical statement as solution
of theodicy problem: Evil is the absence of a good
that should be there (see definition of evil in CCC)
19
Catholic Opposition to Manichaeism:
St. Augustine (354-430)






Born in North Africa
Included here because most famous opponent of
Manichaeism in West; he was a Manichean hearer
for 11 years
Towering giant of Western Christianity (even more
than Origen was in the East)
Only limited knowledge of Greek; wrote in Latin
Story of his move away from orthodox Catholic
Church toward Manichaeism and his return is
chronicled in Confessions
Like Origen, developed rules for interpretation of
Scripture
20
Conclusion





Jesus Christ never said what was in Scripture
Apostolic tradition and teaching provide the
definitive canon of Scripture
Septuagint (LXX) has a special place in
Christian canon (see Dei Verbum)
Catholic and Orthodox Christianity have always
relied on use of philosophy to interpret Scripture
There are multiple meanings to Scripture

Magisterium safeguards the truth from false
interpretations
21