Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
46
1 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins I: Introduction The reader of my title might fairly ask a simple question: how can we speak of the ÒoriginsÓ of Patris tic exegesis in the late second century ? Surely the origins lie in the exegetical practice of those whom modern scholars term the Òapostolic fathersÓ, and of those who wrote the texts that became the ÒNew TestamentÓ, if not further back in the exegetical practice of Second Temple Judaism? And, in important w ays, this is t rue. Nevertheless, I offer this paper as the first step in a project that will show how the late second century constitutes a distinct ÒoriginÓ all of its own. One of the most striking evolutions in Christian thought and practice between the middle of the second century and the middle of the third is the rise to prominence of a Christian exegesis that is heavily dependent on the techniques of literary analysis honed within the developing disciplines of grammar and rhetoric. 1 Christian exegetes make use of not only of the techniques but also the technical vocabulary of their non-Christian models, claiming for themselves the cultural capital accruing to this foundation of Hellenistic (and Roman) literary culture. 2 As Be rnhard NeuschŠferÕs seminal Origenes als 1 When I speak about techniques of literary-critical analy sisÓ, I refer to a broad r ange of practices that are evident in Greek commentary literature and scholia, as well as in en passant discussion of texts in other litera ry genres. In the Imperial period these techniques wer e partially inculcated by grammarians and teachers of rhetoric, but also used and developed in a variety of forms by philosophical writers and commentators, as well as by medical writers, historians and others. 2 We should ask how the rise to prominence of thes e techniques is intertwined with the significant developments in the use of a fixed canon of Christian scriptures that occurred during the second c entury (even if the bounds of that canon). In particular, did the
Transcript of Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 1/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 2/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 3/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 4/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 5/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 6/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 7/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 8/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 9/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 10/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 11/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 12/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 13/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 14/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 15/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 16/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 17/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 18/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 19/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 20/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 21/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 22/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 23/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 24/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 25/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 26/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 27/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 28/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 29/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 30/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 31/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 32/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 33/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 34/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 35/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 36/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 37/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 38/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 39/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 40/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 41/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 42/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 43/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 44/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 45/46
8/9/2019 Irenaeus vs the Valentinians: Toward A Rethinking of Patristic Exegetical Origins
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/irenaeus-vs-the-valentinians-toward-a-rethinking-of-patristic-exegetical-origins 46/46
