Literary and Rhetorical Theory in Irenaeus, Part 2
In: Vigiliae ChristianaeSearch for other papers by Anthony Briggman in
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In his well-known Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church Manlio Simonetti asserted that Irenaeus of Lyons was unable to offer principled opposition to Gnostic allegorical interpretations of the Scriptures and, therefore, resorted to the authority of tradition. Such a reading not only overlooks the hermeneutical principles upon which Irenaeus founds his polemic against Gnostic interpretations, but fails to recognize the theory undergirding those principles. This article, the second of a two-part study, offers a new reading. I argue that Irenaeus opposes Gnostic interpretations of Scripture, including their allegorical readings (broadly conceived), by articulating and applying hermeneutical principles that draw upon ancient literary and rhetorical theory.
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24
Eden, Hermeneutics and the Rhetorical Tradition, 31-40; Eden shows that these principles also appear in Quintilian as œconomia and decorum (pp. 28-30).
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Eden, Hermeneutics and the Rhetorical Tradition, 29-41. Cf. Cicero, De inventione 2.40.117: ‘if words are to be considered separately by themselves, every word, or at least many words, would seem ambiguous (ambigua); but it is not right to regard as ambiguous what becomes plain on consideration of the whole context (ex omni considerata scriptura)’ (Loeb 386; tr. H.M. Hubbell; ed. E.H. Warmington).
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50
R. Cribiore, The School of Libanius in Late Antique Antioch (Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2007) 158-59.
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A.-J. Festugière, L’ideal religieux des Grecs et l’Évangile (Paris: J. Gabalda, 1932) 221-63.
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E.A. Clark, Clement’s Use of Aristotle: The Aristotelian Contribution to Clement of Alexandria’s Refutation of Gnosticism (New York and Toronto: Edwin Mellen Press, 1977); D.T. Runia, ‘Festugière Revisited: Aristotle in the Greek Patres,’ vc 43 (1989) 1-34; Runia provides a helpful list of references to Aristotle on pp. 5-12.
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Literary and Rhetorical Theory in Irenaeus, Part 2
In: Vigiliae ChristianaeSearch for other papers by Anthony Briggman in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
In his well-known Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church Manlio Simonetti asserted that Irenaeus of Lyons was unable to offer principled opposition to Gnostic allegorical interpretations of the Scriptures and, therefore, resorted to the authority of tradition. Such a reading not only overlooks the hermeneutical principles upon which Irenaeus founds his polemic against Gnostic interpretations, but fails to recognize the theory undergirding those principles. This article, the second of a two-part study, offers a new reading. I argue that Irenaeus opposes Gnostic interpretations of Scripture, including their allegorical readings (broadly conceived), by articulating and applying hermeneutical principles that draw upon ancient literary and rhetorical theory.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 287 | 53 | 16 |
| Full Text Views | 178 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 62 | 6 | 1 |