Scripture: Its Formation and Interpretation

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Scripture Its Formation and Interpretation

• Dr. Ann T. Orlando
• 2 May 2011

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Overview

• Judaism and Christianity
• Christian Scripture what is it
• How to interpret it (hermeneutics, exegesis)
• How (if at all) to use philosophy

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Judaism(s) During Jesus LifetimeNear 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)

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Map of First Century Jewish Communities in Roman
Provinces darkwing.uoregon.edu/atlas/europe/sta
tic/map11.html
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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

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Example from Philo Hexeameron, Six Days of
Creation

• Days of creation could not literally be 24 hours
• Time, sun not created yet on first day
• Days instead are allegorical ways to speak of
  order of creation
• May represent eons or seconds
• Philos understanding is found in
• Origen
• St. Basil the Great
• St. Augustine
• St. Thomas Aquinas

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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2nd C Gnosticism Scripture and Gnosticism

• Gnostics rejected the OT
• God of OT was evil, creator God
• God of OT was anthropomorphic, not spiritual
• Gnostics accepted many different types of
  literature about Jesus
• 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

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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

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2nd C MontanistsContinuing 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

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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

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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

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Styles of Christian Scriptural Interpretation

• Highly allegorical associated with Alexandria
  based on Stoic interpretive techniques
• Origen (3rd C)
• More literal associated with Antioch
• 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

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3rd C Mani

• Founder was Mani (215 - 277), Persian
• Synchristic combination of Gnostic and Montanist
  Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism
• 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

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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

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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)

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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

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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