Lesson 8 - Antiochene Exegesis/Middle Ages

Question 1

How do patristic scholars handle the relationship between Alexandria and Antioch?

Answer 1

1. ) Alexander - allegorical approach, emphasis on divine author
2. ) Antioch - literal approach, emphasis on human author

Question 2

Be generally familiar with the following approaches that stress the human author: the historical-critical approach, Kaiser, the paradigm approach, and Sailhamer (the meaning of the Exodus).

Answer 2

1. ) Historical Critical - Human reason stands over the Bible
2. ) Kaiser - Human prophet foresaw all future fulfillments of his prophet; There’s not different meanings with original and future
3. ) Paradigm Approach - The human author determines the meaning of the text, but there may be sub meanings that fall into a paradigm.
4. ) Sailhamer (the meaning of exodus)
   - - Exodus is looking forward, so when Hosea looks back to Exodus it is also looking forward.

Question 3

Be able to compare and contrast the Antiochene and Alexandrian approaches to interpretation of the Bible.

Answer 3

Similarities

1. ) both recognize importance of literal meaning
2. ) Both look for a secondary sense beyond the literal sense (how you get that 2nd sense is where they differ)

Differences

1. ) Alexandrians - use allegory to find spiritual sense (emphasis on Divine Author)
2. ) Antiochenes - use theoria and typology to find spiritual sense (typology is rooted in history; emphasis on human author)

Question 4

Be able to discuss historia and theoria.

Answer 4

1. ) Theoria: insight based on historia (present historical situation)
   - - The prophet not only sees the literal sense of what is happening but also the ultimate fulfillment (through divine revelation)
   - - The prophet expresses both the present meaning and the future fulfillment through hyperbole
   - - There is 1 meaning, which is both literal and spiritual, historical and messianic

Question 5

Be familiar with Theodore and Chrysostom and how the latter’s approach to preaching reflects their general approach.

Answer 5

1. ) Rejection of the Allegorical Method & a defense of the literal sense
2. ) An emphasis on the historical situation and the human author
3. ) Chrysostom’s approach to preaching
   - - Preached regularly through books
   - - Emphasized the historical setting
   - - Focused on the flow and logic of a passage and key words
   - - Exhorted the congregation
   - - His preaching called literal, sober, restrained, grammatical, historical exposition

Question 6

What were some things that Theodore rejected that were commonly accepted in his day?

Answer 6

1. ) Trinity in Genesis 1
2. ) Rahab’s chord applies to redemption
3. ) Allegorical interpretation of Songs of Songs

Question 7

How does the emphasis on the human author affect their view of prophecy? Be able to explain how they understood prophecy to work.

Answer 7

1. ) Predictive, but normally fulfilled within the OT period itself
   - - The prophet mainly speaks to his own historical situation (see below)

Question 8

What are the contributions of Jerome?

Answer 8

Contribution: metaphor belongs to the literal sense

Question 9

What are the contributions of Augustine? How did Augustine handled the senses of Scripture and Christ in the Psalms

Answer 9

1. ) The senses of Scripture (2 Cor. 3:6)
   a. ) The letter - historical/literal meaning; when the passage is clear
   b. ) The spirit - figurative/spiritual meaning (Analogy, allegory) ; Spiritual sense is a higher level for the soul
2. ) The relationship of the letter and the spirit
   - - When the literal fails to make sense or offends, then go to the spiritual meaning
   - - A movement from one to the other by way of analogy
3. ) Contribution as an Exegete
   - - Explanations of the Psalms
   - - Totus Christus – focus is seeing Christ, not historical/literal sense
   - - Christology and Ecclesiology; If words aren’t assigned to the head, they are assigned to the body; Ex. Confession Psalms are for the church

Question 10

Be able to explain the four-fold sense of Scripture in Aquinas and how the literal meaning became foundational to the senses of Scripture.

Answer 10

1. ) The Literal Sense - words signify things
   - - literal meaning is the foundation for other three
   - - Literal includes figure of speech/metaphor
   - - Doctrine comes out of literal sense
2. ) Spiritual/Allegorical Sense - things signified by words also have a signfication.
3. ) Moral (Tropological) Sense - things done in Christ or things which signify Christ as types of what we ought to do
4. ) The Anagogical Sense - things signify what relates to eternal glory

Question 11

Be able to briefly explain Kaiser’s distinction between meaning and significance.

Answer 11

Distinction between what the text meant (original meaning) and what the text means for today (significance)
– One meaning, two different applications, significants

Question 12

Explain the significance of the divine author for the issue of application/modern meaning and how introducing the divine author does not add arbitrariness to the process (there are still limits to the process).

Answer 12

1. ) Significance of God as Author
   - - God is involved in the original meaning of the text and there’s an organic relationship between the meaning then and meaning today. You can do this without saying there’s multiple meanings, because with a divine author the meaning blossoms, develops, to a fuller extent.
2. ) Does this open the door to allow Scripture to say anything we want it to say?
   - - No, it is a recognition that when God wrote His word it will speak to his people then and today.
   - - Application is a part of the meaning of the text (modern meaning)

Question 13

Use Psalm 23:4 as an example of four-fold meaning.

Answer 13

1. ) Literal – meaning to David
   - - Even though he faces difficult situations in life, he will not fear evil because He has the presence of Yahweh in my life
2. ) Moral meaning
   - - Israelite - The person who knows Yahweh doesn’t have to fear in the world
3. ) Relationship to Christ (Spiritual Meaning)
   - - NT Christian - John 10 - Christ is the shepherd
   - - I don’t have to fear and I have more assurance because Jesus has already gone through the valley of the shadow of the death. When I go down to the shadow of the death, jesus will be down there waiting for me.
4. ) Anagogical Meaning
   - - 2nd coming?
   - - Christ the shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, but he is coming back in victory to conquer all of my enemies. Kings were shepherds.
   - - This Psalm speaks to his humiliation and sacrifice, but also his exaltation and victory.