عنوان

Literary and Rhetorical Theory in Irenaeus, Part 2

LA129055

انگلیسی

Literary and Rhetorical Theory in Irenaeus, Part 2

[Article]

Anthony Briggman

Leiden

Brill

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. 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.

2016

31-50

Vigiliae Christianae

70/1

1570-0720

hermeneutics

hypothesis

Irenaeus

literary theory

rhetorical theory

typology

Anthony Briggman

10.1163/15700720-12301238

p

[Article]

275578

a

Y