Early Christian Interpretation of the Jewish Scriptures: Precursor to Modern Historical Criticism?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/sacrascripta.2021.05Keywords:
C. F. D. Moule, promise-fulfillment, typology, Philo of Alexandria, Ptolemy, Epistle to Flora, Scripture interpretation, dimensionality in Scripture, “flat”, “round” views of ScriptureAbstract
This essay explores C. F. D. Moule’s intriguing suggestion that early Christian interpretation of Scripture, especially the use of promise-fulfillment and typology as hermeneutical approaches, anticipated some aspects of the modern historical-critical method. Included is a discussion of the metaphorical use of “flat” (two-dimensional) and “round” (three-dimensional) to characterize ways of reading Scripture. Attention is given to two ancient authors—Philo of Alexandria and Ptolemy’s Epistle to Flora—both of whom exemplify three-dimensional approaches to Scripture interpretation, although in different ways.
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