Monday 3 February 2014

Allegory and the Text of the Bible. Hilary of Poitiers and Ambrose of Milan are considered to be the two theologians in the Latin West

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Candlemass Offertory
 

Hebrew Bible, Old Testament  The History of Its Interpretation - Google Books

A Word in Season - Reading by St Ambrose,- newer Edition commentary of ST HILARY OF POITIERS.
Placing the commentaries of Hilary (315-367) and Ambrose (339-397) in columns impress on us the patristic biblical styles succeeding in 30 years. 367-397.
Ambrose zealously combatted imperial court attempts at favoritism to the parties of Arians, the "old" religion, and the Jews, particularly opposing the favors from Emperor Valentinian who supported the Arians. In defending the Orthodox position he has often been compared to St. Hilary of Poitiers. 
Ambrose is ranked with the great Western Christian leaders of the time: Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Gregory the Great, and St. Hilary of Poitiers. Ambrose was most known for his administrative talents, given his education and early experience before becoming a bishop. Yet, like Hilary he was an Alexandrian and was in the forefront in the doctrinal issues of the day, particularly those concerning Arianism. His sermons were famous and were influential in the conversion of Augustine. His endeavors in hymn writing became models of hymns of dignified simplicity for future times. Ambrose is credited with introducing antiphonal chanting wherein one choir alternates with another. Of particular note is that Ambrose baptized Augustine, his celebrated convert.
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Hebrew Bible, Old Testament: The History of Its Interpretation
Magne Saebø, Christianus Brekelmans, Menahem Haran
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1 Dec 1996 - Bible - 847 pages

The first volume of the series Hebrew Bible / Old Testament deals with questions of the canon with regard to its interpretation from the Jewish, New Testament, rabbinic, and patristic point of view, and encompasses the time up to Augustine. It ends with a synopsis on Church and Synagogue as the respective matrix for the development of authoritative text interpretation.
page 682-3
Chapter Twenty
The Reception of the OriginistTradition in Latin Exegesis
By Christoph Jacob Munster
 Allegory and the Text of the Bible
Hilary of Poitiers and Ambrose of Milan are considered to be the two theologians in the Latin West who by their personal fate or by the the thoroughness of their education learned to know the Origenist interpretation of Scripture, assumed it wholeheartedly and paved the way for subsequent Latin exegesis.
p. 287     x 4
p. 688
In the conclusion to the treatise on the mysteries, Hilary speaks about the difficulties of allegorical interpretation in general: it is not easy to discern whether a certain passage of Scripture is to be understood as a simple event as a simple historical narrative or in the typical sense: the knowledge of the simple event is corrupted if treated vainly as a prophecy and its transfiguration dynamic is destroyed if it is considered as a historical fact only. (25 Cf Tractatus mysteriorum I. 13). This is said to be one of the wisest statements of Christian antiquity. (26 J. Danielou, Saint Hilaire eveque et docteur 1968)
This may be correct; it would be wrong, however, to trust J. Danielou’s introductory remark: he believes he has discovered here a distinction between allegory and ‘typology’. But Hilary does not oppose a “true exegesis”, i.e. an ecclesiastical typology, to an allegorical or literal understanding of Scripture. This the distinction of Danielou is trying to promote. Hilary rather speaks of the general difficulty arising from the decision about suitability of an historical or a spiritual reading of the Bible. One may n fact approve of the question raised by Hilary, but it is not possible to claim him to be an adherent of a ‘typological exegesis’ as opposed to allegorical interpretations. His question is more fundamental, asking about the meaning of ‘holy’ Scripture as such.
... It is not only a matter of historical justice to appreciate the hermeneutics of Hilary and Ambrose even if it differs essentially from the position of modern exegesis.
Ambrose and Hilary use allegorical techniques in order to get away from a semantical reading of the Bible. They regard Scripture as a crystal being able to reflect interpretations Christological or ecclesiastical issues. These different  interpretations do no harm to this crystal and at the same time its transparency is not complete: it scatters the light shining through it and gives rise to its many different colours. Is not this exactly the objective of allegorical expositions of the Bible.

Contents:
20. The Reception of the Origenist Tradition in Latin Exegesis 
By CHRISTOPH JACOB, Munster 

1. Allegory and the Text of the Bible
2. Hilary of Poitiers
2.1. The Fullness of His Exegetical Work
2.2. The Bible in the Christological Debates
3. Ambrose of Milan    :
3.1. Towards the Principles of His Exegesis
3.2. Allegorica dissimulatio: the Ambrosian Rhetoric
3.3. The Song of Songs in Ambrosian Allegory
4. Allegory and Interpretative Pluralism

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