Exegesis

About: Exegesis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3017 publications have been published within this topic receiving 25212 citations. The topic is also known as: Bible interpretation.

Gregory Nazianzen's Reading of Habbakuk 3:2 and its Reception: A Lesson from Byzantine Scripture Exegesis:

Abstract: At least since the nineteenth century, Gregory of Nazianzus has been known in academia as one of the three “Cappadocian Fathers,” along with his friends Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa. Much older than this scholarly label is the ecclesial designation of “three holy fathers, great hierarchs, and ecumenical teachers” under which Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil of Caesarea, and John Chrysostom (rather than Greogry of Nyssa) are commemorated jointly since the eleventh century. With its typical rhetorical flourish, Byzantine hymnography renders homage to the three hierarchs for their special contribution to Trinitarian theology, celebrating them, as the apolytikion of the feast says, as “the three greatest luminaries of the three-sun divinity.” The hagiographic memory of the church honors Gregory not so much as bishop of Nazianzus, but as “Gregory the Theologian”—a title of distinction shared only with the author of the fourth Gospel and, ironically, with Symeon the New Theologian.1 Indeed, Gregory seems to have been

"What Did Ezekiel See?": Christian Exegesis of Ezekiel's Vision of the Chariot from Irenaeus To Gregory the Great

Abstract: "What Did Ezekiel See?" analyzes the development of early Christian exegesis of Ezekiel 1, the prophet's vision of the chariot. It demonstrates that as patristic commentators sought to discern this text's meaning, they attended carefully to its very words, its relation to other biblical books, and the emerging Christian interpretive tradition. In the first six centuries of the common era, three dominant exegetical strands develop concurrently: one which finds in Ezekiel's vision confirmation of the unity of Old and New Testaments, a second which shows the significance of Ezekiel 1 for discussions of human knowledge of God, and a third which reads the prophet's vision as illuminating the life of virtue. The book will be useful to students of early Christianity, especially those concerned with the development of Christian exegesis, and to those interested in biblical studies.

New Testament Textual Criticism, Its Significance for Exegesis, Essays in Honour of Bruce M. Metzger@@@Text-Critical Methodology and the Pre-Caesarean Text: Codex W in the Gospel of Mark

Abstract: This collection of apocryphal writings supersedes the best-selling edition by M.R. James, first published in 1924. Since then, several new works have come to light, and the textual base for some of the works previously translated by James is now more secure. This volume presents new translations of the texts into modern English, together with a short introduction and bibliography for each of them. It is designed to give readers the most important and famous non-canonical Christian writings, many of them popular legends with an enormous influence on later, particularly medieval, art and literature, as well as on later beliefs and practices of the Church.

The "Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes

Abstract: This study focuses on the testimony of John the Baptist—“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου] (John 1:29, 36)—and its impact on the narrative of the Fourth Gospel. The goal is to provide a deeper understanding of this rich image and its influence on the Gospel. In an attempt to do so, three areas of concentration are explored. First, the most common and accepted views of the background of the “Lamb of God” title in first century Judaism and Christianity are reviewed. An effort is made to determine the intended reference underlying the word “lamb,” whether taken literally or figuratively, and to analyze the title in light of the use of the lamb in the Old Testament Jewish animal sacrifices. The New Testament and Christian first century writings are also examined. Second, the study analyzes the literary structure of John 1, includes an exegesis of John 1:29-34, and discusses the Lamb of God title as well as other titles of Jesus found in the pericope. In addition, this discussion provides an overview of the diverse contributions offered by recent scholars who have examined the “Lamb Of God” title. Their different claims are grounded in the Old Testament theology of sacrificial traditions and in the existence of different Semitic dialects in Palestine in the first century AD. Finally, this study addresses the purpose for which the Evangelist, at the beginning of his Gospel, introduces the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus as lamb and its impact on the rest of the Gospel. The discussion follows the pertinent Passover and Exodus themes, theological motifs, and references to the paschal lamb in relevant passages so to reach a structural conclusion: as a witness to Jesus’ death and resurrection, the beloved disciple John confirms the Baptist’s salvific message and connects Jesus’ activities and discourses with the Passover and Exodus themes. Ultimately, the Evangelist portrays Jesus in the Passion narrative as the true paschal lamb. As an eyewitness, the beloved disciple makes an intertextual correlation with the Passover ritual and the slaughtering of the lamb through his description of the various details concerning the Crucifixion. In summary, the study explains the Lamb of God title and demonstrates how the prophetic testimony of John the Baptist regarding Jesus as the Lamb of God, found at the beginning of the Gospel, is ultimately confirmed and handed on by the eyewitness testimony of the beloved disciple at the end of Gospel.