A. S. Balakhovskaya Allegorical interpretations in the exegetic works of John Chrysostom and Theodoret of Cyrus (pp. 26–34)

Author

A. S. Balakhovskaya (The Gorky Institute of World Literature, Russian Academy of Sciences )

Pages\n 26–34

Summary\n

The Exegetes of the Antiochian theological tradition contrary to Origen and his Alexandrian followers were strong opponents of an allegorical interpretation of the Scripture. However in the works of such Antiochian exegetes as John Chrysostom and Theodoret of Cyrus one can find the allegorical interpretations of some biblical texts. Was this fact an approval of the Alexandrian practice of exegesis or John Chrysostom and Theodorete were true followers of the Antiochian tradition? The Antiochian exegetes saw their main task in historical and grammatical study of the scriptural text. This study helped them to understand the true meaning of scriptural words, which in turn became basis for the further comprehension of prefigurative sense of the Scripture. The interest of the Antiochian exegetes to the true meaning of scriptural words determined a distinctive approach of John Chrysostom and Theodoret of Cyrus to an allegorical interpretation of the Scripture. Both exegetes theoretically justified such a possibility. John Chrysostom and Theodoret of Cyrus thought that an allegorical interpretation was necessary only for the intentional parabolic scriptural texts, and the real task of an exegete was to make clear the sense, which was meant by a biblical author. Therefore, an allegorical interpretation of figurative passages of the Scripture is determined not by an arbitrary wish of an exegete, but by the inner logic of the scriptural text. So, an allegorical interpretation of the biblical texts written with a parabolic language is not an approval of the Alexandrian allegorism, which arbitrary changes one sense to another, but contrary makes clear the true meaning of scriptural words and doesn’t have contradictions with the Antiochian exegesis.

Keywords\n

Scripture, exegesis, allegory, historical and grammatical method, typology, prototype, allegorical language.

References\n

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