Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church

by Michael Graves (Editor)

Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church is part of Ad Fontes: Early Christian Sources, a series designed to present ancient Christian texts essential to an understanding of Christian theology, ecclesiology, and practice. The books in the series will make the wealth of early Christian thought available to new generations of students of theology and provide a valuable resource for the Church. This volume focuses on how Scripture was interpreted and used for teaching by early Christian scholars and church leaders.

Developed in light of recent Patristic scholarship, Ad Fontes volumes will provide a representative sampling of theological contributions from both East and West. The series aims to provide volumes that are relevant for a variety of courses: from introduction to theology to classes on doctrine and the development of Christian thought. The goal of each volume is not to be exhaustive, but rather representative enough to denote for a non-specialist audience the multivalent character of early Christian thought, allowing readers to see how and why early Christian doctrine and practice developed the way it did.

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2017

Reviews

[Alan Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Michael Grave selects 15 writings from the church fathers to illustrate how Scripture was interpreted and used for teaching by early Christian scholars and leaders. The excerpts range from the Epistle of Barnabas to John Cassian. Modern readers might be surprised to see how much Bible interpretation has changed.

“Pauline letters contain several passages that served as models for other Christian spiritual interpreters to follow (for example, Gal 4:21–31; 1 Cor 10:1–11; 2 Cor 3:6, 15–16; Col 2:16–17).” p. 68

“Do not try to understand things that are too difficult for you,” that is to say, Do not break the bones of Scripture, “for you have no need to see with your eyes those things that are hidden.” John Cassian - p. 155

[Derek Kreider · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s extremely insightful to see how open the early church was to various interpretation methods. They revered scripture more than we do, yet were usually humble enough to let it speak mysteriously or variedly rather than wielding it as a totem or weapon. I’m particularly thinking of the young earth tendency here and the closed-mindedness they tend to demonstrate which flies in the face of many in the early church.

[Josh Kannard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and absolutely wonderful. I love Dr. Graves's work in putting together this concise reader and I'm grateful that I got to go through it with him as he opened me to whole new realm of theology I look forward to getting into over the coming years.