Typology, Tabernacle and Tradition: a History of Interpretation of Hebrews 9:11-14 Samuel A
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Dayton University of Dayton eCommons Honors Theses University Honors Program 4-2016 Typology, Tabernacle and Tradition: A History of Interpretation of Hebrews 9:11-14 Samuel A. Mullins University of Dayton Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses Part of the Biblical Studies Commons eCommons Citation Mullins, Samuel A., "Typology, Tabernacle and Tradition: A History of Interpretation of Hebrews 9:11-14" (2016). Honors Theses. 146. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/146 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the University Honors Program at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Typology, Tabernacle and Tradition: A History of Interpretation of Hebrews 9:11-14 Honors Thesis Samuel Mullins Department: Religious Studies Advisor: Meghan Henning, Ph.D. April 2016 Typology, Tabernacle and Tradition: A History of Interpretation of Hebrews 9:11-14 Honors Thesis Samuel Mullins Department: Religious Studies Advisor: Meghan Henning, Ph.D. April 2016 Abstract The texts of the Bible have been used and interpreted in various ways across different time periods and different cultures, and there is much to be gained by studying these changes. Changing attitudes about and uses of Scripture tell us something about other changes taking place in society. They reflect new ideas about religion, knowledge, and authority. Most of all, they demonstrate the techniques used by pastors, theologians, and other authors to make texts written long ago relevant to contemporary problems. The purpose of my study is to use Hebrews 9:11-14 to look at the ways in which the interpretation of Scripture and the uses of Scripture change across time and geographic locations. By analyzing the text itself in its first century context, as well as documents citing this passage from the Early Church, the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and the present day, I am able study both the ways that the interpretation of this particular passage has changed, and how methods of biblical interpretation themselves have changed. Table of Contents Abstract Title Page Introduction 1 Chapter 1: First Century Context 6 Chapter 2: The Early Church 16 Chapter 3: The Middle Ages 48 Chapter 4: The Reformation 70 Chapter 5: The Modern Period 106 Chapter 6: Synthesis 127 Bibliography 142 1 INTRODUCTION The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews begins his work by noting that God has communicated with humanity “in many and various ways.” This phrase could just as well be applied to the way the author’s own work has been interpreted throughout Christian history. Debates have raged over the authorship of the work, its literary genre, and the community to whom it was addressed. Interpreters have also disagreed about the purpose of the work, particularly its relationship to Judaism. Sometimes interpretations changed because better manuscripts became available, or someone came up with an insightful way to resolve a problem within the text. Usually, however, the changes had less to do the text itself than they did with the hermeneutical tools used on it. In this thesis, I study the way methods of biblical interpretation have developed from the early church to the present day, using Heb. 9:11-14 as a frame. Proper biblical interpretation is a subject that has fascinated me for some time. As a child fascinated with dinosaurs, I struggled to understand how to reconcile what I was learning about them with the six-day account of creation in Genesis. As I grew older, I also wondered how I was to interpret verses of the Bible that seemed to condone or command actions deeply out of touch with contemporary ethics, or verses that simply contradicted one another. In college I learned that all these questions fell under the field of biblical hermeneutics, and sought to study the issue more thoroughly. Surveying the different methods of biblical interpretation that have been employed throughout Christian history seemed like a logical place to begin in this endeavor, and that is the purpose of this thesis. The selection of Heb. 9:11-14 as a frame was not entirely arbitrary. Hebrews is one of my favorite books of the Bible. The author writes beautifully about the power of faith and the suffering of Christ. Furthermore, the particular passage I studied deals with 2 themes of special interest to me, such as the relationship between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament and how to understand the crucifixion. Ultimately, however, the central focus of this thesis is not on how interpretations of this passage have changed, but on what these changes tell us about changes in biblical interpretation. The first chapter in this thesis places Hebrews in its first-century context. That is to say, in the first chapter I write about how the original audience of the work would likely have interpreted Hebrews. In doing this, I first discuss different theories about the community to whom the work was addressed and the work’s literary genre. I then review its themes, paying particular attention to whether the frequently supersessionist and anti-Semitic interpretations of this text reflect the author’s intent. Finally, I look at how the work, and my passage in particular, addresses the problems the community is facing. The second chapter deals with the reception of the text in the early church. I start with the general overview of how Hebrews was received, focusing on debates of the authorship of the work and its journey to the canon. I then look at how four figures of the early church used Hebrews: Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, John Chrysostom, and Augustine of Hippo. For each of this authors, I first discuss their biblical hermeneutic generally, and then focus on the particular work where they made use of Hebrews, looking both at how the passage from Hebrews is interpreted and what the work says about their reading practices. I am interested, in other words, not simply in what an author’s interpretation is, but in what tools and understandings the author used to reach that interpretation. In this section, I pay particular attention to the role of allegory and philosophy in biblical interpretation. I also highlight some of the common elements that will form the basis of orthodox biblical interpretation for centuries to come. 3 The third chapter focuses on the Middle Ages. The two figures analyzed in this period are Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas. Bernard represents a monastic reading style characterized by adherence to orthodoxy and applying Scripture to daily life. Aquinas represents a tradition of Scholastic interpretation focused on using literal interpretations to find first principles for theology. This chapter provides the first opportunity to look at how biblical hermeneutics develop. I show how rather than Bernard following the path of particular patristic figures while Aquinas follows the others, they both mixed hermeneutical elements of a variety of authors. I also discuss how even when medieval authors and patristic authors used the same reading practices or confronted similar situations, the ideological space in which they make these interpretations is often significantly different. The fourth chapter looks at how Heb. 9:11-14 was used during the Reformation era. I first review the use of Hebrews and the general biblical hermeneutics of Protestant leaders such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and Matt Henry. Next, I discuss the decisions the Council of Trent made regarding Scripture, and how Hebrews was used in its discussion of the Mass. Special attention is paid in this chapter to what it means to focus on the “literal sense” of Scripture, and what role tradition should play in biblical interpretation. I also touch in this chapter on anti-Catholic biases in Reformation scholarship and surprising similarities between the biblical hermeneutic of Protestants and Catholics. The fifth chapter covers the rise of the historical-critical method, and two contemporary theologies that attempt to make use of the method’s insights. I begin by reviewing the history of the historical-critical method and its connection to Reformation hermeneutics. After discussing the history of the method, I look at how contemporary historical-critical scholars have interpreted Heb. 9:11-14 and how they have addressed the issues of the works authorship and purpose. I then 4 study the attempts of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Gustavo Gutiérrez to connect historical- critical scholarship with theology. While often at odds, these figures both see value in critical biblical scholarship but find that by itself the method is insufficient in providing guidance for Christian living. The sixth and final chapter compares and contrasts the findings of the previous five chapters. I look both at how interpretations of Heb. 9:11-14 have changed and at how biblical hermeneutics in general have changed. Reception history can often seem like dry, abstruse work utterly lacking in value outside the academy. I hope to show over the course of this thesis that reception history can add important insights to our knowledge about a topic. Reception history can show us where biases in scholarship exist. Reception history can show us where the center of disagreement between competing factions is, and where these factions are similar as well. Reception history can rehabilitate texts that in the past have been used for bigoted or oppressive reasons. Studying the reception of biblical texts is particularly important. Different hermeneutical tools produce different readings, and these readings affect the way Christians understand and live their faith.