Biblical Hermeneutics in Historical Perspective Studies in Honor of Karlfried Froehlich on His Sixtieth Birthday Edited by Mark S. Burrows and Paul Rorem W ILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Contents Copyright 0 1991 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America . Foreword by Oscar Cullmann Vlll .,( The publisher expresses its gratitude to the following for permission to reprint Introductiin by Mark S. Burrows and Paul Rorem xi articles that originally appeared in their publications: Abbreviations xx To The Princeton Seminary Bulletin for Karlfried Froehlich, “Church History and the Bible,” 4 (1978): 213-24. “Church History and the Bible” 1 Karlfred Froehlich, Princeton Theological Seminary To Lutheran Quarterly for the articles by Bart D. Ehrman, John V. Fleming, Eric W. Gritsch, Blake R. Heffner, David W. Johnson, and Bruce McCormack, I. Early Christian Exegesis and for the bibliography compiled by Amanda Berry Wylie, all of which appeared as a special issue in the summer of 1991 (vol. 5, pp. 143-231). “The Text of Mark in the Hands of the Orthodox” 19 Bart D. Ehrman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “The Use of Stoic Cosmogony in Theophilus of Antioch’s Hexaemeron ” 32 ISBN o-8028-3693-3 Kathleen E. McVey, Princeton Theological Seminary “The Exegesis of History in John Chrysostom’s Homilies on Acts” 59 Amanda Berry mlie, Princeton Theological Seminary II. The Augustinian Tradition Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952 0 1971, 4. “Vile Bodies: Paul and Augustine on the 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Resurrection of the Flesh” 75 Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and used by permission. Paula Fredriksen, Boston University _ vii vi CONTENTS CONTENTS 245 5. “The Rhetoric of God in the Figurative Exegesis 15. “Bullinger’s Prophets of the ‘Restitutio’ ” of Augustine” 88 Rodney L. Petersen, Boston Theological Institute Robert W Bernard, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary V. Modern Questions of Biblical Hermeneutics 6. “The Myth of the Augustinian Synthesis” 100 16. “Teaching History through Preaching: Some Patterns David W Johnson, Brite Divinity School, of Historical Interpretation in the Sermons of the Texas Christian University Lutheran Pastor Heinrich Friihlich (1826-1881)” 263 Klaus Friihlich, Ruhr-Universitiit Bochum III. Late Medieval Exegesis 17. “Prophecy, Millennialism, and Biblical Interpretation 291 7. “Meister E&hart and a Millennium with Mary and Martha” 117 in Nineteenth-Century America” James H. Moorhead, Princeton Theological Seminary Blake R. HefFter, St. John’s United Church of Christ, Easton, PA 18. “The Fourth Gospel as Trinitarian Source Then and Now” 303 8. “The Fusion of Papal Ideology and Biblical Exegeiis Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Calvin Theological Seminary in the Fourteenth Century” 131 19. “Historical Criticism and Dogmatic Interest in Karl Barth’s Christopher Ockq San Francisco Theological Seminary Theological Exegesis of the New Testament” 322 9. “Jean Gerson on the ‘Traditioned Sense’ of Scripture Bruce McCormack, Princeton Theological Seminary as an Argument for an Ecclesial Hermeneutic” 152 Postscript 339 Mark S. Burrows, Wesley Theological Seminary Karlfried Froehlich 10. ‘Christopher Columbus as a Scriptural Exegete” 173 Chronological Bibliography of the Works John V Fleming, Princeton University of Karlfried Froehlich 350 355 IV. Reformation Exegesis Contributors 11. “Luther’s Humor as a Tool for Interpreting Scripture” 187 Indices 358 Eric W Gritsch, Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary Index of Biblical References Index of Names 362 12. “Calvin among the Thomists” 198 Index of Subjects 365 David C. Steinmetz, The Divinity School, Duke University 13. “Some Reflections on Relating Calvin’s Exegesis and Theology” 215 Elsie Anne McKee, Andover Newton Theological School 14. “Marie Dent&e’s Use of Scripture in Her Theology of History” 227 Jane Dempsey Douglass, Princeton Theological Seminary FOREWORD ix me that I can hand over to Karlfried Froehlich the responsibilities as Editor-in-Chief of this series, which by now includes many volumes. The honoree is especially suited to work in the history of interpreta- tion because of his own scholarly method, which does not avoid exacting detailed work and the use of sources which are hard to get at. He also has the sense needed in this field for locating the decisive texts. In particular, Foreword I would like to emphasize an especially valuable charism, which serves his research well: the gift of hearing others, taking their questions seriously, engaging their thoughts positively. This has enabled him to derive appro- priate benefits from the reading of others’ works and to lead them forward decisively. He goes about it not with the false attitude all too common among scholars which only asks “what can I criticize in the other?” but rather with the right understanding of the test which St. Paul recommends - “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 521) - asking first This Festschrifr is a particularly convincing testimony to the significant of all, “what can I learn and affirm from someone?” and only then “what role which students play when measuring the life’s work of a scholar. The can I not accept?” large number of substantial studies in Karlfried Froehlich’s special field, I would like to say plainly that this charism of hearing others explains written by colleagues and especially his students, demonstrates the depth why Karlfried Froehlich, having begun his work in the field of biblical of this teacher’s lasting influence. Without his guidance and the stimulation exegesis, has subsequently devoted himself more specifically to the history of his own work, the history of biblical exegesis as an important branch of biblical exposition, a field created by the great theologians of the past of theological research would not have experienced the progress in his and the present. circles which we observe in this symposium. I have made special mention of his readiness for hearing in this Especially welcome is the fact that this gathering brought together Foreword since this charism expresses itself so fruitfully in his research. specialists of all periods of Christian thought, which is deeply influenced But it also bears other fruit: his gift for languages, his international and by the Bible. In this way, both the exposition of the Bible and the wide- above all his ecumenical relationships, and, last but not least, his untiring ranging study of church history are enriched in fruitful ways. This publi- readiness to help - in sum, the atmosphere of friendship in which he cation ensures that this dimension of historical studies, so necessary to all pursues teaching and research. This seems to me a necessary condition for theology and now well linked to the name of Karlfried Froehlich, will a productive scholarly career. All the contributors to this book and all his continue to produce additional fruit in the future. other students and colleagues can testify that the honoree - supported by The mutual enrichment of teacher and student, which Professor his wife, Ricarda - knows how to create this atmosphere. He is, therefore, Froehlich enjoys today, I myself have experienced with him. I can hardly a great teacher of the church. imagine my own work without the encouragement of my former student and assistant. Through his collaborative thinking and concrete cooperative Oscar Cullmann work, Karlfried Froehlich provided me with valuable services in the draft- Chamonix, 1 August 1990 ing of many of my publications. translated by Paul Rorem and Mark S. Burrows I also remember the encouragement and help he gave me in the realization of my project, “Studies in the History of Biblical Exegesis,” a series which was summoned to life partly by him. The publisher, Mr. Siebeck (Mohr, Tubingen), to whom I had originally presented the sug- gestion, undertook its foundation with considerable interest, an initiative which has been continued by his son in laudable ways. It is a great joy to . Vlll Introduction In his inaugural address as the Benjamin B. Warfield Professor of Eccle- siastical History, Karlfried Froehlich commented on the “immense power of biblical language,” and argued that I have become convinced myself that historical “understanding” of a biblical text cannot stop with the elucidation of its prehistory and of its historical Sitz im Leben, with its focus on the intention of the author. Understanding must take into account the text’s post-history as the par- adigm of the text’s own historicity, i.e., as the way in which the text itself can function as a source of human self-interpretation in a variety of contexts, and thus, through its historical interpretations, is participat- ing in the shaping of life.1 It is this conviction that has both inspired the manner in which Prof. Froehlich has exercised the church historian’s vocation and also guided his work as mentor to a generation of younger scholars in the general area of the history of biblical interpretation. Not surprisingly, his conviction has stimulated these studies, which explore from a wide variety of perspectives and on a sweeping range of topics how Scripture has functioned as a “living voice” and how it has informed the character of witnessing communities Dr. Karlfried Froehlich of faith during almost two millennia. Benjamin B. War-field Professor of Ecclesiastical History The Church’s proclamation and mission from the earliest stages of Princeton Theological Seminary _ its oral tradition attempted to make sense of a language of immense power and, often, obscurity. At times that obscurity has only appeared as the unspoken presumptions and unrecognized premises of one generation lost their voice and became incomprehensible or suspect for another. At other 1. See “Church History and the Bible,” below, p.