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Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Order Number 8909267 The orthodox recovery of a heretical proof-text: Athanasius of Alexandria’s interpretation of Proverbs 8:22—30 in conflict with th e Arians Clayton, Allen Lee, Ph.D. Southern Methodist University, 13S8 Copyright ©1938 by Clayton, Allen Lee. All rights reserved. UMI SOON.ZeebRd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE ORTHODOX RECOVERY OF A HERETICAL PROOF-TEXT: ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA'S INTERPRETATION OF PROVERBS 8:22-30 IN CONFLICT WITH THE ARIANS A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Faculty of Dedman College of Southern Methodist University in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Religious Studies by Allen L. Clayton (B.A., Southern California College, 1973) (M.Div., Yale Divinity School, 1976) May 21, 1988 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE ORTHODOX RECOVERY OF A HERETICAL PROOF-TEXT: ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA'S INTERPRETATION OF PROVERBS 8:22-30 IN CONFLICT WITH THE ARIANS Approved by '/ , , A / // , .. - / (Ac, {Adc<- -AAA aAs i * . - Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. COPYRIGHT 1988 Allen L. Clayton All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To Ada Mae Clayton and Joseph Mark Gutel Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Clayton, Allen L. B.A., Southern California College, 1973 M.Div., Yale Divinity School, 1976 The Orthodox Recovery of a Heretical Proof-text: Athanasius of Alexandria7s Interpretation of Proverbs 8:22-3 0 in Conflict with the Arians Advisor: Associate Professor William S. Babcock Doctor of Philosophy degree conferred May 21, 1988 Dissertation completed February 26, 1988 The purpose of this study is to examine how Athanasius "recovered" Prov 8:22ff for the life of the emerging Nicene church. What devices of interpretation and of argument did he employ that enabled him to show that Prov 8:22-25, which seemed to lend itself more naturally to Arianism, was not Arian in meaning at all? The dissertation is divided into four parts. Part one details the theological preparation for Athanasius's in­ terpretation of the passage. Beginning with Crigen, the Alexandrian understanding of the Father-Son relationship is traced through the writings of Dionysius the Great, Theo- gnostus, Pierius, Peter the Martyr, Alexander, and Athanasius. In part two the interpretation of Prov 8:22-3 0 in the Ante-Nicene church is examined, together with some significant developments in exegetical method during that time. Part three sets the context for Athanasius's reading of Prov 8:22-30 by looking at the interpretations of that v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. passage by Arius, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Asterius the Soph­ ist, Eustathius of Antioch, and Marcellus of Ancyra. Part four examines Athanasius's interpretation of the passage itself. Athanasius employed two rules of interpretation in his reading of Prov 8:22-30: the tripartite formula and the rule of one skopos. The formula insisted that the the "time," "person," and "purpose" of a text must be determined to interpret it rightly. The rule of one skopos. which Atha­ nasius borrowed from the Neoplatonists, viewed Scripture as a "double account of the savior," that the Son was ever God and became man. The two rules were not mutually exclusive, but complementary; the tripartite formula was the means by which the skopos could be discerned. The interpretation of Prov 8:22ff in the Contra Ari- anos consists of two distinct exegeses which are the result of a redaction of the Orations. Exegesis 1 (CA 2.44-77) placed v. 22 within the context of the saving economy. The Son was "created" when he became incarnate. Exegesis 2 (CA 2.18-43, 78-82) was cosmologically oriented. The "creation" of Wisdom was actually the creation of Wisdom's image in the creatures as they were brought into being. The dissertation concludes by discussing the interplay between theology and exegesis as it is revealed in Athana­ sius's discussion of Prov 8:22-3 0 in the CA. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...................................... X ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................. XV INTRODUCTION ......................................... 1 PART I. THE THEOLOGICAL PREPARATION FOR ATHANASIUS'S INTERPRETATION OF PROV 8:22-30 Chapter 1. THE ALEXANDRIAN UNDERSTANDING OF THE FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIP FROM ORIGEN TO PIERIUS . 21 Introduction ............................... 21 O r i g e n ..................................... 32 Dionysius of Alexandria ................... 52 Theogr.ostus............................... 71 P i e r i u s .................................. 77 S u m m a r y .................................. 79 2. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW SOTERIOLOGY AND ITS EFFECT ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIP FROM PETER THE MARTYR TO ATHANASIUS ............................... 84 Introduction ............................... 84 Peter the M a r t y r ......................... 85 Alexander..................................... 9 5 A t h a n a s i u s ................................... 102 S u m m a r y ...................................... 120 PART II. THE EXEGETICAL PREPARATION FOR ATHANASIUS'S INTERPRETATION OF PROV 8:22-30 3. The Interpretation of Prov 8:22-30 in Ante-Nicene Christianity ................................. 125 Introduction ................................. 125 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Prov 8:22-3 0 in the Apologists........... 12 6 Prov 8:22-30 in the W e s t ................. 132 Prov 8:22-30 in the E a s t ................. 142 Significant Developments in Ante-Nicene Exegetical Method ...................... 155 S u m m a r y .................................161 Part III. The Fourth Century Context of Athanasius's Interpretation of Prov 8:22-30 4. "BEFORE (THE SON) WAS BEGOTTEN OR CREATED OR DEFINED OR ESTABLISHED HE WAS NOT": THE ARIAN INTERPRETATION OF PROV 8:22-25 . 166 Introduction ............................... 166 A r i u s ....................................168 Eusebius of Nicomedia ...................... 187 Asterius the S o p h i s t .................... 189 S u m m a r y .................................193 5. THE NICENE UNDERSTANDING OF PROV 8:22-30: PROVERBS 8 IN THE WORKS OF EUSTATHIUS OF ANTIOCH AND MARCELLUS OF ANCYRA . 199 Introduction ............................... 199 Eustathius of Antioch ...................... 2 00 Marcellus of A n c y r a .................... 206 S u m m a r y ................................ 216 PART IV. THE SEARCH FOR A "RELIGIOUS AND ORTHODOX SENSE": ATHANASIUS'S INTERPRETATION OF PROV 8:22-30 6. ATHANASIUS'S RULES OF INTERPRETATION.... 219 Introduction ............................... 219 The Tripartite Exegetical Formula . 22 0 The Skopos of S c r i p t u r e ................. 232 viii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. S u m m a r y ......................................251