This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. From Sayings to Texts: The Literary Contextualisation of Jesus’s Words in The Writings of Tertullian and Origen Simeon R. Burke Doctor of Philosophy New Testament and Christian Origins University of Edinburgh 2019 Declarations I confirm that this thesis presented for the degree of PhD, has i) been composed entirely by myself ii) been solely the result of my own work iii) not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification Signed: Date: 16th October 2019 ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... vi Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... viii Lay Abstract ................................................................................................................................... x Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ xi Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 The Non-contextualisation of Moral Sayings in the Roman Period ..................... 5 1. Non-contextualisation among Tertullian and Origen’s Christian Contemporaries and Predecessors .................................................................................... 7 2. The Non-contextualisation of Moral Sayings: Tertullian and Origen’s Non- Christian Contemporaries and Predecessors ............................................................... 26 The Rise of Literary Contextualisation with Tertullian and Origen: The Argument of this Study ......................................................................................................... 31 Method .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Outline of the Chapters ......................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 1—Jesus’s Words as Climactic Pronouncements: Literary Contextualisation Through Anecdote Reproduction ............................................ 40 1.1. The Beginnings: Anecdote Reproduction in Early Christian Authors .... 42 1.2. The Evidence: Anecdote Reproduction in Tertullian and Origen’s Re-use of Jesus’s Words ....................................................................................................................... 48 1. “What, then, are ‘the things of Caesar’? They were, no doubt, those things which gave rise to the discussion” (Tertullian, De Idololatria 15) ....................... 49 2. “The reply must be pertinent to the purpose of the inquiry” (Tertullian, Adv. Marcionem 4.38.5) ................................................................................................................ 54 3. “…arising from the requirements of the situation” (Tertullian, Adv. Marc 4.19.11; De Carne Christi 7.12) ....................................................................................... 62 4. “He answers a particular question concerning it” (Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem 4.34.2) ................................................................................................................ 67 5. “For give attention to the fact that…it was being investigated if one must pay tax to Caesar or not” (Origen, Commentary on Matthew 17.25-6, on Matthew 22.15-22) .................................................................................................................................. 73 6.“So, the passage has a mystical and secret meaning” (Origen, Hom. In Lucam 39) ................................................................................................................................ 79 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 84 iii Chapter 2—Story and Saying: Literary Contextualisation Through Co- textual Reference ........................................................................................................................ 90 2.1. The Beginnings: Co-textual Reference in Early Christian Writers ........... 91 2.2. The Evidence: Co-textual Reference in Tertullian and Origen’s Re-use of Jesus’s Words ............................................................................................................................ 97 1. Reference to a Single Word from the Anecdote ..................................................... 101 2. Reference to Multiple Words from the Anecdote ................................................... 103 3. Reference to a Phrase from the Anecdote ............................................................... 109 4. Reference to the Setting of the Anecdote ................................................................. 113 5. Reference to the Genre/Similar Cases ..................................................................... 116 Excursus: Cases of Co-Textual Reference More Broadly in the Works of Tertullian and Origen ..................................................................................................... 118 2.3. The Hermeneutical Significance of Tertullian and Origen’s Practice of Co-Textual Reference ........................................................................................................... 127 1. The Development of Interpretive Methods for Reading Jesus’s Words: Story and Saying ............................................................................................................................. 127 2. The Exegetical Results: A New Type of Textual Boundedness .................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 134 Chapter 3— Jesus’s Words as Scriptural Texts: Literary Contextualisation Through Intertextual Reference ............................................. 135 3.1. The Beginnings: Intertextual Reference in Early Christian Authors ...... 139 3.2. The Evidence: Intertextual Reference in Tertullian and Origen’s Re- Use of Jesus’s Words ............................................................................................................ 146 1. Intertextual References Deriving from the Co-Text ............................................. 147 2. Intertextual References Deriving from Jesus’s Words ....................................... 157 3.3. The Hermeneutical Significance of Tertullian and Origen’s Practice of Intertextual Reference ......................................................................................................... 162 1. The Development of Interpretive Methods for Reading Jesus’s Words: Scripture and Saying ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2. The Exegetical Results: A New Type of Textual boundedness .................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 169 iv Chapter 4—The Origins and Causes of the Hermeneutic of Literary Contextualisation: The Role of Literary, Historical and Ideological Factors ............................................................................................................................................ 171 4.1. Explaining Literary Non-contextualisation ........................................................ 172 1. Tertullian and Origen’s Explanations: Malevolent Motives and Mistrustful Methods .................................................................................................................................. 172 2. Roman Education and the Non-contextualisation of the Moral Sayings of the Sages ........................................................................................................................................ 176 3. Literary Explanations: Genre and Purpose ........................................................... 181 4.2. Explaining Literary Contextualisation ................................................................. 182 1. Historical Factors: Homeric Criticism, Rabbinic Exegesis of Scripture and Latin Rhetorical Treatises ................................................................................................ 183 2. Historical Factors: Roman Education and Grammatical Theory ................... 191 3. Literary Factors: The Role of the Commentary and Homily ............................. 195 4. Ideological