The Pattern and the Image: Insights from the Alexandrian Exegetical Tradition

Book

The Pattern and the Image

Insights from the Alexandrian Exegetical Tradition

Edited by: David Vopřada , Markéta Dudziková and Viacheslav V. Lytvynenko

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2025

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This book is in the series

Volume 164 | Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte

About this book

One of Plato’s best-known ideas is that the sensible world is an image of the intelligible pattern. The book examines the second life of this concept in late antiquity, especially in the Hellenistic Jewish and Christian milieu. It opens with the discussion of the key features of the pattern-image concept in Plato and Plotinus, and then focuses on the adoption of this concept in the works of Philo of Alexandria and the early Christian authors—Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius, Athanasius, Gregory Nazianzus, Didymus the Blind, Ambrose of Milan, and Pseudo-Athanasius. The collected papers illuminate various aspects of the topic, including the importance of the visible world and art in Platonism, allegorical and Christological interpretations of the biblical account of creation, and relation of the intelligible pattern in the Logos to the world. The authors analyze the Jewish and Christian reinterpretations of the pattern-image structure by looking into the ontological dignity of the image, its similarity and dissimilarity to the pattern, and the mutual chronology of the pattern and the image. Combining theological, philosophical, and philological approaches, the book offers a complex view of the pattern-image relationship in various contexts.

Author / Editor information

David Vopřada, Markéta Dudziková, and Viacheslav V. Lytvynenko, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Table of Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Foreword David Vopřada Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Introduction Markéta Dudziková Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	1
Philosophical Roots
The Iconic Structure of Reality in the Platonic Tradition and Its Christian Reinterpretation Lenka Karfíková Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	9
The Pattern and the Image in Plotinus: Rethinking Plato’s Conflict with the Poets Ota Gál Open Access Download PDF	39
Philo of Alexandria
Day One and the Intelligible World: An Alexandrian Exegetical Tradition? Gregory E. Sterling Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	57
An Image Ascending to its Archetype According to Philo of Alexandria Markéta Dudziková Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	79
Platonic Patternism and the Ideal Creation: The Nachleben of Philo’s De Opificio Mundi 15 – 25 in Alexandrian Christianity Justin M. Rogers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	103
Pre-Nicene Christian Authors
The Copy and the Revelation: Action and Contents of the Logos in Clement of Alexandria Pierluigi Banna Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	121
Servant Mysterium Trinitatis: The Role of the Seraphim (Isa 6:2–3) in Concealing and Revealing the Nature of God in Origen’s Work and its Sources Sincero Mantelli Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	139
Wisdom as Structure/Summation of Insight(s) in Origen’s Commentary on the Gospel according to John: Origen of Alexandria and his Exegesis of Prov 8:22 Pavel Dudzik Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	161
Christian Authors of the Fourth Century and Beyond
Image of Christ in the Letter to Constantia: Eusebius’ Authorship and Origen’s Legacy Vito Limone Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	193
The World as an Idea and Reality: Ambrose’s Concept of Creation David Vopřada Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	219
Exegesis of Scripture in the Pseudo-Athanasian Disputatio contra Arium (CPG 2250): Allegory, Paradeigma, and Context Viacheslav V. Lytvynenko Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	243
About the Authors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	257
Index of Biblical Citations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	259
Index of Ancient Works Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	263
Index of Patristic Works Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	271
Index of Ancient Names Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	281
Index of Modern Authors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	285

Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

June 2, 2025

eBook ISBN:

9783111562636

Hardcover published on:

June 2, 2025

Hardcover ISBN:

9783111562124

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

Front matter:

9

Main content:

289

Tables:

9

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111562636

eBook ISBN: 9783111562636

Hardcover ISBN: 9783111562124

Keywords for this book

Alexandrian exegesis; Pattern and Image; Platonic; Philonic; and Origenian studies; Arian controversy

Audience(s) for this book

Scholars of ancient philosophy, Greek and Latin patristics, historical theology, and biblical studies.

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The Pattern and the Image

Overview

About this book

Author / Editor information

Topics

Table of contents

Bibliographic data