Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and the Interpretation of the Messianic Psalms
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Justin J. Lee
Abstract
For the majority of the patristic tradition, the Psalms are full of prophetic references to Christ, justified by New Testament citations and creative reading strategies. But for two writers from the so-called Antiochene school, Diodore of Tarsus and his student Theodore of Mopsuestia, this is not the case; New Testament use of the Old Testament is not prescriptive and allegory must be avoided at all costs. Diodore and Theodore only recognize four psalms as messianic: Ps 2, 8, 45, and 110. But not only do both theologians read Christ into these psalms, they do so in a manner that is unusual compared to how they approach the rest of the Psalter. This essay seeks to shed light on the reasons underlying these seeming exceptions. Pushing back against the now outdated paradigm of the Antiochene school as purely historical or literal exegesis, this essay will argue that both Diodore and Theodore are motivated not primarily by exegetical method, but more so by theological and textual concerns. More specifically, the readings of these four psalms are shaped by the Antiochene Christological vision found in Heb 1–2, which results in the prioritization of this text over the psalms in question.
© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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- In Militia Dei? A Sociohistorical Perspective on the Pachomian Koinonia
- The Coptic Translation of Epiphanius of Salamis’s Ancoratus and the Origenist Controversy in Upper Egypt
- Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and the Interpretation of the Messianic Psalms
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- Rezensionen
- Elisa Groth: Vocis pura sinceritas. Untersuchungen zum Prosarhythmus im Corpus Cyprianaeum, Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des Altertums 30, Paderborn (Ferdinand Schöningh) 2021, S. VIII + 283, ISBN 978-3-506-76020-3, € 99,–.
- Michael J. Hollerich: Making Christian History. Eusebius of Caesarea and His Readers, Christianity in Late Antiquity 11, Oakland, CA (University of California Press) 2021, S. XI + 316 pp. + 1 b/w illustration, ISBN 978-0-520-29536-0, $ 95,–.
- David Lloyd Dusenbury: Nemesius of Emesa on Human Nature. A Cosmopolitan Anthropology from Roman Syria, Oxford Early Christian Studies, Oxford (Oxford University Press) 2021, S. 240, ISBN 9780198856962, £ 65,–.
- Patrick T.R. Gray: Claiming the Mantle of Cyril: Cyril of Alexandria and the Road to Chalcedon, Late Antique History and Religion 24, Leuven (Peeters) 2021, S. XIV + 306, ISBN 9789042942578, € 95,–.
- Jon C. Cubas Díaz: Das Sepulkralwesen im Rauen Kilikien am Ende der Antike. Funerärarchäologie und Grabepigraphik einer spätantiken Landschaft, Asia Minor Studien 98, Bonn (Habelt) 2021, S. XVIII + 226, 91 Tafeln, 2 Faltkarten, ISBN 978-3-7749-4280-6, € 85,–.
- Susanne Barth: Tätige Nächstenliebe im Werk und Wirken Gregors des Großen, Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum 122, Tübingen (Mohr Siebeck) 2021, S. XIII + 449, ISBN 978-3-16-158950-8; € 89,–.
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelseiten
- Aufsätze
- In Militia Dei? A Sociohistorical Perspective on the Pachomian Koinonia
- The Coptic Translation of Epiphanius of Salamis’s Ancoratus and the Origenist Controversy in Upper Egypt
- Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and the Interpretation of the Messianic Psalms
- “The Angel of the Topos Shall Bless You”: Preliminary Report on the Cult of the Altar-Angels in Late Antique Egypt
- New Evidence for Severus of Antioch’s Correspondence with the patricia Caesaria (CPG 7071,11): Ethiopic Fragments Related to the Origin of Evil and the Resurrection of the Dead
- Rezensionen
- Elisa Groth: Vocis pura sinceritas. Untersuchungen zum Prosarhythmus im Corpus Cyprianaeum, Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des Altertums 30, Paderborn (Ferdinand Schöningh) 2021, S. VIII + 283, ISBN 978-3-506-76020-3, € 99,–.
- Michael J. Hollerich: Making Christian History. Eusebius of Caesarea and His Readers, Christianity in Late Antiquity 11, Oakland, CA (University of California Press) 2021, S. XI + 316 pp. + 1 b/w illustration, ISBN 978-0-520-29536-0, $ 95,–.
- David Lloyd Dusenbury: Nemesius of Emesa on Human Nature. A Cosmopolitan Anthropology from Roman Syria, Oxford Early Christian Studies, Oxford (Oxford University Press) 2021, S. 240, ISBN 9780198856962, £ 65,–.
- Patrick T.R. Gray: Claiming the Mantle of Cyril: Cyril of Alexandria and the Road to Chalcedon, Late Antique History and Religion 24, Leuven (Peeters) 2021, S. XIV + 306, ISBN 9789042942578, € 95,–.
- Jon C. Cubas Díaz: Das Sepulkralwesen im Rauen Kilikien am Ende der Antike. Funerärarchäologie und Grabepigraphik einer spätantiken Landschaft, Asia Minor Studien 98, Bonn (Habelt) 2021, S. XVIII + 226, 91 Tafeln, 2 Faltkarten, ISBN 978-3-7749-4280-6, € 85,–.
- Susanne Barth: Tätige Nächstenliebe im Werk und Wirken Gregors des Großen, Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum 122, Tübingen (Mohr Siebeck) 2021, S. XIII + 449, ISBN 978-3-16-158950-8; € 89,–.
