Workshop at the 16th International Conference on Patristic Studies (Oxford): Biblical quotations in Patristic Texts

FRIDAY AUGUST 12, East School, Room 6, 4.00 – 6.30.

This workshop aims to enable research teams from different countries, whose work involves the identification and analysis of biblical quotations in Patristic texts, to share experiences and allow the audience to have an open discussion about methodological problems. Both patristic and biblical scholars will take part in this workshop, to consider how common tools could be developed to serve different purposes, such as the history of exegesis or a critical edition of biblical texts.

Laurence Mellerin (Sources Chrétiennes, Lyon): “Biblindex, Online Index of Biblical quotations in
Early Christian literature”

Numerous methodological issues have to be solved during the Biblindex project development, so that an effective XML-TEI schema for both biblical and patristic texts can be built: e.g., how to define the difference between allusion and quotation? How to distinguish and typify the Church Fathers’ ways of introducing and changing the biblical texts? How to decide where a quotation begins and where it ends? Through a few case studies, we’ll present Biblindex solutions and submit them to discussion.

Hugh Houghton (ITSEE, Birmingham): “Patristic Evidence in the New Edition of the Vetus
Latina Iohannes”
The paper is structured into two main parts:

a) the procedures followed
b) questions and textual insights arising from the patristic material for John

Bas ter Haar Romeny (Peshitta Institute, Leiden): “Biblical Quotations in Syriac commentaries”

This paper will first discuss the evidence for various versions of the Old Testament in Syriac exegetical works. In addition to quotations from the Peshitta, which is a second-century translation based on a Hebrew text, one finds references to the recentiores and to “the Greek” and “the Hebrew”. A complicating issue is the fact that references to “the Greek” may refer either to the Syro-Hexapla or to ad hoc renderings of the Greek biblical text of Greek commentaries that have been translated or excerpted.

Second, the significance of the material will be discussed. Quotations from the Fathers should play a role in the constitution of the critical text of the Peshitta, Syro-Hexapla, and Hexapla. This might seem to be self evident, but practical problems have often prevented editors from using the evidence. There are also more reasons why the quotations are important. For instance, they may help us to assign a place and date to a certain text form. In exegetical collections which do not state their sources, they may help to find out the provenance of the material. And last but not least, the role given to the quotations is a major aspect of the exegetical method that needs to be analysed.

The third issue that will be brought up has to do with the practical problems mentioned before: the Peshitta Institute will cooperate with the Biblindex Project and the Hexapla Institute in order to make at least a selection of the material available.

Claudia Wick (Thesaurus linguae latinae, München): “The Language of the Bible in the Thesaurus Linguae
Latinae”

The paper will discuss the procedures followed in ThLL to identify sources and establish the relevance of “VET.LAT” label for a biblical quotation, in a lexicographical way of thinking.

Another short paper:

Dominique Gonnet – The use of the Bible within Athanasius of Alexandria’s Letters to Serapion

Laurence Mellerin

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