Patristic Exegesis

The course offers an in-depth study of biblical interpretation in patristic times. The student learns to account for differences and similarities in primary sources, to analyze them in light of their historical contexts and functions ,and to identify the questions the material aims to answer. The course also provides theoretical tools for understanding the patristic endeavor in terms of modern hermeneutics as well as philological and literary critical methods. In addition to classical patristic sources, the student is provided with examples relating to women, the use of the bible in genres such as hagiography (i.e. rewritings), and the medieval reception of patristic texts in various Orthodox Christian languages.At the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to:Knowledge and understanding:- Describe major hermeneutical theories in a thorough mannerCompetence and skills:- Idependently illustrate different interpretational stategies in patristic soures with concrete examples- Independently employ theories and methods on a selected materialJudgement and apporach- evaluate implications of the choice of theories and methods in scholarly approaches to the bible- argue for an interpretation in relation to the function, genre, or audience of a text