Overview
More exegetical literature survives from the hand of Cyril of Alexandria than nearly any other Greek patristic author, yet this sizable body of work has scarcely received the degree of attention it deserves. In this work, Matthew R. Crawford reconstructs the intellectual context that gave rise to this literary output and highlights Cyril's Trinitarian theology, received as an inheritance from the fourth century, as the most important defining factor. Cyril's appropriation of pro-Nicene Trinitarianism is evident in both of his theology of revelation and his theology of exegesis, the two foci that comprise his doctrine of Scripture. Revelation, in his understanding, proceeds from the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit, following the order of Trinitarian relations. Moreover, this pattern applies to the inspiration of Scripture as well, insofar as inspiration occurs when the Son indwells human authors by the Spirit and speaks the words of the Father. Although Cyril's interpretation of revelation may consequently be called 'Trinitarian', it is also resolutely Christological, since the divine and incarnate Son functions as the central content and mediator of all divine unveiling. Corresponding to this divine movement towards humanity in revelation is humanity's appropriation of divine life according to the reverse pattern--in the Spirit, through the Son, unto the Father. Applied to exegesis, this Trinitarian pattern implies that the Spirit directs the reader of Scripture to a Christological interpretation of the text, through which the believer beholds the incarnate Son, the exemplar of virtue and the perfect image of the Father, and accordingly advances in both virtue and knowledge. This process continues until the final eschatological vision when the types and riddles of Scripture will be done away with in light of the overwhelming clarity of the Christologically-mediated Trinitarian vision.
Full Product Details
Author: Matthew R. Crawford (Associate Professor and Director of the Program in Biblical and Early Christian Studies, Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, Australian Catholic University)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 17.20cm
, Height: 2.40cm
, Length: 24.00cm
Weight: 0.602kg
ISBN: 9780198722625
ISBN 10: 0198722621
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 13 November 2014
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
In Cyril of Alexandria's Trinitarian Theology of Scripture, Crawford unearthed wealthy amounts of Cyril s literature in a comprehensive and organized manner. I suspect this work will influence Patristic scholarship, most notably works on Cyril and pro-Nicene theology, for years to come....Crawford has not only produced a work that contributes to Cyrilline scholarship, he, essentially, has contributed to the field in ways no one else has....I would encourage any Patristic scholar to pick up this volume with haste and drink deeply the Trinitarianism of Cyril's doctrine of God and revelation, theology of Scripture, and theology of exegesis. --Fides et Humilitas
Cyril of Alexandrias Trinitarian Theology of Scripture contributes significantly to our understanding of Cyrils theology. ... We are in debt to Matthew Crawford for disclosing a further portion of these hidden riches in Cyrils thought. Daniel A. Keating, Journal of Theological Studies
This book is a welcome addition to the growing number of studies on Cyril of Alexandria. ... Crawford discusses in depth the role that Cyril ascribes to the Son and the Spirit, both in revelation and in the human reception of revelation, and he shows how these roles have their place within an overall Trinitarian structure. Hans van Loon, Journal of Ancient Christianity Cyril of Alexandrias Trinitarian Theology of Scripture contributes significantly to our understanding of Cyrils theology. ... We are in debt to Matthew Crawford for disclosing a further portion of these hidden riches in Cyrils thought. Daniel A. Keating, Journal of Theological Studies
Author Information
Associate Professor and Director of the Program in Biblical and Early Christian Studies in the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at Australian Catholic University. From 2012 to 2015 he held an AHRC-funded postdoc at Durham University on canonical and non-canonical gospel literature, and from 2013 to 2015 a Junior Research Fellowship from Hatfield College. He is the author of Cyril of Alexandria's Trinitarian Theology of Scripture (2014).
