This seminar focuses on the idea that early Christianity, from its very beginning, also represents a special kind of ancient philosophy—that is, intellectual reflection on the truth but also a way of good life (ζητεῖν καὶ σκοπεῖν, ὅπως βιώσονται καλῶς, ὅπερ φιλοσοφεῖν ἐστιν Musonius, Diss. 3). Accordingly, the aim of the new seminar is to scrutinize in new depth how Paul and the author or the authors of the Fourth Gospel and 1 John (conventionally called “John”) integrated philosophical concepts and practices into new amalgams. Early Christian authors like Paul and John grew up in the globalized space of the Roman empire and developed the amalgams of the Hellenistic Jewish heritage of the so-called “Mosaic philosophy”.

The interaction between Greek philosophy and biblical traditions had begun much earlier, already with the Septuagint project and continues not only in Paul and John but also in the early Patristic reception of the New Testament that has not been adequately discussed in SNTS seminars yet. However, early exegesis is crucial for the reshaping of the ancient cultural contexts of the Bible. This seminar does not focus on any mode of patristic interpretation but on readings relevant to the question regarding the relationship of early Christianity to ancient philosophy. This appears to be a badly needed perspective in studying the NT.

The research fields regarding the relationships of Paul and John to ancient philosophy and their early patristic exegesis have enjoyed a rebirth of interest and a transformation during the last five years. This is evident in the growing number of relevant sessions and seminars at the most well-attended meeting on biblical studies (SBL Annual Meeting) and relevant publications. The Brill Series Ancient Philosophy and Religion, the project Novum Testamentum Patristicum, Oxford Handbooks and volumes (e.g. Greek and Byzantine Philosophical Exegesis. Brill Deutschland 2022) are only a few examples reflecting the growing relevant production. Recently, the Oxford University Press approved the proposal for a new Study Bible with the title The Ancient Christian Bible (ACSB) that will provide a new essential tool for the development of the fields mentioned above.

Accordingly, we plan to discuss the following areas in the next years:

New perspectives on John and Hellenism; Paul among the philosophers; Philo’s heritage and Patristic readings of Paul and John; Reading the Scripture in Origen’s philosophical school; Chrysostom’s medico-philosophical interpretation of the Pauline and Johannine Corpora; Spiritual exegesis and the transformation of the rituals in Hellenistic Judaism and the communities of Paul and John.

Despotis, Athanasios (Bonn)

Löhr, Hermut (Bonn)

Ramelli, Ilaria (Angelicum)

van Kooten, George (Cambridge)