Psalm 35 – from a formgeschichtlich point of view, a composite one – seems to have been almost neglected in early Christian literature before Origen; in fact, he is the first author who has given a deep and complete commentary of it, both in his undoubted works and in the discussed fragments of his commentary on the Psalter. Origen’s exegesis of this Psalm shows some of the main themes which are typical of the theological thought of the Alexandrian author. So, to «the clouds» (v. 6b) – as well as to «man and beast» (v. 7b) – is applied an allegorizing interpretation; in the latter case, the explanation reaches the field of anthropology. The «great deep» (v. 7a) offers the opportunity of a reflexion about divine justice (‘theodicy’), to be examined within the larger debate concerning free will and providence. The divine «wings» (v. 8b) are an occasion to discuss the many biblical ‘anthropomorphisms’ by means of a spiritual reading. And finally, the «light» (v. 10b) gives the chance to expose analytically two topics of the greatest importance both for Origen’s theology, and for its Fortleben in the following centuries: christology and soteriology.
Il Salmo 35 nell'esegesi origeniana
CACCIARI, ANTONIO
2014
Abstract
Psalm 35 – from a formgeschichtlich point of view, a composite one – seems to have been almost neglected in early Christian literature before Origen; in fact, he is the first author who has given a deep and complete commentary of it, both in his undoubted works and in the discussed fragments of his commentary on the Psalter. Origen’s exegesis of this Psalm shows some of the main themes which are typical of the theological thought of the Alexandrian author. So, to «the clouds» (v. 6b) – as well as to «man and beast» (v. 7b) – is applied an allegorizing interpretation; in the latter case, the explanation reaches the field of anthropology. The «great deep» (v. 7a) offers the opportunity of a reflexion about divine justice (‘theodicy’), to be examined within the larger debate concerning free will and providence. The divine «wings» (v. 8b) are an occasion to discuss the many biblical ‘anthropomorphisms’ by means of a spiritual reading. And finally, the «light» (v. 10b) gives the chance to expose analytically two topics of the greatest importance both for Origen’s theology, and for its Fortleben in the following centuries: christology and soteriology.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
