Isidoros C . Katsos | National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (original) (raw)
Papers by Isidoros C . Katsos
Reviews in religion and theology, 2017
The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a... more The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a case in point. Understanding the dynamics of philosophy and theology in the Philonic corpus is a key to understanding Philo's thought. And yet, few scholars agree as to how to read Philo on this point. In this article, I highlight some of the hermeneutical challenges posed by the Philonic corpus, based on two recent publications. The first book, a recently edited volume, documents the current trends in the discussion, introducing the reader to the 21st century scholarship. The second book, the first translation into English of an older monograph, echoes earlier trends, reaching back to the beginning of the previous century. Both publications complement each other, together covering a hundred years of Philonic scholarship. They thus offer a sound guide to the perplexed, even though they ultimately suggest alternative ways of reading Philo. In what follows, I argue that the perennial challenge of every Philo reader is to decipher Philo's enigmatic strategy in combining the Greek philosophical tradition with the Jewish scriptural tradition. To delve into this mystery, I submit, is the reason why Philo will continue to fascinate scholars for generations to come.
Modern Theology, 2024
In this essay, I explore the emergence of multicolumn Bibles in late antiquity, with a particular... more In this essay, I explore the emergence of multicolumn Bibles in late antiquity, with a particular emphasis on Origen's Hexapla and its use by Gregory of Nyssa. I contextualise Gregory's use of multicolumn Bibles within the Origenian tradition and show that, in this intellectual context, multicolumn Bibles functioned as hermeneutical rather than text-critical devices. I argue that the best explanation for Gregory's use of multicolumn Bibles comes from the hermeneutical theory of the Phaedrus as it was developed in later Neoplatonism. I demonstrate how the adaptation of the Phaedrus-hermeneutics to Scripture can animate the biblical text, revealing hidden elements of discursiveness in it. I conclude by arguing that the Christian adaptation of the Phaedrus, as exemplified by Gregory, is distinguished by originality from Neoplatonic hermeneutics. My argument shows that in Origen and his school the use of multicolumn Bibles should not be theorised in terms of 'exegetical maximalism' but in terms of 'dialectical hermeneutics'. The difference between the two approaches lies in the shift between modern and late ancient approaches to text and Scripture: while modernity is characterised by the pursuit of the authentic text, Origen's literary world is characterised by textual plurality, orality, and vocality. As a result, while the modern reader expects to find the meaning of Scripture in the text, the Origenian reader expected to find the meaning of Scripture in the discourse that lies latent in between the text. To Jim Aitken, in deepest gratitude Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. … but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Gal. 3:13, 5b-6 (my italics
Oxford University Press eBooks, Mar 16, 2023
Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only. Oxfo... more Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only. Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website referenced in this work.
Ilaria L.E. Ramelli, J.A. McGuckin, Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski, T&T Clark Handbook of the Early Church , 2022
In this chapter, I discuss the early Christian language of divine light by linking it with contem... more In this chapter, I discuss the early Christian language of divine light by linking it with contemporary discussions on the nature of metaphor and analogy. This kind of early Christian talk ('God is light') has been given the strange name: ‘metaphysics of light’. In what follows, I explain what that means. But this chapter does not intend to enquire into the meaning of the light language of the early church, but rather to enquire into the conditions of its meaning. My aim, therefore, is cathartic. In this chapter I show that until we learn how to think properly about the use of the scriptural light language, it is rather futile to enquire into its meaning. This suggests that many approaches to the early Christian language of light have missed its meaning. To show why this is so, I first need to explain what lies beneath the strange term ‘metaphysics of light’.
Eriugena’s Theory of Light and its Hexaemeral Sources: Rethinking Eriugena’s Knowledge of the Greek Patristic Corpus, in Studia Patristica, 2021
In the hexaemeral part of the Periphyseon, Eriugena reports on two hermeneutical traditions on th... more In the hexaemeral part of the Periphyseon, Eriugena reports on two hermeneutical traditions on the first light of creation. According to the first tradition, attributed to Basil, primordial light is corporeal and of fiery nature. According to the second tradition, attributed to Augustine, primordial light is of intelligible, angelic nature. Based on this report and other passages contemporary scholarship assumes a close acquaintance of Eriugena with Basil’s Hexaemeron. The purpose of this article is to put the latter assumption under scrutiny. My argument proceeds in two steps. First, I compare Eriugena’s report of Basil in the Periphyseon with Basil’s original text in the Hexaemeron. The comparison shows that the corporeal theory of light attributed to Basil deviates significantly from Basil’s own theory, at least in two respects. In a second step, I investigate whether Eriugena’s report of Basil is mediated through other sources. I here compare the Periphyseon with the theory of light defended by Gregory of Nyssa in his Apology to Basil’s Hexaemeron. The comparison now yields positive results: if one reads the Hexaemeron through the mediation of the Apology, one ends up indeed with the report in the Periphyseon. If my argument is correct, the current scholarly assumption about Eriugena’s knowledge of the Greek patristic corpus in general, and of Nyssen’s corpus in particular, needs to be reconsidered. Gregory of Nyssa’s Apology exercises a tremendous influence on Eriugena’s physical thought, a fact that has up to now escaped scholarly attention.
Scottish Journal of Theology
effort for those who continued to live, though in eventually shrinking numbers, amid Islam. Chris... more effort for those who continued to live, though in eventually shrinking numbers, amid Islam. Christian Martyrs under Islam is meticulously researched and documented. Sahner's readings of the sources reflect great skill and care for sound methodology. As a result, the book is a welcome contribution to studies focusing on medieval Christian communities and their relationships with Muslims. Scholars have long known how other types of literature such as disputational texts served to nourish beleaguered religious communities who faced the press of new rule. Martyrologies are often ignored for what they might contribute to this knowledge, but readers of Sahner's book, scholars and students alike, will be rewarded by his bold approach.
ISIS, A Journal of the History of Science, 2019
In the course of contemporary investigations into the history of optics, it is claimed that the s... more In the course of contemporary investigations into the history of optics, it is claimed that the study of light in antiquity was subordinated to the study of sight. Though previous scholarship allowed some conceptual space for an autonomous study of light, such an approach remains a largely unexplored possibility. This essay investigates further the possibility of a luminocentric as opposed to the oculocentric approach to ancient optics. On the basis of evidence from the Platonic Timaeus, it argues for the existence of a proper physics of light in the ancient world. If the argument is correct, the ancient physics of light ought to be part of a comprehensive and systematic history of optics.
The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a... more The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a case in point. Understanding the dynamics of philosophy and theology in the Philonic corpus is a key to understanding Philo's thought. And yet, few scholars agree as to how to read Philo on this point. In this article I highlight some of the hermeneutical challenges posed by the Philonic corpus, based on two recent publications.
The aim of this paper is to provide an account of distributive justice from an Orthodox perspecti... more The aim of this paper is to provide an account of distributive justice from an Orthodox perspective. For this purpose, I shall focus on current debates within Orthodox theology, making reference to but not expanding on secular theories of justice. Throughout my paper I shall understand the term 'distributive justice’ as equivalent to ’social justice’, which today comprises two elements: an intra-generational component referring to the inhabitants of planet earth at a given moment in time, and an inter-generational component linking together the current, past and future generations. I shall understand ‘justice' in a theological sense, as the offspring of an ascetic-sacrificial way of life in the image and likeness of Christ, which is opposed to a secular-libertarian understanding of justice as 'fairness’. I shall first illustrate how contemporary Eastern Orthodoxy articulates the question of distributive justice. In a second step, I shall highlight the ambivalence of the Orthodox approach to libertarian principles. Finally, I shall outline, however briefly, a coherent approach to justice inspired by the patristic tradition of the East and articulated in the distinctively Neo-orthodox theological jargon of the ‘theology of the person’.
Key words: distributive justice, Pan-orthodox Synod, human rights, theology of the person, asceticism
I. Introduction
II. On the way to the Pan-orthodox Synod (status questionis)
III. The conundrum: justice and human rights
IV. Justice without rights: Florovsky’s patristic synthesis
V. Conclusions
Reviews in religion and theology, 2017
The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a... more The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a case in point. Understanding the dynamics of philosophy and theology in the Philonic corpus is a key to understanding Philo's thought. And yet, few scholars agree as to how to read Philo on this point. In this article, I highlight some of the hermeneutical challenges posed by the Philonic corpus, based on two recent publications. The first book, a recently edited volume, documents the current trends in the discussion, introducing the reader to the 21st century scholarship. The second book, the first translation into English of an older monograph, echoes earlier trends, reaching back to the beginning of the previous century. Both publications complement each other, together covering a hundred years of Philonic scholarship. They thus offer a sound guide to the perplexed, even though they ultimately suggest alternative ways of reading Philo. In what follows, I argue that the perennial challenge of every Philo reader is to decipher Philo's enigmatic strategy in combining the Greek philosophical tradition with the Jewish scriptural tradition. To delve into this mystery, I submit, is the reason why Philo will continue to fascinate scholars for generations to come.
Modern Theology, 2024
In this essay, I explore the emergence of multicolumn Bibles in late antiquity, with a particular... more In this essay, I explore the emergence of multicolumn Bibles in late antiquity, with a particular emphasis on Origen's Hexapla and its use by Gregory of Nyssa. I contextualise Gregory's use of multicolumn Bibles within the Origenian tradition and show that, in this intellectual context, multicolumn Bibles functioned as hermeneutical rather than text-critical devices. I argue that the best explanation for Gregory's use of multicolumn Bibles comes from the hermeneutical theory of the Phaedrus as it was developed in later Neoplatonism. I demonstrate how the adaptation of the Phaedrus-hermeneutics to Scripture can animate the biblical text, revealing hidden elements of discursiveness in it. I conclude by arguing that the Christian adaptation of the Phaedrus, as exemplified by Gregory, is distinguished by originality from Neoplatonic hermeneutics. My argument shows that in Origen and his school the use of multicolumn Bibles should not be theorised in terms of 'exegetical maximalism' but in terms of 'dialectical hermeneutics'. The difference between the two approaches lies in the shift between modern and late ancient approaches to text and Scripture: while modernity is characterised by the pursuit of the authentic text, Origen's literary world is characterised by textual plurality, orality, and vocality. As a result, while the modern reader expects to find the meaning of Scripture in the text, the Origenian reader expected to find the meaning of Scripture in the discourse that lies latent in between the text. To Jim Aitken, in deepest gratitude Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. … but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Gal. 3:13, 5b-6 (my italics
Oxford University Press eBooks, Mar 16, 2023
Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only. Oxfo... more Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only. Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website referenced in this work.
Ilaria L.E. Ramelli, J.A. McGuckin, Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski, T&T Clark Handbook of the Early Church , 2022
In this chapter, I discuss the early Christian language of divine light by linking it with contem... more In this chapter, I discuss the early Christian language of divine light by linking it with contemporary discussions on the nature of metaphor and analogy. This kind of early Christian talk ('God is light') has been given the strange name: ‘metaphysics of light’. In what follows, I explain what that means. But this chapter does not intend to enquire into the meaning of the light language of the early church, but rather to enquire into the conditions of its meaning. My aim, therefore, is cathartic. In this chapter I show that until we learn how to think properly about the use of the scriptural light language, it is rather futile to enquire into its meaning. This suggests that many approaches to the early Christian language of light have missed its meaning. To show why this is so, I first need to explain what lies beneath the strange term ‘metaphysics of light’.
Eriugena’s Theory of Light and its Hexaemeral Sources: Rethinking Eriugena’s Knowledge of the Greek Patristic Corpus, in Studia Patristica, 2021
In the hexaemeral part of the Periphyseon, Eriugena reports on two hermeneutical traditions on th... more In the hexaemeral part of the Periphyseon, Eriugena reports on two hermeneutical traditions on the first light of creation. According to the first tradition, attributed to Basil, primordial light is corporeal and of fiery nature. According to the second tradition, attributed to Augustine, primordial light is of intelligible, angelic nature. Based on this report and other passages contemporary scholarship assumes a close acquaintance of Eriugena with Basil’s Hexaemeron. The purpose of this article is to put the latter assumption under scrutiny. My argument proceeds in two steps. First, I compare Eriugena’s report of Basil in the Periphyseon with Basil’s original text in the Hexaemeron. The comparison shows that the corporeal theory of light attributed to Basil deviates significantly from Basil’s own theory, at least in two respects. In a second step, I investigate whether Eriugena’s report of Basil is mediated through other sources. I here compare the Periphyseon with the theory of light defended by Gregory of Nyssa in his Apology to Basil’s Hexaemeron. The comparison now yields positive results: if one reads the Hexaemeron through the mediation of the Apology, one ends up indeed with the report in the Periphyseon. If my argument is correct, the current scholarly assumption about Eriugena’s knowledge of the Greek patristic corpus in general, and of Nyssen’s corpus in particular, needs to be reconsidered. Gregory of Nyssa’s Apology exercises a tremendous influence on Eriugena’s physical thought, a fact that has up to now escaped scholarly attention.
Scottish Journal of Theology
effort for those who continued to live, though in eventually shrinking numbers, amid Islam. Chris... more effort for those who continued to live, though in eventually shrinking numbers, amid Islam. Christian Martyrs under Islam is meticulously researched and documented. Sahner's readings of the sources reflect great skill and care for sound methodology. As a result, the book is a welcome contribution to studies focusing on medieval Christian communities and their relationships with Muslims. Scholars have long known how other types of literature such as disputational texts served to nourish beleaguered religious communities who faced the press of new rule. Martyrologies are often ignored for what they might contribute to this knowledge, but readers of Sahner's book, scholars and students alike, will be rewarded by his bold approach.
ISIS, A Journal of the History of Science, 2019
In the course of contemporary investigations into the history of optics, it is claimed that the s... more In the course of contemporary investigations into the history of optics, it is claimed that the study of light in antiquity was subordinated to the study of sight. Though previous scholarship allowed some conceptual space for an autonomous study of light, such an approach remains a largely unexplored possibility. This essay investigates further the possibility of a luminocentric as opposed to the oculocentric approach to ancient optics. On the basis of evidence from the Platonic Timaeus, it argues for the existence of a proper physics of light in the ancient world. If the argument is correct, the ancient physics of light ought to be part of a comprehensive and systematic history of optics.
The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a... more The relation of philosophy to theology is notoriously ambiguous. Reading Philo of Alexandria is a case in point. Understanding the dynamics of philosophy and theology in the Philonic corpus is a key to understanding Philo's thought. And yet, few scholars agree as to how to read Philo on this point. In this article I highlight some of the hermeneutical challenges posed by the Philonic corpus, based on two recent publications.
The aim of this paper is to provide an account of distributive justice from an Orthodox perspecti... more The aim of this paper is to provide an account of distributive justice from an Orthodox perspective. For this purpose, I shall focus on current debates within Orthodox theology, making reference to but not expanding on secular theories of justice. Throughout my paper I shall understand the term 'distributive justice’ as equivalent to ’social justice’, which today comprises two elements: an intra-generational component referring to the inhabitants of planet earth at a given moment in time, and an inter-generational component linking together the current, past and future generations. I shall understand ‘justice' in a theological sense, as the offspring of an ascetic-sacrificial way of life in the image and likeness of Christ, which is opposed to a secular-libertarian understanding of justice as 'fairness’. I shall first illustrate how contemporary Eastern Orthodoxy articulates the question of distributive justice. In a second step, I shall highlight the ambivalence of the Orthodox approach to libertarian principles. Finally, I shall outline, however briefly, a coherent approach to justice inspired by the patristic tradition of the East and articulated in the distinctively Neo-orthodox theological jargon of the ‘theology of the person’.
Key words: distributive justice, Pan-orthodox Synod, human rights, theology of the person, asceticism
I. Introduction
II. On the way to the Pan-orthodox Synod (status questionis)
III. The conundrum: justice and human rights
IV. Justice without rights: Florovsky’s patristic synthesis
V. Conclusions