The Contribution of the Fathers of the Church in the Development of Biblical Theology. Selected Methods of Patristic Exegesis. Part One

The contribution of the Fathers of the Church to biblical exegesis is one of their greatest gifts to Christianity. Without doubt their reflections on the Scriptures carry with them not only the scientific approach to theology, but they also have a great impact on Christian Spirituality. The Fathers saw in the Scriptures something more than just the Word, something more than literal understanding of the text. “In the history of interpretation the rise of the historical-critical method opened a new era. With it, new possibilities for understanding the biblical word in its originality opened up. Just as with all human endeavour, though, so also this method contained hidden dangers along with its positive possibilities. The search for the original can lead to putting the word back into the past completely so that it is no longer taken in its actuality. It can result that only the human dimension of the word appears as real, while the genuine author, God, is removed from the reach of a method which was established for understanding human reality”1. It does not mean that historical-critical exegesis has decreased the understanding of Scripture. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church underlines, there are many benefits from this method, however our study of Scripture should not be reduced to this form alone2. This article is part one of two essays, in which the author will present selected methods of patristic exegesis. In the first part the author will focus on the general contribution of the Fathers to biblical theology and present some of the methods of patristic exegesis.