Paraphrase and Metaphrase

Abstract

This chapter explores paraphrase as a common tool for early Christian exegesis. The first section discusses the definition of paraphrase, its parameters in Antiquity, and its broader use in classical literature and education. The second section looks in more detail at prose paraphrase of Scripture, including discussion of a striking instance of exegetical paraphrase in Greek by Gregory of Nyssa and one in Latin by the orator Gaius Marius Victorinus. The third section deals with verse paraphrase of Scripture, with reference to poets such as Juvencus and Nonnus of Panopolis, as well as the Late Antique hexameter paraphrase of the Psalms in Antiquity attributed to Apollinaris of Laodicea.