Ideal Interpreters

This chapter examines early Christian accounts of ideal (and less than ideal) interpreters of Scripture. These figures were configured by two spaces in the Late Antique world: the institution of the schoolroom, especially the grammatical and rhetorical training that were directly applicable to the study of Christian Scripture; and the Christian ‘religion’, with its range of doctrinal, moral, and liturgical associations that informed the student and study of Scripture. This chapter focuses on the following features of these interpreters: their aims, their education and skills, their moral and doctrinal commitments, precedents and guidelines for interpretation, reading virtues, and the dynamic of prayer and divine response.