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Title: Hermeneutical Advice for Interpreters of Scripture in Book One of Cassiodorus' Institutiones
Author(s): TOOM, Tarmo
Journal: Augustiniana
Volume: 71    Issue: 1   Date: 2021   
Pages: 123-149
DOI: 10.2143/AUG.71.1.3289615

Abstract :
This article studies Cassiodorus’ Institutiones, Book One in its context of the extant Latin introductores. It aims to identify the author’s hermeneutical advice and thereby determine the significance of Book One in the early history of biblical interpretation. It will demonstrate that Cassiodorus’ largely bibliographical recommendations include several important guidelines for interpreting Scripture, as well as serve the purpose of educating Christian clergy/monks in the subtle art of understanding and teaching Scripture. This article will proceed by first introducing the origin of Cassiodorus’ Institutiones in two books. After justifying this article’s almost exclusive focus on Book One of the Institutiones, various hermeneutically relevant issues are investigated in the order that they appear in Cassiodorus’ treatise. Among these are the 'recommended readings' of patristic authors for particular books of the Bible, the issue of what the canonical Scripture as such amounts to, several suggestions of more technical interpretative tasks, and the required moral/spiritual disposition for the adequate understanding of God’s Word. 'Distilling' the hermeneutical advice from Book One of Cassiodorus’ Institutiones facilitates the comprehension of the importance of this particular treatise among the other introductiones. For various reasons, Cassiodorus’ contribution, especially in Book One, has been either seldom acknowledged in the general histories of biblical interpretation or has been neglected altogether.

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