Scripture as Real Presence: Sacramental Exegesis in the Early Church by Hans Boersma

Abstract

Reviewed by: Scripture as Real Presence: Sacramental Exegesis in the Early Church by Hans Boersma Brian Dunkle S.J. Hans Boersma Scripture as Real Presence: Sacramental Exegesis in the Early Church Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2017 xvii + 316 pages. Hardbound. $39.99. In this illuminating volume Hans Boersma revisits a range of themes familiar from his enduring interest in the place of sacramentality and participation in patristic scriptural exegesis. Focusing on the interpretative assumptions and practices of select fathers of the Church, Boersma argues that their "sacramental hermeneutic" involves "the recognition of the real presence of the new [End Page 194] Christ-reality hidden within the outward sacrament of the biblical text" (12). As he examines case studies of this hermeneutic he offers a valuable introduction not only to sacramental reading but also to patristic thought in general. The study first distinguishes the presuppositions of modern historical-critical interpretation from the patristic mindset to show the inescapability of metaphysics for hermeneutics. For Boersma, contrary to certain modern criticisms, the ancient "participatory" metaphysics that prioritizes invisible realities does not nullify the visible; rather, the visible is the indispensable means for moving to the heavenly. Thus, Boersma treats the categories of patristic exegesis by first affirming the patristic commitment to the "literal sense." Here he uses Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine on the Genesis creation narrative to underscore their esteem for the integrity of the sacramentum (Boersma prefers the Augustinian term throughout) in the process of interpretation: patristic reading does not reject but rather requires an historical sense for scripture to draw the audience beyond a surface interpretation. In subsequent chapters Boersma considers the higher level of sacramental reading as "hospitable," "other," "incarnational," "harmonious," "doctrinal," "nuptial," "prophetic," and "beatific." Some of the categories correspond loosely to the ancient "senses of Scripture," with "other" and "beatific" associated with the allegorical and anagogical, respectively. Other categories are specific to patristic engagements with particular influential scriptural passages: "nuptial reading," for instance, deals exclusively with interpretations of the Song of Songs by Hippolytus, Origen, and Ambrose, while "harmonious reading" treats attitudes to psalmody and music in the early Church. The sample will engage both newcomers to patristic exegesis as well as experts. For beginners, Chapter 4 on Melito and Origen treating Exodus 18 offers a clear guide to those who have never encountered the disputes about "typological" and "allegorical" interpretation. Other chapters are quite dense and technical: Chapter 7 on Arian/Nicene debates over Proverbs 8 advances an original argument that distinguishes orthodox interpretation from [End Page 195] non-sacramental alternatives deployed by heretical groups. Boersma shows that the pro-Nicenes shared a sense that the genre of Proverbs was, by its nature, "hidden" and therefore required a "higher" interpretation. At various points Boersma defends patristic readings against a variety of potential modern critics. To charges of arbitrary allegorizing, Boersma maintains that patristic exegesis was guided by the Church's liturgy and confession; to Protestant proponents of salvation sola gratia who claim that early Christian emphasis on virtue belie "Pelagian" tendencies, Boersma argues that sacramental readings presuppose that participation in Christ through Scripture draws the believer into Christ's own moral goodness. Boersma concludes, pace Louis Dupré, that a patristic participatory and sacramental metaphysics are indeed viable in the modern age. In addition to his comprehensive appeal to the intrinsic beauty and coherence of early Christian interpretation, Boersma draws on the insights of contemporary theorists, such as Gadamer, to show the centrality of a text's Wirkungsgeschichte for any viable interpretive endeavor: the retrieval of patristic exegesis is not only possible, it is inevitable. Thus, Boersma calls for Scripture scholars and systematic theologians to recover a sensitivity to the sacramental in service of a generative interpretation of the Bible. Given the study's ambition and scope, critics might quibble over details: some might challenge particular readings—Boersma's focus on syntakatabasis in Origen's and Chrysostom's interpretation of the Mamre theophany lacks textual support in Origen's treatment (as Boersma admits); others might argue that the consistent focus on the harmony of patristic readings leads Boersma to limit the range of possible orthodox interpretations (as, for instance, when Boersma implies that Eusebius's reading...