Obscurity and Exegesis.
Towards an Unwritten Chapter of the History of the Bible

Programme

The workshop intends to explore an aspect of biblical exegesis that has largely been neglected until now: the perception and conceptualization of the obscurity of the Holy Scriptures. This is a topic of great interest not only for its natural implications for biblical studies but also for the history of Greek philology. From Origen to Photius, from John Chrysostom to Eusebius of Caesarea, the motif of the obscurity of sacred texts reappears and often receives original elaborations. In addition to valuing such testimonies for what they communicate anew, the unit will seek to bring to light the relationships with the diverse (in terms of chronology and approach) exegetical literature in the Greek language, which clearly underlies the works of the authors under investigation. Thus, lines of continuity and points of rupture will emerge, outlining a true exegetical tradition regarding the phenomenon of expressive and textual obscurity typical of divine words.

Keywords:

Chairs

Carlo Delle Donne

University of Salerno

Carmine Nastri

University of Salerno

Giuseppe Nardiello

University “Luigi Vanvitelli” - Campania

Sofia 2024 Call for Papers

The Association of Biblical Studies (EABS) has opened the Call for the Annual Conference that will be held at Sofia University, Bulgaria (15–17th July 2024).

To participate in the Workshop “Obscurity and exegesis. Towards an unwritten chapter of the History of the Bible”, the scientific community is invited to submit paper proposals, the topics of which may focus on:
- the perception and conceptualization of obscurity in Holy Scriptures
- the exegesis of divinely inspired words considered obscure, even beyond the biblical context, in all ancient Mediterranean civilizations
- the biblical exegetical tradition, also in its relation to the exegesis of obscure texts from the literatures of Greece and Rome.

The Call is open until 20th January 2024.