A Model for the Christian Life: Hilary of Poitier’s Commentary on the Psalms

Description

The Psalms, used as hymns for liturgy, have also been read as guidance for the spiritual life. Composed between 364 and 367, Hilary of Poitiers' commentary on the Psalms was the last of his writings before his death. In what appears to be a substantial but conventional commentary, Hilary also employs the Psalms to explore three progressive stages of the Christian life―baptism, resurrection, and transformation―then proposes a complex, integrated model for the Christian life. He makes use of cultural and theological resources acquired throughout his education and from his encounters as a Christian bishop in the mid-fourth century. In this examination of Hilary's treatise, Paul C. Burns discusses the intended audience of Hilary's text and the use of the Psalms by Christians in the fourth century. He identifies Hilary's distinctive perspectives; his dependence on Origen; his Latin theological and exegetical tradition; and the creative directions of Hilary's thought. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paul C. Burns is associate professor emeritus of religious studies at the University of British Columbia and lecturer at St. Mark's College and Corpus Christi College. He is the author The Christology of Hilary of Poitiers' Commentary on Matthew and editor of Jesus in Twentieth Century Literature, Art, and Movies. Acknowledgments ix List of Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 1. Hilary’s Commentary and the Psalms 17 Text, Genre, and Audience 19 Recent Scholarship on the Tractatus and Models of the Christian Life 31 Use of the Psalms in Fourth-Century Gaul 52 2. Hilary’s Principles of Exegesis 60 Use of Origen 65 Exegetical and Theological Perspectives 77 The Influence of Latin Public Culture 87 3. The First Transformation: Baptismum 101 “A City in Plague” 102 Confessio and Ethics 114 Confessio of the Godhead 127 4. The Christological Foundation for Transformation 136 Divinity of Christ: Continuities and Innovation 140 Forma Dei and Forma Servi: Consequences for His Humanity 149 Corpus Christi: The Extended Sense 164 5. The Last Transformation: Demutatio 173 Shifts in Perspective and “Heavenly City” 179 Transformation of the Resurrected Body 198 Innovative Approaches to the Resurrected Body 214 Conclusion 225 Bibliography 233 Index of Selected Scriptural Passages 245 Index of Classical and Patristic Authors 247 Index of Modern Scholars 253