De Genesi ad litteram (Latin: [d̪eː gɛ.nɛ.siː liː.tɛ.ram]; Literal Commentary on Genesis)[1] is an exegetical reading of the Book of Genesis written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo.[2] Likely completed in AD 415, this work was Augustine's second attempt to literally interpret the Genesis narrative.[3][4] De Genesi ad litteram is divided into 12 books and discusses the seven days of creation (books 1–5), the second creation narrative and the Garden of Eden story (books 6–11), and the "Third Heaven" mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (book 12).[3]
While De Genesi ad litteram does not reject allegorical exegesis, it does argue that this cannot be the only approach a theologian takes. In this way, Augustine breaks from the interpretive methods favored by Philo and Origen.[5] Throughout this work, Augustine argues that objections brought against the literal truth of the first chapters of Genesis invariably rest upon the baseless assumption that the objector has found the true meaning of the text.[6]
One of the more notable assertions made by Augustine in De Genesi ad litteram is the idea that everything in the universe was created simultaneously in eternity by God and that the six-day structure presented in the book of Genesis represents how creation manifested itself in a temporal sense.[3][7] This work also saw Augustine reject the transmigration of souls, Tertullian's idea that the soul is corporeal, and the idea of pre-existent souls.[3]
Editio princeps
edit| Date | Author, Work | Printer | Location | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1506[8] | Augustinus, De Genesi ad litteram[8] | Johannes Amerbach[8] | Basel[8] | Published in D. Augustini Opera, an edition in nine volumes.[8] |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ The work is also known as De Genesi ad litteram liber in, e.g., Fitzgerald (1999).
- ^ Literal Commentary on Genesis. Library of Congress. January 1147. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Fitzgerald (1999), pp. 376–377.
- ^ The first, known as De Genesi ad litteram imperfectus, was written around AD 393. See: Fitzgerald (1999), pp. 377–378.
- ^ Benjamins (1999), p. 153.
- ^
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Fathers of the Church". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Bermon (2021), pp. 141–164.
- ^ a b c d e Taylor (1987), p. 563.
Bibliography
edit- Benjamins, H. S. (1999). "Paradisiacal Life: The Story of Paradise in the Early Church". Paradise Interpreted: Representations of Biblical Paradise in Judaism and Christianity. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9789047427179.
- Bermon, Emmanuel (2021), Brachtendorf, Johannes; Drecoll, Volker (eds.), "De Genesi ad litteram 4: The Days of Creation and God's Rest", Augustinus De Genesi ad litteram, Brill, pp. 141–164, doi:10.30965/9783657791286_008, ISBN 9783657791286
- Fitzgerald, Allan D. (1999). Augustine Through the Ages: An Encyclopedia. Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802838438.
- Taylor, J. H. (1987). "A Note on Augustine's De Genesi ad litteram 1, 20, 40". In Dummer, Jürgen; Irmscher, Johannes; Treu, Kurt; Paschke, Franz (eds.). Texte und Textkritik: eine Aufsatzsammlung. Berlin: Akademie Verlag. pp. 563–566. ISBN 3-05-000117-8.
Further reading
edit- Augustine (1982). The Literal Meaning of Genesis. 2 vols. Translated by Taylor, John Hammond. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press. ISBN 9780809103263.
- Brachtendorf, Johannes; Drecoll, Volker, eds. (2021). Augustinus De Genesi ad litteram. Leiden: Brill. doi:10.30965/9783657791286. ISBN 978-3-657-79128-6.
External links
edit- De Genesi ad litteram – Latin copy available via Vicifons
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Fathers of the Church". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.