Epiphanius’ "Alogi" and the Johannine Controversy: A Reassessment of Early Ecclesial Opposition to the Johannine Corpus

267 Pages·2016·1.224 MB·English

by  T. Scott Manor

Epiphanius’ Alogi and the Johannine Controversy
Supplements to
Vigiliae Christianae
Editors
J. den Boeft
B.D. Ehrman
K. Greschat
J. Lössl
J. van Oort
D.T. Runia
C. Scholten
VOLUME 135
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/vcs
Epiphanius’ Alogi and the
Johannine Controversy
A Reassessment of
Early Ecclesial Opposition to
the Johannine Corpus
By
T. Scott Manor
LEIDEN | BOSTON
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issn 0920-0623x
isbn 978-90-04-30938-8 (hardback)
isbn 978-90-04-30939-5 (e-book)
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Contents
Preface ix
Abbreviations x
Introduction 1
Section 1
The ‘Johannine Controversy’ Theory
1 The Evidence 15
1.1 Irenaeus 16
1.2 Hippolytus of Rome 17
1.3 Gaius of Rome 18
1.4 Origen 19
1.5 Dionysius of Alexandria 20
1.6 Epiphanius of Salamis 21
1.7 Dionysius bar Salibi 26
1.8 Ebed-Jesu 32
2 An Implausible Consensus and a New Way Forward 34
2.1 The Formation of a Consensus 35
2.2 Challenges to the Consensus 45
2.3 The Fall of the Consensus? 48
2.4 A New Way Forward 48
3 Exonerating Gaius of Rome 52
3.1 The Gaian Paradox 53
3.2 The Historical and Literary Legacy of Gaius 55
3.3 Gaius of Rome vs. bar Salibi’s Caius Haereticus 57
3.4 The Dates of Gaius 60
3.5 Gaius and the Fourth Gospel 64
3.6 Gaius and the Apocalypse 74
Summary 81
vi contents
4 Dismantling the Syrian Evidence: Dionysius bar Salibi and
Ebed-Jesu 84
4.1 Scholarship on bar Salibi’s Sources 85
4.2 The Catalogue of Ebed-Jesu 93
4.3 Dionysius bar Salibi: A Closer Look at the Evidence 97
4.4 Discrepancies between bar Salibi and the Early Sources 110
4.5 The Manufactured Dialogue between Gaius and Hippolytus 114
4.6 Epiphanius and bar Salibi 116
Summary 119
Section 2
Epiphanius and the Alogi in Context
5 Epiphanius: History and Heresy 123
5.1 Epiphanius as Historian and Heresiologist 123
5.2 Dissociating Hippolytus from the Alogi 130
Summary 142
6 Epiphanius’ Alogi in Context 143
6.1 Outline of the Account of the Alogi 143
6.2 The Broader Context of the Alogi 147
6.3 Epiphanius’ Alogi: A Sweeping Defense of the Four-fold Gospel 149
Summary 159
Section 3
The Sources of Epiphanius’ Account of the Alogi
7 Epiphanius’ Use of Papias and Irenaeus 163
7.1 Papias on the Origins of the Four Gospels 163
7.2 Irenaeus and the Four-Fold Gospel 166
7.3 Irenaeus’ Testimony as the Foundation of the Alogi 167
7.4 Irenaeus and the Second Objection to the Gospel of John 173
Summary 176
8 Epiphanius’ Use of Origen 177
8.1 Origen on the Authority of the Gospels 177
8.2 Origen and Epiphanius: Differing Hermeneutical Paradigms 179
Contents vii
8.3 Origen and the Discrepancies Among the Gospels 184
8.4 Origen and the First Criticism of the Alogi 185
8.5 Origen and the Second Criticism of the Alogi 189
8.6 Origen or Gaius of Rome? 191
8.7 Other Examples of Anti-Origenism in Epiphanius’ Account of the
Alogi 195
Summary 198
9 Epiphanius’ Use of Eusebius 200
9.1 Eusebius, Papias, and Origen on the Four Gospels 200
9.2 HE 3.24.8b–13 as a Corrective of Origen 211
9.3 Epiphanius’ Appropriation of Eusebius’ Rebuttal 213
9.4 E usebius as the Source for the Criticism of Porphyry, Celsus, and
Philosabbatius 214
9.5 Other Connections between Eusebius and Epiphanius 217
Summary 219
10 Sources Behind the Alogi’s Objections to the Apocalypse 220
10.1 The Reception of the Apocalypse Prior to Epiphanius 221
10.2 Origen and the Apocalypse 225
10.3 Dionysius of Alexandria and the Apocalypse 227
Summary 229
Conclusion 230
Bibliography 233
Index of Modern Authors 250
Subject Index 251

Preface
My heartfelt thanks go first to Sara Parvis who generously offered her support
and guidance throughout my research as a doctoral student at the University
of Edinburgh. Paul Parvis and Paul Foster have also given much time, atten-
tion, and advice at various points throughout my research. Frances Young and
Helen Bond kindly provided incisive and critical feedback on the earliest ver-
sion of this work as a doctoral thesis. As this work emerged into its current
form, Mattie Kuiper, Tessa Schild, and Debbie de Wit at Brill have proven to
be as gracious as they are skilled in seeing it through the publication process.
I am very grateful to Charles E. Hill, whose scholarship, guidance, and
friendship have had a significant impact on this work. For their excellent schol-
arship on Epiphanius, for their kindness, and for their thoughtful feedback I
am indebted to Young Kim and Andrew Jacobs. I am also fortunate to have
worked with dear friends and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh and
Knox Theological Seminary, who have been a wonderful source of encourage-
ment and camaraderie.
The New College Library at the University of Edinburgh offered numerous
resources that facilitated the majority of this research. When it became neces-
sary to view ancient manuscripts or other special resources, the Bibliothèque
Nationale de France, the Bodleian Library, and the Vatican Library graciously
accommodated my requests.
I would like to give special thanks to my parents, Tim and Beth Manor, for
their love, encouragement, and generosity. The sincerity of their Christian
faith has challenged and influenced my own.
Most of all, my deepest appreciation belongs to my wife, Rebecca. Her con-
stant support and encouragement have been crucial in seeing this project
through to the end. Her joy and sense of humor ensured that I maintained a
balanced perspective. Her intellect, editorial eye, countless hours of discussing
and reading drafts, and genuine interest in this project have influenced every
single page of the book. It is to her and our two kiddos that I dedicate this work.