Canonizing Paul: Ancient Editorial Practice and the Corpus Paulinum [Hardcover]

Canonizing Paulexplores the role of ancient editorial practices on the production and exegetical reception of Paul's letters as instantiated in the Marcionite, Euthalian, and Vulgate editions. By considering not only textual alteration but also arrangement and ancillary materials, this study reveals the interrelationship of text and paratext.Winner of the North American Patristics Society Best First Book AwardInCanonizing PaulEric W. Scherbenske explores how ancient editorial practices utilized in the publication of corpora were employed not only to shape editions of Paul's letters, but also to shape their interpretation. Scherbenske reveals the interrelationship of text and paratext in the Marcionite, Euthalian, and Vulgate editions of Paul's letters, and fills an often overlooked gap in the field of New Testament textual criticism.The investigation into the Marcionite edition shows how its paratexts introduced Marcion's hermeneutic and, in some measure, justified his editorial principles. The Euthalian edition preferred instead a catechetical and pedagogical goal extending from the deployment of paratexts to the organization of the tracts and a textual arrangement for ease of comprehension. The exploration of text and sometimes disparate paratexts culminates in an investigation of Codex Fuldensis, which transmits the Vulgate textual revision of Paul's letters and itsPrimum Quaeriturprologue alongside numerous other paratexts. By demonstrating how these practices and interpretive concerns left their mark on these editions of theCorpus Paulinum, Scherbenske explores the ways in which editions of theCorpus Paulinumwere shaped by, and in turn shaped, these traditions and interpretations.AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionChapter 1: The Making of an Edition in AntiquityChapter 2: Marcionite Paratexts, Pretexts, and Edition of the Corpus PaulinumChapter 3: Codex Coislinianus and the Euthalian Edition of l“$