ABSTRACT
A quite substantial part of Christian literature in the period covered in this volume is devoted to exposition of the Bible. In other words, the amount of material to be covered in the limited space of this chapter is enormous. It would be illusory even to think of attempting here anything like a complete, comprehensive survey of all biblical interpretation produced in our period. 1 Instead, a selective approach has been chosen. The material selected for treatment is thought to have representative value, so that through it some central currents in the development of biblical interpretation will become visible. An attempt is made to place early Christian interpretation of the Bible in its proper cultural context, which in the beginning was predominantly Hellenistic-Jewish, and gradually became more Hellenistic-pagan.
