Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ

Autor u ovom radu istražuje jeronimovsku sintagmu: ‘Nepoznavanje Pisma nepoznavanje je Krista’, ali je stavlja u širi patristički kontekst. Shodno tome rad je podijeljen u dvije cjeline. Prva cjelina dotiče više povijesnih situacija iz ranoga kršćanstva u kojima je Crkva morala stati u obranu Svetoga pisma protiv iskrivljenih tumačenja. Već od apostolskih vremena došla je u sukob sa židovstvom, a tijekom II. stoljeća morala se oduprijeti Marcionu, Montanu, gnosticima te joj je velik izazov bio susret s poganskom filozofskom i znanstvenom misli. To su sve bile bremenite okolnosti u kojima je Crkva zauzela stav i iznjedrila principe čitanja i tumačenja Božje riječi. U drugom dijelu članka autor propituje teološke postulate ili načela koja su u pozadini Jeronimove egzegeze. Prvi od tih principa je: Nepoznavanje Pisma nepoznavanje je Krista, a drugi se izvodi iz prvoga kao: Nepoznavanje Krista nepoznavanje je Pisma. Treća pretpostavka Jeronimove egzegeze je da je Pismo jedno i jedinstveno, a četvrta da ga treba čitati na „duhovan“ način u zajednici vjernika – Crkvi.In this paper, the author explores the Jerome phrase: „Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ“, and places this in a broader patristic context. Accordingly, the work is divided into two sections. The first touches on several historical situations from early Christianity in which the Church had to stand in defense of Scripture against distorted interpretations. It had been in conflict with Judaism since apostolic times, and during the 2nd century had to resist Marcion, Montan, and the Gnostics. The great challenge was to confront pagan philosophical and scientific thought. These were the demanding circumstances in which the Church took a stand and gave birth to the principles of reading and interpreting the Word of God. In the second section, the author examines the theological premises or principles that underlie Jerome’s exegesis. The first of these principles is: Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ, and the second is derived from the first: Ignorance of Christ is ignorance of the Scriptures. The third premise of Jerome’s exegesis is that Scripture is one and unique, and the fourth is that it should be read in a „spiritual“ way in the community of believers – the Church