Patristic tradition and intellectual paradigms in the 17th century

About this book

"The reception of ancient Christian literature in the 17th century was not limited to theology or dogmatics; the multitude of genres is indicative of the way patristic texts were dealt with. Using selected paradigms (comparative literature, encyclopedias, biblical hermeneutics, interdenominational conflict, philology, philosophical argumentation), the articles in this volume do not stop at a quantitative evaluation of patristic quotations in the 17th century bur also focus on the ways in which an altered understanding of patristic texts was linked to the changed conditions under which they were read. Alongside the progress made in scholarship in the 17th century, there was a crisis in education and breaks with tradition. One of the results of this was that Augustine in particular lost his previously unchallenged position."--Front inside flap of dust jacket.