Didymus the Blind and his Circle in Late-Antique Alexandria: Virtue and Narrative in Biblical Scholarship (review)

Although well-known to patristic scholars, Didymus the Blind is not a name likely to ring bells of recognition in the minds of those less ensconced in the world of the early Church. Yet, even within the relatively small universe of patristic studies, few have taken the time to probe the mysteries of Didymus' corpus. This neglect stems not from a lack of interest in this ancient exegete but from the general failure of the tradition to transmit copies of his work to posterity. Casualties of anti-Origenist sentiment in sixth-century Byzantium, a lone set of papyri were secretly buried in a cave deep beneath an Egyptian monastery near modern Cairo. There the manuscripts remained until accidentally unearthed by the British in 1941. From the discovery of these so-called Tura papyri to their nearly complete publication in 1985, most academic attention to Didymus was given to the preparation of editions and not so much to the close analysis of his corpus that could enhance modern understanding of Christianity in fourth-century Alexandria. This is the gap that Layton seeks to fill with this book.

In this tightly argued and interesting book, Layton claims that "Didymus earned the admiration of his contemporaries . . . because the activity of his school engaged the hopes and anxieties of Alexandrian Christians during a pivotal era of the city's history" (p. 6). In Layton's view, unlike Origen before him or Gregory of Nyssa slightly later, Didymus' impact must be understood locally, against the backdrop of the city of Alexandria. Didymus' interests were largely parochial, but, Layton argues, this is precisely what is most interesting about Didymus' surviving works. Acting almost like a palimpsest, Didymus exegetical works cover a world of discourse between master and disciple that was deeply engaged with the critical moral issues of the day.

Standing in the school tradition of Clement and Origen, we encounter Layton's Didymus at the center of an exegetical circle, or "school." The primary activity of this circle was to read the Bible. This reading, however, was not just a project designed to produce deeper understanding. It was, more significantly, a project by which the reader was able to find in the texts a "mimetic" map of the Christian life itself. Because the primarily intellectual inspiration for this project was Origen and because the work of the circle focused on exploring the wider implications of Origen's central vision, Layton says that Didymus and his students were engaged in a kind of ancient "scholasticism." This does not mean that Didymus and his followers were mere clones of Origen, but it does suggest a continuity with the great master that must be recognized and acknowledged.

The bulk of Layton's book is devoted to teasing out these broad themes as they emerge in the interpretation of various books of the Bible. For example, in Chapter two, Layton describes how Didymus, building upon the popular usage of the psalms in church life, interpreted this ancient poetry as a narrative of religious ascent toward spirit and immutability. Similarly, in chapter three, "Job the Gnostic," Layton explains how Didymus transformed Job into an imitable hero. Unlike modern readers who are troubled with questions of theodicy in the face of Job's suffering, those in Didymus' circle wrestled to appropriate Job's forbearance: "As a saint who has attained the pinnacle of gnosis, Job teaches the friends to embrace God's providence, not as a resignation to God's sovereignty, but as an affirmation of the mysterious divine wisdom" (p. 84).

Layton's book goes on to consider other interesting topics. In the fourth chapter he considers Didymus' attitude toward human embodiment. In the fifth, he examines Didymus' transformation of the stoic idea of "propatheia" and the blind exegete's tentative efforts to narrate the complexities of human psychology. Finally, in the...