Abstract: In this article, I consider reception history in light of material culture by performing delimitation criticism on the layout of Gen 1:1–2:3 in Codex Alexandrinus (Royal MS 1.D.V-VIII). I argue that examining how this biblical text is subdivided on the page provides another datum point for its reception history in early Christianity. Unlike the typical modern subdivision of the first creation story, in which each paragraph roughly corresponds to one day of creation, Alexandrinus’s layout exposes the careful parallelistic structure of the narrative by presenting the text as a series of parallel paragraphs. Placing this observation in the context of early Christian exegesis, I suggest that this scribal activity indicates that Gen 1:1–2:3 was being interpreted along the lines of biblical poetry rather than strict historical narrative—an approach that is visible in a variety of early Christian exegetical traditions. The article presents a case study of how exegesis and material culture can be mutually illuminating. The scribe responsible for this text, like the exegetes, unearthed the deeply poetic quality of the first creation account. Ultimately, Alexandrinus reveals a dimension of reception history that is constituted not by words but by literary sculpting.
Carlos A. Garcia Alayon (Thu,) studied this question.