La φιλοτεχνία nella composizione e nell'interpretazione. Uso del termine e nuovi sviluppi nell'esegesi biblica di Filone, Clemente e Origene

By analysing the occurrences of φιλοτεχνέω and words of the same family in relation to the elaboration of language and logical reasoning, it is possible to reconstruct a semantic evolution in the use of these terms. In philological-grammatical and rhetorical contexts, they refer to the art of composition and the use of tropology. In philosophy, on the other hand, φιλοτεχνέω can be understood as the intellectual application of reasoning and, with this nuance, φιλοτεχνία recurs in a note by Philo on his exegetical method. With Clement of Alexandria and Origen, the use of these terms with respect to hermeneutics and the ability to interpret tropological and figurative language is confirmed. This meaning remains in fourth-century Christian exegesis, where the hermeneutic procedure interrelates with the act of reading the Scriptures.