ADRIANUS

Exegete of the Antiochene School; flourished first half of the fifth century a.d. He was a Greek-speaking Syrian and author of a little work remarkable both in method and content, 'Eισαγωγή εἰς τάς θείας γραφάς (Introduction to Holy Scripture), the first extant work to bear this title. No details whatever are available about his life. He was monk and priest, if he is to be identified with the Adrianus (or Hadrianus) to whom St. Nilus (d. c. a.d. 430) addressed three letters. He was certainly mentioned by Cassiodorus in his list of exegetes as coming after St. Augustine, but before Eucherius and Junilius (Inst. 1.10.1). Photius (c. a.d. 820–91) also speaks of Adrianus in his Bibliotheca and characterizes his work as a "book useful to beginners" (Patrologia Graeca 103:45 C). The Eισαγωγή deals with figures of thought (chiefly anthropomorphisms), word figures, and figures of composition (τ[symbol omitted]ς συνθέσως) and their subdivisions. By way of illustration he quotes the Septuagint about 360 times, and the New Testament about 60 times. He was influenced clearly in his work by Theodore of Mopsuestia and Theodoret of Cyr, and possibly by St. John Chrysostom.

Bibliography: j. p. migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca 98:1273–1312. adrianus, 'Eισαγωγή εἰς τάς θείας γραφάς, ed. f. goessling (Berlin 1887), this is the modern critical edition that should be used. o. bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur 4:254–55. g. mercati, "Pro Adriano," Revue biblique NS 11 (1914) 246–55.

[m. r. p. mcguire]