Interpreting the Oracles of the Lord. Commentary on Jesus’ Words in the Long Second Century

In the second century, across a diverse range of Christian literature, the words of Jesus were held in the highest authority, often alongside “the Scriptures” (the Old Testament), as they would continue to be beyond that time. So authoritative were the Lord’s oracles (logia) that during this time they even became the object of exēgēsis, similar to what is found in the earliest Gospel commentaries. This article examines the works of Papias of Hierapolis, Irenaeus of Lyon, and Clement of Alexandria, as well as the “Gnostics” (Valentinians) Ptolemy and Theodotus, to demonstrate the ubiquity of the authority of the Lord’s oracles in the long second century and the practice of commenting on his words in particular.