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The whole question of exegetical authority is a complex one, as Jim Ginther has said. I'd like to offer a couple of points, as well as some bibliography that I've found useful. To see the many sided nature of exegetical authority in the earlier (ie, pre-scholastic) period, I think it is useful to look at Beregar of Tours and Rupert of Deutz. Beregar based his teaching on the Eucharist at least partially on exegetical grounds and he claimed Augustine's exegesis as an authority. The refutation of his teaching was consequently two-pronged, refuting his particular exegesis and also refuting his claim that Augustine's teaching supported him. Rupert also got in trouble on the same matter, that is, on his interpretation of the Eucharist, but partly escaped the consequency by being able to show that in at least one matter on which he had differed from Augustine's authority he had the authority of another father, Hilary of Poitiers, to support him. In fact, Rupert's whole attitude on authority and exegesis is very interesting, especially as shown in the apologetical preface to his John Commentary and in the first book of his commentary on the Benedictine Rule (the former is printed in the Haacke edition of the commentary in the CCL CM, the latter in the PL only; I've made translations available on my Web page but I don't the originals are anywhere on the Web). He is one of the few people I know of in this period to claim a kind of charismatic authority for his exegesis. Complicating the whole question is the fact that at least some 'authoritative' figures in the patristic/late antique period saw the gift of prophesy described by St Paul as manifesting itself in the explication of Scripture. I have only just begun to explore how charismata and authority and exegesis might all intersect in the work of some 12th century figures, so forgive me if this is all old-hat to everyone else. I have found two articles useful (though I think that the treatment of Rupert in the Lerner article needs some correction). They are M.A. Mayeski, '"Let Women not Despair": Rabanus Maurus on Women as Prophets' (Theological Studies 58 (1997)) pp 237-53 and Robert E. Lerner, 'Ecstatic Dissent', Speculum (1992) 67, pp 33-57. A. Abigail Ann Young (Dr), Associate Editor/ Records of Early English Drama/ Victoria College/ 150 Charles Street W/ Toronto Ontario Canada Phone (416) 585-4504/ FAX (416) 585-4594/ [log in to unmask] List-owner of REED-L <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/reed-l.html> http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/reed.html => REED's home page http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/stage.html => our theatre resource page http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~young => my home page %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%