Dilibatio et massa. L’esegesi priscillianista di Rm 11, 16

Abstract

The corpus of Würzburg, attributed to Priscillian, includes a tractate, the "Liber de fide de apocryfis" that legitimates the reading of
apocryphal writings. Becoming part of a long tradition, the author
uses the anonymous citations that he found in canonical texts (e.g.
Jud 14-15, Mt 2, 15) to justify the use of non-canonical texts. But he introduces some significant innovations such as the use of RM 11,16: out of its original context on the salvation of the people of Israel,
the biblical quotation is used to represent the distinction of two
groups of writings equally inspired: the dilibatio, i.e. the canonical
texts, and the massa, i.e. all divine scriptures.