The fact that patristic exegesis took for granted principles of interpretation and composition drawn from classical rhetoric has already been hinted at in Part I. Here we examine the way in which the scriptures came to be treated as an alternative body of literature, to be subjected to the same scholarly examination as the Greek classics, and to replace those classics in providing authoritative examples, quotations and allusions for exploitation by Christian orators. Christian culture mirrored classical culture, but its discourse was formed by reference to another set of texts and stories – a novel intertextuality.