From its inception the church has always had a Biblethe Jewish Scriptures. But Christians have not read these Scriptures in the same way the Jews did. They have read them in the light of what God did in Jesus the Christ. Thus the Jewish Scriptures became for Christian readers the Old Testament.
The excerpts chosen in this volume range widely over geography and time from Justin Martyr and Clement of Rome in the late first and early second century to The Venerable Bede, Isaac of Nineveh, Photius, and John of Damascus in the eighth and ninth centuries. The Alexandrian tradition is well represented in Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Athanasius, Didymus, and Cyril of Alexandria, while the Antiochene tradition is represented in Ephrem the Syrian, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Severian of Gabala, and Theodoret of Cyr. Italy and North Africa in the West are represented by Ambrose, Cassiodorus, and Augustine, while Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Jerusalem in the East are represented by the Great CappadociansBasil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of NyssaEusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Jerome.
Joseph T. Lienhardis a professor of theology, serving on the faculty of the medieval studies program at Fordham University.
In this volume, substantial selections from the first two of these appear with occasional excerpts from Arator alongside many excerpts from the fragments preserved in J. A. Cramers Catena in Acta SS. Apostolorum. Among the latter we find selections from Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Ephrem the Syrian, Didymus the Blind, Athanasius, Jerome, John Cassian, Augustine, Ambrose, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Theodoret of Cyr, Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Cyril of Alexandria, Cassiodorus and Hilary of Poitiers, some of which are here translated into English for the first time.
No book of the Old Testament is more frequently quoted in the New Testament than Isaiah, and no portion of Isaiah is more frequently quoted in the New Testament than the typologically fertile soil of Isaiah 4066. Still, as interpreted by the church fathers, Isaiah presents a message that is far more soteriological than Christological, leading readers to a deeper understanding of Gods judgment and salvation. Isaiah 4066 provides us with the closest thing the Old Testament has to offer regarding a systematic theology. The excerpts included in this volume offer us a rich array of differing styles, principles and theological emphases from Theodoret of Cyr to Eusebius and Procopius, to Cyril of Alexandria, Jerome, and Augustine. Readers will be enriched by the wide-ranging selections, some of which are translated here into English for the first time.
Pauls letters to the Corinthian church have left a mark on Christian Scripture in a way that could never have been predicted. Here the pastoral issues of a first-century Christian community in what Chrysostom identified as still the first city in Greece stand out in bold relief. How was a community shaped by the cross to find its expression in a city that Chrysostom knew to be full of orators and philosophers and that prided itself . . . above all on its great wealth? How was church unity to be maintained in a setting where prominent believers, bending truth and morality to their own advantage, divided the body of Christ? Here lay the challenge for the apostle Paul. And as the apostle writes, the fathers lean over his shoulder, marveling and commenting on his pastoral wisdom.
For the early church fathers, the prophecy of Isaiah was not a compendium of Jewish history or theology but an announcement of the coming Messiah fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. As such, the prophets words were a rich source of theological reflection concerning their Lord and a vital aid in their defense against the objections of the Jews that Jesus was the promised Messiah. The interpretation of Jesus ministry in light of Isaiahs prophecy was not a theological innovation on their part, but rather a following of the path blazed by the New Testament writers and Jesus himself, explains this volume.
The rich tapestry of the creation narrative in the early chapters of Genesis proved irresistible to the thoughtful, reflective minds of the church fathers. Within them they found the beginning threads from which to weave a theology of creation, fall, and redemption. Following their mentor, the apostle Paul, they explored the profound significance of Adam as a type of Christ, the second Adam.Genesis 111opens up a treasure house of ancient wisdomallowing these faithful witnesses, some appearing here in English translation for the first time, to speak with eloquence and intellectual acumen to the church today.
Gives compelling exegesis, relevant for today
All who are interested in the interpretation of the Bible will welcome the forthcoming multivolume series, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Here the insights of scores of early church fathers will be assembled and made readily available for significant passages throughout the Bible and Apocrypha. It is hard to think of a more worthy ecumenical project to be undertaken by InterVarsity Press.
Series: Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
In addition to the serial homilies of John Chrysostom, readers of this volume of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture will find selections from those of Origen, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Cyril of Alexandria, and Augustine. These commentaries are supplemented with homiletic material from Gregory the Great, Peter Chrysologus, Caesarius, Amphilochius, Basil the Great, and Basil of Seleucia, among others. Liturgical selections derive from Ephraim the Syrian, Ambrose, and Romanos the Melodist, which are further supplemented with doctrinal material from Athanasius, the Cappodocians, Hilary, and Ambrose.
Genesis 1250recounts the history of the patriarchsAbraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. From their mentors Paul, Peter, Stephen, and the author of the letter to the Hebrews, the early fathers learned to draw out the spiritual significance of the patriarchal narrative for Christian believers. The Alexandrian school especially followed Pauls allegorical use of the story of Sarah and Hagar as they interpreted the Genesis accounts. The Antiochene school eschewed allegorical interpretation but still set about to find moral lessons in the ancient narrative. For all of them the events pointed toward the promises of the age to come, the new age revealed in the resurrection of Jesus.
Quentin F. Wesselschmidtis a professor of historical theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.
Bruce M. Metzger, professor emeritus of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary
Avery Dulles, Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, Fordham University
Because the Catholic Epistles focus on orthodox faith and morals, the Fathers drew on them as a means of defense against the rising challenge of heretics. This factor gave these letters a freshness and relevance to conditions in the fourth and fifth centuries that might otherwise seem surprising. Many of the Fathers unabashedly saw in them anticipatory attacks on Marcion and strong defenses against the Arians. They did so quite naturally because in their view truth was eternal and deviations from it had existed from the beginning. Above all, the Fathers found in the Catholic Epistles a manual for spiritual warfare, counsel for the faithful in the struggle between good and evil. In them was sound instruction in the ways of self-sacrifice
While patristic commentary on St. Pauls shorter lettersColossians, 12 Thessalonians, the Pastorals, and Philemonwas not so extensive as that on his longer letters, certain passages in these letters proved particularly important in doctrinal disputes and practical church matters. Pivotal in controversies with the Arians and the Gnostics, the most commented-upon Christological text amid these letters was Colossians 1:1520, where Jesus is declared the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. In other texts scattered throughout the Pastorals, the fathers found ample support for the divinity of the Son and the Spirit and for the full union of humanity and divinity in the one redeemer, the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). These early Christian commentators also looked to the Pastorals, where Pauline authorship was assumed, for important ethical and moral teaching, as well as explicit qualifications for choosing church leaders and guidelines for overseeing the work and behavior of widows.
The Church Fathers mined the Old Testament throughout for prophetic utterances regarding the Messiah, but few books yielded as much messianic ore as the Twelve Prophets, sometimes known as the Minor Prophets, not because of their relative importance but because of the relative brevity of their writings. Encouraged by the example of the New Testament writers themselves, the Church Fathers found numerous parallels between the Gospels and the prophetic books. Among the events foretold, they found not only the flight into Egypt after the nativity, the passion and resurrection of Christ, and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, but also Judass act of betrayal, the earthquake at Jesus death and the rending of the temple veil. Detail upon detail brimmed with significance for Christian doctrine, including baptism and the Eucharist as well as the relation between the covenants. In this rich and vital resource edited by Alberto Ferreiro, you will find engaging excerpts from these esteemed Church Fathers.
Michael Glerupserves as the research and acquisitions director for theAncient Christian Commentary on Scriptureand as the operations manager for theAncient Christian Textsseries. He continues his research in the history of exegesis as the director of the Early African Christianity Projects.
Arthur Just Jr.is dean of graduate studies and a professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He is also the author of a two-volume exegetical commentary on Luke.
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Complete Set Updated Edition (ACCS) (29 vols.)
The ancient homilies also provide ample comment, including John Chrysostoms ninety homilies and Chromatius of Aquileias 59 homilies on the Gospel of Matthew. In addition, there are various Sunday and feast-day homilies from towering figures such as Augustine and Gregory the Great, as well as other fathers.
The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (29 Vols.) (ACCS) is an ecumenical project, promoting a vital link of communication between the varied Christian traditions of today and their common ancient ancestors in the faith. On this shared ground we listen as leading pastoral theologians of eight centuries gather around the text of Scripture and offer their best theological, spiritual, and pastoral insights.
The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible (43 vols.)
This resource is the updated version of ACCS. Some content differs from the original edition. Pagination may slightly vary between the two editions.
Title: Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Complete Set Updated Edition (ACCS)
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Chronological snobberythe assumption that our ancestors working without benefit of computers have nothing to teach usis exposed as nonsense by this magnificent new series. Surfeited with knowledge but starved of wisdom, many of us are more than ready to sit at table with our ancestors and listen to their holy conversations on Scripture. I know I am.
The Gospel of Matthew stands out as a favorite biblical text among patristic commentators. The patristic commentary tradition on Matthew begins with Origens pioneering 25-volume commentary on the First Gospel in the mid-third century. In the Latin-speaking West, where commentaries did not appear until about a century later, the first commentary on Matthew was written by Hilary of Poitiers in the mid-fourth century. From that point, the First Gospel became one of the texts most frequently commented on in patristic exegesis. Outstanding examples are Jeromes four-volume commentary and the valuable but anonymous and incomplete Opus imperfectum in Matthaeum. Then there are the Greek catena fragments derived from commentaries by Theodore of Heraclea, Apollinaris of Laodicea, Theodore of Mopsuestia and Cyril of Alexandria.
In the Logos edition, each Scripture passage links to your favorite translation, and the series is easy to study side by side with your other commentaries. You can search by topic or Scripture with remarkably fast results!
Series: Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
Mark Sheridanis vice rector and dean of the faculty of theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome, Italy. With Jeremy Driscoll, he editedSpiritual Progress: Studies in the Spirituality of Late AntiquityandEarly Monasticism.
Included in this series is the full text of all 29 commentaries from the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS). Arranged canonically, each volume allows the living voices of the Church in its formative centuries to speak as they engage the sacred page of Scripture. Now even more accessible in digital format, this series will prove an uncommon companion for theological interpretation, spiritual reading, and wholesome teaching and preaching.
Especially noteworthy inPsalms 51150was the church fathers use of Psalms in the great doctrinal controversies. The Psalms were used to oppose subordinationism, modalism, Arianism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, Eutychianism and Monophysitism, among others. More than fifty church fathers are cited in this valuable volume.
These commentators are joined by great figures such as John Chrysostom of Constantinople, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Augustine of Hippo, Theodoret of Cyrus, and several lesser commentators, such as Diodore of Tarsus and Didymus the Blind of Alexandria. This commentary on Romans provides a rare opportunity to encounter the familiar Pauline exposition of the righteousness of God as it echoes in the great Christian minds and communities of the early Church.
Among the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon were all thought by the early church fathers to have derived from the hand of Solomon. To their minds, the finest wisdom about the deeper issues of life prior to the time of Gods taking human form in Jesus Christ was to be found in these books. As in all the Old Testament they were quick to find types and intimations of Christ and his church which would make the ancient Word relevant to the Christians of their day.Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomonelucidates the theology found within these Old Testament books.
The church fathers, as they did in earlier books dealing with Israels history from the time of Joshua to the united monarchy, found ample material for typological and moral interpretation in 12 Kings, 12 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. As will be immediately clear to readers of this volume, they gave much more attention to 12 Kings than to any of the other books addressed here; whether this was due to a certain repetitiveness in the story line or other reasons is unclear. But the narratives of wise King Solomon, the construction of the temple, the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and the fates of various faithful and unfaithful kings and other powerful people were well suited to their purposes.
A similar array of church fathers are found within the commentary on Daniel. Extensive comments derive from the works of Theodoret of Cyr, Hippolytus, Jerome and Ishodad of Merv and provide a wealth of insight. Valuable commentary attributed to Ephrem the Syrian and John Chrysostom is also found here, though the authorship of these commentaries is indeed questioned.
Pauls letters to the Galatians, Ephesians and Philippians have struck an indelible impression on Christian tradition and piety. The doctrines of Christ, of salvation and of the church all owe their profiles to these letters. And for patristic interpreters, who read Scripture as a single book and were charged with an insatiable curiosity regarding the mysteries of the Godhead, these letters offered profound visions seldom captured by modern eyes. Trinitarian truth was patterned in the apostles praise of God who is over all, through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6). This commentary offers an unparalleled close-up view of the fathers weighing the words and phrases of this panoramic charting of the Saviors journey from preexistence, to incarnation, to crucifixion, to triumphant exaltation as universal Lord.
Erik M. Heenis a professor of New Testament and Greek at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Anton Fridrichsen (18881953): An Introduction and an Author Bibliography and many articles published inSemeia,The Review of Biblical Literature,Teaching Theology and Religion,Currents,Dialog,The Philadelphia Inquirerand others.
Gerald L. Brayis a professor at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and director of research at Latimer Trust. He has written and edited a number of books on different theological subjects. A priest of the Church of England, Bray has also edited the post-Reformation Anglican canons.
John Phillips Commentary Series (27 vols.)
The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS) does what very few of todays students of the Bible can do for themselves. The vast array of writings from the Church Fathersincluding many that are available only in the ancient languageshave been combed for their comment on Scripture. From these results, scholars with a deep knowledge of the fathers and a heart for the Church have hand-selected material for each volume, shaping, annotating, and introducing it to todays readers. Each portion of commentary has been chosen for its salient insight, its rhetorical power, and its faithful representation of the consensual exegesis of the early Church.
The history of the entry into the Promised Land followed by that of the period of the judges and early monarchy may not appear to readers today as a source for expounding the Christian faith. But the church fathers readily found parallels, or types, in the narrative that illumined the New Testament. An obvious link was the similarity in name between Joshua, Moses successor, and Jesusindeed, in Greek both names are identical. Thus Joshua was consistently interpreted as a type of Christ. So too was Samuel. David was recognized as an ancestor of Jesus, and parallels between their two lives were readily explored. And Ruth, in ready fashion, was seen as a type of the church. Readers will find a rich treasure trove of ancient wisdom, some appearing here for the first time in English translation, that speaks with eloquence and challenging spiritual insight to the church today.
Peter Gordayis a priest of the Episcopal Church and serves parishes in Georgia and North Carolina. A practicing marriage and family therapist in Georgia, he is also the author ofPrinciples of Patristic Exegesis: Romans 911 in Origen,John Chrysostom and Augustine, as well as journal articles in the history of biblical interpretation.
This commentary on Mark, now in its second edition, offers thought-provoking theological and spiritual interpretation. In these pages, we enter the interpretive world that long nurtured the great pre-modern pastors, theologians, and saints of the church.
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Complete Set Updated Edition (ACCS) (29 vols.)
Provides 29 volumesover 11,000 pagesof remarkable commentary
This Ancient Christian Commentary on Romans collects the best and most representative of patristic commentary and homily on Romans, and it brings to the public some valuable material that has previously been unavailable in English translation. Outstanding among these commentators is Ambrosiaster, the name given to the unknown Latin commentator of the late fourth century, whose enduring worth is evident to all who read him. The extensive commentary by Origen, largely inaccessible to modern readers, is frequently and extensively presented here as well.
Marco Contiis a professor of medieval and humanistic Latin literature at the Ateneo Salesiano and lecturer in classical mythology and religions of the Roman Empire at the Richmond University in Rome.
The Gospel of John was beloved by the early church, much as it is today, for its spiritual insight and clear declaration of Jesus divinity. This Gospel more than any other was central to the Trinitarian and Christological debates of the fourth and fifth centuries, and John 110 offers distinguished commentary that sheds lights on those early debates.
This rich abundance of patristic comment, presented by editor Manlio Simonetti, provides a bountiful and varied feast of ancient interpretation of the first Gospela continuation ofMatthew 113.
The Psalms have long served a vital role in the individual and corporate lives of Christians, expressing the full range of human emotions, including some that we are ashamed to admit. The Psalms reverberate with joy, groan in pain, whimper with sadness, grumble in disappointment, and rage with anger. The church fathers employed the Psalms widely. In liturgy they used them both as hymns and as Scripture readings. Within them they found pointers to Jesus both as Son of God and as Messiah. They also employed the Psalms widely as support for other New Testament teachings, as counsel on morals and as forms for prayer. But the church fathers found more than pastoral insight in the Psalms. They found apologetic and doctrinal insight as well, as is attested by the more than 65 authors and more than 160 works excerpted in this commentary.
Offers biblical scholarship from the early Church Fathers
Composed in the style of the great medieval catenae, this new anthology of patristic commentary on Holy Scripture, conveniently arranged by chapter and verse, will be a valuable resource for prayer, study and proclamation. By calling attention to the rich Christian heritage preceding the separations between East and West and between Protestant and Catholic, this series will perform a major service to the cause of ecumenism.
Kenneth Stevensonis retired from his position as bishop of Portsmouth in England. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is the author of numerous publications, includingWorship: Wonderful and Sacred Mystery,The Mystery of Baptism in the Anglican Tradition,The Lords Prayer: A Text in TraditionandRooted in Detachment: Living the Transfiguration. With Geoffrey Rowell and Rowan William, he editedLoves Redeeming Work: The Anglican Quest for Holiness.
Steven A. McKinionis an associate professor of historical theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He is also the author ofLife and Practice in the Early Church: A Documentary Reader and Words,Imagery and the Mystery of Christ: A Reconstruction of Cyril of Alexandrias Christology.
Francis Martinis a priest in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. He is a research fellow in Catholic biblical studies at the Intercultural Forum for Studies in Faith and Culture at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. He is also the spiritual advisor to the Mother of God Community in the Archdiocese of Washington.
J. Robert Wrightis St. Marks Professor of Ecclesiastical History at General Theological Seminary in New York, New York. A life fellow of the Royal Historical Society (London), he serves as the historiographer of the Episcopal Church. He has written or edited several books focused on history and spirituality that seek to recover the ancient heritage that all Christians have in common, including Readings for the Daily Office from the Early Church. His articles have been published widely in journals such asStudies in Church History,The Lamp, Anglican Theological Review,The Messenger,Conversations,Journal of Ecumenical Studies,The Living Church,The Anglican and Ecumenical Trends.
Mark J. Edwardsis tutor in theology at Christ Church and university lecturer in patristics at the University of Oxford. Among his publications areNeoplatonic Saints,Origen Against Plato,John Through the Centuries,Constantine and Christendom, andCulture and Philosophy in the Age of Plotinus.
This commentary on Exodus through Deuteronomy bears ample witness to this new way of reading these ancient texts. Among the earliest interpreters whose works remain extant is Origen, who virtually single-handedly assured the Old Testament a permanent place within the Christian church through his extensive commentary and reflection. His 27th homily on Numbers is particularly noteworthy for his interpretation of the 42 stopping places in the desert wanderings as the 42 stages of growth in the spiritual life.
John R. Frankeis an associate professor of theology at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. With Stanley J. Grenz, he is co-author ofBeyond Foundationalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern Context.
Andrew Louthis a professor of patristic and Byzantine studies in the department of theology at the University of Durham in England.
For the Church Fathers, the Gospels did not serve as resources for individual analysis and academic study. They were read and heard and interpreted within the worshiping community. They served as sources for pastoral counsel and admonition for those who were committed to the Way. Although Matthew and John were generally the preferred Gospels at the time, Luke, because of his particular interests and unique contributions, took pride of place during the Christmas season as well as during Easter and other major feasts. Aside from sermons, we find that the Fathers addressed exegetical issues on the gospel of Luke in theological treatises, pastoral letters and catechetical lectures.
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, prophesied for four decades under the last five kings of Judahfrom 627 to 587 B.C. His mission: a call to repentance. Among the Apostolic Fathers, Jeremiah was rarely cited, but several later authors give prominent attention to him, including Origen, Theodoret of Cyr, and Jerome who wrote individual commentaries on Jeremiah and Cyril of Alexandria and Ephrem the Syrian who compiled catenae.
Eugene Peterson, James Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology, Regent College
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Alberto Ferreirois a professor of history at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington.
Lamentations, as might be expected, quickly became associated with losses and death, notably in Gregory of Nyssas Funeral Orations on Meletius. By extension the Fathers saw Lamentations as a description of the challenges that face Christians in a fallen world.
Craig A. Blaisingis the executive vice president and provost of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as a professor of theology. He is the coauthor ofProgressive Dispensationalismand a contributor toThree Views on the Millennium and Beyond,The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, andThe Christian Educators Handbook on Spiritual Formation. He is also the co-editor ofDispensationalism, Israel, and the Church: The Search for Definition.
Editor Francis Martin collects patristic comment on the text of Acts in this volume of the ACCS. While at least 40 early church authors commented on Acts, the works of only three survive in their entiretyJohn Chrysostoms Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, Bede the Venerables Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, and a long Latin epic poem by Arator.
Over 40 church fathers are cited in the commentary on Ezekiel, some of whom are here translated into English for the first time, but pride of place goes to four significant extant works: the homilies of Origen and Gregory the Great, and the commentaries of Jerome and Theodoret of Cyr, thus bridging East and West, North and South.
The book of Job presents its readers with a profound drama concerning innocent suffering. Such honest, forthright wrestling with evil and the silence of God has intrigued a wide range of readers, both religious and nonreligious. The excerpts in this volume focus on systematic treatment of the text of Job. Among Greek texts are those from Origen, Didymus the Blind, Julian the Arian, John Chrysostom, Hesychius of Jerusalem and Olympiodorus. Among Latin sources we find Julian of Eclanum, Philip the Priest and Gregory the Great. Among Syriac sources we find Ephrem the Syrian and Ishodad of Merv, some of whose work is made available here for the first time in English. In store for readers of Job is once again a great feast of wisdom from the ancient resources of the church.
Manlio Simonetti, a widely acknowledged expert in patristic biblical interpretation, teaches at the University of Rome and at the Augustinian Patristic Institute in Rome. He is the author of several books and Bible commentaries, includingBiblical Interpretation in the Early Church: An Historical Introduction to Patristic Exegesis.
Preaching the Word Commentary Series (40 vols.)
Joel C. Elowskyis an associate professor of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin.
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Christopher A. Hallis chancellor of Eastern University and dean of the Templeton Honors College. He is also an associate editor of theAncient Christian Commentary on Scripture.