Colossians, 1-2, Thessalonians, 1-2, Timothy, Titus, Philemon - (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture) by Peter J Gorday & Thomas C Oden

About the Book

For the early church fathers, certain passages in the shorter letters of St. Paul proved particularly important in doctrinal disputes and practical church matters. Including comment from John Chrysostom as well as other Greek, Western, Syrian, and Egyptian figures, this ACCS volume opens up a treasure house of ancient wisdom for the church today.

Book Synopsis

Christianity Today Book of the Year

For the early church fathers, certain passages in the shorter letters of St. Paul proved particularly important in doctrinal disputes and practical church matters. Pivotal in controversies with the Arians and the Gnostics, the most commented-on christological text in these letters was Colossians 1:15-20, where Jesus is declared "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."

The fathers found ample support scattered throughout the Pastorals for the divinity of the Son and the Spirit and for the full union of humanity and divinity in the "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). These commentators also looked to the Pastorals for important teaching on ethics and church life.

Chief among the Eastern commentators and widely excerpted throughout this volume is John Chrysostom, praised for his pastoral insight. Other Greek commentators cited include Theodoret of Cyr, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Severian of Gabala, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Athanasius, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa. Western commentators include Augustine, Ambrosiaster, Pelagius, Jerome, Hippolytus, Tertullian, Novatian, Cyprian of Carthage, Hilary of Poitiers, and Ambrose. Of particular interest for their ascetical and devotional insight are works from Syrian and Egyptian churches, including Aphrahat, Ephrem the Syrian, Isaac of Nineveh, and Philoxenus of Mabbug.

This Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume opens up a treasure house of ancient wisdom that allows these faithful witnesses, some appearing here in English translation for the first time, to speak with eloquence and intellectual acumen to the church today.

Review Quotes

"A wealth of information for the classic Bible scholar."

--Ravonne A. Green, American Reference Books Annual, 2006, Volume 37

"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."

--Avery Dulles, S. J., Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, Fordham University

"Contemporary Christians would do well to draw the hermeneutical circle broadly enough to include not only cross-cultural voices from around the world but also the voices to be found in the Ancient Christian Commentary series. This is an excellent sermon-preparation resource for pastors."

--Christian Century, May 2, 2006

"This volume continues the valuable exploration of patristic interpretation."

--Mark Bilby, Religious Studies Review, September 2009

"A 'must' for all theological libraries."

--International Review of Biblical Studies, Vol. 55, 2008-2009

About the Author

Peter J. Gorday (PhD, Vanderbilt) is a priest of the Episcopal Church and serves parishes in Georgia and North Carolina. A clinical staff member with the Georgia Association for Pastoral Counseling, he is also the author of Principles of Patristic Exegesis: Romans 9-11 in Origen, John Chrysostom and Augustine, as well as journal articles in the history of biblical interpretation.

Thomas C. Oden (1931-2016) was a pioneering theologian and served as the architect and general editor for the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. He was also the general editor of the Ancient Christian Doctrine series and the Ancient Christian Devotional series, as well as a consulting editor for the Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity. A prolific writer and seasoned teacher, Oden also served as the director of the Center for Early African Christianity at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and was active in the Confessing Movement in America, particularly within the United Methodist Church.