About this item
Highlights
- Genesis 12-50 recounts the history of the patriarchs--Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
- About the Author: Mark Sheridan is a Benedictine monk of Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem and professor emeritus in the Faculty of Theology of the Pontificio Ateneo S. Anselmo, Rome, where he served as dean of the Faculty of Theology (1998-2005) and Rector Magnificus (2005-2009) of the Athenaeum.
- 432 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Biblical Commentary
- Series Name: Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
Description
About the Book
Genesis 12-50 recounts the history of the patriarchs--Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph--and the early fathers used these passages to draw out the spiritual significance of the patriarchal narrative for Christian believers. In this ACCS volume, ancient commentators provide a wealth of ancient wisdom to stimulate the mind and nourish the soul of the church today.
Book Synopsis
Genesis 12-50 recounts the history of the patriarchs--Abraham, 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 Paul's 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.
Among the principal Greek-speaking commentators included within this Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume, readers will find Origen, Didymus the Blind, John Chrysostom, and Cyril of Alexandria. Among the Latin-speaking interpreters they will find Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, Caesarius of Arles, and Bede the Venerable. Ephrem the Syrian is the most commonly cited Syriac-speaking interpreter, while the fifth-century Catena on Genesis provides access to such fathers as Eusebius of Caesarea, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Didymus of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Salamis, Irenaeus of Lyons, Eusebius of Emesa, Severian of Gabala, and Theodore of Mopsuestia among others.
Varied in texture and nuance, the interpretations cited provide a wealth of ancient wisdom, some appearing here in English translation for the first time, to stimulate the mind and nourish the soul of the church today.
Review Quotes
"A 'must' for all theological libraries."
--International Review of Biblical Studies, Vol. 55, 2008-2009"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 2009About the Author
Mark Sheridan is a Benedictine monk of Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem and professor emeritus in the Faculty of Theology of the Pontificio Ateneo S. Anselmo, Rome, where he served as dean of the Faculty of Theology (1998-2005) and Rector Magnificus (2005-2009) of the Athenaeum. Among his publications are Rufus of Shotep: Homilies on the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and From the Nile to the Rhone and Beyond: Studies in Early Monastic Literature and Scriptural Interpretation. He is a specialist in Coptic language and literature.
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.