Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Volume 3Joseph T. Lienhard, Thomas C. Oden InterVarsity Press, 2014 M02 19 - 382 pages From its inception the church has always had a Bible—the 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. This Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume 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 twenty-seventh homily on Numbers is particularly noteworthy for his interpretation of the forty-two stopping places in the desert wanderings as the forty-two stages of growth in the spiritual life. Among Greek-speaking interpreters, this current volume draws widely on John Chrysostom, Clement of Alexandria, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret of Cyr, and John of Damascus. Among Latin-speaking interpreters, quotations from Augustine, Ambrose, Jerome, Paterius, Caesarius of Arles, Cassiodorus, and Isidore are found in abundance. Ephrem and Aphrahat are represented among Syriac speakers. Numerous other interpreters are present from each grouping. Varied in texture and nuance, the interpretations included in this volume display a treasure house of ancient wisdom, some appearing here in English translation for the first time, speaking with eloquence and intellectual acumen to the church today. |
From inside the book
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... Caesarius of Arles. Pastoral care. Another intensely practical goal of the ACCS is to renew our readers' awareness of the ancient tradition of pastoral care and ministry to persons. Among the leading Fathers who excel in pastoral wisdom ...
... (Caesarius of Arles). 1:5 Jacob's Offspring Were Seventy Persons Soul Means Person. Cassiodorus: Scripture often substitutes “souls” for men, as in Exodus: “There went down to Egypt seventy-five souls.”1 The whole man is to be understood ...
... (Caesarius of Arles). When Moses says,“I will turn aside,” he means that he will rise to a higher life (Origen). To turn aside is to reject the passing pleasures of this world (Ambrose) or to leave vice behind (Jerome). Moses left behind ...
... (Caesarius of Arles). The burning bush is an image of Mary, the God-bearer (Theotokos), since she bore Christ without losing her virginity (John of Damascus). Scripture gives God many names (Aphrahat). The three patriarchs represent the ...
... Caesarius of Arles: It was not without reason, beloved brethren, nor without the signification of some mystery that there was a flame in the bush: “And the bush was not consumed.” Indeed, the bush was a genus of thorns. What the earth ...
Contents
xi | |
xxxiv | |
xxxvi | |
xxxviii | |
1 | |
Leviticus | 163 |
Numbers | 205 |
Deuteronomy | 275 |
Timeline of Writers of the Patristic Period | 372 |
Bibliography | 379 |
AuthorsWritings Index | 391 |
Subject Index | 392 |
Scripture Index | 397 |
About the Editor | 401 |
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture | 402 |
More Titles from InterVarsity Press | 403 |
Early Christian Writers and the Documents Cited | 342 |
Biographical Sketches Short Descriptions of Select Anonymous Works | 348 |