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. |
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... Cassiodorus or both. These commentaries were repeatedly recycled and redacted, so what we have today may be regarded as consonant with much standard later patristic thought and exegesis, excluding, of course, that which is ecumenically ...
... (Cassiodorus). The people of Israel increased greatly only after Joseph's death, just as Christians increased greatly in number only af- ter Christ's redeeming death (Caesarius of Arles). 1:5 Jacob's Offspring Were Seventy Persons Soul ...
... (Cassiodorus). He who is, is without beginning or end (Chrysostom). The appearance in the burning bush was a theophany of the Son. God is Lord because he rules over all, beholds all things and is feared by all (Ambrose). When God calls ...
... Cassiodorus: So in Genesis [sic] he bade Moses say of himself, “Go and say to the children of Israel, I am who I am. He who is has sent me to you.” So he wanted his eternity to be denoted by the present tense. This use of present time ...
... (Cassiodorus). 4:2-3 A Rod Became a Serpent The Signs of the Rod and the Snake. Augustine: Let me try to explain, as far as the Lord enables me to, what these signs mean. The rod stands for the kingdom, the snake for mortality; it was by ...
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 |