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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... Christ. Hence Scripture was never to have, for Christians, the absolute authority the Torah had for Jews. Christ was to be the Christians' final authority.2 IntroductiontoExodus Through Deuteronomy The earliest Christians, who were ...
... Christ. Later Christians, converts from paganism, first accepted faith in Christ and then confronted the mysterious and often baffling Scriptures. This encounter eventually led to a crisis, and a crisis precisely of interpretation. The ...
... Christ; or, inversely, that Christ is the key to understanding the Old Testament.42 The real author of the Scriptures is the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is one. Hence the Holy Scriptures, taken together, must teach one truth. And ...
... Christ; wood or a staff reminded them of the cross; a thorn bush reminded them of the crown of thorns and of the thorns and thistles of Genesis 3. Moreover, the Fathers regularly find presages of the great doctrines of Christian faith ...
... Christ's redeeming death (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 ...
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 |