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 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
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Genesis 12-50
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 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
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 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
Originally from Washington, DC, 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 Genesis 12-50 in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series, 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.
Table of Contents
General Introduction A Guide to Using This Commentary Abbreviations Introduction to Genesis 12--50 Commentary on Genesis 12--50 Appendix: Early Christian Wrtiers and the Documents Cited Biographical Sketches Timeline of Writers of the Patristic Period Bibliography of Works in Original Languages Bibliography of Works in English Translations Author/Writings Index Subject Index Scripture Index
