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Genesis 1-11
First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2001
15 people want to read
About the author
Thomas C. Oden
159 books78 followersThomas C. Oden was Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology and Ethics at Drew University in New Jersey from 1980 until his retirement in 2004. He remained faculty emeritus until his death. He was the general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the Ancient Christian Doctrine series as well as the author of Classic Christianity, a revision of his three-volume systematic theology.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 25, 2025
Me encantó, especialmente los comentarios de san Efrén y san Agustín.
No me gusta que añadan heréticos aun en comentarios no heréticos, tampoco que se cite la versión hebrea cuando no se entienden una gran cantidad de comentarios sin la septuaginta.
No me gusta que añadan heréticos aun en comentarios no heréticos, tampoco que se cite la versión hebrea cuando no se entienden una gran cantidad de comentarios sin la septuaginta.
December 7, 2015
Kudos to the editors who compile these from dozens of ancient sources. The breadth of sources is amazing and the authors provide an introduction explaining the brief biography and context of the writer, if known. I have appreciated their work in both commentaries on The Gospel of Mark and now Genesis (a 2-volume work). Each passage is reprinted with a one-sentence summary of the major thought each of the ancient fathers had on the passage, and then the selected reprinting of their comments. We've been using The Gospel Project curriculum to walk through Genesis, and it incorporates quotes from this into its weekly lessons; it quotes pretty selectively. Many thoughts are too embarrassing to reprint in curriculum today, and the works have limited use outside their context.
It is interesting to read the thoughts from the writings and early sermons of early Christians, but early Christian thought was mostly/heavily allegorical through the 6th century. Augustine, Ambrose and Chrysostom are quoted probably the most heavily, Augustine more toward the beginning. Augustine's City of God is most known for his Genesis as allegory through a Christian lens, he finds more connections between Noah's Ark and Jesus than other commentators have dared. It's sometimes hard to dilineate between biblical theology and exegetical fallacy.
Ambrose, while a hero of biblical Christian orthodoxy, is also of the Alexandrian allegorical school. Ambrose claims that Benjamin is a type of the Apostle Paul, with the other brothers the other disciples. The 75 who go to Egypt represent the "number of forgiveness."
"Chrysostom preached 67 homilies on Genesis in the year 389, while he was a priest at Antioch, explaining the book verse by verse," as such he appears in about every section. Rather than an allegorical bent, Chrysostom is encouraging his congregation to imitate the morals of the characters in Genesis. Joseph, for example, sets an example to young believers to heed Paul's advice to Timothy not to let anyone look down on their youth. I learned from this work that Chrysostom baptised people naked, as a figure of returning to the innocence of Eden. (You don't hear that mentioned much these days.)
The book is interesting to see what early theology looked like. Augustine did not read much Greek, much less Hebrew, and most of the authors were unfamiliar with ancient Canaanite custom, writing from Gentile contexts. As such, the book is somewhat helpful in exegesis but not much. They have some apt observations on some passages, particularly dealing with suffering as many churches were, and illustrating where Christians living in the first few centuries can take inspiration from the faith of God's chosen people in Genesis.
3 stars.
It is interesting to read the thoughts from the writings and early sermons of early Christians, but early Christian thought was mostly/heavily allegorical through the 6th century. Augustine, Ambrose and Chrysostom are quoted probably the most heavily, Augustine more toward the beginning. Augustine's City of God is most known for his Genesis as allegory through a Christian lens, he finds more connections between Noah's Ark and Jesus than other commentators have dared. It's sometimes hard to dilineate between biblical theology and exegetical fallacy.
Ambrose, while a hero of biblical Christian orthodoxy, is also of the Alexandrian allegorical school. Ambrose claims that Benjamin is a type of the Apostle Paul, with the other brothers the other disciples. The 75 who go to Egypt represent the "number of forgiveness."
"Chrysostom preached 67 homilies on Genesis in the year 389, while he was a priest at Antioch, explaining the book verse by verse," as such he appears in about every section. Rather than an allegorical bent, Chrysostom is encouraging his congregation to imitate the morals of the characters in Genesis. Joseph, for example, sets an example to young believers to heed Paul's advice to Timothy not to let anyone look down on their youth. I learned from this work that Chrysostom baptised people naked, as a figure of returning to the innocence of Eden. (You don't hear that mentioned much these days.)
The book is interesting to see what early theology looked like. Augustine did not read much Greek, much less Hebrew, and most of the authors were unfamiliar with ancient Canaanite custom, writing from Gentile contexts. As such, the book is somewhat helpful in exegesis but not much. They have some apt observations on some passages, particularly dealing with suffering as many churches were, and illustrating where Christians living in the first few centuries can take inspiration from the faith of God's chosen people in Genesis.
3 stars.
July 28, 2010
This series is really outstanding; I'm using this particular volume as a supplement to my Quiet Time as I study Genesis. It's interesting to read the comments on the church fathers after having read "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains". One thing the church fathers were not is shallow; I may not always agree with their conclusions, but it is not because their comments are not well thought-out.
October 17, 2011
Editors were most interested in interpretations that later orthodox catholics would be interested in. That's not me and I wasn't
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews