Isaiah: Interpreted by Early Christian and Medieval Commentators (The Church's Bible | CB)
Overview
In his extremely thorough work on Isaiah, Robert Wilken brings to bear his considerable knowledge of early Christianity. Drawing on writings of the church fathers—Eusebius of Caesarea, Ambrose, Jerome, Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret of Cyrus, Bernard of Clairvaux, and nearly 60 others—all of them masterfully translated, this work allows the complex words of Isaiah to come alive.
Wilken’s selection of ancient commentators clearly illuminates how Isaiah was used by the New Testament writers and understood by the early church fathers. Each chapter begins with a modern English translation of the septuagint, prepared by Moisés Silva. Editorial comments provide a foundation for understanding the excerpted commentaries and other writings that follow for each chapter.
Isaiah: Interpreted by Early Christian and Medieval Commentators is ideal for devotional and spiritual reading and for a deeper understanding of the church’s historical interpretation of this major prophet.
Interested in the whole series? Be sure to check out The Church’s Bible (4 vols.).
- Draws on writings of the church fathers
- Illuminates how Isaiah was used by the New Testament writers and understood by the early church fathers
- Provides a foundation for understanding the excerpted commentaries
Top Highlights
“Origen believed that Paul, by his example, had provided a ‘rule of interpretation’ for understanding the Old Testament. ‘Take note,’ he writes, ‘how much Paul’s teaching differs from the plain meaning.… What the Jews thought was a crossing of the sea, Paul calls baptism; what they supposed was a cloud, Paul says is the Holy Spirit.’” (Page xiv)
“This kind of victory is paradoxical and can only be the work of God, not of men. It is marvelous not only that the Church was victorious, but in what way it conquered. It was hunted out, persecuted, and cut down in countless way, yet not only did it not falter, but it grew in strength and by its suffering overcame its adversaries.” (Page 35)
“Allegory in Christian usage means interpreting the Old Testament as a book about Christ. St. Ambrose wrote: ‘The Lord Jesus came and what was old was made new.” (Page xv)
“This is not beyond belief because the barbarians, who are by nature wild, still sacrifice to idols and rage against each other, and cannot bear to remain a single moment without a sword. But when they hear the teaching of Christ, they immediately turn from war to farming, and instead of arming their hands with swords they stretch them out in prayer; and in a word, instead of waging war with themselves, henceforth they arm themselves against the devil and the demons, subduing them with the weapons of sobriety and spiritual virtue. This is the indication of the Savior’s divinity: what men were unable to learn from idols they have learned from him. This is no small refutation of the weakness and nothingness of the demons and idols.” (Pages 41–42)
This addition to the Church’s Bible series makes available a remarkably rich selection from the great volume of Christian commentary on Isaiah written during the church’s first millennium. It is significant both historically, as a contribution to the history of biblical interpretation, and theologically, as an expression of faith nourished by an attentive and devout reading of ‘the sacred page.’
—Joseph Blenkinsopp, John A. O’Brien Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, University of Notre Dame
The Isaiah volume in The Church’s Bible is as intellectually and aesthetically delightful as its predecessors in this series, and it is an essential resource for anyone who wants to see what this Hebrew prophet has meant to Christians.
—Paul J. Griffiths, Warren Professor of Catholic Theology, Duke Divinity School
This outstanding volume opens a new window on the text of one of Israel’s most beloved prophets, Isaiah. I found myself continually entranced by the innumerable insights that the early Christian theological imagination was able to cull from its biblical source. The approach taken by these writers is often as hard-hitting as it is edifying. One of the real attractions of the volume is that the selections provided are long enough that one can take a favorite interpreter and follow him through the course of the whole book.
—Gary Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology, University of Notre Dame
- Title: Isaiah: Interpreted by Early Christian and Medieval Commentators
- Editor: Robert Louis Wilken
- Series: The Church’s Bible
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2007
- Pages: 618
- Christian Group: Catholic
- Resource Type: Commentaries
- Topic: Prophetic Books
Robert Louis Wilken is the William R Kenan Jr. Chair in the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia. He is the author of many books including The Christians as the Romans Saw Them.