1-2 Corinthians: Volume 7 Volume 7

I read this with an eye on the concept of learning more about what authors closer to the time of Paul's letters would think of certain points in them that seem alien to my modern eyes. Although there were some moments when this sort of breakthrough happened unfortunately many of the older readers were just as perplexed. Further as I read through the commentaries I also noticed that most commentators were at least 200 years removed from Paul and the majority more like 300 years. However there was still much worth reading in this volume. I discovered some ancient writers who I'd like to read more directly.

. . .to an excellent series.Paul's two letters to the Corinthian church are illuminated by the commentary of many of the Fathers of the Early Church -- both East and West. For those unfamiliar with this series, such commentary provides an excellent understanding of "how" the Early Church interpreted Scripture.This series is a "must have" for all serious students of the Bible or of Church History.

A few things to note in reading this book...1. It is a resource of quotes, for the most part. So, it's not like a typical commentary, where you can read the passage of Scripture, then read the "commentary" and have an idea of what's being said. This book is full of quotes (a few lines long) related to each passage.2. Which leads me to the second point... Usually, when you have a commentary you know the author's bias-- whether he/she is conservative, liberal, their theological leanings, etc., and you can make like adjustments when reading. Not so here. You will need to be somewhat versed in Church History (or have access to a book) in order to distinguish the sound theology of these individuals from the not-so-sound/heretical theology. And, it's possible (as was the case with Origen, for instance) that some of what they say is sound and some is way, way off... You just need to have some tool to make that distinction.3. This book is very helpful, nonetheless, because we often forget that the ancient Christians struggled with the essentials doctrines of the faith for hundreds of years... and were versed in Scripture (although some of them get lost in allegory, etc.). It is both helpful-- and respectful-- I think, to know what these fore-runners in the faith said.Buy the book-- but only if you already have some other commentaries (or resources) you can consult.

Any book which meets its aim to present the thoughts of the church "Fathers" (as this book does) deserves to be evaluated on its stated intentions. Does this volume do an admirable and coherent job of offering Christianity's earliest theologians' thoughts on the letters to Corinth? Absolutely. Is it reasonable to expect views from this period to be in sync with intricate theological statements written hundreds (even thousands) of years later? Of course not. Walking through these early reflections on Scripture with the Fathers creates a fresh sense that Christianity is rooted in history, and that Christianity has an observable historical development of its own. Fascinating, on its own merits. Also of merit is the opportunity to have multiple historical sources available in the same volume. Who likes to pick up and put away dozens of books at a time?