Customer Reviews

Catena Aurea: A Commentary on the Four Gospels Collected Out of the Works of the Fathers (4-Volume Set)

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I am so glad this book is back in print! Can you imagine how valuable a Bible commentary written by early Christians themselves would be? Well, this comes very close! St. Thomas Aquinas himself compiled this opus from sermons and commentaries on the Gospels written by the early Church Fathers. He arranged their thoughts in such a way that they form a continuous commentary on each Gospel, verse-by-verse. How I wish Aquinas had done this with the rest of Sacred Scripture as well! It's pricey, but well worth it for the serious Bible scholar.

My friend has borrowed volume I and I'm afraid he may never give it back... There is so much that is subtle in the Gospels that is brought to light. I've never seen anything else like it. I'm shocked that this work was ever permitted to go out of print.

I stumbled across this series in a used bookstore, flipped through a few pages, and realized I was reading a virtual roundtable discussion of the Gospels among the greatest theologians ever to grace the Catholic Church. I paid a high price for the set, but I could not walk away.

The exegesis is mind-boggling. I cannot recommend enough that the serious student of Catholicism do whatever he or she can to get their hands on the only work that Aquinas was known to carry around with him.

What a spectacular shame that not only was this series kept from English translation until the 19th century, but now this re-issue is no longer in print even in the UK. I feel like I've found a buried treasure...

As the other reviewers have said this work is a classic and is worth its weight in gold. While I am not a fan of only having classic works in electronic format, if a student wishes to have a copy at a lower price the $100 "Welcome to the Catholic Church" CD carries the entire commentary as part of its collection. Students of Franciscan University in Steubenville should seek the Catechetics Department for discounted copies.