The Church's Bible: Isaiah: Interpreted by Early Christian and Medieval Commentators [Hardcover]

Angela Russell Christman (Author), Robert Louis Wilken (Editor, Translator)

Book Description

Series: Church's Bible | Publication Date: July 2007

Among the company of prophets so densely packed in the Old Testament, the book of Isaiah stands out as perhaps the most complete, containing, as Augustine said, more prophecies of Christ and the church than any of the other prophets. In this extremely thorough text, Robert Wilken brings all of his considerable knowledge of early Christianity to bear on this most major of prophets. Drawing on the writings of the church fathers Eusebius of Caesarea, Jerome, Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret of Cyrus, and nearly sixty others with masterful translations for all, this work allows the complex words of Isaiah to come alive. Wilkens selection of ancient commentators sheds a light on how often the New Testament writers quote Isaiah, and its slow but sure reception in the early church. Each chapter begins with a modern English translation of the Septuagint, prepared by MoisA(C)s 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 all those seeking a deeper understanding of the churchs historical interpretation of this important prophet.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 590 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (July 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802825818
• ISBN-13: 978-0802825810
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, October 19, 2008

By 

K. D. Kelly (Johnstown, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Church's Bible: Isaiah: Interpreted by Early Christian and Medieval Commentators (Hardcover)

Recently I was asked to preach at a pastor's conference, which also meant that I had to attend. When asked what my text would be, I said Isaiah 35. I was then told that it was common practice to preach from the gospel lesson-some dreary passage in Luke. I replied that I was indeed preaching from the gospel...according to Isaiah. They balked; I said find someone else; they relented. As to this work, (1) anything with RL Wilken's name associated with it is bound to be excellent (read "In Dominico Eloquio" for example, essays in honor of Wilken); (2) anything patristic also has to be good, despite the "pre-critical" name it is often given by "higher" critics. I use this work in preparation for sermon writing and bible study and I am forever amazed at what the Church Fathers saw in the text.
This is not the first work to explore patristic ideas in the Isaiah, Johanna Manley's work "Isaiah Through The Ages" tries to do the same thing, but from a decidedly Eastern point of view. Her work is also valuable-there's a great deal Lutheranism can learn from the East-but it doesn't have the variety that Wilken's work has. Wilken's work is also better organized, and I think, easier to read. I believe it is also less expensive.
If you're a student of scripture, or a pastor, I urge and implore you to read the Church Fathers on scripture and this work is a great place to start. You might also consider the four volume set "The Sunday Sermons of the Great Church Fathers." I really do think that if you begin with the text, then head to the Church Fathers, you'll get a great deal more than you will from going immediately to a contemporary commentary. Not that contemporary commentaries are bad, but they are often written by academics who don't live and work in the atmosphere of the church; as opposed to the Fathers, for whom scripture was a matter of life and death.