SECTION III.

CHRISTIAN COMMENTATORS, INTERPRETERS, AND PARAPHRASTS ON THE SCRIPTURES.

§ 1. COMMENTARIES BY THE FATHERS, AND OTHER DIVINES OF THE

CHRISTIAN CHURCH, PREVIOUSLY TO THE REFORMATION.

The following are the principal commentators on the sacred writings, who are to be found among the PRIMITIVE FATHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: but, in consulting their writings, the best editions only should be referred to, especially those by Protestants; as the editions superintended by divines of the Romish Church are not only frequently corrupted, but spurious writings are also often ascribed to the fathers, in order to support the anti-scriptural dogmas of that section of the universal church.1

[i.] Greek Fathers.

ORIGENIS in Scripturas Sacras Commentaria, quæcunque Græce reperiri potuerunt. Edidit, partim Latinè vertit, et universa notis et observationibus illustravit Petrus Daniel Huetius. Rothomagi, 1668. 2 tomis, folio.

ORIGEN flourished in the latter part of the second and through the first half of the third century; and was distinguished not more by his learning than by his piety and eloquence. He wrote Commentaries on the Old and New Testaments, the greater part of which is now lost the best separate edition of what has been preserved is this of Huet. He also wrote Scholia or short notes explanatory of difficult passages of Scripture, in which he chiefly attended to the literal sense. Of these Scholia some extracts only are preserved in the collection made by Gregory Nazianzen and Basil the Great, entitled Philocalia, and published at Paris, in 1618, 4to. His Homilies, in which he addressed himself to the capacities of the people, as well as his numerous other works, both practical and controversial, our limits permit us not to detail; and his critical labours on the sacred writings are noticed in another part of this work. 2 In the Commentaries above mentioned, Origen gave full scope to his learning and imagination, in what appeared to him to be the historical, literal, mystical, and moral sense of the Bible. Origen's grand fault is that of allegorising the Scriptures too much; and this method of interpretation he adopted from the Alexandrian philosophers, in the hope of establishing an union between Heathen philosophy and Christian doctrine. His fundamental canon of criticism was, that, wherever the literal sense of Scripture was not obvious, or not clearly consistent with his peculiar tenets, the words were to be understood in a spiritual and mystical sense; a rule by which he could easily incorporate any fancies, whether original or borrowed, with the Christian creed. Mosheim has justly charactised this father as one of the most eminent of the writers of the third century, who distinguished themselves by their learned and pious productions; and as "a man of vast and uncommon abilities, the greatest luminary of the Christian world that this age exhibited to view. Had the justness of his judgment been equal to the immensity of his genius, the fervour of his piety, his indefatigable patience, his extensive erudition, and his other eminent and superior talents, all encomiums must have fallen short of his merit. Yet, such as he was, his virtues and his labours deserve the admiration of all ages; and his name will be transmitted with honour through the annals of time, as long as learning and genius shall be esteemed among men."4The expository writings of Origen are to be found in the collective editions of his works: the most complete is the edition published by M. de la Rue, in four vols. folio, Paris, 1733-59; reprinted by M. Oberthür at Wurceburg, in 15 vols. 8vo. 1780 and following years.

1 See numerous proofs of this remark in James's Treatise of the Corruption of Scripture Councils and Fathers by the prelates, &c. of the church of Rome, for maintenance of popery, pp. 1-271. London, 1688. 8vo.

2 See Vol. II. Part I. pp. 211—214.

3 Jahn's Enchiridion Hermeneutica Generalis, pp. 163, 164. A further account of Origen's expository labours may be seen in Ernesti's Institutio Interpretis Novi Testamenti, pp. 286, 287., and in Morus's Acroases super Hermeneutica Novi Fœderis, tom. ii. pp. 230-236.; in Rosenmüller's Historia Interpretationis Librorum Sacrorum, tom. iii. pp. 17-156., and Simon's Hist. Crit. du Vieux Test. liv. iii. ch. ix. pp. 439-442.

+ Mosheim's Eccl. Hist. vol. i. p. 270. edit. 1806. On the merits of Origen as an interpreter of Holy Writ, see Conybeare's Bampton Lectures for 1824, pp. 131-143.

2. Joannis CHRYSOSTOMI Sermones tres in Genesin;-Quatuor Homiliæ in Psalmos;-Expositio perpetua in Novum Jesu Christi Testamentum ; folio. In the various editions of his collective works.

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, who flourished in the fourth century, was a pupil of Diodorus of Tarsus, who had himself been a disciple of Origen's. He wrote homilies on the greater part of the Old Testament, and on the whole of the New Testament, with the exception of the Catholic epistles. His homilies on the New Testament are every way preferable to those on the Old. Ernesti is of opinion, that none of the productions of the fathers are equal to those of Chrysostom on St. Paul's Epistles; and that all subsequent Greek commentators on them have exclusively followed him. On the historical books, his commentary on St. Matthew is incomparably the best and most copious, and is particularly worthy of being perused. Chrysostom's manner of expounding is this: he first takes a verse of Scripture, which he explains; and then investigates and elucidates the meaning of particular words, pointing out the scope of the sacred author, whose style and genius he examines, and rendering all Hebraisms by equivalent intelligible Greek expressions. He throughout adheres to the literal sense, which he maintained to be the true one. The homilies are found in the beautiful Editio Princeps of his works published by Sir Henry Saville, in 8 vols. folio, Eton, 1612; and in Montfaucon's edition, which is the best, published at Paris in 13 vols. folio, 1718-1738. An admirable French translation of a selection from Chrysostom's Homilies, and other works, was printed by Auger, at Paris, 1785, in 4 vols. 8vo. In 1807, Matthiæ published 52 of his homilies at Moscow, in 8vo. with various readings, a commentary and index.1

3. THEODORETI, Episcopi Cyrensis, Explanationes in Pauli Epistolas Inter Opera, Parisiis, 1608, 2 tomis folio. Parisiis, 1642, 4 tomis folio. Halæ, 1769-74. 5 tomis 8vo.

omnes.

THEODORET, Bishop of Cyrus, or Cyropolis, in Syria, wrote in the fifth century: though he chiefly follows Chrysostom in his commentary on St. Paul's Epistles, he has added many new and striking observations of his own, and has successfully vindicated many passages against the Arians, and other sectaries of his time. The critical merits of Theodoret as an expositor of Scripture were investigated by F. C. Richter in a treatise intitled De Theodoreto Epistolarum Paulinarum Interprete Commentarius Historico-Exegeticus. Lipsiæ, 1822. 8vo.

4. NONNI Panopolita Metaphrasis Evangelii Joannei. Recensuit, Lectionumque varietate instruxit Franciscus Passovius. Accessit Evangelium Joannis. Defuncto Passovio editionem curavit Nicolaus Bachius. Lipsiæ, 1833. 8vo.

NONNUS, of Panopolis in Egypt, lived in the early part of the fifteenth century. His paraphrase on St. John's Gospel, which is written in Greek verse, contains some various readings which have been noticed by Mill, Bengel, Wetstein, Griesbach, and Scholz, in their several critical editions of the Greek Testament. Passow's edition of Nonnus is the best that has ever been published.

[ii.] Latin Fathers.

1. HIERONYMI Quæstiones Hebraicæ in Genesin ; Ejusdem Commentarii in Ecclesiasten; duæ in Canticum Canticorum Homiliæ, ex Græco Origenis ;-Commentarii in Iesaiam;- Homiliæ novem in Visiones Isaiæ, ex Græco Origenis; - Commentarius in Jeremiam;- Commentarii in Ezechielem Libri XIV.; - Commentarius in Danielem. Homiliæ Origenis XXVIII., Explanationes in Jeremiam et Ezechielem continentes; Commentarii in XII. Prophetas Minores;- Commentarii in Matthæum Libri IV.; -Commentarii in Pauli Epistolas ad Galatas, Ephesios, Titum, et Philemonem, folio. In the different editions of his works.

JEROME, of all the Latin fathers, has rendered the most important services to the Christian world, by his elaborate Commentary on the Scriptures, and his prefaces to the different books. His commentary on the Prophets is reckoned the best part of his works. The principal editions of this eminently learned father's works are those of Paris, 1693-1706, in five vols, folio, and of Verona, 1734-1742, in eleven vols, folio.

1 Several editions of Chrysostom's Homilies are enumerated by Harles, in his Brevior Notitia Literaturæ Græcæ, pp. 739-741.; to which work, as well as to those of Ernesti and Morus, above referred to, we are chiefly indebted for the following notices of the Commentaries of the Greek fathers.

2. HILARII Commentarius in Psalmos et in Evangelium Matthæi, folio, in the various editions of his works.

HILARY, Bishop of Poitiers, in the fourth century, wrote Commentaries on the Psalms, and on the Gospel of St. Matthew, which consist more of what he borrowed from Origen than of the results of his own studies: and on this account Morus is of opinion, that little assistance can be derived from consulting them. This author must not be confounded with Hilary, surnamed the Deacon, from the office which he filled in the Church at Rome in the middle of the fourth century: and who wrote a Commentary on St. Paul's Epistles, which is printed in the second volume of the Benedictine edition of Ambrose's works (Paris, 16861690, 2 vols. folio), to whom they are erroneously ascribed.

3. Aurelii AUGUSTINI Commentarii tam in Vetus quam in Novum Testamentum, ex omnibus ejusdem lucubrationibus collecti. Studio et labore Joannis Gastii. Venetiis, 1543. 2 vols. 4to.

AUGUSTINE, the celebrated Bishop of Hippo in Africa, in the fourth century, wrote several Treatises on the Scriptures, and particularly Commentaries on the Psalms, neither of which are now held in much estimation, notwithstanding the high rank he holds in ecclesiastical history. His piety, indefatigable application, sublime genius, unwearied pursuit of truth, and the acuteness of his wit, are universally allowed. "It is however certain," says Mosheim," that the accuracy and solidity of his judgment were by no means proportionable to the eminent talents now mentioned; and that upon many occasions, he was more guided by the violent impulse of a warm imagination, than by the cool dictates of reason and prudence. Hence that ambiguity which appears in his writings, and which has sometimes rendered the most attentive readers uncertain with respect to his real sentiments; and hence also the just complaints which many have made of the contradictions that are so frequent in his works, and of the levity and precipitation with which he set himself to write upon a variety of subjects, before he had examined them with a sufficient degree of attention and diligence." Jahn has remarked that the genius of Augustine resembled that of Origen rather than that of Jerome, to both of whom he was greatly inferior in learning, being totally ignorant of Hebrew, and but moderately versed in Greek.2 His Treatises on the Scriptures form the third, and his Commentaries on the Psalms the fourth volume of the Benedictine edition of his works. He accommodates the Scriptures more frequently to his own ideas than he accommodates these to the former, and is perpetually hunting out mysteries, especially in numbers. 3 Such was the authority in which the writings of Augustine were held, that his expositions continued to be followed by all Latin interpreters from his time until the Reformation; who have selected expositions not only from his professedly biblical labours, but also from his other practical and controversial writings. Among the principal compilations of this kind is the Gloss, or short interpretation of Strabo, which is mentioned in page 244. No. 1.

[iii.] Later Divines of the Greek and Latin Churches.

Of the Doctors, or Divines of the Greek and Latin Churches, who flourished between the sixth and fourteenth centuries, the following are reputed to be the most judicious commentators.

Greek Writers.

1. THEOPHYLACTI Archiepiscopi Bulgaria Enarrationes, sive Commentarii in IV. Evangelia, Græce, Romæ, 1542. folio; Græce et Latine, Parisiis, 1631. folio. Ejusdem Explicationes in Acta Apostolorum, Græce et Latine, Coloniæ, 1567. folio.- Ejusdem Commentarii in D. Pauli Epistolas, Græce et Latine, Londini, 1636. folio.- Ejusdem Commentarii in Epistolas et in aliquot Prophetas Minores, Latine, Parisiis, 1542. folio.

THEOPHYLACT, metropolitan of Bulgaria, flourished in the 11th century: his Scholia on the principal books of Scripture are chiefly abridged from Chrysostom. Those on the Gospels, Acts, and St. Paul's Epistles, are particularly valuable. Professor Stuart, characterising the Greek Commentators on the Epistle to the Hebrews, observes that "Theophylact is by far the most agreeable, especially for beginners in the study of Greek Commentary. He

1 Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, vol. i. p. 363.

2 Jahn, Enchiridion Hermeneutica Generalis, p. 167.

9 Rambachii Instit. Herm. p. 679.

comprises all that is valuable in Chrysostom, and, for the most part, nearly in Chrysostom's words; while at the same time he has given to the whole more ease, simplicity, and compactness. Seldom does he venture upon any new opinion of his own; and when he does, it is with great deference to his predecessors." (Commentary on the Hebrews, vol. i. p. 345.) The best edition of his works is that published at Venice, 1754-1763, in 4 vols. folio. 2. ECUMENII Commentaria in Acta Apostolorum, in omnes Pauli Epistolas, et in Epistolas Catholicas omnes. Accesserunt Arethæ, Cappadocia Episcopi, Explanationes in Apocalypsin. Græce et Latine, curâ Fred. Morelli. Parisiis, 1631. 2 tomis folio.

ECUMENIUS, Bishop of Tricca in Thessaly, towards the close of the tenth century, wrote Commentaries on the Acts of the Apostles, and the whole of the Epistles. His work is a judicious compilation from Origen, Chrysostom, Eusebius, and others. It is worthy of observation, that the controverted clause in St. John's First Epistle (1 John v. 7.) was not known to this writer. The best edition is that of Paris, 1631, in two vols. folio.

3. Very similar to the works of Theophylact and Ecumenius above noticed, are the CATENE, or Commentaries on the Scriptures, consisting of separate passages or interpretations of the fathers, reduced to the order of chapters and verses of the books; they are denominated Catenæ, because as a chain is composed of several links connected together, so these compilations consist of numerous different passages, or the sentences and expositions of different writers, so connected together as to form one continued work.

The earliest compiler of a Catena was Procopius of Gaza, whose entire work on the Scriptures has never been printed; though particular portions have been published, as his Catena on the Octateuch, or eight first books, in Latin, Tiguri (Zurich), 1555, folio: on the two Books of Kings and Chronicles, Gr. Lat. 4to. Lug. Bat. 1620; a specimen of his Catena on the Heptateuch, or seven first books, and on the Song of Solomon, edited by Ernesti, Leipsic, 1785, 4to.; on Isaiah, edited by Courtier, folio, Paris, 1580. Procopius was followed by Olympiodorus, who is supposed to have flourished in the seventh century; his Catena on the Book of Job was published at Venice in 1587, 4to. A Catena on Job, Psalms, Matthew, and John, was printed by Plantin at Antwerp, in Greek and Latin, in seven vols. folio, 1630, and following years. One of the most valuable works of this kind is the Catena of Nicephorus on the Octateuch, the two books of Samuel, and the two books of Kings; it is a compilation from fifty-one writers, and was published in Greek, in two vols. folio, at Leipsic, 1792. Possin and Corderius published a Catena in Greek and Latin, on the four Evangelists, in 1628, 1630, 1646, and 1647, at Antwerp and Thoulouse, in four large folio volumes; and a Greek Catena of Victor, a presbyter of Antioch, and other fathers, on the Gospel of St. Mark, was edited by Matthæi, at Moscow, 1775, in 2 vols. 8vo.1

4. EUTHYMII Zigabeni Monachi Commentarii in Psalmos, Græce et Latine; apud Theophylacti Operum Tom. IV. Venetiis, 1763. folio.

Euthymii Zigabeni Commentarius in quatuor Evangelia, Græce et Latine. Textum Græcum nunquam antea editum ad fidem duorum Codicum Membranaceorum Bibliothecarum S. S. Synodi Mosquensis auctoris ætate scriptorum, diligenter recensuit, et repetita Versione Latinâ Joannis Hentenii suisque adjectis animadversionibus edidit Christianus Frider. Matthæi. Lipsia, 1792. 3 tomis 8vo.

EUTHYMIUS ZIGABENUS, a monk of Constantinople, in the early part of the twelfth century, wrote commentaries on different parts of the Bible, the whole of which have not been printed. His principal work is a commentary on the four Gospels, published by Matthæi at Leipsic, in 1792, in 3 vols. 8vo. The hitherto inedited Greek text is diligently revised from two MSS. in the library of the Holy Synod at Moscow, written in the time of the author. Vol. I. contains the prefaces and Gospel of St. Matthew; Vol. II. the Gospels of St. Mark and St. Luke; Vol. III. the Gospel of St. John, with Hentenius's Latin

1 Morus (tom. ii. p. 253.) has enumerated several catenæ on particular parts of the New Testament. The best account of these compilations is to be found in Ittigius's Tractatus de Catenis Patrum, Leipsic, 1707, 8vo. ; and in Noesselt's Observationes de Catenis Patrum Græcorum in Novum Testamentum, Halæ, 1762, 4to. See also Walchii Bibliotheca Theologica, vol. iv. pp. 388-391.

Version of the whole of Euthymius's Commentary, his Critical Remarks, and those of the learned editor. Euthymius's Commentary on the Psalms was published with the works of Theophylact.

Latin Writers.

1. Biblia Sacra cum Glossa Ordinaria a Walafrido STRABO ; et Postilla Nicolai LYRANI, necnon additionibus Pauli Burgensis Episcopi, et Matthiæ Doringi replicis. Duaci, 1617. 6 tomis folio.

WALAFRIDUS STRABO or STRABUS, who flourished in the ninth century, composed a work on the whole Bible, which was called Glossa Ordinaria or marginalis; because the entire margin, at the top and bottom, as well as on each side of the page, was filled with annotations. His work is, in fact, a catena or collection of comments from all the Latin fathers who preceded him, and particularly from Augustine and Rabanus Maurus, whose pupil Strabo was, and who wrote a voluminous catena on the Gospel of St. Matthew, and St. Paul's Epistles, besides an entire comment on the Bible, which is still in manuscript. Strabo endeavours to show the literal, historical, and moral sense of the Scriptures, but not always with success. For many years the labours of Strabo continued to be received as the .sole authorised interpretation of the Bible. The best edition of his work is that of Antwerp, 1634, folio. 1

NICHOLAS DE LYRA OF LYRANUS, so called from the place of his nativity, Lire, a small town in Normandy, is reputed to have been a Jew by descent, but having embraced Christianity, he entered into the religious society of Friars Minors at Verneuil. He flourished towards the beginning of the fourteenth century; and deservedly holds a distinguished rank among commentators, his explanations of the Scriptures being far superior to the manner and spirit of the age in which he flourished. His compendious expositions of the Bible were called postills, from his manner of placing them, viz. first exhibiting the sacred text, and post illa (after the words of the text) offering his own explication. They were repeatedly printed in the latter part of the fifteenth and in the early part of the sixteenth century; and (as in the edition above noticed) were sometimes printed in conjunction with the gloss of Strabo. In his postills, Lyra shows a greater acquaintance with the literal sense of Scripture than any preceding commentator, and has availed himself of his intimate knowledge of Hebrew to select the best comments of the most learned Rabbins, particularly Jarchi. Being, however, less intimately acquainted with Greek than with Hebrew, he is less happy in his expositions of the New Testament than in those of the Old. His notes are allowed to be very judicious, and he principally attends to the literal sense, with which, however, he occasionally intermingles the subtilties of the schoolmen. "It is no inconsiderable praise that, by the general soundness and justness of his expositions, he attracted the admiration, and contributed probably in some measure to the instruction of Luther and of his great coadjutors in the work of reformation." The best edition of Lyra's commentary is that of Antwerp, 1634, in 6 vols. folio; it is also found in the Biblia Maxima, edited by Father de la Haye, in 19 vols. folio. Lyra was also the author of Moralia, or Moral Commentaries upon the Scriptures. 2

2. Thomæ AQUINATIS, Doctoris Angelici, Commentaria in quosdam libros Veteris et Novi Testamenti; scilicet, in Job; Prima Quinquagena Davidis; Canticum Canticorum; Esaiam; Jeremiam, et Lamentationes; in Evangelia secundum Matthæum et Joannem ; Catena Aurea in quatuor Evangelia; ex dictis Patrum connexa; Commentaria in omnes D. Pauli Apostoli Epistolas; folio, inter operum Tomos XII-XVI. Venetiis, 1593–4, besides numerous editions of detached portions in various sizes.

THOMAS AQUINAS, a celebrated scholastic doctor of the thirteenth century, compiled a Catena on the four Gospels, from upwards of eighty Greek and Latin Fathers, whose words he chiefly gives, rather than their meaning, and quotes the Greek fathers from Latin versions of their works. His comment long held a distinguished place in the Western church.

1 Much curious information relative to the Biblia Glossata, or Glosses on the Scriptures, is contained in Masch's edition of Le Long's Bibliotheca Sacra, part ii. vol. iii. cap. ii. sect. iii. p. 353. et seq.

2 Masch's edition of Le Long's Bibliotheca Sacra, part ii. vol. iii. p. 357-362. Conybeare's Bampton Lectures for 1824, pp. 210-215. Lyra's commentaries were attacked by Paul, bishop of Burgos (Paulus Burgensis), a converted Jew, and were defended by Matthias Doring. Ibid. pp. 363, 364. Walchii Bibliotheca Theologica, vol. iv. pp. 396, 397.