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Hippolytus

More Ancient Apocalypse Commentaries in Translation

February 2, 2011 by Frank Leave a Comment

ancieny_commentariesBelow are some announcements of ancient commentaries on the Apocalypse in English translation that either have been published recently or are scheduled to appear soon.

Nerses of Lambron. Commentary on the Revelation of Saint John. Translation of the Armenian Text, Notes, and Introduction by Robert W. Thomson (Leuven: Peeters, 2007). Nerses, archbishop of Tarsus, wrote this commentary in 1180 AD in the Armenian language. It is an adaptation of the Apocalypse commentary on Andrew of Caesarea from the seventh century. Thomson’s translated text is excellent reading. A full review of it by me appears in the May 2011 issue of Kerux journal. Click here to read my review of Nerses of Lambron-Commentary on the Revelation of St. John.)

An English translation of the aforementioned Greek commentary on Revelation composed by Andrew of Caesarea in Cappadocia, from 609-614 AD, appeared in Part 2 of the 2008 doctoral dissertation of Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou at the Universite Laval in Quebec entitled “Andrew of Caesarea and the Apocalypse in the Ancient Church of the East.” It is available for free download at www.revelation-resources.com. Constantinou’s translation of the commentary is scheduled to appear soon in the Fathers of the Church series from Catholic University of America Press. Another English translation of Andrew’s commentary completed by Dr. William Weinrich is scheduled for publication in InterVarsity’s new series Ancient Christian Texts.

The Turin fragments of Tyconius of Carthage’s lost Apocalypse commentary are translated in an excellent dissertation completed in 2010 by David Charles Robinson at the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto entitled “The Mystic Rules of Scripture: Tyconius of Carthage’s Keys and Windows to the Apocalypse.”

An English translation of the massive Commentary on the Apocalypse of Peter John Olivi, composed in 1297, is scheduled for release this summer by Franciscan Institute Publications.

The Apocalypse commentaries of Victorinus, Apringius, Caesarius of Arles, and Bede, translated by William Weinrich, are projected for publication in a volume of the Ancient Christian Texts series by InterVarsity.

Bede’s Apocalypse commentary from the early middle ages was translated into English by Edward Marshall in the 1800s in England and for years it was difficult to obtain in the States because so few libraries carried it. But it has now been reprinted in paperback and is available for purchase at www.fledby.com or www.whitcoulls.co.nz. The commentary is also available in electronic version on line at www.apocalyptic-theories.com and at the medieval sourcebook webpage at www.fordham.edu. Besides the aforementioned translation of Bede’s Apocalypse commentary by Weinrich, a new translation by Faith Wallis of McGill University is scheduled to appear in the Translated Texts for Historians series published by Liverpool University Press.

Two other items not related to Apocalypse commentaries, but that may be of interest to our readers:

Steven Cartwright’s English translation of Peter Abelard’s Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans is scheduled for release this April in the Mediaeval Continuation Series of Fathers of the Church from Catholic University of America Press. Abelard wrote the commentary in the mid 1130s.

Probably the most comprehensive book on Gottschalk of Orbais in English is the 2009 dissertation of Matthew Bryan Gillis entitled “Gottschalk of Orbais: A Study of Power and Spirituality in a Ninth-Century Life.” I read it last summer. It was one of those books you never want to be over. Gottschalk’s views on predestination sparked a heated controversy in Europe in the mid-ninth century. Most American doctoral dissertations can be purchased from proquest.com.

I would encourage institutional libraries, those who wish to learn more about how the Scriptures have been interpreted throughout Christian history, those interested in the Book of Revelation, and those who work with medieval texts, to add the aforementioned titles to their stacks as they become available.

Have a great day.
Frank

Filed Under: Biblical Commentaries, Early Christian Studies, Eschatology, Featured, Medieval theology, Patristics, Reformed theology, Theology of Grace, Translated Texts Tagged With: Andrew of Caesarea, Apocalypse, Apringius, Armenian, Bede, Caesarius of Arles, Catholic University of America Press, Chronicon, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, Commonitorium, David Robinson, Edward Marshall, Eugenia Constanitnou, Fathers of the Church, Franciscan Institute Publications, Gottschalk of Orbais, Hippolytus, InterVarsity Press, Jerome, Kerux, Matthew Gillis, Mediaeval Continuation Series, medieval studies, Nerses of Lambron, Origen, Peter Abelard, Peter John Olivi, pseudo-Jerome, Robert Thomson, Roger Gryson, Scholia on the Apocalypse, Steven Cartwright, Theodulph of Orleans, Tom Schmidt, Turin fragments, Tyconius of Carthage, Victorinus

Commentary on Daniel by Hippolytus Now in English Translation

October 21, 2010 by Frank Leave a Comment

Tom Schmidt’s English translation of Hippolytus’ Commentary on Daniel is now available.

Hippolytus wrote this commentary, the oldest surviving Christian commentary on Scripture, between 202 and 211 AD. Schmidt translated it from the Greek text in GCS.

At one point Hippolytus interacts with a writer who claimed to know the date of the end of the world through calculations from Daniel, but Hippolytus does not think much of his calculations. Hippolytus also gives some information about the deaths of the apostles Peter and Paul, and claims that the birthday of Jesus is December 25th. If this indeed is the case, it shows that the tradition of December 25th was present in the early third century and not the result of 4th century Christians allegedly adopting the pagan feast, Natalis Sol Invicti, as the birthday of Christ.

Those interested in early Christian thought, Hippolytus, the Book of Daniel, or ancient Christian commentaries on Scripture may want a copy.

Filed Under: Biblical Commentaries, Early Christian Studies, Eschatology, Patristics, Translated Texts Tagged With: Commentary on Daniel, Date of Christmas, end of the world, Hippolytus

Hippolytus of Rome’s Commentary on Daniel

November 7, 2009 by Frank Leave a Comment

Hippolytus was a presbyter in the church at Rome about 200 AD. It is he who started the genre of literature we know as biblical commentaries, being the first to write a running commentary on one book of the Bible. The book he chose was the prophet Daniel. Hippolytus’ church was suffering under the persecution of the emperor Septimus Severus, and as a pastor he used the examples of Daniel, Susanna, and the three youths to encourage his congregation to endure the persecution.

There is a new book out by W. Brian Shelton entitled Martyrdom from Exegesis in Hippolytus: An Early Church Presbyter’s Commentary on Daniel. It’s put out by Paternoster Press in their series “Studies in Christian History and Thought.” Since Hippolytus’ commentary is still in Greek and unavailable in English translation, Shelton’s book is the best means of ascertaining the contents of the commentary (unless you read patristic Greek).

I recommend the book for those interested in the subject of persecution and martyrdom in early Christianity, early Christian eschatology, patristic biblical commentaries, or the book of Daniel. It contains some interesting information. For example, Hippolytus’ Daniel commentary tells about a Christian leader in his day who prophesied that the Lord was coming soon, and consequently led his congregation out to the desert to wait for Jesus. People quit their jobs and went along. But when the leader’s prophecy did not come true, they were all humiliated, and returned to their former lives. Hippolytus says that Christians in persecution cannot always expect the Lord to intervene by His coming; it is God’s will for some to endure martyrdom.

Martyrdom from Exegesis is available for purchase from the publisher and Amazon.com.
For a full review of Martyrdom from Exegesis in Hippolytus, refer to the Book Review page.

Filed Under: Biblical Commentaries, Early Christian Studies, Eschatology, Patristics, Translated Texts Tagged With: Biblical Commentaries, Daniel, Early Christianity, early church, Eschatology, Hippolytus, martyrdom, persecution, prophecy, Rome, Second Coming, Septimus Severus, W. Brian Shelton

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