St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea is the masterpiece anthology of Patristic commentary on the Gospels and includes the work of over eighty Church Fathers. St. Thomas Aquinas compiled this opus from sermons and commentaries on the Gospels written by the early Church Fathers, arranging their thoughts in such a way that they form a continuous commentary on each Gospel. For each of the four Gospel writers, the Catena Aurea starts by indicating the verses to be analyzed, then taking each verse phrase-by-phrase, provides the early Fathers insights into the passage. In the modern world, the Catena Aurea is of immense use to priests writing homilies, in the private study of the Gospels, family reading, and is full of thought for those who are engaged in religious instruction. It is the perfect companion to study the Scriptures in detail and receive the wisdom of our Church Fathers. Hardbound with ribbon marker. Printed 2009 (exact reprint of original 1842 English ed.) with marking ribbons in each volume. Editor: John Henry [Cardinal] Newman.
It was Pope Urban IV who commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to bring together the Catena Aurea in a bid to make readily available to the academic public an orthodox patristic commentary on the Gospels. His work manifests an intimate acquaintance with the Fathers of the church and provides an excellent complement to the modern attempts to understand how the fathers read scripture. Corresponding to each of the four Gospel writers, the Catena begins by putting forth the verses to be analyzed and then takes each verse phrase-by-phrase and provides the early Fathers’ insights into the passage.
