Isaiah 40-66 - by Mark W Elliott & Thomas C Oden

About the Book

As interpreted by the ancient church fathers, Isaiah 40-66 leads readers to a deeper understanding of God's judgment and salvation. The excerpts included in this ACCS volume offer us a rich array of differing styles, principles, and theological emphases, from Theodoret of Cyr to Eusebius and Procopius, to Cyril of Alexandria, Jerome and Augustine.

Book Synopsis

No book of the Old Testament is more frequently quoted in the New than Isaiah, and no portion of Isaiah is more frequently quoted in the New than the typologically fertile soil of Isaiah 40-66. Still, as interpreted by the fathers, Isaiah presents a message that is far more soteriological than christological, leading readers to a deeper understanding of God's judgment and salvation. Isaiah 40-66 provides us with the closest thing the Old Testament has to offer regarding a systematic theology.

The excerpts included in this Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume offer us a rich array of differing styles, principles, and theological emphases, from Theodoret of Cyr to Eusebius and Procopius, to Cyril of Alexandria, Jerome and Augustine. Readers will be enriched by the wide-ranging selections, some of which are translated here into English for the first time.

Review Quotes

"A 'must' for all theological libraries."

--International Review of Biblical Studies, Vol. 55, 2008-2009

"A wealth of information for the classic Bible scholar."

--Ravonne A. Green, American Reference Books Annual, 2006, Volume 37

"Composed in the style of the great medieval catenae, this new anthology of patristic commentary on Holy Scripture, conveniently arranged by chapter and verse, will be a valuable resource for prayer, study and proclamation. By calling attention to the rich Christian heritage preceding the separations between East and West and between Protestant and Catholic, this series will perform a major service to the cause of ecumenism."

--Avery Dulles, S. J., Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, Fordham University

"Contemporary Christians would do well to draw the hermeneutical circle broadly enough to include not only cross-cultural voices from around the world but also the voices to be found in the Ancient Christian Commentary series. This is an excellent sermon-preparation resource for pastors."

--Christian Century, May 2, 2006

"The initial cry of the Reformation was ad fontes--back to the sources! The Ancient Christian Commentary Series is a marvelous tool for the recovery of biblical wisdom in today's church. Not just another scholarly project, the ACCS is a major source for the renewal of preaching, theology and Christian devotion."

--Timothy George, dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

"This volume continues the valuable exploration of patristic interpretation."

--Mark Bilby, Religious Studies Review, September 2009

About the Author

Thomas C. Oden (1931-2016) was a pioneering theologian and served as the architect and general editor for the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. He was also the general editor of the Ancient Christian Doctrine series and the Ancient Christian Devotional series, as well as a consulting editor for the Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity. A prolific writer and seasoned teacher, Oden also served as the director of the Center for Early African Christianity at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and was active in the Confessing Movement in America, particularly within the United Methodist Church.

Mark W. Elliott (PhD, Cambridge) is a teaching fellow in church history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author of Song of Songs and Christology in the Early Church, 381-451 and the editor of The Dynamics of Human Life and (with Kent Brower) Eschatology in Bible and Theology.