Reading the Bible along with the church fathers/saints

[Magnanimity]

Hi all. What are some of the best commentaries/compendia for reading through the Bible along with the church fathers? I do daily Bible reading, but I’m beginning to feel like I would get much more out of it if I had the Church’s vast commentary tradition accessible alongside the Bible passages I’m reading. Any suggestions that aren’t outrageously expensive? I’d prefer actual books, but if the best stuff out there is digitized, that’s ok too. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

 

[edward_george1]

There are two main things that come to mind, both of which are a little pricey.

One is the Catena Aurea of St. Thomas Aquinas. He compiled sayings of the Church Fathers on the Gospels, and it reads a little bit like the Fathers are sitting around discussing each passage.

The other is a more recent collection of books, very expensive, but also available for much less as a CD, called The Ancient Christian Commentary on the Scriptures. Someone basically took the idea behind the Catena Aurea and applied it to the whole Bible. It’s about 50 volumes, as I recall, and usually runs in excess of $800 US, but if there’s a library nearby with a large religious reference collection, you might be able to find it (i.e. a seminary or something like that).

-Fr ACEGC

 

[Magnanimity]

Thank you Fr! I do see a paperback version of the Catena Aurea on Amazon (abt $60 for the 4 vols). That’s a great recommendation! (St Thomas Aquinas is an intellectual hero of mine anyway.) That other set you mention looks fantastic too, but you’re right—I don’t see it anywhere for under $700. But the volumes can be purchased separately. So maybe that’s the best way to do it, just purchase whatever I’m reading in at the moment.

Again, many many thanks!