Matthew 1-13

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Sep 2003 by Gurtner, Daniel M

Matthew 1-13. Edited by Manlio Simonetti. ACCS. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2001, lii 326 pp., $40.00. Matthew 14-28. Edited by Manlio Simonetti. ACCS. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2002, xv 344 pp., $40.00.

These volumes are part of a series, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS), edited by Thomas C. Oden. The series promises to be "a twenty-eight volume patristic commentary on Scripture" (1.xi), including the Apocrypha, and incorporates comments on these texts from Clement of Rome (fl. c. 95) to John of Damascus (c. 645-c. 749). The first of the Matthew volumes begins with a "General Introduction" to the series (1.xi-xxxi) written by Oden and available online at www.ancientchristian.com. In it, Oden outlines the three goals of the series: renewal of preaching, education of lay readers, and enhancement of scholarship by providing an accessible means for readers to examine primary sources (1.xii). Though unapologetically a "practical homiletical and devotional guide to the earliest layers of classic Christian readings of biblical texts" (1.xii), it purports to be a contribution to scholarship as well (1.xv).

The ACCS editors used a variety of Greek, Latin, Coptic, Syriac, and Armenian sources, most notably the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG) and the Cetedoc edition of the Latin texts of Corpus Christianorum, to search for references incorporated in the commentary (1.xiii). In choosing ancient comments, editors looked for "theological, Christological, and triune reasoning as the distinguishing premises of classic Christian thought" (1.xix). Ultimately, their intent was "to set apart those few sentences or paragraphs of patristic comment that best reflect the mind of the believing church on that pericope" (1.xx; cf. 1.xxi-xxii). Following Oden's introduction is an essay, "Introduction to Matthew" (1.xxxvii-lii), by Simonetti in which he attempts to survey the various methodological approaches to the first Gospel and overviews several major patristic texts, including the commentaries of Origen, Hilary of Poitiers, and Jerome, the Opus imperfectum in Matteaeum (OIM), and several homilies.

The volumes are relatively user-friendly, with pericopes of Scripture provided in the RSV text, followed by a "topical heading" in which a particular aspect of the text under discussion is summarized (1.xxxiii). This is followed by the patristics comments (1.xxxiii) in a "catena" format. These comments are provided in dynamic equivalent translations (in some cases, for the first time in English), preceded by an "overview" statement in bold print, which gives readers "a brief glimpse into the cumulative argument of the pericope" (1.xxvii) and summarizes the author's arguments. This is followed by the name of the ancient author and a quotation from his work. Very helpful footnotes are found throughout which refer to cross references in other biblical and apocryphal texts, critical issues normally pertaining to translation, and references to the printed sources in which the selections can be found. These references correspond to the abbreviations near the front of the volumes (1.xxxv; 2.xv) where full bibliographic information is provided.

The back of each handsomely bound volume contains an appendix to "Early Christian Writers and Documents Cited" (1.297-98) in which the editors provide the names of the authors, their works, and the respective TLG or Cetedoc references from which they were taken. There is a very helpful "Biographical Sketches & Short Descriptions of Select Anonymous Works" section (1.299-307; 2.317-25) that briefly describes all authors and works cited in each volume in the ACCS series published to date. A "Timeline of Patristic Authors" (1.308-11; 2:326-29) is organized by both date and geographical location. An additional "Bibliography" (1.313-14; 2.331-32) "refers readers to original language sources" and supplies TLG and Cetedoc Clavis numbers where available. There is an "Author/Writings Index" (1.315; 2.333), "Subject Index" (1.317-21; 2.335-40), "Scripture Index" (1.323-26; 2.341-44), and "A Guide to Using This Commentary" (1.xxxiii-xxxiv) section.

While the editors are to be commended for the extent of this project, it is not without its serious limitations. The lay audience for whom these volumes are primarily intended (1.xiv) will not be helped by the frequent use of Latin terms left untranslated in the introduction. Moreover, Oden says the editors "seek the most representative comments that best reflect the mind of the believing church (of all times and cultures)" while elsewhere he insists citations are representative of the time and culture of the respective authors. Oden's introductory essay in unnecessarily lengthy, and the space could be better served by the inclusion of a broad overview of Church history through the Patristic period, with which they seemingly presume their readers to be familiar. An annotated bibliography of works on Patristic Church history and exegesis would have likewise been helpful.