What do you think?
Rate this book
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture CD-ROM Complete Set
The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture does what very few of today's students of the Bible could do for themselves. With the aid of computer technology, the vast array of writings from the church fathers--including many that are available only in the ancient languages--have been combed for their comment on Scripture. From these results, scholars with a deep knowledge of the fathers and a heart for the church have hand selected material for each volume, shaping, annotating and introducing it to today's readers. Each portion of commentary has been chosen for its salient insight, its rhetorical power and its faithful representation of the consensual exegesis of the early church. Included on this CD-ROM from series editor Tom C. Oden is the full text of all twenty-nine commentaries from the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Arranged canonically, each volume allows the living voices of the church in its formative centuries to speak as they engage the sacred page of Scripture. Now even more accessible in digital format, this series will prove an uncommon companion for theological interpretation, spiritual reading, and wholesome teaching and preaching. Inside you'll find all twenty-nine volumes of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture commentary by the church fathers on all sixty-six books of the Bible and the Apocrypha introductions by world-renowned patristics scholars a money-saving package the new revolutionary Libronix Digital Library System (TM) a free KJV Bible unlockable versions of the Bible, including NASB, NRSV, NLT, RSV and The Message The Essential IVP Reference Collection (unlockable for a fee) a complete user's manual on the CD System requirements: Windows 98 and beyond, Pentium II 350MHz (Pentium III 700MHz recommended), 64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended), CD-ROM drive, 800 x 600 display (1024 x 768 recommended), Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. For Technical Support, contact LOGOS Tech Support by e-mail at tech@logos.com, by phone (toll-free in the USA) at 1-800-875-6467 or by visiting online at www.logos.com/support.
CD-ROM
Published September 17, 2010
About the author
Thomas C. Oden
161 books81 followersThomas C. Oden was Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology and Ethics at Drew University in New Jersey from 1980 until his retirement in 2004. He remained faculty emeritus until his death. He was the general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the Ancient Christian Doctrine series as well as the author of Classic Christianity, a revision of his three-volume systematic theology.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 7, 2023
This is a very well done set. My main disappointment with it is in the Church Fathers themselves, not necessarily the editors. To be fair, the set is good for seeing the Church Father’s take on Scripture. Historically it’s an absolutely phenomenal resource.
However I find that the Fathers are really loose in their interpretation. The mass of interpretation that is chalked up to allegory is enormous. And it’s usually as outlandish as is feasibly possible. The wild and wacky interpretations of the text abound! To be fair, the set includes some heretics in it (Origen for example). So some of the crazy interpretations are by heretics who did interpret the text wrong. However Augustine and Chrysostom, along with a few others, are a breath of fresh air throughout the series.
Ultimately this is an excellent set for learning the history of how the Fathers interpreted the Bible. However if your aim is to learn the meaning of the text, steer clear of this. You’d be better off only purchasing the works of Augustine and Chrysostom (if the Fathers are your jam).
All in all, this set is just ok. But it is excellent for historians or history buffs.
However I find that the Fathers are really loose in their interpretation. The mass of interpretation that is chalked up to allegory is enormous. And it’s usually as outlandish as is feasibly possible. The wild and wacky interpretations of the text abound! To be fair, the set includes some heretics in it (Origen for example). So some of the crazy interpretations are by heretics who did interpret the text wrong. However Augustine and Chrysostom, along with a few others, are a breath of fresh air throughout the series.
Ultimately this is an excellent set for learning the history of how the Fathers interpreted the Bible. However if your aim is to learn the meaning of the text, steer clear of this. You’d be better off only purchasing the works of Augustine and Chrysostom (if the Fathers are your jam).
All in all, this set is just ok. But it is excellent for historians or history buffs.
November 30, 2017
interesting book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2011
If you have followed the reference works published by InterVarsity Press over the past few years, you have no doubt noticed that they are making a concerted effort to expose a whole new generation to the writings of the church fathers. One series that has been an important part of this resurgence is the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture edited by Thomas C. Oden. My first encounters with the early volumes of this series was during my college days. You could often find one or more of these volumes open on my desk as a trusted source for my exegesis papers and other research. The twenty nine volumes making up the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture span both the Old and New Testaments as well as the Apocrypha. Given the time and language barrier that exists between today’s reader and the church fathers, there certainly are gaps that need to filled in as we attempt to learn at the feet of the fathers. The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture does an exemplary job of helping to bridge that gap, making the exegesis of the church fathers readily accessible to today’s pastors, scholars, and bible students.
There was clearly a lot of planning and forethought put into the organization and layout of this commentary set. As I say with any reference work, be sure to read all of the introductory material in order maximize your use of the resource. One important feature to note is that the scriptural text is divided into periocopes. Each pericope is followed by an overview, providing a succinct summary of the patristic commentary that follows. Besides the actual meat of the commentary, there are also many useful features to be found at the close of each volume. Depending on your level of research and interest, you may well be able to make use of some or all of the following:
* Appendix: Early Christian Writers and the Documents Cited
* Biographical Sketches
* Timeline of Writers of the Patristic Period
* Bibliography of works in the Original Languages
* Bibliography of works in English Translations
* Author/Writings Index
* Subject Index
* Scripture Index
As a hopeless bibliophile, I often struggle with the question of whether to buy reference works electronically or in print. If shelf space and budget were both limitless, I would suggest doing both. The reality of the situation is that this typically is not the case. The full twenty nine volume Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture set retails for $1450.00 in print and $385.00 on CD-ROM. The significant cost savings alone is a good argument for picking this set up on CD-ROM. If there is a particular volume that relates to a focused area of research or study, you may want to consider purchasing that particular volume in print in addition to the CD-ROM version. For me, that is especially true when it is a volume I want to read from cover to cover. Besides the cost savings, a second major incentive for purchasing this and other reference works electronically is the ease with which you can search. In the case of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture set, it is available for both LOGOS Bible Software and Accordance. The third major incentive for the CD-ROM edition is the ease with which you can create footnotes and bibliographic entries for the references you are copying into your papers. I’m an avid user of LOGOS Bible Software and this feature alone has revolutionized my writing. Having never used Accordance, I am unable to speak to whether or not they offer the same level of convenience when creating footnotes or bibliographic entries. My suspicion is that it is equally as helpful.
Regardless of whether you choose to go with the print or CD-ROM version of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, either one will be a welcome addition to your library. If you are looking for a wonderful birthday, Christmas, or graduation gift, every pastor, scholar, and Bible student would be greatly blessed by the opportunity to add this resources to their collection.
General Editor Information:
Thomas C. Oden (Ph.D., Yale University) formerly Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology at The Theological School of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, is now director of the Center for Early African Christianity, at Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He is the general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the Ancient Christian Doctrine series as well as the author of Classic Christianity, a revision of his three-volume systematic theology.
Disclaimer:
This CD-ROM was provided by InterVarsity Press for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
There was clearly a lot of planning and forethought put into the organization and layout of this commentary set. As I say with any reference work, be sure to read all of the introductory material in order maximize your use of the resource. One important feature to note is that the scriptural text is divided into periocopes. Each pericope is followed by an overview, providing a succinct summary of the patristic commentary that follows. Besides the actual meat of the commentary, there are also many useful features to be found at the close of each volume. Depending on your level of research and interest, you may well be able to make use of some or all of the following:
* Appendix: Early Christian Writers and the Documents Cited
* Biographical Sketches
* Timeline of Writers of the Patristic Period
* Bibliography of works in the Original Languages
* Bibliography of works in English Translations
* Author/Writings Index
* Subject Index
* Scripture Index
As a hopeless bibliophile, I often struggle with the question of whether to buy reference works electronically or in print. If shelf space and budget were both limitless, I would suggest doing both. The reality of the situation is that this typically is not the case. The full twenty nine volume Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture set retails for $1450.00 in print and $385.00 on CD-ROM. The significant cost savings alone is a good argument for picking this set up on CD-ROM. If there is a particular volume that relates to a focused area of research or study, you may want to consider purchasing that particular volume in print in addition to the CD-ROM version. For me, that is especially true when it is a volume I want to read from cover to cover. Besides the cost savings, a second major incentive for purchasing this and other reference works electronically is the ease with which you can search. In the case of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture set, it is available for both LOGOS Bible Software and Accordance. The third major incentive for the CD-ROM edition is the ease with which you can create footnotes and bibliographic entries for the references you are copying into your papers. I’m an avid user of LOGOS Bible Software and this feature alone has revolutionized my writing. Having never used Accordance, I am unable to speak to whether or not they offer the same level of convenience when creating footnotes or bibliographic entries. My suspicion is that it is equally as helpful.
Regardless of whether you choose to go with the print or CD-ROM version of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, either one will be a welcome addition to your library. If you are looking for a wonderful birthday, Christmas, or graduation gift, every pastor, scholar, and Bible student would be greatly blessed by the opportunity to add this resources to their collection.
General Editor Information:
Thomas C. Oden (Ph.D., Yale University) formerly Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology at The Theological School of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, is now director of the Center for Early African Christianity, at Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He is the general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the Ancient Christian Doctrine series as well as the author of Classic Christianity, a revision of his three-volume systematic theology.
Disclaimer:
This CD-ROM was provided by InterVarsity Press for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
August 6, 2016
Excellent commentaries that provide in depth and scholarly review of the entire bible. Learning from the church fathers is a powerful tool and strengthens religious writing, Sunday School teaching, and preaching and this is a valuable source of that. The church fathers, as found in these commentaries, are a rich source of bible knowledge and insight to draw on because they lived the faith they expounded and it shows abundantly in their writing. As you study within these volumes you not only have a fresh sense of inspirational godliness but you also come to realize that you are in the presence of remarkable genius. This set, The Ancient Christian Commentary, 29 volumes, is a must have for any serious Christian library. Thanks to Thomas Oden for putting it together and for IVP for putting it on the market. Dr. Jay Hines
Read
January 9, 2012The books I have purchased thus far for my collection are valuable in their content and worth the price that has been set forth by the Varsity Press. What a grand undertaking in making these available to the public.
I have found the writings of the early church fathers to be valuable to the student as well as minister or those who want a greater understanding of Gods word.
The writings are put forth with a style that is easily read and written with a comprehensive review of those early writers of christian documents of scripture.
I would highly recommend this set to all those who desire and hunger for a deeper spiritual understanding of Gods Holy Word.
I have found the writings of the early church fathers to be valuable to the student as well as minister or those who want a greater understanding of Gods word.
The writings are put forth with a style that is easily read and written with a comprehensive review of those early writers of christian documents of scripture.
I would highly recommend this set to all those who desire and hunger for a deeper spiritual understanding of Gods Holy Word.
February 9, 2015
I received my first volume on Saturday. I would not want this to be my only source but it is unique in which the format is presented. This will make an excellent supplemental to the commentaries which I am currently using. I anxiously await future volumes.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews