What do you think?
Rate this book
The book of Job presents its readers with a profound drama concerning innocent suffering. Such honest, forthright wrestling with the problem of evil and the silence of God has intrigued a wide gamut of readers both religious and nonreligious. Surprisingly, the earliest church fathers showed little interest in the book of Job. Not until Origen in the early third century is there much evidence of any systematic treatment of the book, and most of Origen's treatment is known to us only from the catenae. More intense interest came at the end of the fourth century and the beginning of the fifth. The excerpts in this Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume focus on systematic treatment. Among Greek texts are those from Origen, Didymus the Blind, Julian the Arian, John Chrysostom, Hesychius of Jerusalem, and Olympiodorus. Among Latin sources we find Julian of Eclanum, Philip the Priest, and Gregory the Great. Among Syriac sources we find Ephrem the Syrian and Isho'dad of Merv, some of whose work is made available here for the first time in English. In store for readers of this volume is a great feast of wisdom from the ancient resources of the church with fresh relevance for today.
281 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2006
10 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Manlio Simonetti
50 books4 followersManlio Simonetti (2 May 1926 – 1 November 2017) was an Italian scholar of Patristics and the history of Biblical interpretation.
Biography
Simonetti was born in Rome on 2 May 1926.
His early studies were in Classics (philology and history) at the Sapienza University of Rome. In 1959 he became Professor of Ancient Christian Literature at the University of Cagliari, a post he held until 1969. In that year he became Professor of the History of Christianity at the Sapienza, a chair he held for three decades. He also taught at the Salesian Pontifical University and was an instructor at the Augustinianum from its founding in 1971 until 2016. He was made a national fellow of the Accademia dei Lincei in 1981.
Simonetti died on 1 November 2017 in Rome, at the age of 91.
Awards and publications
In 2011, he was a co-recipient of the first Ratzinger Prize. At the time of his award, Pope Benedict XVI remarked on him, "Professor Simonetti has approached the world of the Fathers in a new way, showing us with accuracy and care, what the Fathers say from the historical viewpoint; they become our contemporaries who speak to us."
Simonetti's academic publications are numerous. Among his works are: Studi agiografici (1955); Studi sull'arianesimo (1965); Letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina (1969); La crisi ariana nel IV secolo (1975); Cristianesimo antico e cultura greca (1983); Lettera e/o allegoria. Un contributo alla storia dell'esegesi patristica (1985); La sapienza degli antichi Padri (1996); Il millenarismo cristiano e i suoi fondamenti scritturistici (1998), as well as several compilations, like: Studi sulla cristologia del II e III secolo (1993), Ortodossia ed eresia tra I e II secolo (1994) and many critical editions (Rufinus, Gregory of Elvira, Cyprian, Origen, etc.).
Biography
Simonetti was born in Rome on 2 May 1926.
His early studies were in Classics (philology and history) at the Sapienza University of Rome. In 1959 he became Professor of Ancient Christian Literature at the University of Cagliari, a post he held until 1969. In that year he became Professor of the History of Christianity at the Sapienza, a chair he held for three decades. He also taught at the Salesian Pontifical University and was an instructor at the Augustinianum from its founding in 1971 until 2016. He was made a national fellow of the Accademia dei Lincei in 1981.
Simonetti died on 1 November 2017 in Rome, at the age of 91.
Awards and publications
In 2011, he was a co-recipient of the first Ratzinger Prize. At the time of his award, Pope Benedict XVI remarked on him, "Professor Simonetti has approached the world of the Fathers in a new way, showing us with accuracy and care, what the Fathers say from the historical viewpoint; they become our contemporaries who speak to us."
Simonetti's academic publications are numerous. Among his works are: Studi agiografici (1955); Studi sull'arianesimo (1965); Letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina (1969); La crisi ariana nel IV secolo (1975); Cristianesimo antico e cultura greca (1983); Lettera e/o allegoria. Un contributo alla storia dell'esegesi patristica (1985); La sapienza degli antichi Padri (1996); Il millenarismo cristiano e i suoi fondamenti scritturistici (1998), as well as several compilations, like: Studi sulla cristologia del II e III secolo (1993), Ortodossia ed eresia tra I e II secolo (1994) and many critical editions (Rufinus, Gregory of Elvira, Cyprian, Origen, etc.).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 25, 2024
This is the second ACC that I have read all the way through and I enjoy the commentaries immensely. They provide such helpful access to distinct patristic interpretations of Scripture. However, I recognize that these books are probably not intended to be read cover to cover, a fact evident by the somewhat repetitive editorial descriptions and repetitive patristic selections throughout the various chapters on the speeches of Jon’s friends. While the patristic selections are repetitive at times, they are still very interesting and helpful. The Fathers show us the misguided nature of Job’s friends in their counsel to Job, as well as the moral or edifying teachings evident in the general lessons of the friends’ speeches. This attempt to show the editing nature of the speeches is motivated by the patristic interest in showing how all of Scripture is for the benefit of the Christian. The selections did not engage the cosmological language in 38-40 as much as I hoped, but that may be the astronomy nerd in me talking. None of the Fathers had our modern astronomical interests in mind. I also enjoyed the Fathers’ interpretation of “Behemoth” (literal) and “Leviathan” (description of Satan). Good commentary for those interested in patristic exegesis!
March 23, 2022
As I've come to expect from this series, awesome research and design, not very helpful commentary. The first few and last couple chapters are the most interesting. Read in a patient mood.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews