Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J.
— Catholic University of America
“The Church’s Bible, a new commentary series on books of the Bible composed of quotations from patristic and medieval commentators, bears witness to the long, rich tradition of biblical interpretation within the church catholic. Such a series has always been badly needed. It also provides a welcome corrective to current fringe modes of interpretation that are more interested in rhetoric, style, or sociology than in the substance and content of the written Word of God. Recommended heartily to all pastors, preachers, and professors and students of theology.”
— Religious Studies Review
“This series rescues from the shadows the many penetrating insights of ancient Jewish and Christian interpreters. . . . They can continue to instruct us today with their perception into the perennial foibles of the human condition.”
— First Things
“Serious students of the Bible will want to consider subscribing to the entire series, which holds the promise of powerfully enriching and recasting scriptural study in the twenty-first century.”
J. Patout Burns Jr.
— Vanderbilt Divinity School
“Daniel Williams’s expertise and labor have resulted in an extraordinarily useful volume. The Gospel of Matthew was intensively studied and preached in the early church; it provided guidance for the organization of the church, the pursuit of its mission, and Christian living. Its riches were well elaborated and displayed as early teachers adapted and applied Christ’s guidance to the challenges faced in new cultures. This selection of expositions displays a full range of understandings that subsequently narrowed to meet institutional needs.”
The Christian Librarian
"This book achieves its purpose and provides the reader with long excerpts from the Gospel of Matthew, which demonstrate early approaches to biblical interpretation. . . . This book will be a great resource for students interested in the gospels, Patristic exegesis, and theology."
Theology
“This volume (and the other five) can be strongly recommended, not least to those who find difficulty in relating their biblical studies to their theology or their devotion. The editors and the publisher have made some wonderful material available in clear and readable translations.”
Religious Studies Review
“This volume aims to introduce readers to how the Gospel of Matthew was read in the first thousand years of Christianity. It does so by collating substantial quotations from ancient interpreters such as Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, Augustine, Jerome, and John Chrysostom. Williams offers fresh translations of these sources. . . [that] are eminently readable and quotable.”