# InterVarsity Press's Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture



## NB3K (Jul 20, 2011)

I just joined this book club from Intervarsity Press. I will be collecting the whole set of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture one volume a month.

Does anyone have this set? and if so is it edifying and helpful with sermon preparations?


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## NB3K (Jul 20, 2011)

so no one has seen these commentaries?


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## py3ak (Jul 20, 2011)

I don't have them, but I have seen them. Many years ago a pastor I knew was collecting them. It's a textually based synopsis, so it may not be as informative about the views of a given theologian, given that you are seeing selections rather than connected works. But no doubt it will cause you to consider patterns of interpretation that you wouldn't ordinarily come across.


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## NB3K (Jul 20, 2011)

py3ak said:


> I don't have them, but I have seen them. Many years ago a pastor I knew was collecting them. It's a textually based synopsis, so it may not be as informative about the views of a given theologian, given that you are seeing selections rather than connected works. But no doubt it will cause you to consider patterns of interpretation that you wouldn't ordinarily come across.



Thanks. As for commentaries now I have Calvin's, Matthew Henry's, John MacArthurs full set N.T., John Gills, RC Sprouls 4 New Testment. I have nothing of the early churuch but Phillip Schaffs history of the Christian Church. 

I am wondering if it is worth the $$$. THey are sending me my first vol. Romans for 9.99 which is supposed to be a great discount from 50.00 bucks. THen every month I will receive a new vol. for 24.50 plus S&H. I just wanted to know if this set is worth the $$$


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## Marrow Man (Jul 20, 2011)

I own the volume on Psalms 1-50.


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## py3ak (Jul 20, 2011)

That probably depends on whether you will get use out of them worth $24.50. I wouldn't get them like that: you can access a 38-volume set of patristic writings online at CCEL, and you can read Ambrose, Augustine, and Chrysostom there: it includes much of Augustine's work that is explanatory of Scripture, and that is mostly what you find in Chrysostom: and of course you can get Jerome there as well. And you can buy Theodoret's volumes from Amazon. But if what you are looking for is to read collections of patristic statements on various portions of Scripture, then this is the set for you.


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## NB3K (Jul 20, 2011)

py3ak said:


> That probably depends on whether you will get use out of them worth $24.50. I wouldn't get them like that: you can access a 38-volume set of patristic writings online at CCEL, and you can read Ambrose, Augustine, and Chrysostom there: it includes much of Augustine's work that is explanatory of Scripture, and that is mostly what you find in Chrysostom: and of course you can get Jerome there as well. And you can buy Theodoret's volumes from Amazon. But if what you are looking for is to read collections of patristic statements on various portions of Scripture, then this is the set for you.



I have all of Augustines writing except his sermons. I think my favorite of Augustine is his anti-pelagian writings.


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## py3ak (Jul 20, 2011)

I've had only limited exposure to Augustine's sermons, but have found some profit in them. Next up for me in reading him will be the writings on Genesis, but the one directed against Faustus will be my first exposure to a specifically polemical work (unless you count _The City of God_).


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## NB3K (Jul 20, 2011)

Augustine's Enchiridion On Faith, Hope, and Love I think has been the most edifying besides his anti-pelagian wirtings


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## py3ak (Jul 20, 2011)

I enjoyed that one, but not, I think, as much as _On Christian Teaching_.


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## NB3K (Jul 20, 2011)

py3ak said:


> I enjoyed that one, but not, I think, as much as _On Christian Teaching_.




I'll have to read that one this weekend while I am confined to a car for 4 days.

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py3ak said:


> I enjoyed that one, but not, I think, as much as _On Christian Teaching_.



I have On Christian Doctrine by Saint Augustine is this the same I think it is.

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py3ak said:


> I enjoyed that one, but not, I think, as much as _On Christian Teaching_.



Augustine's treatise on grace & free-will was it for me. Once I read that I was sealed in the doctrine of Grace. Most people do not understand that Calvin was an Augustinian, and they bash what should be called Augustinianism Calvinism. I think it is jus t that the unregenerated man hates the idea of Grace.


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## yeutter (Jul 21, 2011)

> Augustine's treatise on grace & free-will was it for me. Once I read that I was sealed in the doctrine of Grace. Most people do not understand that Calvin was an Augustinian, and they bash what should be called Augustinianism Calvinism. I think it is just that the unregenerated man hates the idea of Grace.



Actually both Luther and Calvin were Augustinian. Their respective doctrines should be called Lutheran Augustinianism and Calvinist Augustinianism


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## py3ak (Jul 21, 2011)

NB3K said:


> py3ak said:
> 
> 
> > I enjoyed that one, but not, I think, as much as _On Christian Teaching_.
> ...



Yes, it's the same one. It's nice to hear about someone who went straight to Augustine - I think a lot of us only get to him after a long while.


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## Reformed Thomist (Jul 21, 2011)

The Reformation, at least in terms of soteriology, was definitely a 'back to Augustine' movement.


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## NB3K (Jul 21, 2011)

> Yes, it's the same one. It's nice to hear about someone who went straight to Augustine - I think a lot of us only get to him after a long while.




Well I was listening to the Institutes of the Christian Religion on my mp3 player and Calvin always kept quoting Augustine almost like every other paragraph. So I did some searching on my kindle and found Augustine's Treatise on Grace and Free-will. I read that short book in like 3 hours in one sitting and I was completely blown away. Augustine sounded like the Apostle Paul and John Calvin and Martin Luther. I knew the same Spirit was teaching through them.

Then a friend found out that I was diggin Augustine and he kept on trying to tell me that Augustine was a heretic and that he taught heresy (like praying for the dead, baptismal regeneration & ect..) But I resisted the brother and told him that Augustine taught the biblical doctrine of Grace and that he must of had the Spirit of Grace upon him because those things are foolishness to unregenerate man.

My end argument was that even though Augustine has some shoddy doctrine, in his works you can find the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Doctrine of Grace unlike many of his age. And I compared Augustine to the modernist of our day (Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, and the rest) and said to him, "you can't find in Osteens works what you can find in Augustine's and that is the Gospel!)

He did not like that answer but oh well.


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## CharlieJ (Jul 21, 2011)

The ACC series, which I've used from time to time, seems mostly a work of quotations. You may be able to draw out some really good nuggets; you may even be led to some very useful material. On the whole, though, I'm not sure it's really that useful for understanding Scripture or the Fathers better. The format means that all the statements lack context, and I think most people, unless they are already familiar with the Fathers, will end up reading into the quotes what they think they should mean, rather than what they do. 

Since I'm a historian, I look at them from time to time, but I don't think they're a must-buy for a pastor or someone preparing sermons.


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## NB3K (Jul 21, 2011)

CharlieJ said:


> The ACC series, which I've used from time to time, seems mostly a work of quotations. You may be able to draw out some really good nuggets; you may even be led to some very useful material. On the whole, though, I'm not sure it's really that useful for understanding Scripture or the Fathers better. The format means that all the statements lack context, and I think most people, unless they are already familiar with the Fathers, will end up reading into the quotes what they think they should mean, rather than what they do.
> 
> Since I'm a historian, I look at them from time to time, but I don't think they're a must-buy for a pastor or someone preparing sermons.



Well thank you sir. While I am collecting this commentary set I am also building my Kindle Library , and since I have Augustine I think I will start buying Chrysostom. I hear he is like the Augustine of the greek church???? Is this true???? I know he was a free-willer.


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## py3ak (Jul 21, 2011)

Chrysostom says many good things and is sometimes brilliant: he's also useful for seeing how a native Greek-speaker took Paul's Greek. But at the same time there is much that is disappointing in his work.

Here is one of the good things he said, on Romans:


> For indeed we are not so much in love with money, as is He with our salvation. Wherefore it was not money, but His own Blood that He gave as bail for us. And for this cause He would not have the heart to give them up, for whom He had laid down so great a price. See too how he shows that His power also is unspeakable. For he says, “to this end He both died and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living.” And above he said, “for whether we live or die, we are His.” See what a wide extended Mastery! see what unconquerable might! see what exact providence over us!


For some instant disappointment, check his remarks on 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17. There are a few good phrases in that section, but also some depressing mistakes.


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## baron (Jul 22, 2011)

Does anyone have this set? and if so is it edifying and helpful with sermon preparations? 

I collected 8 of them and droped out. Did not find them that helpful. I was buying them for my own edification and was not using them for sermon prep. I put mine away in a box some where. But again that's me. I figured I could spend my money in a better way.


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## NB3K (Aug 4, 2011)

baron said:


> I put mine away in a box some where



Well I got my first one when I returned home Sunday, and I actually love it. I understand that it is not a "real commentary" but just snippits of different ECF expostions on Scriptural text. Like one should see the garbage Pelagius spews out. 

But anyhow if you don't want them message me with a price.


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## JM (Aug 4, 2011)

I would love to collect them myself but I just don't have room. As soon as the technology advances on the e-readers I'll be going that route.


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## NB3K (Aug 4, 2011)

JM said:


> I would love to collect them myself but I just don't have room. As soon as the technology advances on the e-readers I'll be going that route.



I just recieved 2 new books today they're both from John Calvin.

Sermons on the Beatitudes
Sermons on Genesis Chapters 1--11

As for the rest of my collection of Calvin I have the following works

Institutes Both the Hendricksons reprint of Beveridges translation and the WJK 2 Vol. Battles, along with one other english translation on my Kindle
All his commentaries (Baker Books)
Truth for all Time
Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life
The Secret Providence of God
Sermons on Ephesians
Sermons on Job
Sermons on Galatians (Kindle Edition w/6 sermons only)
Treatise on the Eternal Predestination of God

I think there is no excuse for every one of us not to dig deep into Calvin. Within Calvin's work we have 3 Calvin's

In his Institutes Calvin has a big gun shooting down all false opinions relating to God and His Son and His Son's Work and ect... In Calvin's commentaries we have Calvin the Scholar who is second to whom? But in his Sermons we have Calvin the compassionate father that takes tender care of his flock.

I have read a great deal of the Institutes and I use his commentaries for reference, but Calvin's sermons have been my devotional's they are filled with the Spirit of Grace. Anyone can understand his sermon's.


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## NB3K (Aug 7, 2011)

py3ak said:


> Chrysostom says many good things and is sometimes brilliant: he's also useful for seeing how a native Greek-speaker took Paul's Greek. But at the same time there is much that is disappointing in his work.
> 
> Here is one of the good things he said, on Romans:
> 
> ...



I see what you mean about Chrysostom here is a qoute from the ACCS Page 252 of Romans 9:14-21

*The Same Lump.*

CHRYSOSTOM: God does nothing at random or by mere chance, even if you do not understand the secrets of his wisdom. You allow the potter to make different things from the same lump of clay and find no fault with him, but you do not grant the same freedom to God!.... How monstrous this is. It is not on the potter that the honor or dishonor of the vessel depends but rather on those who make use of it. It is the same way with people--it all depends on their own free choice. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 16.46


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