Table Of ContentTHE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
VOLUME 74
THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Thomas P. Halton
The Catholic University of America
Editorial Director
M. Josephine Brennan, l.H.M. Robert B. Eno, S.S.
Marywood College The Catholic University of America
Elizabeth Clark Daniel J. Sheerin
Duke University University of Notre Dame
Hermigild Dressler, O.F.M. Robert D. Sider
Quincy College Dickinson College
Michael Slusser
The Catholic University of America
David J. McGonagle
Director
The Catholic University of America Press
FORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTORS
Ludwig Schopp, Roy J. Deferrari, Bernard M. Peebles,
Hermigild Dressler, O.F.M.
Cindy Kahn
Staff Editor
SAINT JOHN
CHRYSOSTOM
HOMILIES ON GENESIS
17
I -
Translated by
ROBERT C. HILL
Catholic College of Education
Sydney
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
Washington, D.C.
NIHIL OBSTAT:
REV. MICHAEL SLUSSER
Censor Deputatus
IMPRIMATUR:
REV. MSGR. RAYMOND BOLAND
Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Washington
The Nihil obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book or
pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained
therein that those who have granted the Nihil obstat and Imprimatur
agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
Copyright © 1986
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSny OF AMERICA PRESS
All rights reserved
First short-run reprint 1999
Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 85-27988
ISBN 0-8132-0972-2
CONTENTS
Select Bibliography Vll
Abbreviations IX
Introduction
Chrysostom's Exegetical Works 2
The Homilist and His Congregation in Antioch 8
The Structure of the Homilies 9
Chrysostom and Scripture 13
Homily I 20
Homily 2 29
Homily 3 39
Homily 4 SI
Homily 5 66
Homily 6 77
Homily 7 9
1
Homily 8 lOS
Homily 9 117
Homily 10 127
Homily II 143
Homily 12 IS6
Homily 13 169
Homily 14
180
Homily IS 194
Homily 16 207
Homily 17 222
v
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Texts and Translations:
Chrysostom's Genesis homilies are found in vols. 53 and 54 of Pa
trologia Graeca of J. P. Migne (Paris, 1857-66, recently reproduced
by Brepols of Turnout 1978), being a reprint of an edition of the
1718-38 Paris publication of Chrysostom's works by B. De Mont
faucon. There are no modern critical editions of the Genesis homi
lies, nor any previous translations into English. For the conspectus of
manuscripts of Homilies on Genesis see the ongoing Codices Chry
sostomici Graeci, 53, 21-54, 580 and W. A. Markowicz, The Text Tradi
tion of St. John Chrysostom's Homilies on Genesis and MSS. Michiganensis
139, 78 and Holkhamicus 61 (University of Michigan, 1953) DA Pub.
No. 4624.
Patrologies:
Altaner, B. Stuiber, A. Patrologie (Freiburg 19787).
Cayre, F. Patrologie et Histoire de la Theologie 1 (Paris 1953).
Geerard, M. (ed.) CPG II (Turnhout, 1978).
Quasten,J. Patrology III (Westminster, Md., 1960) 434.
--. Patrologia II (Marietti 1973) 437 (for updated bibliography).
Von Campen hausen, H. The Greek Fathers, English Translation (Lon-
don 1963).
Patristic Studies:
Bardy, G. "Interpretation chez les peres," Dict. Bibl., SupPl.4 (Paris
1949) 569-91.
Carroll, T. K. (ed.) Preaching the Word, Message of the Fathers of the
Church 11 (Wilmington 1984).
Hanson, R. P. C. Allegory and Event: A Study of the Sources and Signifi
cance of Origen's Interpretation of Scripture (London, 1959).
Hay, C. "Antiochene exegesis and Christology," Australian Biblical Re-
view 12 (1964) 10-23.
Kelly,J. N. D. Early Christian Doctrines (New York 19785).
Smalley, B. The Study of the Bible in the Middle Ages (Oxford 1962).
Vaccari, A. "La theoria nella scuola esegetica di Antiochia," Bibl 1
(1920) 3-36.
Vll
ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
Vlll
Chrysostom Studies:
Asensio, F. "EI Cris6stomo y su visi6n de la escritura en la exposici6n
homiletica del Genesis," EB 32 (1973) 223-55, 329-56.
Baur, C. John Chrysostom and His Time, English translation (2 vols.,
London-Glasgow and Westminster, MD. 1959, 1960).
Chase, F. H. Chrysostom. A Study in the History of Biblical Interpretation
(Cambridge 1887).
Fabbi, F. "La 'condiscendenza' divina nell' ispirazione biblica secondo
S. Giovanni Crisostomo," Bibl. 14 (1933) 330-47.
Flanagan, M. H. StJohn Chrysostom's Doctrine of Condescension and Ac
curacy in the Scriptures (Napier 1948).
Haidacher, S. Die Lehre des heiligen Johannes Chrysostomus uber die
Schriftinspiration (Salzburg 1897).
Hill, R., "Stjohn Chrysostom's teaching on inspiration in 'Six Homi
lies on Isaiah'," VigC 22 (1968) 19-37.
--- "St. John Chrysostom and the Incarnation of the Word in
Scripture," Compass Theology Review 14 (1980) 34-38.
---St. John Chrysostom's Teaching on Inspiration in his Old Testament
Homilies (Sydney 1981).
---"On looking again at sunkatabasis," Prudentia 13 (1981) 3-11.
---"Akribeia: a principle of Chrysostom's exegesis," Colloquium 14
(Oct. 1981) 32-36.
--- "On giving up the horses for Lent," CleR 68 (March 1983)
105-106.
--"Christmas in the Book of Genesis," CleR 68 (1983) 445-447.
--- "Chrysostom's terminology for the inspired Word," EB 41
(1983) 367-373.
Markowicz, W. A. "Chrysostom's sermons on Genesis: a problem," JTS
24 (1963) 652- 64.
Ryan, P. J. "Chrysostom-a derived stylist?", VigC 36 (1982) 5-14.
Vandenberghe, B. H. Saint Jean Chrysostome et la Parole de Dieu (Paris
1961 ).
Wallace-Hadrill, D. S. Christian Antioch. A Study of Early Christian
Thought in the East (Cambridge University Press, 1982).
Bible: Septuaginta ed. A. Rahlfs (2 vols., Stuttgart 1935)'
Biblia Hebraica 3rd ed. R. Kittel et al (Stuttgart 1937).
The Greek New Testament 3rd ed. K. Aland et al. (New York 1975).
Speiser, E. A. Genesis, Anchor Bible 1 (Garden City 1964).
Von Rad, G. Genesis, Alte Testament Deutsch 2-4, 9th ed., English
translation (London 1972).
ABBREVIATIONS
AAS Acta Apostolicae Sedis (Rome, 1909ff.)
. Bibl Biblica (Roma)
CCG Corpus Christianorum, Series Graeca
(Turnhout, 1974)
CleR Clergy Review
CPG M. Geerard, Clavis Patrum Graecorum, vo!' II
(Turnhout, 1974)
Diet. Bib!., Supp!. Dictionnaire de la Bible, Supplement ed. L. Pirot
(1928ff.)
EB Estudios Biblicos
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
ODCC2 Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church ed. F. L. Cross
PG Migne, J. P., ed. Patrologiae cursus completus: Series graeca
161 vols. (Paris 1857-1866)
SC Sources Chretiennes, ed. H. de Lubac etJ. Danielou,
(Paris, 1942-)
SP Studia Patristica. International Conference on Patristic
Studies at Oxford (TU) (Berlin)
TRE Theologische Realenzyklopiidie
VigC Vigiliae Christianae (Amsterdam)
IX
INTRODUCTION
HIS IS THE FIRST of several volumes containing the se
ries of 67 homilies composed by St John Chrysostom
on the entire book of Genesis. Before the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries, when those editions of the homilies
appeared on which our present text rests, the Genesis series
had been thought to contain only 61 homilies, but fortunately
the missing ones have been recovered.' This first volume, for
reasons of length, contains the first seventeen homilies, bring
ing Chrysostom's commentary up to Gn chapter 3 verse 19,
a significant enough moment but so early in his text as to
suggest that, as often happens with preachers, he will have
to increase his pace to treat of the whole book, which is his
intention. Later volumes will complete the remaining three
quarters of the series of homilies.
(2) In addition to this series of 67 homilies, there is extant
another small series of 9 sermons on Genesis by Chrysostom.
The first 8 of these comment likewise (though more gener
ally) on the early chapters of Gn, and in places the resem
blance is verbatim. The ninth seems somewhat different,
but because of its patriarchal material has been placed with
this short series. These sermons are not translated in the
present work.
I. B. De Montfaucon, whose text and introduction J. P. Migne reproduces
in his 1858-60 Paris edition, debates the testimony of Photius, ninth century
scholar and successor of Chrysostom in the see of Constantinople, to the
number 61; the internal evidence of the present Homily 33, which acknowl
edges that an intermission had occurred after Holy Week till Pentecost, sug
gests that Photius has lost five homilies when he claims that only 27 were de
livered during Lent.
