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TheLearner

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How to Find Biblical Citations in the Writings of the Church Fathers
FEBRUARY 14, 2011
tags: Patristic Exegesis, Patristics, Psalm 23
by Matthew Crawford
This is going to be a very practical kind of post, rather than something warmly inspirational, though I think it could lead to lots of warmly inspirational moments. What I want to do briefly is point to something that helps us to stand on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before us. Many people have been pointing out in recent years that the writings of the church fathers were saturated with Scripture (see, e.g., Robert Wilken’s The Spirit of Early Christian Thought). They lived and breathed Scripture in a way that is almost foreign to us, because, among other reasons, they had so much of it memorized. For this reason, when they did theology, they often spoke in the words and metaphors of Scripture.
Assuming that this is true, how might one go about finding out how the fathers interpreted a specific biblical passage? You have a few options available to you. You could go through all the indexes of the old Ante-Nicene Fathers and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers sets (all available on http://www.ccel.org/fathers.html). That’s a decent place to start, but it takes a while to go through the several dozen volumes. Furthermore, that set represents but a fraction of early Christian writings, and the indexes often miss biblical allusions and even citations. Another option is to check out the relevant volume in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture published by IVP. That too can be useful, but I have found that the small snippets it gives you are often so devoid of context that they fail to give you a real sense of what each author is doing. Moreover, again, the citations included are often very selective. A third option would be to go through all the indexes of the nineteenth-century publications Patrologia Graeca and Patrologia Latina. This has the advantage of being much more comprehensive than the other avenues, but going through a few hundred volumes is a very tedious undertaking.
The way of going about this that I have found the most helpful is to use the massive amount of data compiled and published in Biblia Patristica. This is a multi-volume work still underway which aims to compile every citation or allusion to Scripture in the writings of Philo and the church fathers. So far 7 volumes have been published covering most writers up through the fourth century, including somewhere around 270,000 biblical references. All of these volumes are now out of print, but do not fear. There is an even easier way to access the raw data. All of the published volumes, as well as another 100,000 references not available in published form, are now available through a fairly simple web interface. The website is called Biblindex, and is a marvelous tool for research (NB: it doesn’t like certain browsers like Google Chrome). Using it requires a simple and free registration, and you’re then presented with a search form in which you enter any biblical verse or verse range, along with various ways of limiting the results based on author, geographic locale, time period, etc. The site then gives you all the references to that verse or passage in nearly all authors up through the end of the fourth century and into the fifth. Tracking down all these references is now enormously easier thanks to sites like http://www.ccel.org, Google books, and Amazon which give you English translations to many of the works you’ll find referenced. I’ll give one example of a search I did recently for my research. If you search for references to Psalm 23, the most famous psalm in the English-speaking world, you find 317 references in patristic writings. Tracking down those references allows you to see the development of an exegetical tradition – which authors are similar to other authors, and which authors present changes to the prior tradition. With research tools like this, it is now possible to understand and appropriate the insights of the church fathers to a degree not previously possible or hardly even conceivable. As we understand then, we can then do the important task of figuring out how to stand on their shoulders.
https://standingonshoulders.wordpre...ations-in-the-writings-of-the-church-fathers/
 

TheLearner

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An example on how I find texts in the Fathers:


Isaiah 43:10

King James Version



10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

google before me there was no god formed newadvent.org
gives me 454,000 references to go to

The first link gives me:

"3. He has declared Him, says John. What has he declared? That no man has seen God at any time? That God is one? But this all the other prophets testify, and Moses continually exclaims, The Lord your God is one Lord Deuteronomy 6:4; and Esaias, Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. Isaiah 43:10 What more then have we learned from the Son which is in the bosom of the Father? What from the Only-Begotten? In the first place, these very words were uttered by His working; in the next place, we have received a teaching that is far clearer, and learned that God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth John 4:24; and again, that it is impossible to see God; that no man knows Him, save the Son Matthew 11:27; that He is the Father of the true and Only-Begotten; and all other things that are told us of Him. But the word has declared shows the plainer and clearer teaching which He gave not to the Jews only but to all the world, and established. "
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/240115.htm

choose any KJV passage or phrase you want to try.
 

TheLearner

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Fathers mixed in on this index https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/002/0020452.htm

St. Augustine: Sermon on the Mount; Harmony of the Gospels; Homilies on the Gospelshttps://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/index.htm

https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/e-catena/

https://patristics.info/topical-index.html

The Didache
...child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten. You shall not covet the things of your neighbour,17 you shall not forswear yourself,18 you shall not bear false witnes...


The Epistle Of Barnabas


...procuring abortion; nor, again, shalt thou destroy it after it is born. Thou shalt not withdraw thy hand from thy son, or from thy daughter, but from their infancy thou s...
 

Lamar

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Remmision (sic) of sin comes from Blood (the cross) not water

You will nto (sic) find remission of sin by having some sinner baptise (sic) you in water. You need to be baptized BY GOD into his death
My origianl source is Josh MacDonald.

Follow the various indexes:
https://st-takla.org/books/en/ecf/111/index.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/comments/pzc50a "
Strategies for Finding Historical Commentary on Scripture
There are three main strategies for finding historical commentary on Scripture: two are targeted, and the third exploratory.
  • Strategy #1: Search by Passage
    • Start with a question like, "What commentaries exist on the parable of the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32)?"
    • Use the tools in the first column on the guide: these include commentary series that attend to reception history (organized by book of the Bible), as well as databases like BiblIndex that organize entries by Scripture passage.
  • Strategy #2: Search by Figure
    • Start with a question like, "What does Martin Luther say about the parable of the prodigal?"
    • Use the tools in the second column; these exist to help index and navigate the figure's (often broad) body of writings.
  • Strategy #3: Go Exploring
    • Start by not knowing where to start.
    • Use the tools in the third column to browse "what's out there." These include research tools like the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, which can be searched by keyword. There are also series that publish sermons, commentaries, and treatises by various figures: follow the links to browse by title!
    • There are also loads of stand-alone books and articles in the library's collection that will help you in this work! See the section at the bottom of this guide for tips and tricks that will help you search the library catalog or Atla for works that engage historical interpretation of the Bible."
    • https://guides.library.duke.edu/historicbiblecommentary
    • https://guides.library.duke.edu/historicbiblecommentary
Okay...but what about the question?
 

DJT_47

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Okay...but what about the question?
Hey Lamar, these guys don't respond to legitimate questions that have simple scriptural answers, and their only response is to quote or point you to so-called experts with some grandiose answers that support their false, distorted, doctrine. I wonder who the deciples of the bible turned to, their experts, to help explain the gospel. The gospel is simple as God intended it to be, simple enough that the simple people in biblical times could explain it and convert other people. These people are foolish and make no sense and are convinced that they are doing God's work but in reality,
are spreading false information and unscriptural doctrine. You can't reason with unreasonable people.

God bless
 

Everlasting-Grace

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Okay...but what about the question?
The question was answered

I received remission of sin WHEN I WAS BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD.

Unless you are placed into union with the death of Christ. Your sins are still condemning you
 

Everlasting-Grace

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Hey Lamar, these guys don't respond to legitimate questions that have simple scriptural answers, and their only response is to quote or point you to so-called experts with some grandiose answers that support their false, distorted, doctrine. I wonder who the deciples of the bible turned to, their experts, to help explain the gospel. The gospel is simple as God intended it to be, simple enough that the simple people in biblical times could explain it and convert other people. These people are foolish and make no sense and are convinced that they are doing God's work but in reality,
are spreading false information and unscriptural doctrine. You can't reason with unreasonable people.

God bless
Yeah, Says the man who sticks to a few pet verses, and refuses to discuss the rest of the bible that proves you in error

I would worry about your own misgivings and fgalse teachings and stop worrying about everyone else.
 

Lamar

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I received remission of sin WHEN I WAS BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD.

Unless you are placed into union with the death of Christ. Your sins are still condemning you
This is a classic example of your rather flawed reasoning.

The Bible clearly states that sins are forgiven at water baptism (Mark 1:4 & Acts 2:38). Your poor attempt to negate this truth by insisting that you were given the remission of sins by means of the metaphysical (BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD) is fallacious.

You are doing nothing more than spewing glittering generalities.

Lamar
 

DJT_47

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This is a classic example of your rather flawed reasoning.

The Bible clearly states that sins are forgiven at water baptism (Mark 1:4 & Acts 2:38). Your poor attempt to negate this truth by insisting that you were given the remission of sins by means of the metaphysical (BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD) is fallacious.

You are doing nothing more than spewing glittering generalities.

Lamar
Yes! How exactly by the scriptures is one " BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD"??? I know of no such process described in the Bible. It's not nonsense.
 

Lamar

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Yes! How exactly by the scriptures is one " BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD"??? I know of no such process described in the Bible. It's not nonsense.
Correct. There is no scriptural basis for such notions as "BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD".

This is an example of abstract or symbolic fueled reasoning. There is no logic behind it, just a desire to defend a preconceived idea.

Lamar
 

DJT_47

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Correct. There is no scriptural basis for such notions as "BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD".

This is an example of abstract or symbolic fueled reasoning. There is no logic behind it, just a desire to defend a preconceived idea.

Lamar
Just a correction to my post which the forum system won't allow me to edit for some reason, it currently says " it's not nonsense" but should be and should have been 'its just nonsense'.
 

Everlasting-Grace

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This is a classic example of your rather flawed reasoning.

The Bible clearly states that sins are forgiven at water baptism (Mark 1:4 & Acts 2:38). Your poor attempt to negate this truth by insisting that you were given the remission of sins by means of the metaphysical (BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD) is fallacious.

You are doing nothing more than spewing glittering generalities.

Lamar
You can say this all you want.

Water will get me wet

Blood will make me water than snow

The bible says God will make me water than snow. Not my pastor.

Your poor attempt to lead people down the path of rejecting God and replace his work with the work of man. Will get you no further than the jew who tried the same in pauls day.
 

Everlasting-Grace

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Correct. There is no scriptural basis for such notions as "BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD".

This is an example of abstract or symbolic fueled reasoning. There is no logic behind it, just a desire to defend a preconceived idea.

Lamar
Let see

Romans 6, 1 Cor 12 Gal 3 and Col 2

Its ok though, the jew was so sure that physical circumcision was required for salvation.t hey could not get it and mocked Paul and others also.

so I understand why it is so hard for you to see
 

Everlasting-Grace

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Just a correction to my post which the forum system won't allow me to edit for some reason, it currently says " it's not nonsense" but should be and should have been 'its just nonsense'.
Its nonsensical that the washing symbol in the OT never had a thing with anyones salvation. yet the symbol in the NT that represents washing is required.

God is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. The means of eternal life and salvation has always been the same, it never has changed. The law never saved anyone. Neither will the so called sacraments of the church (of whch water baptism is one of the sacraments)
 

TheLearner

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This is a classic example of your rather flawed reasoning.

The Bible clearly states that sins are forgiven at water baptism (Mark 1:4 & Acts 2:38). Your poor attempt to negate this truth by insisting that you were given the remission of sins by means of the metaphysical (BAPTIZED BY GOD INTO THE BLOOD) is fallacious.

You are doing nothing more than spewing glittering generalities.

Lamar
Romans 6
J.B. Phillips New Testament
Righteousness by faith, in practice
6 1-11 Now what is our response to be? Shall we sin to our heart’s content and see how far we can exploit the grace of God? What a ghastly thought! We, who have died to sin—how could we live in sin a moment longer? Have you forgotten that all of us who were baptised into Jesus Christ were, by that very action, sharing in his death? We were dead and buried with him in baptism, so that just as he was raised from the dead by that splendid Revelation of the Father’s power so we too might rise to life on a new plane altogether. If we have, as it were, shared his death, let us rise and live our new lives with him! Let us never forget that our old selves died with him on the cross that the tyranny of sin over us might be broken—for a dead man can safely be said to be immune to the power of sin. And if we were dead men with him we can believe that we shall also be men newly alive with him. We can be sure that the risen Christ never dies again—death’s power to touch him is finished. He died, because of sin, once: he lives for God for ever. In the same way look upon yourselves as dead to the appeal and power of sin but alive and sensitive to the call of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 

TheLearner

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You can say this all you want.

Water will get me wet

Blood will make me water than snow

The bible says God will make me water than snow. Not my pastor.

Your poor attempt to lead people down the path of rejecting God and replace his work with the work of man. Will get you no further than the jew who tried the same in pauls day.
How does "Blood will make me water"???

I am assuming you are tired.
 

TheLearner

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Its nonsensical that the washing symbol in the OT never had a thing with anyones salvation. yet the symbol in the NT that represents washing is required.

God is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. The means of eternal life and salvation has always been the same, it never has changed. The law never saved anyone. Neither will the so called sacraments of the church (of whch water baptism is one of the sacraments)
Ezekiel 36:25-27
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.