MONOGRAPH SERIES
Proclus Bishop of Constantinople: Homilies on the Life of Christ
by Jan Harm Barkhuizen
Early Christian Studies 1(Brisbane 2001), paper, xvi + 240pp.
ISBN: 0 9577483 1 0
The homilies of Proclus are a valuable source for the christological issues of the fifth century and formed an important basis for the subsequent formulation of the orthodox faith at Chalcedon in 451, yet they have not received as much attention as the works of Cyril of Alexandria. For the first time in English the twenty-seven homilies of Proclus that deal with the life of Christ are presented.
Theodoret of Cyrus: Commentary on the Song of Songs
by Robert C. Hill
Early Christian Studies 2 (Brisbane 2001), paper, ix + 130pp.
ISBN: 0 9577483 2 9
The author is well known for his translations of other commenataries of Theodoret on biblical books. The explicit sexuality of Song of Songs was a problem for Patristic commentators, particularly those in Antioch, and so Theodoret’s work exposed the Antiochenes to the allegorical approach of Origen of Alexandria.
The Hymn of the Pearl: The Syriac and Greek Texts with Introduction, Translations, and Notes
by Johan Ferreira
Early Christian Studies 3 (Sydney: St Paul’s Publications, 2002), paper, ix + 120pp.
ISBN: 0 9577483 37
This volume on the Hymn of the Pearl, an early Syriac hymn preserved in the Acts of Thomas, contains an illuminating introduction, fresh translations, copious notes and facsimiles of the original Syriac and Greek texts, published here in convenient format for the first time. The study explores the significance of the hymn for understanding Gnosticism and Manichaeism and argues that the hymn is one of the best examples of the basic Gnostic soteriological myth.
The Life of Polycarp: An Anonymous vita from Third-century Smyrna
by Alistair Stewart-Sykes
Early Christian Studies 4 (Sydney: St. Paul’s Publications, 2002), paper, xii + 166 pp.
ISBN: 0 9577483 45
The first critical text of the Life since 1888, this edition also provides a lucid English translation, extensive annotation, and a major introduction that demonstrates the third-century provenance of the work. The book discusses parallels with Philostratus and Eunapius, sets the work in the context of a Christianity troubled by Montanists and Marcionites, and discusses the liturgical life of third-century Smyrna.
Quodvultdeus of Carthage: The Apocalyptic Theology of a Roman African in Exile
by Daniel Van Slyke
Early Christian Studies 5 (Sydney: St. Paul’s Publications, 2003), paper, xiv + 344 pp.
ISBN: 0 9577483 6 1
This study provides a fresh analysis of the ancient evidence and the modern scholarship on Quodvultdeus, the bishop of Carthage who was exiled by the Vandals in AD 439. It highlights his apocalyptic theology, showing how he selectively appropriates the eschatological thought of previous Christian authors such as Jerome and Orosius. Particular attention is paid to Augustine's influence on Quodvultdeus in order to draw out the independence of the latter's thought.
The Life of Maximus the Confessor (Recension 3)
by Bronwen Neil and Pauline Allen
Early Christian Studies 6 (Sydney: St. Paul’s Publications, 2003), paper, x + 210 pp, indices.
ISBN: 0 9577483 5 3
This first edition of the third recension of the Life of Maximus the Confessor with full critical apparatus is accompanied by a lucid English translation. A major introduction to the text records the opposition of the Greek monk Maximus (580-662 CE) to the monothelite controversy, and outlines the surviving sources for the Life of Maximus, its historical background, and the relationship between the three versions of the Greek life. The volume will be of historical and theological interest to scholars and students of Byzantium in the seventh century.
Theodore of Mopsuestia: Commentary on the Gospel of John
by George Kalantzis
Early Christian Studies 7 ( Sydney: St Paul’s Publications, 2004), paper, ix + 165 pp, indices.
ISBN 0 9577483 9 6
The Commentary on the Gospel of John is the only surviving, primarily christological work of Theodore of Mopsuestia to have reached our time. The original Greek fragments of The Commentary on the Gospel of John are an invaluable guide in the discussion of Theodore’s christology, bridging the gap between the hostile florilegia and the Syriac hagiographies that have dominated the field for so long. Written in the early fifth century, this commentary reflects the author’s ongoing attempts to interpret and support the Nicene and Constantinopolitan definitions of faith in a time when theological language was still in flux.
John Chrysostom: Bishop - Reformer - Martyr
by Rudolf Brändle
English translation by John Cawte and Silke Trzcionka with revised notes by Wendy Mayer
Early Christian Studies 8 (Sydney: St Paul’s Publications, 2004), paper, xv + 169 pp.
ISBN 0 9752138 0 6
This short biography of John Chrysostom, a priest of Antioch, who became bishop of Constantinople in 398 CE, is written with the intention of introducing to the non-specialist reader John, his life and his times. The insights into Chrysostom’s theology, the classical Greek traditions upon which John draws and the ongoing effect of the person and his writings, that the author offers from his own research do much to enrich this brief account. The events of John’s life, set in the cultural and social context of the time, are narrated in a vivid style that is easy to read.
A Twofold Solidarity- Leo the Great’s Theology of Redemption
by J. Mark Armitage
Early Christian Studies 9 (Sydney: St. Paul’s Publications, 2005), x + 228 pp
ISBN 0 9752138 22
Based on his letters and sermons, A Twofold Solidarity offers a wide-ranging survey of the theology of fifth-century pope Saint Leo the Great.
The Apostolic Church Order: The Greek Text with Introduction, Translation and Annotation
by Alistair Stewart-Sykes
Early Christian Studies 10 (Sydney: St. Paul’s Publications, 2006), xii + 153 pp
ISBN 0 9752138 49
THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH ORDER is the name most commonly given to a pseudonymous document claiming to be the work of the apostles, found in most canonical collections, which sets out the manner in which a church should be organized. Although this church-order was much studied in the nineteenth century the twentieth century saw it neglected, its light eclipsed by that of the Didache. In this monograph Alistair Stewart-Sykes presents an entirely new Greek text, the first to take full account of ancient Syriac and Latin versions. The text is accompanied by the first translation of the entire document into a modern language and is prefaced by an extensive introduction in which the consensus of a fourth century Egyptian date and provenance is challenged, as the author argues that the work is ante-Nicene and more probably from Syria or a neighbouring region.
Cyprian and the Bishops of Rome: Questions of Papal Primacy in the Early Church
by Geoffrey D Dunn
Early Christian Studies 11 (Sydney: St. Paul’s Publications, 2007), ix + 227 pp
ISBN 978 0 975 2138 5 8
During the ten years that Cyprian was bishop of Carthage (249-258) there were five bishops of Rome (Fabian, Cornelius, Lucius I, Stephen I and Sixtus II). This book investigates the history of Cyprian's interactions with, as well as attitudes towards, each of those Roman bishops. Here it is argued that Cyprian's understanding of these terms and of papal primacy in general is best determined from the wider context of how actually he interacted with the bishops of Rome, as illustrated in his letters. The conclusions reached here is that Cyprian often regarded having the support of the Roman church as being crucial in him being able to manage the affairs of his own church in Carthage and the other churches of North Africa, because Rome was a large, prestigious and influential church. Yet, Cyprian's disagreement with a number of Rome's positions reveals that he did not believe it had a jurisdictional primacy over churches outside its own prouincia.
“I Sowed Fruits into Hearts” (Odes Sol. 17:13). Festschrift for Professor Michael Lattke
edited by Pauline Allen, Majella Franzmann, and Rick Strelan
Early Christian Studies 12 (Sydney: St. Paul’s Publications, 2007), xx + 250 pp
ISBN 978 0 975 2138 6 5
The title of this wide-ranging collection of essays in German and English summarises the scholarly work of Professor Michael Lattke across two hemispheres. Offered to him on the occasion of his retirement from the University of Queensland, this volume reflects the breadth of erudition for which he has acquired his international reputation. The Odes of Solomon, which figure largely in Professor Lattke’s research, are well represented here, and so too is the Gospel of John, which was the subject of his early research. However, the tributes of his colleagues and former students in this book range further — to other New Testament writings, Intertestamental works, Nag Hammadi, Gnostic, and Syriac studies, and the field of Patristics.