Andreas of Caesarea
Encyclopedia
Andreas of Caesarea was a Greek
theological writer and bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Krumbacher assigned him to the first half of the sixth century. He is variously placed by other scholars, from the fifth to the ninth century.
(Patrologia Graeca
vol. 106, cols. 215-458 and 1387–94) and is the oldest Greek patristic commentary on that book of the Bible. The very first Greek commentary on Revelation barely predates Andrew's work and is attributed to "Oikoumenios." Oikoumenios
is not a recognized Father of the Church. Therefore, Andrew of Caesarea's work is correctly identified as the earliest Greek Patristic commentary on the Apocalypse. Most subsequent Eastern Christian commentators on Revelation have drawn heavily upon Andrew and his commentary was preserved in nearly 100 complete Greek manuscripts, as well in translation in numerous Armenian and Slavic manuscripts. Andrew's most important contribution was that he preserved many existing Eastern traditions associated with Revelation, both oral and written. His commentary was so influential that it preserved a specific text type for Revelation, known as the Andreas type.
An unpublished study of the work, including an English translation, was made as a thesis by Dr. Eugenia Constantinou in 2008. The English translation of Andrew's commentary has been published by Catholic University of America Press as part of the Fathers of the Church series and will be available in November of 2011.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
theological writer and bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Krumbacher assigned him to the first half of the sixth century. He is variously placed by other scholars, from the fifth to the ninth century.
Works
His principal work is a commentary on the Book of RevelationBook of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
(Patrologia Graeca
Patrologia Graeca
The Patrologia Graeca is an edited collection of writings by the Christian Church Fathers and various secular writers, in the ancient Koine or medieval variants of the Greek language. It consists of 161 volumes produced in 1857–1866 by J. P. Migne's Imprimerie Catholique...
vol. 106, cols. 215-458 and 1387–94) and is the oldest Greek patristic commentary on that book of the Bible. The very first Greek commentary on Revelation barely predates Andrew's work and is attributed to "Oikoumenios." Oikoumenios
Œcumenius
Oecumenius , once believed to be a Bishop of Trikka in Thessaly writing about 990 , was reputed to be the author of several commentaries on books of the New Testament...
is not a recognized Father of the Church. Therefore, Andrew of Caesarea's work is correctly identified as the earliest Greek Patristic commentary on the Apocalypse. Most subsequent Eastern Christian commentators on Revelation have drawn heavily upon Andrew and his commentary was preserved in nearly 100 complete Greek manuscripts, as well in translation in numerous Armenian and Slavic manuscripts. Andrew's most important contribution was that he preserved many existing Eastern traditions associated with Revelation, both oral and written. His commentary was so influential that it preserved a specific text type for Revelation, known as the Andreas type.
An unpublished study of the work, including an English translation, was made as a thesis by Dr. Eugenia Constantinou in 2008. The English translation of Andrew's commentary has been published by Catholic University of America Press as part of the Fathers of the Church series and will be available in November of 2011.
External links
- Eugenia Constantinou, Andrew of Caesarea and the apocalypse in the ancient church of the East: Studies and Translation. PhD thesis, Quebec: Université Laval (2008)