Golden Chain on the Gospels
This compilation follows the Gospels by gathering extracts from earlier Christian commentators. Its selection and arrangement of voices matter as much as the quotations themselves.
Understanding the text
Aquinas organizes a chain of patristic passages from Latin sources and Greek translations; he did not write each extract as a sentence of his own.
Key points
- 01
Compilation
Different authors speak successively around the same biblical passage.
- 02
Transmission
Translations, excerpts and manuscript choices shape access to earlier sources.
- 03
Reading
Comparing an extract with its original context reveals what the chain retains or leaves aside.
How to read it
Identify the quoted author before attributing an interpretation to Aquinas himself.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗