Critical Edition of Procopius’ of Gaza Commentaries to Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus From the So-Called Catena of the Octateuch

The work of the rhetorican and theologian Procopius of Gaza (approx. 465/475-528/530 AD) belongs to the late antiquity period in which the doctrine of the Christian church seemed to have solidified both in terms of dogma and exegesis. Catenas, or guides to interpreting individual books of the Bible, were put together, which sought to illuminate the meaning verse by verse using excerpts and paraphrases from works by church leaders. The commentaries by Procopius of Gaza from the Eclogarum epitome, are, in various forms, also such exegetical guides. The Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus commentary from this is to be edited and published in a critical edition for the “The Greek Christian Writers” series, while the Genesis commentary will also be translated (planned for the “Fontes Christiani” series). The works, which were never edited in their entirety in Greek, are an exceptional source because the original works of some of the cited authors (such as Origen) were lost due to dogmatic conflicts or random events in the tradition history, such that excerpts represent the only reconstruction option.