Eusebius of Caesarea's Commentary on Isaiah: Christian Exegesis in the Age of Constantine(Oxford Early Christian Studies)

Eusebius of Caesarea (d. 339), bishop, church historian, and biographer of Constantine, is the major Christian witness to the Constantinian settlement. Despite his importance, his biblical exegesis has not received the attention it deserved. His Commentary on Isaiah, rediscovered in nearly complete form only this century, was written shortly after the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the unification of the empire under Constantine. It is thus an important witness to Eusebius' thinking on the Bible, the church, and the empire at a critical moment in his life and in the history of Christianity. The present book is the first comprehensive assessment of the commentary's methods and ideas. It examines how the new situation influenced Eusebius' reading of Isaiah, especially as revealed in his treatment of Judaism and Jewish exegesis. It also proposes that the commentary's focus on the `godly polity', meaning above all the church and its clergy, is a valuable corrective to interpretations of Eusebius' theology based too exclusively on the Constantinian literature.

Review :
`undeniably an important mongraph...Any scholar in Patristics and Late Antiquity will find something of interest in this engaging book.' Sabrina Inowlocki, Vigiliae Christianae `01/12/05-written analysis of Eusebius's exegesis offers not only an entrée into an important work in the history of Christian interpretation of the OT, but also provides important insights into this bishop's perceptions of the church and world.' C. Thomas McCollough, Religious Studies Review, Vol 27, No 2, April 2001 `Michael Hollerich's new book of Eusebius' Commentary on Isaiah is ... an important contribution for the understanding of Eusebius's exegetical work on its own merits and in the overall context of his work and changing times.' Aryeh Kofsky, Adamantius, Anno VI, 2000. `H. has managed to strengthen our perception of Eusebius as a "transitional figure" and to convincingly place his commentary in the sequence of his literary and conceptual development in light of the political, religious and social changes in the empire. H's work, dealing with a relatively neglected aspect of Eusebius' writing, is thus a veritable contribution towards a better understanding of Eusebius.' Aryeh Kofsky, Adamantius, Anno VI, 2000. `This intelligent book invites interpreters of Eusebius's work to look more closely at his exegetical work.' International Review of Biblical Studies, Vol.45, 98/99. `Hollerich provides a perceptive and reliable guide to a text which is at present totally inaccessible to those who cannot read Greek fluently and extremely difficult to digest even for most of us who can.' T.D. Barnes, Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 51:2, April 2000. `Hollerich has opened up some promising lines of investigation which demand to be pursued further.' Nicholas de Lange, Journal of Jewish Studies