The ''Commentary on the Hexameron'' of Pseudo-Eustathius is an anonymous commentary on the ''Genesis'' creation narrative written in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

between 375 and 500 AD. More than 26 medieval

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced ...

s exist containing it, all of which give

Eustathius of Antioch Eustathius of Antioch, sometimes surnamed the Great, was a Christian bishop and archbishop of Antioch in the 4th century. His feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is February 21. Life He was a native of Side in Pamphylia. About 320 he w ...

as the author. The work contains rather more material than a typical commentary on creation, including historical material down to the time of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

, all excerpted from earlier Christian writers. Consequently, it has been given the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

title ''Liber chronicorum'' ('book of chronicles'). The ''Commentary'' includes extracts from the lost writings of

Alexander Polyhistor Lucius Cornelius Alexander Polyhistor ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Πολυΐστωρ; flourished in the first half of the 1st century BC; also called Alexander of Miletus) was a Greek scholar who was enslaved by the Romans during the Mithrida ...

, and the author appears to have had direct access to copies of Polyhistor. It is also a useful early witness to the ''

Physiologus The ''Physiologus'' () is a didactic Christian text written or compiled in Greek by an unknown author, in Alexandria; its composition has been traditionally dated to the 2nd century AD by readers who saw parallels with writings of Clement of Ale ...

''. That it could not have been written by Eustathius of Antioch, who was deposed in 330, is clear from the material it draws from the ''Homilies on the Hexameron'' of

Basil the Great Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Cae ...

, delivered around 370. In addition, Eusebius of Caesarea is labelled "holy" in the work, despite being an enemy of Eustathius. Although these factors mean that the name passed down in the manuscripts as author cannot be right, no other obvious candidate for authorship is available. A copy of the ''Commentary'' was discovered in Sicily by Cardinal

Gugliemo Sirleto Guglielmo Sirleto (or Sirleti) (1514 – 6 October 1585) was an Italian Cardinal and scholar. He was considered the greatest linguist of his age.Andrew Edward Breen, ''A General and Critical Introduction to the Study of Holy Scripture'', p. 5 ...

in 1583, who intended to publish it

Latino Latini Latino Latini (Latinus Latinius) (Viterbo, ca. 1513 – 21 January 1593) was an Italian scholar and humanist. Latini was a member of the commission for the revision of the ''Corpus Juris canonici''. He is known for his lifelong research into the ...

, ''Epistolae...'', vol. 2, p. 116. but did not do so. The first and only edition was printed in 1629 by

Leo Allatius Leo Allatius (Greek: Λέων Αλλάτιος, ''Leon Allatios'', Λιωνής Αλάτζης, ''Lionis Allatzis''; Italian: ''Leone Allacci, Allacio''; Latin: ''Leo Allatius, Allacius''; c. 1586 – January 19, 1669) was a Greek scholar, theolo ...

, with copious notes and a Latin translation, but also many misprints. The text and translation were reprinted by

Jacques Paul Migne Jacques Paul Migne (; 25 October 1800 – 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the Church Fathers, with the goal of providing a ...

in the ''

Patrologia Graeca The ''Patrologia Graeca'' (or ''Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Graeca'') is an edited collection of writings by the Christian Church Fathers and various secular writers, in the Greek language. It consists of 161 volumes produced in 1857� ...

'', volume 18. No edition has been printed since. No translation exists in any modern language.

References

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Bibliography

*Leo Allatius, ''S. P. N. Eustathii archiepiscopi Antiocheni et martyris in hexahemeron commentarius'', Lugduni (1629) *J.-P. Migne, ''Patrologia Graeca'', vol. 18, cols.707-794. *F. Zoepfl, ''Der Kommentar des Pseudo-Eustathius zum Hexameron'', Munster (1927). 5th-century Christian texts 5th-century books