Skip to content

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Zacharias Chrysopolitanus

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

A famous exegete of the Premonstratensian Order ; born at Chrysopolis ( Besançon ); died about 1155. He was first headmaster of the Cathedral School at Besançon ; then joined the order of the Premonstratensians at the Abbey of Saint Martin in Laon, where he gave himself up to literary pursuits. He published a Gospel-Harmony with a grammatical and etymological explanation of the Greek, Hebrew, and some Latin words found in the text, under the title "Unum ex Quattuor, sive De Concordia Evangelistarum" (cf. P.L., XLCCCVI, 11-20). The work is introduced by three prefaces, the fist of which shows the relation of the Gospel to the Jewish Law, to philosophy, and to the symbols of the Evangelists ; the second describes the Evangelists and their view of the mission of Christ; the third enumerates the authorities which he uses. The Gospel-Harmony is divided into one hundred and eighty-one chapters. As to the original Harmony, Zacharias attributes it to Ammonius of Alexandria. For his main sources he relies on the Latin Fathers for the most part. Among the teachers of the Middle Ages, he employs mostly Aleuin and Remigius of Auxerre . From the commentaries on the sacraments the work is shown to be the product of the early days of Scholasticism. In his explanations he tries to give as literal a sense as possible to the Biblical text. He differs in one notable exception from Ammonius, where he assumes that Christ made another journey to Samaria after His triumphant journey into Jerusalem. Zacharias's work is to be commended for his taste in selecting passages from the Fathers, and his endeavours to keep to the literal sense of the Scriptures. His work compares very favourably with the "Catena Aurea" of Saint Thomas.

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Prayer of the Day logo
Saint of the Day logo

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.