Latin Commentaries on John

Subsection

Bibliographies of Commentaries on the Books of the Bible

Order of Contents

Early Church 4
Medieval Church 5
Reformed 3
Lutheran 3
Romanist 6
1700’s 3
1800’s 1
Special Studies 1
Authenticity of John 4

Early Church

Ammonius – Exposition on the Gospel of St. John in PG, vol. 85.1391-1524

Ammonius of Alexandria (fl. 200’s) was a Christian philosopher. He is not to be confused with Ammonius Saccas, the Neoplatonist philosopher, also from Alexandria.

Nonnus – A Paraphrase of the Holy Gospel According to John in ed. Migne, Patrologia Graeca, vol. 43, pp. 749-942. The reformed theologian Daniel Heinsius wrote exercitations on this work of Nonnus (below).

Nonnus of Panoplis was a Greek epic poet of Hellenized Egypt in the Imperial Roman era. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Thebaid and probably lived at the end of the 4th or in the 5th century AD.

Augustine – 124 Tracts on John in ed. Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 35, pp. 1379-1975

Augustine (354-430) was an important early Church father and theologian. He has much more on the Gospels generally; see Whole NT Commentaries in Latin.

“St. Augustine, according to Calmet, is particularly distinguished by his excellent work on St. John, for it may be said that as St. John excels the other Evangelists in his sublime knowledge of Mysteries, so St. Augustine excels all those who have explained this last of the Evangelists.” – James Darling

Heretic

Gnostic

Heracleo – Fragments of a Commentary of Heracleo on the Gospel of St. John out of a tome of Origen written on the Gospel in an Appendix to Irenaeus’ Against Heresies in ed. Migne, Patrologia Graeca, 7.1293-1322 This is not included in the English edition of ed. Schaff, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1

This piece is important for how early it is. Irenaeus lived from c. 130 – c. 202 AD. Origen lived from c. 184 – c. 253.

Medieval Church

Alcuin – Commentary on the Gospel of St. John in ed. Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 100, cols. 733-1006

Alcuin of York (c. 735–804) was an English scholar, clergyman, poet and teacher from York, Northumbria.

Unknown – Old Scholia on John out of the Vatican Library in Short Greek Writings of an Unknown Age in PG 106.1217-1290 Migne’s volume is on the 900’s.

Rupert – Commentaries on the Gospel of St. John in PL 169.201-826

Rupert of Deutz (c. 1075/1080 – c. 1129) was an influential Benedictine theologian, exegete and writer on liturgical and musical topics.

Bonaventura – An Exposition on the Gospel of St. John by Distinct Postils & Collations in Opera, vol. 6, part 2 (Venice, Italy, 1755), pp. 11-391

Bonaventura (1221-1274) was an Italian, medieval Franciscan, scholastic theologian and philosopher.

Duns Scotus, John

in PL 122, cols. 283-296 & 297-348

Homilies on the Prologue of the Holy Gospel According to John

Commentary on the Holy Gospel According to John

Scotus (c. 1266–1308) was a Scottish Catholic priest and Franciscan friar, university professor, philosopher, and theologian. He is one of the three most important philosopher-theologians of Western Europe in the High Middle Ages, together with Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham.

Reformed

1500’s

Alesius, Alexander – Commentary on the Gospel of John, from having been Lectured in the Celebrated Academy of Leipzig (Leipzig, 1552)

Alesius (1500-1565) was a Scottish theologian who immigrated to Germany and became a Lutheran supporter of the Augsburg Confession.

1600’s

Pelargus, Christoph – A Commentary on the Most Holy Gospel History of the Apostle & Evangelist, St. John per Questions & Responses out of the Old, great orthodox divines (Frankfurt, 1615)

Pelargus (1565-1633) was a professor of logic and theology at Frankfurt, Germany.

Wikipedia: “When Johann Georg’s grandson Johann Sigismund , who had become Elector in 1608, converted to the Reformed Confession at the end of 1613 and promoted his new denomination by appointing reformed court preachers, Pelargus countered this with only slight resistance. He was then accused by Lutheran theologians, especially from Kursachsen, Pomerania and Mecklenburg of betrayal of Lutheranism. Pelargus, who in 1591 had taken over the mediating position of Philip Melanchthon in the confessional dispute, confessed his defense to the peaceful coexistence of the Lutheran and Reformed denominations. A revision of his theological compendium in 1616 clearly showed how he had entered the Reformed camp.

Since 1614 Pelargus lived again in Frankfurt on the Oder, where he worked in addition to the General Superintendent Office as a senior pastor and theology professor at the reformed state university since 1616. A total of six times (1590, 1598, 1608, 1616, 1624 and 1633) he served as rector of the university.”

Heinsius, Daniel – Holy Aristarchus, or Exercitations on the Paraphrase of John of Nonnus in ed. Migne, Patrologia Graeca, vol. 43, pp. 941-1227 This work is different from and not included in Heinsius’ Sacred Exercitations on the New Testament.

Heinsius (1580-1655) was one of the most famous scholars of the Dutch Renaissance. On Nonnus, see above under the Early Church section.

Lutheran

1500’s

Cassiodoro – The Gospel of John, that is, the Right & Old Defense of the Eternal Divinity of Christ… Against the Impiety of the Jews, the Cerenthi, Ebionites, Arians, Mohammedans and lastly those of the School, both the Old and the New, out of the Syriac New Testament, Newly Given by Learned Men in Latin… with Annotations in the Same in Select Places (Bassei [Bassano del Grappa, Italy?], 1572) with a commentary on Mt. 4 appended at the end

Cassiodoro (c. 1520–1594) was a Spanish theologian who (perhaps with several others) translated the Bible into Spanish.

1600’s

Tarnow, Paul – Commentary on the Gospel of John (Rostock, 1629)

Tarnow (1562-1633) was a professor of theology at Rostock, Germany.

Leyser, I, Wilhelm – An Exegetical Disputation on John, ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 (Wittenburg, 1644-1646)

Leyser, I (1592-1649) was a professor of theology at Wittenburg, Germany.

Romanist

1500’s

Bovillus, Carolus – Firstly a Commentary on the Gospel of the Divine John, a Life of Remund the Hermit, Some Philosophical Letters (1511)

Bovillus (c.1475-1567) was a French mathematician and philosopher, and canon of Noyon. His Géométrie en françoys (1511) was the first scientific work to be printed in French. Bovelles authored a number of philological, theological and mystical treatises, and has been reckoned to be “perhaps the most remarkable French thinker of the 16th century.”

de Soto, Domingo – Annotations on the Commentaries of John Feri of Moguntinens on the Gospel of John, by the Dominican Brother… (1554)

Domingo (1494-1560) was a Dominican priest and Scholastic theologian born in Segovia, Spain, and died in Salamanca at the age of 66. He is best known as one of the founders of international law and of the Spanish Thomistic philosophical and theological movement known as the School of Salamanca.

de Palacio, Miguel – Enarrations on the Most Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John, according to the literal, historical and mystical sense… two vols. in one (Salamanca, Spain, 1581)

de Palacio (c.1525-1593) was a professor of physics and theology at Salamanca.

1600’s

de Toledo, Francisco – Commentary on the Most Holy Gospel of John (Leiden, 1599/1615)

de Toledo (1532-1596) was a Spanish Jesuit priest and theologian, Biblical exegete and professor at the Roman College. He was the first Jesuit to have been made a cardinal (in 1593).

Pererius, Benedictus – Tomes of Select Disputations in Sacred Scripture, vol 4 (Jn 1-8), 5 (Jn 9-14) (Leiden, 1608 / 1610)

Pererius (1536-1610) was a Spanish Jesuit philosopher, theologian, and exegete. “Much commended by Simon and Dupin.” – James Darling

Corder, Balthasar – A Chain of Greek Fathers on St. John out of the oldest Greek Codice Manuscripts (Antwerp, 1630)

1700’s

Lampe, Friedrich Adolph

An Analytical & Exegetical Commentary, even Literal of the Real Gospel According to John, vols., 1, 2, 3 (Amsterdam, 1724)

Lampe (1683–1729) was a German Pietist pastor, theologian and professor of dogmatics. He was a Cocceian, and follower of Johannes d’Outrein. He is known as the first Pietist leader from a Calvinist rather than Lutheran background.

“Lampe is one of the chief expositors of St. John’s Gospel. His commentary is full of extensive and varied erudition. The words and phrases of the Evangelist are accurately analyzed, and the order, scope, and design very closely investigated.” – James Darling

“The most extensive commentary on this Gospel ever published; and one not excelled.” – Howard Malcom

A System of Philological-Theological Dissertations, even them which pertain to illustrating further the Gospel of John (Amsterdam, 1737)

“These elaborate dissertations form a necessary accompaniment to the author’s commentary.” – James Darling

Semler, Johann Salamo – A Paraphrase on the Gospel of John, with Notes, vol. 1, 2 (Halle, 1771)

Semler (1725-1791) was a German church historian, biblical commentator, and critic of ecclesiastical documents and of the history of dogmas. Sometimes known as “the father of German rationalism”.

Morus, Samuel Friedrich Nathanael – Recitations in the Gospel of John (Leipzig, 1821)

Morus (1736-1792) was a Lutheran professor of philosophy, Latin, Greek and theology at Leipzig, Germany.

1800’s

Tittmann, Charles Christian – Sacred Essays, or an Exegetical, Critical, Dogmatic Commentary on the Gospel of John (Leipzig, 1816) This has been translated into English in two volumes in The Biblical Cabinet, vols. 44 & 45, though they do not appear to be on the net.

Tittmann was a pastor in Dresden and a doctor of theology. “An accurate and profound scriptural commentary.” – James Darling

** “Horne, in speaking of this work in the German, without endorsing all Tittmann’s opinions, declares it to be the most valuable commentary on John extant in so small a form. Our judgment is less commendatory.” – Spurgeon

Special Studies

Stronck, Karl Wilhelm – A Hermeneutical Specimen on the Doctrine and Diction of the Apostle John… (Utrecht, 1797)

This is by the same person that defended the authenticity of John below.

The Authenticity of John

On the Whole Gospel of John

Stein, Karl Wilhelm – The Authenticity of the Gospel of John contra the doubts of S.V. Bretschneider, Vindicated: A Historical-Critical Libel Exhibited (Brandenburg, 1822)

“A satisfactory vindication of the genuineness of the writings of St. John, against the objections of Bretschneider.” – Thomas Hartwell Horne

Usterio, Leonardo – A Critical Commentary in which the Gospel of John is Displayed to be Genuine by Comparing the Narratives of the Four Gospels on the Last Supper and the Passion of Jesus Christ (Zurich, 1823) 155 pp.

Weber, Michael – The Authenticity of the Last Chapter of the Gospel of John, and Hence of the Whole Gospel and the First Epistle of John, Vindicated by the Use of Internal Arguments (Halle, Germany, 1823) 165 pp.

Weber was a Doctor of philosophy and Scripture, and a professor at the University of Wittenburg, Germany.

On the Last Chapter of John

Reddingius, Jodocus Henricus – A Disputation on the Authenticity of the Last Chapter of the Gospel of John (Groningen, 1833)