We were saddened to learn that Thomas C. Oden died yesterday at the age of 85. Many of our users have long enjoyed Oden’s works in their personal Accordance Library. If you are not among them, there’s still time to learn from one who once said he hoped his epitaph would read, “He made no new contribution to theology.” By this, Oden meant that he had no desire for contributing to innovation in theology, but rather hoped to continue introducing new readers to the “Classic Christianity” handed down to us from the Early Church. And he did just that.
Much of the renewed interest in patristic studies in recent years can be attributed to Oden’s own rediscovery of the monumental figures of the first centuries of Christianity. Although we will miss having Oden with us to give us new material with “no new contributions,” we enjoy the thought that he has now gone to be with the Church Fathers who delighted him, and in turn us through his efforts, so much.
If you’re not family with Oden and his story, we commend to you the post “Died: Thomas Oden, Methodist Theologian Who Found Classical Christianity” from Christianity Today.
In honor of Thomas E. Oden’s life and work, we offer the following works in the Accordance Library at discount for a limited time.
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Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Complete 29-Volume Set) The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Updated Edition) does what very few of today’s students of the Bible could do for themselves. With the aid of computer technology, the vast array of writings from the church fathers—including many that are available only in the ancient languages—have been combed for their comment on Scripture. From these results, scholars with a deep knowledge of the fathers and a heart for the church have hand-selected material for each volume, shaping, annotating and introducing it to today’s readers. Each portion of commentary has been chosen for its salient insight, its rhetorical power and its faithful representation of the consensual exegesis of the early church.
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Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity (3 Volumes) The Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity covers eight centuries of the Christian church and comprises 3,220 entries by a team of 266 scholars from 26 countries representing a variety of Christian traditions. It draws upon such fields as archaeology, art and architecture, biography, cultural studies, ecclesiology, geography, history, philosophy, and theology.
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Ancient Christian Devotional (3 Volumes) By helping you to read holy writings with ancient eyes, the Church Fathers offer you a deep drink from the only water that can give true life. These three guides to prayer and reflection combine excerpts from the writings of the church fathers as found in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture with a simple structure for daily or weekly reading and prayer.
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Ancient Christian Doctrine (5 Volumes) This exciting five-volume series follows up on the acclaimed Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture to provide patristic commentary on the Nicene Creed. The series renders primary Greek, Latin, Coptic and Syriac source material from the church fathers in lucid English translation (some here for the first time) and gives readers unparalleled insight into the history and substance of what the early church believed.
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