Andreas of Caesarea


Andreas of Caesarea was a Greek theological writer and bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Karl Krumbacher assigned him to the first half of the sixth century. He is variously placed by other scholars, from the fifth to the ninth century. However, today it is unquestionable that his life spanned the late sixth/early seventh centuries.

Works

His principal work is a commentary on the Book of Revelation and is the oldest Greek patristic commentary on that book of the Bible. The very first Greek commentary on Revelation barely predates Andrew's work and is attributed to "Oikoumenios." Oikoumenios is not a recognized Father of the Church. Therefore, Andrew of Caesarea's work is correctly identified as the earliest Greek Patristic commentary on the Apocalypse. Most subsequent Eastern Christian commentators of the Book of Revelation have drawn heavily upon Andrew and his commentary, which was preserved in nearly 100 complete Greek manuscripts, as well in translation in Armenian, Georgian, and Slavonic manuscripts. Andrew's most important contribution was that he preserved many existing Eastern traditions associated with Revelation, both oral and written. His commentary was so influential that it preserved a specific text type for Revelation, known as the Andreas type.
An unpublished study of the work, including an English translation, was made as a thesis by Dr. Eugenia Constantinou in 2008. The English translation of Andrew's commentary has been published by Catholic University of America Press as part of the Fathers of the Church series and became available in November 2011. In 2011 the Catholic University of America published Dr. Constantinou's study as In 2013 the Catholic University of America published Dr. Constantinou's study as Dr. Constantinou's original 2008 PhD thesis, Quebec: Université Laval 508 page manuscript is available from theses.ulaval.ca as a pdf