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The Library

Forty Centuries of Christian Writing

1774 works catalogued century by century, from the literature the Bible was written among to the present — each with a note on what it is, why it lasted, and where to read it.

1–100

The First Century

1 work

c. AD 30–45

Greek

On the Decalogue

De Decalogo

Philo of Alexandria · c. 20 BC – c. AD 50

Why the ten were spoken by God directly and the rest through Moses, why they divide into two tables of five, and why a voice rather than a body was the fitting form for God to take at Sinai.

Hellenistic Jewish · TreatiseExodusDeuteronomyRead elsewhere

601–700

The Seventh Century

3 works

c. 600–650

Greek

The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Klimax

John Climacus · c. 579–c. 649

Thirty steps from renunciation to love, each a chapter on one virtue or vice, written by an abbot of Sinai in a compressed and aphoristic Greek.

Byzantine · AsceticalRead elsewhere

c. 686

Greek

The Guide

Hodegos

Anastasius of Sinai · c. 630–c. 700

A practical manual for arguing with Miaphysites, including definitions of the technical terms, advice on debating tactics, and warnings about opponents' tricks.

Byzantine · HandbookRead elsewhere

c. 680–700

Greek

Questions and Answers

Anastasius of Sinai · d. after 700

Real questions from ordinary Christians under Arab rule, answered plainly: whether a Christian forced to convert can be received back, whether it is lawful to swear by God to a Saracen, why God allows the nations to rule, whether dreams mean anything, and what happens to the soul at death.

Byzantine · Questions and answersJobMatthewRomans1 CorinthiansRead elsewhere

901–1000

The Tenth Century

1 work

c. 965–990

Georgian

The Hymnographic Collection

Ioane Zosime · 10th century

Liturgical hymns and calendars compiled at Sinai and Mar Saba, including a celebrated praise of the Georgian language as a tongue laid in the tomb until the last day.

Georgian · HymnsRead elsewhere