In the 13th century, Pope Urban IV, desiring that scholars of his day be better acquainted with the ideas of early Christians, assigned Saint Thomas Aquinas to compile a commentary on the Gospels based on the teachings of the Church fathers. The result is the Catena Aurea, or "Golden Chain." This eight-volume set, composed of analyses of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, gives readers a deeper insight into how the original teachers...