Abstract

The prologues to the patristic commentaries on the Prophets offer an opportunity to compare these prefaces in practice. Prologues written by Cyril of Alexandria, Theodore of Mopsuestia and Theodoret of Cyrus are the most similar among the Greeks, where some common points can be identified. Much shorter are the prologues written by Didymus the Blind and John Chrysostom. Longer, although with an unusual preamble, is the prologue to the comment on Isaiah which has been attributed to Basil of Caesarea. The common trait of all Greek patristic prologues lies in their impersonality, their objectivity, their scientific qualities. Among the Latins, the exuberance of Jerome’s prologues stands out with its prevailing personal traits. The reason for this difference between the Greek and Roman Fathers’ prologues has to be identified in Greek and Latin profane literature. Cicero in particular, allows for a better understanding of many peculiarities in Jerome’s prologues.