Catena Aurea

Golden Chain of Patristic Wisdom by St. Thomas Aquinas

The Four Gospels

Integrated Patristic Exposition

The Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Luke The Gospel of John

Integrated Experience: For your convenience, the Catena Aurea is seamlessly integrated into the Biblical text. While reading any of the four Gospels on this site, look for the 📜 Commentary button located at the beginning of every chapter to instantly access the patristic wisdom for those verses.

The Catena Aurea (Latin for "Golden Chain") is a masterpiece of Biblical exegesis compiled by Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. At the request of Pope Urban IV, Aquinas synthesized the commentaries of over eighty Early Church Fathers into a single, continuous flow of wisdom for each chapter of the four Gospels.

This "Golden Chain" provides an unbroken link to the Tradition of the Apostles, offering profound insights from giants of the faith such as St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great.