Andrew Louth - Syriac Christian Church

GENERAL INTRODUCTION 79
all modern English translations), I have indicated this. In the case of
the Psalms, it needs to be remembered that the enumeration in the
Hebrew Bible is usually one more than that of the Septuagint (which
is the same as the Latin Vulgate). 2 The two books of Samuel and of
Kings in the Hebrew Bible are the four books of Kingdoms in the LXX
(so 1 Sam.=1 Kgd; and 1 Kgs=3 Kgd).
Maximus’ other main source is the writings of earlier Fathers (he
rarely seems to be using directly the works of pagan philosophers,
even though he seems to have a good grasp of their teaching in many
areas). Maximus’ sources, and his use of them, are of considerable
interest, since, as we have already seen, Maximus constitutes an
important stage in the building up of this tradition of authorities:
John of Damascus, whose collation of authorities has been most
influential, both in the East and the West, was clearly guided in his
choice by the use Maximus had made of the Fathers. I have done my
best to identify Maximus’ sources (and have been greatly assisted by
the annotations to Jeauneau’s edition of Eriugena’s translation of the
earlier Ambigua), but I am sure that I have overlooked many
instances (Maximus rarely identifies his sources, though sometimes
indicates that he is citing an authority by prefacing it with ‘they say’,
or by referring it to ‘the saints’). I have used what I hope are readily
understandable references, and only given references to modern
critical editions where it is a matter of close borrowing, and citation of
a modern edition is necessary for locating the reference with any hope
of success. 3
I have used the text printed in Migne, Patrologia Graeca, vol. 91,
except for the opuscula, where by the kindness of Professors C. Steel
and B. Markesinis, I have been able to work from the text of the new
(yet to be published) critical edition.