The Catena Aurea (Golden Chain) presents the commentaries of the greatest theologians (e.g. St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, St. Augustine) of the Church as if they were having a discussion on each verse of the Bible. St. Thomas Aquinas put this opus together from sermons and commentaries on the Gospels composed by over eighty early Church Fathers, providing their insights into each passage. The work shows his intimate acquaintance with the Early Fathers.

The work was commissioned by Pope Urban IV, so that everyone could hold to the fundamental rule of the Church, that no one is to interpret Sacred Scripture contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers (Vatican I). (Summary by ancientchristian)