Early 1263 Pope Urban IV requested Thomas Aquinas to make a compilation of exegetical citations from the churchfathers in the format of a continuous commentary on the texts of the gospels (Glossa continua super Evangelia or Catena Aurea). Until 1264 Aquinas arranged the citations to Matthew and completed the entire collection between 1265 and 1268. His selection improved far on earlier anthologies and was evidence of his profound knowledge of patristic sources. The catena was first printed in Rome 1470. The works of St. Thomas began again to be widely published at Naples from 1845 onward. By 1850 the two great Summas, the Catena aurea and the Sermons were published in that city, after almost a century of universal neglect. Within the following decade, the Summa theologiae was also published at Parma, Bologna and Paris, where there also appeared two complete translations in French. The famous Parma edition was published by Fiaccadori between 1852 and 1873 in 25 folio volumes. Thereafter many editions were published in France and Italy. The parma edition is one of the 2 principle complete editions preceding the Leonina, the standard critical edition still in progress. Our two volumes form a separate issue of the Catena Aurea published independently from this Parma complete works text. This edition not in OCLC. Small shelf mark on first free endpapers. Some light foxing and minor defects to bindings.