Lit. 'chains, series'. An anthology of comments and glosses on the Bible by Church Fathers and others. The first catenae appeared in the 6c, when a series of comments by various authors on a particular verse were gathered together, the chain being particular sentences or words of the scriptures on which were 'hung' the comments. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) edited one such known as Catena Aurea = The Golden Chain. Collections of catenae formed an important part of teaching in the 13c *cathedral and monastic schools, reflecting the importance attached by the medieval Church to the past and authority. The singular form, catena = a chain, which secured valuable books to a reading place. [< Lat. catena = a chain, a series] -
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.