1. Plural of catena; a chain or series of connected things, especially in medieval biblical scholarship, a chain of quotations from Church Fathers arranged to explain a scriptural passage.
Usage: scholarly; historical; often capitalized when referring to specific medieval biblical commentaries

Examples

• Medieval scholars compiled catenae to provide authoritative interpretations of difficult biblical texts.
• The catenae tradition preserved the wisdom of early Church Fathers for later generations.
• Patristic catenae arranged quotations in a logical sequence to illuminate scriptural meaning.
• Scholars studied the catenae to understand how medieval theologians approached biblical exegesis.