Chapter 1

Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

1 Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew

¹ The Life of the Holy Evangelist Matthew. According to Sophronius. Matthew, who is also Levi, an apostle [taken] from among the publicans, was the first to compose, in Judea, for the sake of those of the circumcision who had believed, the Gospel of Christ, in Hebrew letters and words; and it is unknown who afterward translated it into Greek. And the Hebrew [text] is until this day in the Library at Caesarea, which Pamphilus the martyr most diligently furnished. And by the Nazoraeans in Beroea of Syria, who use this [text], leave was granted me to copy it; from which it is possible to be exactly persuaded that, wherever the evangelist—whether from his own person or from the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—has employed the testimonies of the Old Scriptures, he does not follow the authority of the Seventy Translators, but the Hebrew, from which are those two [sayings]: Out of Egypt have I called my Son; and: He shall be called a Nazarene.

² The Chapters of the Gospel according to Matthew. 1. On the genealogy of Christ. 2. On the Magi and the children who were slain. 3. John first preached the kingdom of the heavens. 4. On the temptation of Christ. On the calling of Peter, and Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee. 5. On the Beatitudes. On not being angry with one’s neighbor. On not committing adultery. On not putting away one’s wife. On not swearing at all. On bearing insults, and not resisting the evil one. On loving one’s enemies. 7. On almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. On despising the things of the world. 8. On judging no one. On asking and seeking. On being wary of the false prophets. 9. On the leper. On the centurion. On Peter’s mother-in-law. On those healed of divers diseases. On him who was not permitted to follow. On the rebuking of the waters. On the demoniacs whose demons were cast out into the herd of swine. 10. On the commissioning of the apostles. 11. On those sent from John. 12. On the disciples plucking the ears of grain on the Sabbath. On him who had the withered hand. On the blind and dumb demoniac. On those who sought a sign. On [his] mother and brethren. 13. On the parables of the sower and of the kingdom of the heavens. 14. On John and Herod. On the five loaves and the two fishes. On the walking of Jesus upon the sea. 15. On the transgression of the commandment of God for the tradition of men. On the Canaanite woman. On the multitudes that were healed. On the seven loaves. 16. On the leaven of the Pharisees. On the questioning at Caesarea. On the rebuking of Peter, that Christ should not suffer. 17. On the Transfiguration of Christ. On the lunatic. On those who asked for the didrachmas. 18. On those who said, Who is greater. On not giving offense. On the hundred sheep. On the reproving of one’s neighbor. On the power of binding and loosing. On him who owed ten thousand talents. 19. On those who asked whether it is lawful to put away one’s wife. On the rich man who questioned Jesus. 20. On the hired laborers. On the sons of Zebedee. On the two blind men. 21. On the donkey and the colt. On the lame and the blind. On the withered fig tree. On the chief priests and elders who questioned the Lord. The parable of the two sons. On the vineyard. 22. On those bidden to the wedding. On those who questioned concerning the tribute. On the Sadducees. On the lawyer who questioned [him]. On the Lord’s questions. 23. On the woes pronounced upon the Pharisees. 24. On the consummation, the day and the hour. 25. On the ten virgins. On those who received the talents. On the coming of Christ. 26. On her who anointed the Lord with ointment. On the Passover. On the mystical supper. On the betrayal of Christ. On the denial of Peter. 27. On Pilate the governor. On the repentance of Judas. On the scourging and torments of Christ, and the crucifixion. On the asking for the body of the Lord, and the guards of the tomb. 28. On the Resurrection of the Lord. On the guards of the tomb, witnesses of the Resurrection. On the appearing of Christ to the apostles and to the women in Galilee.

³ Prologue. Those divine men of old, before the law, were taught not through letters and books; but having a pure mind, they were illumined by the radiance of the all-holy Spirit, and thus knew the will of God, He Himself conversing with them mouth to mouth. Such was Noah, Abraham, Job, Moses. But when men grew weak, and were unworthy to be illumined and taught by the Holy Spirit, the loving God gave the Scriptures, that through these at least they might be put in mind of the will of God. So also Christ in His own person conversed with the apostles, and sent them the grace of the Spirit as a teacher. But since afterward heresies were destined to spring up, and our morals to be corrupted, He was well pleased that the Gospels be written, that, being taught the truth from these, we might not be swept away by the falsehood of the heresies, nor our morals be utterly corrupted. And He gave us four Gospels, perhaps because from these we learn the four cardinal virtues: courage, prudence, justice, and temperance. Courage, when the Lord says: Fear not them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Prudence, when He exhorts: Be wise as serpents. Justice, when He teaches: As you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise. Temperance, when He declares: He who looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And in another way too there are four Gospels, because these are the pillars of the world. And since the world has four parts—East, West, North, and South—it was fitting that the pillars also be four. And in yet another way: there are four Gospels, because these also contain four things: namely doctrines, commandments, threats, and promises; and to those who have believed the doctrines and kept the commandments, the good things to come are promised; but to those who have not believed the doctrines, or have not kept the commandments, the punishments to come are threatened. And it is called Gospel, because it announces to us things that are well and good—that is, good things: remission of sins, justification, the ascent into the heavens, the adoption of God. And it announces also that we receive these things easily. For we did not toil for the acquiring of these good things, nor receive them from our own achievements, but by the grace and love of God were we deemed worthy of such great good things. According to Matthew. There are four evangelists; and of these two, Matthew and John, were of the choir of the twelve; while the [other] two, Mark, I mean, and Luke, were of the seventy. And Mark was a follower and disciple of Peter, but Luke of Paul. Matthew, then, first of all wrote the Gospel in the Hebrew tongue, for those of the Hebrews who had believed, eight years after the Ascension of Christ; and John translated this also from the Hebrew tongue into the Greek, as they say. Mark wrote ten years after the Ascension, having been taught by Peter; and Luke after fifteen. But John the most theological, after thirty-two; for they say that, since he survived after the death of those others, the three Gospels were brought to him, that he might see them and judge whether they had been truly composed; and John, seeing them, and warmly approving them for the sake of the truth, himself filled up whatever those had left out. And whatever those had said briefly, he himself expanded in his own Gospel. And he began from theology. For since the others made no mention of the existence of the Word of God before the ages, he himself spoke as a theologian concerning it, lest the Word of God be thought to be a mere man—that is, apart from divinity. For Matthew discourses concerning the existence of Christ according to the flesh alone; for he was writing to the Hebrews, for whom it was sufficient to learn that Christ was born of Abraham and David. For he who has believed from among the Hebrews is set at rest, when he is assured that Christ is from David. But you will say to me, Did not one evangelist suffice? I say, then, that one did suffice; but that the truth might rather be shown forth, for this reason four were permitted to write. For whenever you see these four, who did not come together, nor sit down with one another, but were each in a different place, and then wrote concerning the same things as if from one mouth, would you not marvel at the truth of the Gospel, and say that they spoke from the Holy Spirit? And do not tell me that they do not agree in all things; for in what do they not agree? Did the one say that Christ was born, and the other that He was not? Or the one that He rose, and the other that He did not? God forbid. For in the more necessary and more principal things they agree. If, then, in the more principal things they did not differ, why do you marvel if in the least things they seem to vary? For by this very thing they are the more truthful, that they did not agree in all things. For they would have been thought to have written having sat down together and taken counsel with one another; but now what the one left out, the other wrote, and for this reason they seem in some things to vary. And so much for this. But let us now begin from the height.

⁴ Chapter 1. On the genealogy of Christ.

⁵ The book of the generation. For what reason did he not say “vision” or “word,” as the prophets did? For they used to write thus: “The vision which Isaiah saw,” and “The word that came to Isaiah.” For what reason, do you seek to learn? Because the prophets discoursed with men hard of heart and disobedient, and for this reason said that it was a divine vision, and that it was a word from God, so that the people might fear, and not despise the things spoken. But Matthew had to do with men who had believed, and who were of good will and obedient. And for this reason he prefaced nothing of the sort, such as the prophets did. And I have yet another thing to say: that the prophets saw with the mind, these things being presented to them by the Holy Spirit; wherefore they also called them visions. But Matthew did not see Christ with the mind, nor was He presented to him in imagination, but he was with Him perceptibly, and heard Him perceptibly, beholding Him in the flesh. For this reason, then, he did not say, “A vision which I saw,” that is, an appearance, but, “The book of the generation” of Jesus. The name Jesus is not Greek, but Hebrew; and it is interpreted “Savior.” For “Iao” among the Hebrews means salvation. “Of Christ:” kings and priests were called christs [anointed]. For they were anointed with the holy oil that gushed from the horn placed upon the head. The Lord, then, is called Christ both as king—for He reigned over sin—and as priest—for He offered Himself as a sacrifice for us. And He Himself was anointed properly with the true anointing of the Holy Spirit. For who else had the Spirit as the Lord had? For in the saints the grace of the Holy Spirit was working; but in Christ it was not the grace of the Spirit that was working, but Christ together with the Spirit, being of one essence with it, was working the wonders. “Son of David:” since he had said “Jesus,” lest you should suppose that he speaks of some other Jesus, he added, “son of David.” For there was also another renowned Jesus, who commanded the army after Moses; but that one was called [the son] of Nun, and not of David; for he was many generations before David, and was not even of the tribe of Judah, from which David was descended, but of another. “Son of Abraham.” For what reason did he set David before Abraham? Because among the Hebrews David was the more renowned, both as being younger than Abraham, and as having come from the kingship; for among the kings he was the first to please God well; and he received a promise from God, that from his seed Christ should arise; whence also all called Christ the son of David. For indeed David in very truth preserved a type of Christ. For just as he reigned after Saul, who was cast off by God and hated, so also Christ reigned over us after Satan, who was cast out from the kingship and the rule which he held over all.

⁶ Abraham begat Isaac. He begins the genealogy from Abraham, because he was the father of the Hebrews, and because he was the first to receive the promises, that in his seed all the nations should be blessed. Fittingly, then, he traces the genealogy of Christ from him; for Christ is the seed of Abraham, in whom we have all been blessed who are of the nations, formerly accursed. And Abraham is interpreted “father of nations”; and Isaac, “joy,” “laughter.” But the evangelist makes no mention of the spurious children of Abraham, such as Ishmael and the rest, because the Jews were not descended from these, but from Isaac.

⁷ And Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judah and his brethren. You see that he made mention of Judah and his brethren for this reason, because from them were the twelve tribes.

⁸ And Judah begat Phares and Zara, of Thamar. Judah had Thamar to wife for Er, one of his sons. And when he had died childless, he joined her to Aunan, who was also his son; and when this one too was cut off from life because of his wickedness, Judah no longer joined her to anyone. But she, desiring to bear children from the seed of Abraham, laid aside the garments of her widowhood; and disguising herself as a harlot, lay with her father-in-law, and conceived from him two twin children. And as she was bearing them, the first of the children put forth his hand from the womb, as though he were to be born first; and then it was drawn back again into the womb, and the other was born first, and afterward in this manner the one who had put forth his hand. The one born first, then, was called Phares, which is “a breach”; for he broke through the order of nature; but the one who had drawn back his hand, Zara. And this history signifies a certain mystery: for just as Zara showed his hand first, but was drawn back again, so also Israel played the harlot, and then returned to them. And in another way too: he makes mention of Thamar, who seemed not praiseworthy, because of her lying with her father-in-law, that he might show that Christ took upon Himself all things for our sake. Rather, that by this very thing it might be shown that He came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

⁹ And Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; and Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; and Salmon begat Booz, of Rachab. Some suppose that Rachab is that Rahab the harlot who received the spies of Joshua the son of Nun. And she saved them, and was herself also saved; and he made mention of her, that he might show that just as she was a harlot, so also was the synagogue of the nations; for they played the harlot in their idolatries. But having received the words of God, they were saved.

¹⁰ This Ruth was of another race, but nevertheless was joined to Booz; so also the Church of the nations, being of another race, and outside the covenants, forgot her people, and the idolatrous objects of worship, and her father the devil. And she was taken in marriage to the Son of God.

¹¹ And Jobed begat Jessai; and Jessai begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias. He makes mention of the wife of Urias also, to show that one ought not to be ashamed of one’s forefathers; but rather to glorify [God], and through one’s own virtue to make one’s parents illustrious; and that all are acceptable to God, even if they be born of base parentage, only if they have virtue.

¹² And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; and Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias. And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; and Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; and Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time of the removal to Babylon. By the removal to Babylon he means the captivity which they afterward underwent, being all carried off together to Babylon. For at another time too the Babylonians had made war upon them, but afflicted them more moderately; but then they removed them utterly from their homeland.

¹³ And after the removal to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; and Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; and Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. For what reason does he trace the genealogy of Joseph, and not of the Theotokos? For what part had Joseph in that seedless birth? Was Joseph then truly the father of Christ, that the genealogy of Christ should be traced from Joseph? Hear, then, that in truth Joseph has no part in the birth of Christ; and on this account the Theotokos ought to have been traced in the genealogy. But since there was a law that women should not be traced in genealogies, on this account he did not trace the genealogy of the Virgin; yet, in tracing the genealogy of Joseph, he traced hers also. For there was a law not to take wives from another tribe, nor from another lineage; so that, since such was the law, it is plain that Joseph, being traced in the genealogy, brings in with him also the genealogy of the Theotokos. For altogether the Theotokos was of the same tribe and the same lineage. For if she were not, how would she have been betrothed to him? So that the evangelist both kept the law that bade women not be traced in genealogies, and nonetheless traced the genealogy of the Theotokos, by tracing that of Joseph. And he named him the husband of Mary, according to common usage; for indeed it is our custom to call the betrothed man the husband of her who is betrothed to him, even though there be as yet no marriage.

¹⁴ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the removal to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the removal to Babylon unto Christ, fourteen generations. He divided the generations into three states, to show the Jews that, whether ruled by judges, as those up to David, or by kings, as those up to the removal, or by priests, as those up to Christ, they nonetheless profited nothing toward virtue; and that they had need of the true judge and king and priest, who is Christ. For when the rulers failed, Christ came, according to the prophecy of Jacob. But how are there from the removal to Babylon unto Christ fourteen generations, when thirteen are found? For if a woman were traced in genealogy, we might reckon Mary also, and so fill up the number; but now a woman is not traced in genealogy. How, then, is this resolved? Some say that he set down the removal itself as having the rank of a person.

¹⁵ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph. For what reason did God permit her to be betrothed, and at all to give occasion of suspicion to men, that Joseph had been with her? That she might have a guardian in her afflictions; for he both took care of her in the flight into Egypt, and saved her. But also that it might be hidden from the devil; for this reason she was betrothed. For the devil, having heard that a Virgin should conceive, was watching the Virgin; that the deceiver, then, might be deceived, Joseph betroths the Ever-Virgin; and there comes to be only the appearance of wedlock, but not the reality.

¹⁶ Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Here “to come together” signifies their union; for before they were joined, she conceived. Whence also the evangelist is amazed, and cries out, “She was found,” as speaking of something marvelous.

¹⁷ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. How was Joseph just, who, when the law commanded that the adulteress be made a public example—that is, exposed and punished—was himself about to conceal the sin, and to transgress the law? But this is resolved: first, that for this very thing he was just. For he did not wish to be harsh, but out of great kindness dealt mercifully, showing himself above the law, and already living above the legal injunctions. Then also, because he himself knew that she had conceived of the Holy Spirit, and for this reason did not wish to make a public example of, and to maltreat, her who had conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of an adulterer. For see what he says: “She was found with child.” By whom was she found? By Joseph; that is, it was discerned that she had conceived of the Holy Spirit. Whence he was minded to put her away privately, as not daring any longer to have as his wife her who had been deemed worthy of so great a grace.

¹⁸ But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying. When the just man was at a loss, then the angel came to him, teaching him what he should do. And he appears to him in a dream, because he was exceedingly faithful. For to the shepherds the angel appeared openly, as to country folk; but to this man, as to a just and faithful one, in sleep. And how should he not have believed, when the angel taught him concerning the things which he himself held in his mind, and concerning which he had told no one? For while he was pondering, but had not spoken out, the angel stands by him; reasonably, then, he believed that it was from God; for it belongs to God to know the secret things.

¹⁹ Joseph, son of David. He called him “son of David,” reminding him that Christ was prophesied to be of the seed of David; and saying, as it were, “Do not disbelieve, calling to mind David, who received a promise concerning Christ.”

²⁰ Fear not to take. He shows from this that he feared to keep her, lest somehow he should offend God, as one keeping an adulteress. Or also in another way: “Fear not”—that is, “You indeed fear to touch her, as having conceived of the Holy Spirit; but fear not to take her”—that is, to keep her within; for in his mind and intention he had already put her away.

²¹ Mary your wife. This he says: “You perhaps suppose that she is an adulteress; but I say to you that she is your wife.” That is, she has not been corrupted by anyone, but is your betrothed.

²² For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. For not only is she free from unlawful union, but she has also conceived in a certain more divine manner, so that on this account rather rejoice.

²³ And she shall bring forth a son. Lest anyone should say, “And how shall I believe you, that it is of the Spirit?”, he speaks of the future, that she shall bring forth a son. “For if I speak truly concerning this, it is plain that the other also—that it is of the Holy Spirit—is true.” And he did not say, “She shall bring forth a son to you,” but simply, “She shall bring forth”; for she bore Him not for that man, but for the whole world; nor did the grace abide for him alone, but was poured out upon all.

²⁴ And you shall call His name Jesus. “You shall call Him,” as being, as it were, His father, and as guardian of the Virgin. For do not suppose, Joseph, that, because the conception is of the Spirit, you shall leave the Virgin without help. Rather, you shall minister to her in all things.

²⁵ For He shall save His people from their sins. Here he interprets what “Jesus” signifies, namely “Savior.” “For He,” he says, “shall save His people”—not only the Jewish people, but also the Gentile, that which is eager to believe and to become His people. And from what shall He save them? From wars, perhaps? No, but from their sins. Whence it is plain that He who is to be born is God; for it belongs to God alone to forgive sins.

²⁶ Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying. Do not suppose that these things seemed good to God only recently, but from of old and from the beginning. For you know the prophets, O Joseph, as one learned in the law. And call to mind that which was spoken by the Lord. He did not say “that which was spoken by Isaiah,” but “by the Lord.” For it was not a man that spoke, but God through the mouth of the man; so that the oracle is worthy of belief.

²⁷ Behold, the Virgin shall be with child. The Hebrews say that it does not stand in the prophet “virgin,” but “young woman.” To whom it must be said that “young woman” and “virgin” are the same in Scripture; for it names the undefiled one “young woman.” Then also, if a virgin had not given birth, how should it have been a sign and a marvel? For when Isaiah says, Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; and immediately adds, “Behold, the Virgin,” and what follows; so that, unless a virgin were to give birth, it would not be a sign. The Hebrews, then, willfully corrupt the Scripture, and instead of “virgin” put “young woman.” But whether “young woman” stands [there], or “virgin,” she who was to give birth must by all means be understood as a virgin, that this might also be the more evident.

²⁸ And she shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. The Hebrews say: How then was He called Emmanuel, and not Jesus Christ? It must be said, then, that he did not say “You shall call,” but “They shall call”—that is, the very deeds shall show Him to be God, and dwelling among us; for the divine Scripture assigns names from the deeds, as in: Call his name, Quickly-spoil; and yet no one was ever called by such a name; but since, at the very birth of the Lord, error was spoiled and led captive, He is therefore said to have been named from the deed, finding His title therein.

²⁹ Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him. Behold an obedient soul, how quickly he was persuaded.

³⁰ And he took unto him his wife. He continually names her the wife of Joseph, casting out the wicked suspicion, and teaching that she became the wife of no other, but was his.

³¹ And he knew her not till she had brought forth. That is, he was never at any time joined to her; for the “till” here does not show this, that until the birth he knew her not, but afterward knew her; rather, that he never at all knew her. And Scripture has such an idiom; as in: The raven returned not into the ark, till the earth was dried up; for neither did it return afterward. And again: I am with you till the consummation of the age; but after the consummation, shall He then not be? How so? For then rather. So also here you will understand the “till she had brought forth” as meaning that neither before the birth nor after the birth did he know her. For how should he have touched that holy one, after that he had especially come to know that all-holy birth?

³² Her firstborn son. He says “firstborn” not as though a second had been born, but simply as the first-born and only-begotten. For Christ is both firstborn, as having been born first; and only-begotten, as having no other brother.

³³ And he called His name Jesus. Here too he shows the obedience of Joseph, that whatever the angel had told him, he did.

2 Chapter 2. — On the Magi, and the children who were slain.

¹ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Bethlehem is interpreted “house of bread”; and Judea, “confession.” May it come to pass, then, that we too may now, through confession, become a house of the spiritual bread.

² In the days of Herod. He makes mention of Herod, that you may learn that the rulers and kings of the tribe of Judah had failed, and of necessity Christ came. For Herod was not a Jew, but an Idumaean, the son of Antipater, of an Arabian woman. And when the rulers had failed, the expectation of the nations came, as Jacob had prophesied.

³ The king. For there was also another Herod, the tetrarch; for this reason he sets down the dignity of “the king.”

⁴ Behold, there came Magi from the east to Jerusalem. For what reason do the Magi come? For the condemnation of the Jews. For if the Magi, men who were idolaters, believed, what defense remains thereafter to the Jews? And at the same time, that the glory of Christ might shine forth the more, the Magi bearing witness—they who were especially subject to the demons, and enemies of God.

⁵ From the east. This too is for the condemnation of the Hebrews. For these came from so great a distance, while the Hebrews, having Christ in their very midst, persecuted Him.

⁶ Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? They say that these Magi were descendants of Balaam the seer; and that, finding his oracle, “There shall arise a star out of Jacob,” they understood the mystery concerning Christ, and on this account came, desiring to see the One who had been born.

⁷ For we have seen His star in the east. When you hear “star,” do not suppose that it was such a one as those which we see, but a divine and angelic power, appearing in the form of a star. For since the Magi were astrologers, the Lord drew them by what was familiar to them, just as He also astounded Peter, who was a fisherman, by the multitude of fishes which he netted in the name of Christ. And that the star was an angelic power is plain from this: that it shone exceedingly even in the day; and from this, that it moved when the Magi moved, but stood still when they rested; and moreover, that it moved from the northern region, which is that of Persia, to the southern, which is that of Jerusalem. But never does a star move from the north to the south.

⁸ And are come to worship Him. These Magi appear to have been of great virtue. For if they wished to worship Him in a foreign land, how would they not have spoken boldly and proclaimed Him in Persia?

⁹ When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Herod indeed was troubled, as one of another race, fearing for the kingdom; for he knew that he was unworthy of it. But the Jews—for what reason are they troubled? For they ought rather to have rejoiced, that there should be a king for them, worshipped by barbarian kings; but nonetheless wickedness is a senseless thing.

¹⁰ And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where Christ should be born. The scribes were the teachers of the people, like those whom we call grammarians. And God orders it that these be questioned, that they might confess the truth, and from this be condemned, themselves having crucified Him whom they had first confessed.

¹¹ And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet. By what prophet? By Micah. For he says:

¹² And you, Bethlehem, land of Juda, are by no means the least among the princes of Juda. Because it was small, they despised it; but now, on account of Christ who came forth from it, it is renowned. For all come from the ends of the earth, worshipping this holy Bethlehem.

¹³ For out of you shall come a Governor. Well did he say “shall come forth,” and not “shall abide in you.” For Christ did not abide in Bethlehem, but came forth from it after His birth, and spent most of His time in Nazareth. The Jews say that this was prophesied concerning Zorobabel. But they manifestly lie. For Zorobabel was not born in Bethlehem, but in Babylon, as his very name shows: “Zoro” signifies the sowing and the begetting; “Babel,” Babylon; that is, “he who was sown or begotten in Babylon.” But also this: His goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity; and of whom else are the goings forth both from of old, and from the days of eternity, than of Christ? Who had two goings forth, that is, generations; but the first generation was from of old, from the Father, and the second, from the days of eternity, from the Theotokos, having a beginning, and being under time. Let the Jews say, then, whether Zorobabel was from of old; but they cannot say it.

¹⁴ Who shall shepherd My people Israel. He said “shall shepherd,” and not “shall tyrannize” or “shall devour.” For the other rulers were not shepherds, but wolves; but Christ is a shepherd, as He Himself also says: I am the good shepherd. And by “people Israel” he means both those who were of the Hebrews, and those of the nations. For Israel is interpreted “one who sees God”; so that all who see God are Israelites, even if they be of the nations.

¹⁵ Then Herod, having privily called the Magi. He called them privily, because of the Jews. For he suspected that the Jews would perhaps make much of the child, and take thought to save Him, as one who should set them free. For this reason, then, he took counsel privily.

¹⁶ He inquired of them diligently the time of the star that appeared. That is, he ascertained it exactly. For the star appeared to the Magi before the Lord was born; for since they were to spend much time on the journey, on this account the star appeared long beforehand, that they might worship Him while He was yet in His swaddling clothes. But some say that the star appeared at the very birth of Christ, and that the Magi came after two years, and found the Lord not in swaddling clothes, nor in the manger, but in a house with His mother, being two years old. But you—hold the former [account] as the better.

¹⁷ And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out diligently concerning the young child. He did not say “concerning the king,” but “concerning the young child”; for he could not even bear the name. Whence he shows that the greeting of him who was chilled [with envy] was false.

¹⁸ And when you have found Him, bring me word again, that I also may come and worship Him. And they, when they had heard the king, departed. For being themselves guileless, they supposed that he too spoke without guile.

¹⁹ And lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them. The star was hidden for a little while, by [divine] dispensation, that they themselves might question the Jews, and Herod might be troubled, and so the truth might become more manifest. But when they had gone forth from Jerusalem, it appeared again, guiding them. Whence it is plain that the star was a divine power.

²⁰ Till it came and stood over where the young child was. This too is strange. For the star came down from on high, and becoming nearer to the earth, showed them the place. For if it had appeared to them from on high, how could they have known particularly the place where Christ was? For the stars take in a great expanse of space. Whence you too see the moon, perhaps, over your own house; and I think it to be over my house only. And all men simply, each one, suppose the moon or some other star to stand over him alone. That star, then, would not have shown forth Christ, had it not come down, and all but stood over the head of the young child.

²¹ And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. As having not been led astray, but having found that which they sought, they rejoiced.

²² And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother. At the very birth, indeed, the Virgin laid the child in the manger, for they found no house then; but afterward it is likely that they found a house, where the Magi also found them. For they had gone up to Bethlehem, to be registered there, as Luke also says. And since a great multitude had run together because of the registration, they had no house for the time, but He was born in the cave; then a house was found, where the Lord was seen by the Magi.

²³ And they fell down and worshipped Him. As at an illumination of the soul. They beheld a poor child, and worshipped. For they were assured that He was God; wherefore also they offer Him gifts, as to God and as to man.

²⁴ And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. The gold they offered to Him as to a king; for to a king we who are under his hand pay gold. The frankincense, as to God; for to God we offer the incense of frankincense. And the myrrh, as to One who should taste of death. For with myrrh the Jews bury [their dead], that the body may remain undecayed; for myrrh, being dry, dries up the moisture, and does not suffer worms to be bred. You see the faith of the Magi? For from the prophecy of Balaam also they were taught that the Lord is both God and king, and one who should die for us. And hear the prophecy: He lay down, he says, and rested as a lion, and as a lion’s whelp. Behold the kingly [aspect], through the lion; and through the “he lay down,” the dying. They that bless you are blessed; behold the Godhead. For the power of blessing the divine nature alone possesses.

²⁵ And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country by another way. Behold the sequence: first, through the star, God guided them unto faith; then, when they had come to Jerusalem, He taught them through the prophet that He is born in Bethlehem; and lastly, through the angel. And they obey the warning—that is, the divine communication. Being warned, then—that is, having received a revelation from God—they were true witnesses.

²⁶ And when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the young child and His mother. Do you see for what cause God permitted the Virgin to be betrothed? For here it is made plain to you—because of the caring for and the tending of her. And he did not say, “Take your wife,” but “the mother of the young child.” For since the suspicion had been dissolved, and the just man had been assured by the wonders at the birth that all was of the Holy Spirit, he no longer names her his wife.

²⁷ And flee into Egypt. The Lord too flees, that He might confirm that He was indeed also man. For if, coming into the hands of Herod, He had not been slain, it might have seemed that He was incarnate only in appearance. And He flees into Egypt, that He might sanctify it also. For there were two lands that were workshops of all wickedness, Babylon and Egypt. Babylon, then, He received as it worshipped, through the Magi; and Egypt He sanctified by His own presence.

²⁸ And be there until I bring you word. “Be”—instead of “remain there, until you are bidden by God.” For we ought to do nothing apart from the divine counsel.

²⁹ For Herod will seek the young child, to destroy Him. Behold the folly of man, who is eager to overcome the counsel of God. For if [the child] is not of God, why do you fear? But if He is of God, how will you destroy the young child?

³⁰ And he arose and took the young child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son. The Jews say that this was spoken concerning the people who were brought up out of Egypt through Moses. We say, then, that it was indeed spoken at that time concerning the people in a figure; but it came to pass truly in Christ. Then also, who is the Son of God? The people who worshipped the idol Baal-peor and the graven images, or He who is truly the Son of God?

³¹ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Magi. Just as God mocked Pharaoh through Moses, so also Herod through the Magi; since both Herod and Pharaoh were child-slayers. Pharaoh slew the males of the Hebrews in Egypt, and Herod those in Bethlehem.

³² Was exceeding wroth, and sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem. He displays his wrath against the Magi upon those who had done no wrong. But for what reason were the children permitted to be slain? That the wickedness of Herod might be shown. But perhaps you will say to me: And what of this? Were the children wronged for this, that his wickedness might be shown? Hear, then, that they were not wronged, but were deemed worthy of crowns. For everyone who suffers any evil here suffers it either unto the dissolving of his sins, or unto the increase of his crowns; even as also these children shall be the more greatly crowned.

³³ And in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the Magi.

³⁴ Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying. Lest anyone should suppose that the slaying of the infants came to pass against the will of God, he shows that He both foreknew it and foretold it.

³⁵ A voice was heard in Rama. Rama was a high place of Palestine. For this is what the name signifies, “high”; and it fell by lot to the tribe of Benjamin, who was the son of Rachel; and Rachel was buried in Bethlehem. The prophet, then, calls Bethlehem “Rachel,” because she was buried in it; and [says] that the weeping and the lamentation were heard in the high place. Hear, then, the prophet: Lamentation, and weeping, and much mourning; Rachel weeping for her children, that is, Bethlehem, and she would not be comforted, because they are not. In this life they are not, since the souls are immortal.

³⁶ But when Herod was dead. A bitter end did Herod have: with fever, and dysentery, and itching, and a swelling of the feet, and a putrefying of the privy member that bred worms, and shortness of breath, and trembling, and convulsion of the limbs, he burst forth his wicked soul.

³⁷ Behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, take the young child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel. He does not say “Flee,” but “Go.” For there was no longer any fear. For they are dead who sought the life of the young child. Where is Apollinaris, who said that the Lord did not take a human soul? For from this he is refuted.

³⁸ And he arose and took the young child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither. Herod left three sons, Philip, Antipas, and Archelaus; Archelaus, then, he commanded to be king, but the rest to be tetrarchs. And Joseph was afraid to go into the land of Israel—that is, into Judea—because Archelaus also was like his father. But Antipas, this is the second Herod, who slew the Forerunner.

³⁹ And being warned of God in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee. Galilee was not the land of Israel, but was of the Gentiles; wherefore also the Jews looked upon them as an abomination.

⁴⁰ And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth. And how does Luke say that, after His birth, when He had fulfilled the forty days, and had been taken up in the arms of Symeon, the Lord went down into Nazareth; while here Matthew says that, after the return from Egypt, He came into Nazareth? Learn, then, that what Matthew passed over in silence, Luke spoke. What I mean is this: after His birth, He fulfilled the forty days; then He went down into Nazareth—this Luke says; but Matthew speaks of what came after, that He fled into Egypt, and then went up from Egypt into Nazareth. They are not, then, contrary to one another; but the one, namely Luke, speaks of the going down from Bethlehem into Nazareth, while Matthew speaks of the going up that came afterward from Egypt into Nazareth.

⁴¹ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, that He shall be called a Nazarene. And what prophet said this? It is not now found. For through the negligence of the Hebrews many books were lost, and also through the continual captivities; but perhaps it was spoken among the Jews unwritten. Now “Nazarene” signifies “sanctified.” If, then, Christ is holy, He might fittingly be called a Nazarene. For “Holy One of Israel” is the Lord called by many of the prophets.

25 CHAPTER 25. — On the Ten Virgins. On Those Who Received the Talents. On the Coming of Christ.

¹ Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise; for they that were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them. Under the person of the virgins He frames the parable concerning almsgiving, so that, since this is a great thing, no one who succeeds in it alone should neglect the rest; but learn that, if you should lack almsgiving even while possessing virginity, you will be cast out together with harlots. And rightly is the unfeeling and unmerciful person cast out, even though he be a virgin; for the fornicator was overcome by a passion that is both tyrannical and natural, whereas the unmerciful man was under no such necessity. The weaker the adversary, then, the more inexcusable is the one defeated by the passion of avarice; and such a person is foolish for this very reason, that he was able to conquer the burning of nature, yet was defeated by money. The slumber is delay; and the bridegroom’s tarrying is the failure to perceive the second coming.

² And at midnight there was a cry: Behold, the bridegroom; go forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying: Lest there be not enough for us and for you; go rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said: Verily I say to you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man comes. He says the cry came in the middle of the night, to show that the Lord comes when He is not expected, just as at midnight we are all already sleeping a deep sleep. But He comes with a cry, for there is a trumpet; and the mind of each of us is a lamp, which may or may not have the oil of the virtues, that is, almsgiving. The virgins are foolish in this respect also, that they sought the oil at the very time when there was no longer any opportunity for transaction. And the wise say: Lest there be not enough for us and for you. For one man’s righteousness will scarcely suffice him for his own defense, much less for me as well; for each will be justified by his own works, not by his neighbor’s. And only now, for the first time, do they recognize that we ought to have had our oil from the poor. This, then, is what is meant: that they went to them that sell to buy oil—that is, they went in their thinking to the poor, and reckoned up what a good thing almsgiving is; but the door was shut against them, for after our departure from here there is no time for repentance or for labor. The Lord therefore says to them: I know you not. For the One who loves mankind and is merciful does not know the unmerciful. How should He know those that are foreign to Him and unlike Him? And know that every soul has received a lamp and illumination from God, and all are roused to meet the Lord; for all desire to meet and to be joined to God. But when God has given illumination and a lamp, the wise pour in oil through good works, while the foolish, leaving their lamps without oil, are shut out, having no good works by which to rekindle the light of God within us that we have quenched.

³ For it is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants and delivered to them his goods; and to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one—to every man according to his own ability—and immediately took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents; in like manner he also that had received the two gained another two. But he that had received the one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants comes and settles accounts with them. Having said above, You know not the day when the Lord will come, He adds this parable as well, showing that He will come suddenly. For just as a man traveling abroad, so too did the Lord call His own servants and arrange this and that for them. Christ, who became man for our sake, is said to travel abroad, either in that He ascended into heaven, or in that He is long-suffering and does not at once demand the work, but waits. His servants are those entrusted with the ministry of the word—such as bishops, priests, and deacons—who have received spiritual gifts, some greater and some lesser, each according to his own ability, that is, according to the measure of faith and of purification. For with whatever vessel I bring to God, with that same one will He pour out His gift upon me: if I bring a small one, little; if a great one, much. And immediately he that had received the five talents went and traded. See his diligence, how he neglected nothing, but immediately set to work, doubling what he had received. For whoever benefits not only himself—whether he has the word, or wealth, or power with kings, or any other ability or skill—but also wishes to benefit others, such a man doubles his portion. But he who buries his talent is the one who is concerned only for his own benefit and not for that of others, and he is condemned. And if you see a clever and capable man who has misused his cleverness for schemes and deceits and earthly affairs, say that such a man has buried his talent in the ground—that is, in the affairs of earth. After a long time comes the one who seeks the money; and the money is the tested word, the good thoughts, any gift whatsoever, that has gained interest for the one who holds it. And he who has traded well renders back the money for a glorious gain; and he settles accounts with those who received.

⁴ And he that had received the five talents came and brought him another five talents, saying: Lord, you delivered to me five talents; behold, I have gained beside them another five talents. His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your lord. He also that had received the two talents came and said: Lord, you delivered to me two talents; behold, I have gained another two talents beside them. You are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter; and I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground; lo, there you have what is yours. But his lord answered and said to him: You wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; you ought therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received my own with interest. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that has ten talents. For to every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.[1] Those who labored with what was given are praised by the master alike, both of them hearing, Well done, good and faithful servant. By “good” we here understand the man who is ungrudging, who extends his own goodness to his neighbors as well; and having shown themselves faithful over a few things, they are set over many. For even if we are here counted worthy of gifts, these are nothing compared to the good things to come. The joy of the Lord is the unceasing gladness which God has, rejoicing over His works, as David says. With such gladness, then, the saints too rejoice over their works; just as sinners grieve over their own works and repent. And the saints, having the Lord as their wealth, rejoice in Him. Notice that both he who received the five talents and he who received the two are counted worthy of the same good things. For whenever someone, even though he received little, nevertheless administers well the grace given to him, however small it may be, he will receive equal honor with the one who was counted worthy of great things and succeeded. For each, according to what he received, seems also to reach the summit, if he succeeds. Such, then, are the grateful servants; but the wicked and slothful one makes another sort of defense, one unworthy of himself. For he calls the master hard, just as now too many of those who teach say: It is a hard thing to demand obedience from people in whom God has not implanted obedience, nor sown in them docility. For this he hints at by saying, You reap where you did not sow—that is, from him in whom you did not sow docility, you demand docility. But in calling the master hard, the servant condemns himself. For since he was hard, he ought all the more to have taken care, having so hard and harsh a master. For if he demands what belongs to others, he will all the more demand what is his own; so you too ought to have increased what you received, and to have made disciples, from whom he would have demanded what was owed. For he calls the disciples “bankers,” as those who approve or reject the word; and he demands interest from the disciples—the demonstration of works. For the disciple, receiving the word from his teacher, both keeps it himself and renders it back whole; and he adds, as interest, the working of the good. The gift, then, is taken from the wicked and slothful servant. For he who has received some gift for the benefit of others, and has not used it, loses even that; but he who has made greater effort draws to himself a greater gift as well. For to him that has effort shall be given greater grace, and he shall have abundance; but from him that has not effort shall be taken away even the gift he seems to have. For such a man received it, yet does not have the gift, but only seems to have it.

⁵ When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; and before Him shall be gathered all the nations, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Since the first coming of the Lord took place in dishonor and outrage, He says, When He comes in His glory. For at the second coming He will come with glory, with angels as His bodyguard. First He separates the saints from the sinners, freeing them from anxiety, and sets them apart, and then speaks to them. He calls the saints “sheep” because of their gentleness, and because they give us fruit and benefit as sheep do, providing wool—that is, a divine and spiritual covering—and milk, that is, suitable nourishment. The sinners He calls “goats,” for they walk along precipices, and are disorderly and unfruitful, like goats.

⁶ Then shall the King say to them on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying: Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? or thirsty, and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? or naked, and clothed You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You? And the King shall answer and say to them: Verily I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of these least of My brethren, you did it to Me. For this is what righteousness shows: that He honors before He punishes, before He examines; for He is righteous, and He trains us in this too, not to punish before we have examined. For thus those who are punished after a tribunal will be the more without excuse. He calls the saints “blessed,” as accepted by the Father; and He makes them heirs of the kingdom, to show that God makes them sharers of His own glory, as His sons. For He did not say, Receive, but, Inherit, as though some paternal estate. He calls them “least brethren” either His own disciples or, quite simply, all the poor. For every poor man is a brother of Christ in this very respect, since Christ too passed His life in poverty. See the righteousness of God, how He proclaims the saints; and see their good sense, how out of modesty they deny having fed Him; but the Lord takes upon Himself what is done for the poor.

⁷ Then shall He say also to them on the left: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me not in; naked, and you clothed Me not; sick, and in prison, and you visited Me not. Then shall they also answer, saying: Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You? Then shall He answer them, saying: Verily I say to you, inasmuch as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life everlasting. Those on the left He sends into the fire which is prepared for the devil. For since the demons are without compassion and without pity, those who share their disposition are rightly counted worthy of the same punishment, and they have become accursed by their own works. Notice that God did not prepare the fire for human beings, nor make the punishment on our account, but for the devil; yet I make myself liable to the punishment. Shudder, O man, considering from this that, behold, these are punished not as fornicators, nor as robbers, nor for having committed any other evil, but for not having done good. For if you consider well, the unmerciful man is a robber; for all that he has beyond his need he has surely snatched from those who are in want but do not receive from him. For if he had laid these things up in common, they too would have been without lack; but now, since he has shut them up and made them his own, for this reason those others are in poverty. So the unmerciful man is a robber, wronging as many as he could have helped but did not; therefore these shall go away into punishment everlasting and never-ending, but the righteous into life everlasting. For just as the saints have unceasing joy, so too the unrighteous have unceasing punishment—even though Origen babbles, saying that there is an end of punishment, and that sinners will not be punished forever, but that there will be a time when they come to the place of the righteous, purified through punishment. For he is plainly refuted here, on the one hand by the words in which the Lord says “everlasting punishment,” which means never-ending; and on the other by the words in which He likens the righteous to sheep and the sinners to goats. For just as a goat could never become a sheep, so neither will a sinner ever be purified and become righteous. The “outer darkness” is that which is farthest from the divine light, and for this reason makes the punishment more grievous. And one may give this reason for it too: the sinner here also has darkness, having fallen from the Sun of righteousness; but since there is hope of change, for this reason this darkness is not “outer.” After he dies, however, and the examination of his deeds is set in place, the outer darkness succeeds it; for there is no longer hope of change, but he undergoes the complete deprivation of the good things of God. For as long as he is here, even if he enjoys the good things of God only moderately—I mean the perceptible things of creation—and seems in some way to be a servant of God, dwelling in His house, this creation, and being fed and sustained by Him; but then he is cut off altogether from God, partaking of none of His good things. This is the darkness, called “outer” by comparison, in relation to that which is here, which is not outer, since the sinner is not yet completely cut off here. But do you flee unfeelingness, and work mercy, both perceptibly and also spiritually. For feed Christ when He hungers for our salvation; and if you feed and give drink to the one who hungers for teaching, you have fed and given drink to Christ. For the Christ, or the faith, within the Christian is nourished and increased through teaching. And if you see someone becoming a stranger to the faith, bring him in—that is, together with your own entering into heaven, lead him in too, not preaching to others while you yourself are disqualified. And if anyone has cast off the garment of incorruption which he received through baptism, and has been stripped naked, clothe him; and the one who is weak in the faith, as Paul says, receive; and the one shut up in the prison of this dark body, visit, shining upon him like some radiance. These forms of love perform indeed also bodily; for since man consists of soul and body, these things can be understood in a twofold way.

26 CHAPTER 26. — On the Woman Who Anointed the Lord with Ointment. On the Passover. On the Mystical Supper. On the Betrayal of Christ. On the Denial of Peter.

¹ And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples: You know that after two days comes the Passover, and the Son of man is delivered up to be crucified. Since He had spoken of the kingdom and of recompense, He at once speaks also of His own Passion, all but saying this: that those who crucify Me will be counted worthy of the fire.

² Then were gathered together the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people into the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they took counsel together to take Jesus by guile and kill Him; but they said: Not on the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. Although the law commanded that there be one high priest for life, they unlawfully made many, exchanging them year by year; and so they go to the high priest of that year to take counsel about murder—for which the murderers ought rather to have been punished. By “chief priests” he means those who had already completed their year of office. But, intending to commit this unholy murder, they fear not God, but the crowd. For they were afraid that, if they killed Him during the feast, the crowd might rise to defend Him, or might even refrain from offering the customary sacrifices because of their bloodguilt, and so they themselves would lose the profits from the sacrifices. Perhaps they were also afraid of this, lest, if He were killed during the feast, His death should become notable and glorious; for they wished to blot out His memory. They, then, having thus taken counsel before the feast, intended perhaps to kill Him after the feast; but He, showing that He suffers not when they wished, but when He Himself willed, allowed them to seize Him at the time of the Passover, so that, when the typical Passover was being kept, then also the true Passover might come to pass. And one may also learn their bloodthirstiness from this: for those who did not wish to kill Him during the feast, when they found the betrayer, then they kill Him, despising even the crowd, only so that their will might be done.

³ Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came to Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined. Some say there were three women who anointed the Lord, of whom the four evangelists make mention; others say there were two—one in John, who is Mary the sister of Lazarus, and the one now mentioned in Matthew, who is the same as the one in Luke and Mark. As for this Simon the leper, some say he was also the father of Lazarus, whom the Lord cleansed of leprosy and then was entertained at his house. And it is said that the Lord, when He told the disciples, Go to such a one, and he will show you an upper room furnished, sent them to this man; and indeed he received the Lord, as they say, and the Passover was kept at his house. The woman, then, seeing the leper cleansed, took courage, believing that she too would obtain forgiveness and be cleansed of the leprosy of her soul; and she displayed great faith by pouring out such precious ointment and not sparing it. She pours it on His head, offering the honor to the most sovereign part. And you too, then, if you have a leprosy of soul that is Pharisaic, puffed up or cut off from God, receive Jesus into your house and anoint Him with the ointment of the virtues; for you can pour ointment on Jesus when He has cleansed you of your leprosy, and pour it upon His head. And what is the head of Christ but His divinity, to which the fragrance of the virtues is offered? For let my prayer, he says, be set forth as incense before You, O Lord. Offer, then, to the divinity of Christ the fragrance that comes from the manifold ointment of the virtues; and indeed, if you confess Him to be not a mere man only, but also God, you have made His head, that is His divinity, fragrant—that is, you have given right theology.

⁴ But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying: To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. But Jesus, knowing it, said to them: Why do you trouble the woman? For she has wrought a good work upon Me. For you have the poor always with you, but Me you have not always. The disciples, having heard much about almsgiving and making much account of it, blamed the woman, seeking mercy more than the honor due to God—though it is God who seeks mercy. But He rebukes the disciples, because they blamed the woman unseasonably. For we must not demand lofty things from those who approach, and especially from a weak woman, but accept even their moderate faith. For when someone offers a gift to God, do not turn him away, nor break down his eagerness by dismissing him to distribute it to the poor, but let him fulfill his offering. If, however, he takes counsel with you, asking whether he should give to the poor for their benefit or offer to God, advise him to give to the poor; but after he has offered, it is superfluous to turn him away. For we must prefer the honor of God to everything whatsoever, even to almsgiving itself. Nor, because Christ out of love for mankind takes mercy upon Himself, should you think you ought to despise God and practice almsgiving only; since on that reasoning one would have to commit sacrilege and then make almsgiving from the spoils. But this is not so; for that showing mercy to the poor and honoring and serving Christ Himself are not the same thing, hear: For the poor, He says, you have always with you, but Me you have not always. You see, then, how it is one thing to serve Christ and another to show mercy to the poor, even though out of love for mankind Christ takes upon Himself what is done for the needy.

⁵ For in pouring this ointment on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Verily I say to you, wherever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be told, for a memorial of her. He teaches us that the woman did this by some divine impulse, prefiguring His death and the burial of His body; for the Lord would not have allowed Himself to be anointed with ointment unless it signified some mystery. And as God He foretold what would be: that what the woman did would be told everywhere, to her praise. And see the love of God for mankind, how He requites the woman with great grace; for He makes her to be remembered throughout, as long as His Gospel is preserved. And how did the ointment contribute to His burial? It was the custom of the Jews to bury bodies with ointments, as the Egyptians also did, so that they might be kept from decay and without foul odor. The woman shows, then, He says, by pouring out the ointment, that My body will be prepared for burial. And He says all this to shame and turn back Judas, through whom He was to be handed over to burial. Understand also, by way of anagogy, that the leper is the Gentile people, and the sinful woman is the gathering and Church drawn from the nations, which poured out the ointment—that is, faith—upon the head of Christ, that is, His divinity. For everyone who believes that Christ is God pours ointment upon the head of Christ; but Judas, who rebuked the woman, as John says, holds the type of the Jews, who even now murmur against the Church.

⁶ Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said: What will you give me, and I will deliver Him to you? And they appointed to him thirty pieces of silver; and from then on he sought opportunity to betray Him. When the woman who was a stranger, the harlot, displayed such great honor, then the disciple goes off to betray Him. For it is not in vain that “then he went” is set down, but to show the shamelessness of Judas; and he adds “Iscariot” to make him more recognizable. For there was also another Judas, the one called Lebbaeus. This betrayer, however, was from a certain village called Iscara. And “they appointed thirty pieces of silver” means that they agreed and set apart this sum to give, not, as many suppose, that they weighed it out. He sought opportunity, then, to deliver Him to them alone; for they feared the crowd, and for this reason they hired Judas to inform them when He was by Himself.

⁷ Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him: Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover? And He said: Go into the city to such a one, and say to him: The Teacher says: My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them, and they prepared the Passover. By “the first day of unleavened bread” he means the day before the unleavened bread. What I mean is this: on Friday evening they were going to eat the Passover, and that day was called the day of unleavened bread; the Lord, then, sends His disciples on Thursday, which the evangelist calls “the first day of unleavened bread,” since it was before the Friday on whose evening they ate the unleavened bread. The disciples, then, come and ask: Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover? For neither they nor He had a house of their own. He sends them to a man who neither knew them nor was known to them, just as He did in the matter of the donkey, showing them that He can, even by bare words, persuade even those who do not know Him at all to receive Him. For He wished to keep the Passover, lest He seem to be opposed to the law; and He calls His slaying “His time,” that we may learn that He is not slain in ignorance, nor unwillingly. And to the words “I will keep the Passover at your house”—that is, in your house—He adds “with My disciples,” so that the preparation may be sufficient, since many were going to eat.

⁸ Now when evening had come, He reclined with the twelve; and as they were eating, He said: Verily I say to you, that one of you will betray Me. And being exceedingly sorrowful, they began every one of them to say to Him: Is it I, Lord? From this some suppose that in that year the Lord did not eat the Passover; for they say that they ate the lamb standing, whereas Christ reclined, and therefore He did not eat the Passover. We say, then, that He ate the Passover first while standing, and then, having reclined, delivered His own mystery; for having first fulfilled the typical Passover, He thus accomplished the true one. He foretells the matter of Judas, in order to correct him, that he might be put to shame, if by nothing else, at least by the common table, and might recognize that he is about to betray God, who knows hearts. The disciples were in anguish; for even though their conscience was clear, nevertheless they trusted Christ more than themselves, as One who knew their hearts better.

⁹ But He answered and said: He that dipped his hand with Me in the dish, the same will betray Me. The Son of man indeed goes, as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, who betrayed Him, answered and said: Is it I, Rabbi? He said to him: You have said. He plainly exposes the betrayer, since when reproved secretly he was not set right; therefore He makes him manifest, saying: He that dipped with Me—so that he might even thus be corrected. But Judas, being shameless, dipped in His dish, that is, His plate. Then He says: The Son of man indeed goes, as it is written of Him—that is, even though Christ was foreordained to suffer for the salvation of the world, yet Judas is by no means to be honored for this, but woe to him; for he did not do this as cooperating with the counsel of God, but to gratify his own wickedness. For indeed, if you consider it closely, Christ did not even, in the first instance, wish to be crucified. He shows this also by praying that the cup might pass; but since it had been determined before all the ages, as there was no other way for men to be saved, because of the wickedness of the enemy, what was in the first instance unwilled becomes willed by Him. And in saying, It had been good for that man if he had not been born, He shows that nonexistence is better than existence in sins. Notice too the word “goes.” For it suggests that His death will be a departure rather than a death.

¹⁰ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said: Take, eat; this is My body. For this reason he added “as they were eating,” to show the inhumanity of Judas, that at the table and in the sharing of the same food—when, even had he been a wild beast, he would have grown gentler—then he did not understand even when reproved, but, having tasted His body, did not repent. Some say that, after Judas had gone out, He imparted the mysteries to the other disciples. And so we too ought to do this, and to bar the wicked from the mysteries. He gives thanks when about to break the bread, both that He may teach us to offer the bread with thanksgiving, and that He may show that He receives with thanksgiving the breaking of His own body, that is, His death, and is not displeased as at something involuntary, and that we too may thus receive martyrdom with thanksgiving. And in saying, “This is My body,” He shows that the bread which is sanctified on the altar is the very body of the Lord, and not a figure of it. For He did not say, This is a figure, but, This is My body; for by an ineffable working it is changed, even though it appears to us as bread. For since we are weak and could not bear to eat raw flesh, and the flesh of a man, for this reason it appears as bread, while it is in truth flesh.

¹¹ And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying: Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood, that of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Just as the old covenant had a sacrifice and blood, so too the new has blood and sacrifice. He said it was shed “for many,” meaning “for all”; for “all” are also “many.” And why did He not say above, Take, eat, all of you, but here, Drink of it, all of you? Some say He said this because of Judas; for Judas took the bread but did not eat it, but hid it, in order to show the Jews that Jesus calls the bread His own body; but the drink he drank even against his will, being utterly unable to hide it. For this reason, then, He said, Drink, all of you. But others, more by way of anagogy, say that to partake of solid food is not for all, but for the more perfect, whereas to drink is for all; for this reason, then, He here said, Drink, all of you. For to receive the simpler of the doctrines is for all.

¹² But I say to you, I will not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of My Father. Having tasted the cup, He thereafter renounces bodily drink; and He promises a certain new manner of tasting in the kingdom, that is, in the resurrection. For having risen, He ate and drank in a certain new manner; not as needing bodily nourishment according to the laws of tasting, but assuring us of the true nature of His body. And He fittingly calls His own resurrection the “kingdom.” For then He abolished death, having shown Himself to be in truth a king. And you may also understand it thus: the new drink is the revelation of the mysteries of God, which will then be revealed in the kingdom of God—that is, at the second coming—being new, that is, such as we have not heard at any other time. And Christ is said to drink these with us, because He regards our benefit as His own food and drink.

¹³ And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. After they had supped, they sang a hymn, that we may learn that we too ought to do this. And He goes to the Mount of Olives, and not to some other place, so as not to seem to be fleeing; for He withdraws not to an unknown place, but to one familiar to the Jews. At the same time He also withdraws from the bloodthirsty city, leaving it behind, so that He might be pursued, and might afterward reprove them, in that they pursued Him even as He withdrew.

¹⁴ Then Jesus says to them: All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. As God He foretells what will be; and that they might not be offended as though accused by Him, He said that it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, hinting at this: that I was holding you together, but My departure will scatter you. And the Father is said to “strike” the Son, because by His consent, or rather His permission, the Jews crucified the Lord; for one who is able to prevent something and then does not prevent it is said to do it, on account of the permission. Then, relieving their sorrow, He brings them good tidings, saying: I will rise, and will go before you—that is, I will reach Galilee ahead of you—showing thereby that He will forsake Jerusalem and depart to the nations; for Gentiles inhabited Galilee.

¹⁵ But Peter answered and said to Him: Even if all shall be made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble. Jesus said to him: Verily I say to you, that this night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times. Out of great self-assurance Peter alone promises not to be made to stumble; therefore Christ permitted him to fall, in order to persuade him not to trust in himself but in God, and to consider the words of Christ more trustworthy than his own conscience. For it is full of arrogance to say, “If all shall be made to stumble”; for it shows him to be boastful and not recognizing his own weakness. The Lord therefore foretells to him both the hour, that it would be this night and before the cock crows, and the number of the denials, that he would deny Him three times.

¹⁶ Peter says to Him: Even if I must die with You, I will not deny You. And all the disciples said likewise. Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and says to the disciples: Sit here, while I go and pray over there. Peter, wishing to show that he has a genuine disposition, contradicts the Savior; for, freed from the fear of the betrayal, out of great love and ambition he began both to set himself above the others and to oppose Christ. But the rest of the disciples too, out of ignorance, made promises before the trial of temptations—promises which they were not going to fulfill. And He goes apart to pray; for prayer needs leisure and stillness.

¹⁷ And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and very heavy; then He says to them: My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch with Me. And going forward a little, He fell on His face, praying and saying: My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. He does not take all the disciples, but the three to whom He had shown His glory on Tabor, lest, seeing Him praying and heavy, they be made to stumble; yet even these He leaves, and going apart He prays quite alone. By dispensation He is sorrowful and heavy, that He may confirm that He was truly man. For it belongs to human nature to dread death; and since death entered contrary to nature, for this reason nature flees from it. At the same time, it was also that He might escape the notice of the devil, who would leap upon Him as upon a mere man, so as to put Him to death, and thus be crushed. Besides, had the Lord leaped upon death, He would have given the Jews an excuse, as though they did not sin in killing One who had rushed upon the Passion. And from this we too learn not to throw ourselves into temptations, but to pray to be delivered from them; for this reason He goes off no great distance, but near the three disciples, so that, hearing Him, they too, when they fell into temptations, might remember and pray likewise. And He calls the Passion a “cup,” either because of the sweet sleep of salvation, or because it became to us a cause of gladness and salvation. And He wishes the cup to be set aside, either to show that as man He declines death by the laws of nature, as has been said, or because He did not wish the Hebrews to commit so great a sin, such that for its sake the temple should be destroyed and the people perish. Nevertheless He wills that the Father’s will be done, that we too may learn that, even if nature draws us back, we must obey God rather, and fulfill His will.

¹⁸ And He comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter: So you could not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Since Peter and the other disciples were bold, He reproves their weakness, as having spoken too rashly, and addresses Peter especially. So you could not stay awake with Me one hour? And how will you lay down your souls for Me? But again, since by the reproof He stung them, He heals them by saying that the spirit indeed is willing, but the weakness of the flesh resists—that is, I count you worthy of pardon, because you fell asleep not out of contempt, but out of weakness. So then, since you are weak, do not be bold, but pray that you enter not at all into temptation. Others, however, understand “Enter not into temptation” as meaning “Be not overcome by temptation.” For He does not, they say, command us to be untried; for it is temptations that crown us. Rather, He commands us to pray not to be swallowed up by temptation, and not to enter into its belly, as into that of some wild beast. For he who is overcome by temptation has entered into it—that is, has been swallowed up by it.

¹⁹ Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying: My Father, if this cup cannot pass from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done. And He came and found them again sleeping; for their eyes were heavy. And leaving them, He went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same words. Learn, O man, to pray continually in temptations, hearing that the Lord too prayed many times. And finding them sleeping again, He did not reprove them, lest He grieve them, but leaves them. And going away He prayed a third time, confirming His humanity; for the number three is indicative of truth and confirmatory.

²⁰ Then He comes to His disciples and says to them: Sleep on now and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; behold, he that betrays Me is at hand. Showing that He has no need of help from them when He is about to be betrayed, He says to them: Sleep on now—or He says this ironically, as though saying: Behold, the betrayer is at hand, and if it pleases you and the moment affords it, sleep on. He then rouses them from that place where He had been praying, and goes to meet those who are about to seize Him, and goes forward to encounter them, as though they were about to give Him something joyful. So too the things for which He prayed, He prayed in order to confirm the dispensation, wishing not to suffer, that the Hebrews might be preserved from the destruction which was going to overtake them because of their sin against Him.

²¹ And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying: Whomever I shall kiss, that is He; seize Him. And immediately he came up to Jesus and said: Hail, Rabbi; and kissed Him fervently. But Jesus said to him: Friend, for what have you come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. Do you see the implements of the chief priests? Clubs and swords. So peaceable were they, and so possessed of the spirit of gentleness! And the words “one of the twelve” the evangelist said in wonder, that, though he was chosen and ranked among the foremost, he nevertheless gave himself to the devil. So you too, O man, be afraid, even if you should be among the most intimate, lest, growing slack, you fall away. Judas gives a sign, both because it was night and they could not make Him out, and because those who came to seize Him were not so much from the crowd as from the servants of the high priest, who perhaps did not know Jesus at all. But the disciple makes the teacher known to them by the kiss; for, knowing the Lord’s love for mankind, he is bold even to kiss Him. And the Lord bears with him even to the last hour, striving by His long-suffering to win him. But when even so he was not brought to his senses, then He makes them fall, as John says, so that at least by their falling they might recognize His power; and when even so they did not desist from their boldness, then He gives Himself up. He calls Judas “friend,” mocking and deriding him, as one who gave a kiss as if of friendship. And the words “for what have you come?” mean: For what purpose are you here? As a friend? But surely it was not fitting to come with swords. As an enemy? Then how is it that you kiss? He convicts him, therefore, as treacherous.

²² And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus says to him: Put up your sword into its place. For all who take the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now appeal to My Father, and He will furnish Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? It was Peter who drew the sword, as John says; and he had a sword, as having just slain the lamb which they ate. But let us not blame Peter; for he did this out of zeal, not for himself, but for his teacher. The Lord, however, reshaping him to an evangelical way of life, teaches him not to use the sword, even if one thinks he is avenging God. And by cutting off the ear, Peter shows that the Jews were sick with disobedience. Then He also lays down the saying of the law, that the murderer is murdered in turn; for the law says this, that those who take the sword shall perish by the sword. And He hints that the Jews who took the sword against Him will be destroyed by the sword of the Romans. He did not say, I am able to furnish twelve legions of angels, but, to appeal to My Father, saying this by dispensation, as man, because of their weakness. For He had then displayed many human things—the sweat, the dread—and would not have seemed to speak credibly if He had said, I am able Myself to furnish angels. So then, in place of the twelve disciples, twelve orders of angels would have stood by Me, had I willed. For a legion is the largest order, six thousand horsemen. It is necessary, He says, that all these things come to pass, that the Scriptures which foretold them may be fulfilled. Not that, because the Scriptures foretold them, the Jews are therefore wicked; rather, because the Jews were going to do these things out of a wicked purpose, for this reason these things were set down in the Scriptures by the Spirit.

²³ In that hour Jesus said to the crowds: You have come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize Me; daily I sat with you teaching in the temple, and you did not lay hold of Me. But all this has come to pass that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. He shows the irrationality of their attempt, and that it was not by their own strength that He was seized. For when, He says, I was in the temple, you wished to take Me, and because I did not allow you, you were not able. But now I willingly betray Myself; for I know that it is impossible for the Scriptures to be proved false, which foretold your wickedness.

²⁴ Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. But they that had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled; and Peter followed Him afar off, to the court of the high priest; and going in, he sat with the officers, to see the end. The other disciples fled; but Peter, being more ardently disposed toward his teacher, followed afar off. And if John too followed, it was not as a disciple, but as one known to the high priest.

²⁵ The chief priests and the elders and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put Him to death, and found none. And though many false witnesses came, they found none. They lead Jesus away to Caiaphas; for he was the high priest of that year. There the rest also passed the night, not having eaten the Passover then, but having waited, so that they might kill the Lord and transgress the law. For the Lord ate at the appointed time, but they, only in order to kill the Lord, despise even the law.

²⁶ But at last two false witnesses came and said: This man said: I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose and said to Him: Do You answer nothing? What is it that these testify against You? But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him: I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus says to him: You have said. These were indeed false witnesses; for Christ did not say, I am able to destroy, but, Destroy. And He did not say, the temple of God, but, this temple—that is, My body. And again He did not say, I will build, but, I will raise up; so that these are plainly false witnesses, saying that Christ said one thing when He said another. Jesus, then, knowing their tribunal to be unlawful, kept silent; for those whom signs did not persuade, how would defenses persuade? But the high priest, wishing to cast Him into blasphemy, asks: that, if He should say, I am the Son of God, He might be condemned as a blasphemer, and if He should deny it, he might have Him as having testified against Himself. But the Lord, who catches the wise in their craftiness, answers: You have said—meaning, Your own mouth has confessed that I am the Son of God.

²⁷ Nevertheless I say to you, from now on you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. He speaks to them out of the prophecy of Daniel. For that prophet says, I saw one like a Son of man coming on the clouds. Since they supposed Him to be a deceiver, appearing in lowly form, He says: You will see Me then coming with power, and seated together with the Father; for here by “power” He means the Father’s; and coming not from earth, but from heaven.

²⁸ Then the high priest tore his garments, saying: He has blasphemed; what further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy; what do you think? And they answered and said: He is guilty of death. It was the custom of the Jews, whenever some intolerable thing came upon them, to tear their tunics; so then Caiaphas also, as at a manifest blasphemy, did this to deceive the crowd, that he might show them that He had blasphemed grievously, and thus might force them to say that He is guilty of death. Note, however, that Caiaphas’s tearing of his garments was a symbol of the high priesthood of the old order being torn asunder.

²⁹ Then they spat in His face and buffeted Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying: Prophesy to us, Christ, who is it that struck You? When He was condemned, then they displayed against Him the things customary toward sinners, and mocked Him, covering His face, as the evangelist says, with a garment; for since they held Him to be a prophet, for this reason they mock Him in this way. To “buffet” is to strike with the hands, the fingers being bent in, or, to say it more plainly, to strike with the fist.

³⁰ Now Peter sat outside in the court; and a maid came to him, saying: You also were with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying: I do not know what you are saying. And when he had gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and says to those there: This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth; and again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter: Truly you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you. Then he began to curse and to swear, I do not know the man. And immediately the cock crew; and Peter remembered the word of Jesus, who had said to him, Before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times; and he went out and wept bitterly. Overcome by fear, Peter forgot his promises and became enslaved to human weakness, as though dead from fear, and not even knowing what he was saying. Understand it for me also by way of anagogy: that Peter is reproved by the maidservant—that is, by human weakness, which is small and servile—until the cock, crowing, brought him to his senses. The cock is the word, which does not allow us to be slack and to sleep, but says, Watch, and, Awake, you who sleep. Roused, then, by the word as by a cock, Peter, having gone out of the court of the high priest—that is, out of the precinct of the hardened mind—and having come out from his insensibility, wept bitterly. For as long as he was in the court of the hardened mind, he did not weep, for he had no perception; but when he came out, he came to perception.

27 CHAPTER 27. — On Pilate the Governor. On the Remorse of Judas. On the Scourging and Torments of Christ, and the Crucifixion. On the Request for the Body of the Lord, and the Guards of the Tomb.

¹ When morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, to put Him to death; and having bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. See how the devil seized hold of them all, persuading them to commit murder on such days—days on which many sacrifices and offerings were required for the rest of their sins, and purity and cleansing. They bind Him and lead Him away to the governor Pilate, who was from Pontus but, being a subject of the Romans, was sent as governor to that region.

² Then Judas, who betrayed Him, seeing that He was condemned, repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying: I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. But they said: What is that to us? See to it yourself. And casting down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and went and hanged himself. In these things Judas is shown to have repented, yet to have repented as a sinner; for to condemn himself was good, but to hang himself was devilish. For, unable to bear the reproaches that would come afterward, he removes himself from life, when he ought rather to have wept and propitiated the One he had offended. Some say that Judas, being avaricious, took the silver supposing that he would both gain the money by betraying Christ and that Christ would not be killed, but would escape the Jews, as He had often escaped; and that then, seeing Him condemned and already sentenced to death, he repented, since the matter had turned out contrary to what he had supposed. Therefore he hanged himself, in order to go before Jesus into Hades, and, by his entreaty, obtain salvation. Yet know that he put his neck into the noose, hanging himself from a certain tree; but the tree bent down, and he survived, since God willed either to preserve him for repentance, or for a public example and shame. For they say that he fell into a dropsical disease, so that, where a wagon passes easily, he could not pass through. Then, falling headlong, he burst asunder—that is, he was torn open, as Luke says in the Acts.

³ But the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said: It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood. And taking counsel, they bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field was called the Field of Blood, to this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was priced, whom they of the children of Israel did price, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me. By “treasury” they meant the treasure in the temple, into which they cast the gifts offered to God. And see their God-driven judgment against themselves: for to this day, he says, that field is called the Field of Blood, so that it is remembered that they murdered the Lord. Note this too, that even among the Jews hospitality was so esteemed that even for strangers a plot of ground was bought for burial. Let us, then, be ashamed—we who think ourselves to be of a more perfect way of life, yet overlook strangers. “The price of Him that was priced,” he says—plainly, of Christ; for He was beyond price, yet He was priced by the children of Israel—that is, the children of Israel set His price, agreeing with Judas to give thirty pieces of silver.

⁴ Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked Him, saying: Are You the King of the Jews? And Jesus said to him: You say so. And when He was accused by the chief priests and the elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate says to Him: Do You not hear how many things they testify against You? And He answered him never a word, so that the governor marveled greatly. As though accused of public crimes, He is led away to Pilate; whence he also asks Him whether He had set about a revolt, and attempted to become king of the Jews. But Jesus said to him: You say so—giving him a most wise answer; for He neither said, I am not, nor again, I am, but said somewhat measuredly: You say so. For this can be understood in two ways: that I am, as you say; and also, that I do not say this, but you say it. He answered nothing else, however; for the trial was not to proceed reasonably. Pilate, then, marveled at the Lord, both as one despising death, and as to how, being eloquent and having countless things to put forward in His defense, He answered nothing, but disregarded His accusers. And let us too be taught from this, that when we have to do with a corrupt tribunal, we should say nothing, so that we neither stir up greater tumult, nor become the cause of greater condemnation to those who will not hear our defenses.

⁵ Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner, whom they wished. And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. So when they were gathered together, Pilate said to them: Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered Him. Pilate was eager to release Christ, though more weakly than he ought; for he should have stood firm for the truth. First, then, he questioned the Lord: Do You not hear what these testify against You? He questioned Him so that, if Christ defended Himself, he might have occasion to release Him; but since the Lord made no defense, knowing surely that even if He defended Himself He would not be set free, Pilate turns to another way, and takes refuge thereafter in the custom, all but saying this: If you will not release Jesus as innocent, at least grant Him to the feast as a condemned man. For how could Pilate have supposed that they would ask for the innocent Jesus to be crucified and release the guilty robber? Knowing, then, that He was not guilty but was envied, for this reason he questions them; whence it is shown that he was too weak, for he ought to have risked himself first for the good. For this reason, then, he too is worthy of condemnation, as one who concealed the truth. Now “Barabbas” is interpreted “son of the father”; for “bar” is “son,” and “abbas” is “father.” The Jews, then, asked for the son of their father, the devil, and crucified Jesus; and to this very day they attach themselves to the son of their father, the Antichrist, and reject Christ.

⁶ And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying: Have nothing to do with that righteous man; for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him. But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them: Which of the two do you want me to release to you? And they said: Barabbas. Pilate says to them: What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all say to him: Let Him be crucified. And the governor said: Why, what evil has He done? But they cried out the more, saying: Let Him be crucified. So when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a tumult was arising, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; see to it yourselves. And all the people answered and said: His blood be on us and on our children. Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he scourged and delivered to be crucified. O the wonder! Being judged by Pilate, He struck fear into Pilate’s wife; and it is not Pilate himself who sees the dream, but his wife, either because he was unworthy, or because he would not have been believed, but would have seemed to speak as a favor; and perhaps too he would have kept silent had he seen it, being a judge. The dream was a work of Providence, not so that Christ might be released—it did not come about for that—but so that the woman might be saved. Why, then, did Pilate not release Him? Because it was not safe for him to let Him go, as one accused of aiming at tyranny; rather, he ought to have sought proofs—whether He was enlisting soldiers, whether He was forging weapons; but now, as one frivolous and weak, he is swept along. For this very reason he is not blameless; for when they asked for the one steeped in wickedness, he gave him, but concerning Christ he asked, What then shall I do with Jesus?—making them masters of the judgment, although, being governor, he could have snatched Him away, as the tribune did Paul. But they said, Let Him be crucified, wishing not only to kill Him, but also to surround Him with a wicked charge; for the cross was the punishment reserved for the wicked. And he washes his hands, showing himself, as it were, clean of the abomination, though wrongly minded; for, while calling Jesus righteous, he nevertheless handed Him over to the murderers. And they take upon themselves the punishment for His murder—that is, in our own day, in that the Romans destroyed them and their land; but the Hebrews even to this day, being perhaps the descendants of those who murdered the Lord, have His blood upon themselves; for because of their unbelief toward the Lord they are persecuted by all, and there is no boldness for them, persecuted for this very cause. And he scourged Jesus—that is, flogged Him—either to gratify them, or to show that he too had condemned Him, and that it was not an innocent man they were about to crucify, but one already dishonored. So then this too was fulfilled: I gave My back to the scourges.

⁷ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort against Him; and stripping Him, they put on Him a scarlet robe. And plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and bowing the knee before Him, they mocked Him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews; and they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. Here was fulfilled the saying of David: You have made me a reproach to the foolish. For the soldiers, being senseless, did these things of themselves: they clothed Him with the robe instead of purple, as a king; they gave Him the reed instead of a scepter, and the crown instead of a diadem. And they did obeisance to Him in mockery; for this is what the bending of the knee signifies—doing obeisance. See how they went through every kind of outrage: the face, by the spittings; the head, by the crown; the hand, by the reed; the rest of the body, by the robe; and the ears, outraging them by their mocking words. Yet even if they did what they did in sport, do you nevertheless understand these things to have been accomplished more mystically by Jesus. For the scarlet robe signified our nature, which, being bloody and murderous, He took upon Himself, and by putting it on He sanctified it. The crown of thorns is the sins that arise from the cares of life, which Christ consumes by His own divinity; for this His head hints at. The reed is a symbol of our flesh, which is rotten and weak, which the Lord took up, as David also says: The right hand of the Lord has exalted me. And by receiving through His ears the foul whisperings and slanders, He put to death the whispering of the serpent that had entered in.

⁸ And when they had mocked Him, they took off the robe from Him and put His own garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. And as they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, named Simon; him they compelled to carry His cross. The three evangelists say that Simon carried the cross of Jesus; but John says that the Lord Himself carried it. It is likely, then, that both happened. For at first Jesus carried the cross, no one being willing to carry it; but on the way, finding Simon, they laid the cross upon him. And learn this too: that “Simon” is interpreted “obedience”; so he who has obedience, that man carries the cross of Christ. And Cyrene, being a city of five towns, signifies the five senses, which are constrained to carry the cross.

⁹ And coming to a place called Golgotha, which is the place of a skull, they gave Him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall; and when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Golgotha is that place which they call the place of a skull, from the skulls of the dead being buried there. Some, however, say that this is the place where Adam was buried; for there are all the beginnings of the world. For he was buried there; just as in Adam we all died, so in Christ we shall be made alive. And do not be troubled at hearing that Matthew says they gave Him vinegar with gall, while Mark says wine mingled with myrrh, and John says vinegar and gall with hyssop; for many things were done by many people, since the multitude was disorderly, and one did one thing and another another. It is likely, then, that some offered the wine and others the vinegar of gall. And there were many modes of death, yet Christ is lifted up on a cross, that He might both sanctify the tree through which we were cursed, and bless all things: things heavenly, signified by the topmost part of the cross; things earthly, signified by the footrest; and both the eastern and the western, signified by the side-parts of the cross; and also that with His arms He might embrace the scattered children of God.

¹⁰ And when they had crucified Him, the soldiers divided His garments, casting lots; and sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they set up over His head His accusation written: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. That Matthew said “accusation,” while another evangelist called it a “title,” is no contradiction; for they inscribed on a board the charge for which He was crucified—what Matthew calls the “accusation”—and they inscribed Him as a revolutionary, by way of slander. But for us this is a matter of faith, as a doctrine declared by the enemies themselves. For the Lord is King, having come for this very purpose, that He might save the Jews; and since the carnal Jews would not, He reigns over the confessing and spiritual Jews—that is, over those who confess.

¹¹ Then there were crucified with Him two robbers, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying: You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself; if You are the Son of God, come down from the cross. In like manner also the chief priests, mocking, with the scribes and Pharisees, said: He saved others, Himself He cannot save; if He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him; for He said, I am the Son of God. And the robbers who were crucified with Him reproached Him with the same thing. Two robbers were crucified with Him to slander Christ, that He too might seem to be such a one, a transgressor like them. But these were a type of the two peoples, the Jewish and the Gentile; for both were transgressors, and reproached Christ. And these robbers too reproached Him at first; but afterward the one, recognizing Him, confessed Him as King, wherefore he also said, Remember me, Lord, in Your kingdom. So too the Gentile people confessed Christ. But the other robber, the Jewish people, blasphemed. And the devil put forward those who said, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross,” that, being provoked, He might come down, and the salvation of all through the cross might be overthrown. Therefore Christ, who both is the Son of God and was not persuaded by the enemy, that you too may learn that we must not be persuaded by the devil’s devices, but must do the good, even if men are going to hold a wicked opinion of us.

¹² Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour; and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? And some of those standing there, when they heard it, said: This man is calling Elijah. And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink. But the rest said: Let be; let us see whether Elijah comes to save Him. The darkness that came about was not according to a natural sequence, as from an eclipse occurring naturally; for an eclipse of the sun never happens when the moon is fourteen days old, but only when the so-called new moon occurs—then the natural eclipses of the sun take place. But at the crucifixion the moon was certainly fourteen days old; for the Passover of the Hebrews was then being celebrated. So the Passion was beyond nature. And the darkness was universal, not partial as in Egypt, that it might be shown that everywhere the light had departed from the Jews. The Jews who asked to see a heavenly sign now behold the sun darkened. And as man was fashioned on the sixth day, and on the sixth hour ate from the tree, so the Lord, refashioning man and healing the fault, is fastened to the tree on the sixth day and at the sixth hour. He speaks the prophetic word in the Hebrew tongue, to show that He is not at variance with the Old Scripture. And the words “Why have You forsaken Me?” He said in order to show that He truly became man, and not in mere appearance; for indeed man has a natural appetite for life, being a lover of life. So just as He was in anguish and prayed before the cross, displaying the love of life natural to us, so now too He says, “Why have You forsaken Me?” making manifest our natural love of life. For indeed He was truly man, and in all things like to us, apart from sin. Some, however, have understood it thus: that the Savior, taking on the person of the Jews, says, Why have You forsaken the Jewish people, whom You loved, so that it committed sin, and I was betrayed by it? For as one sprung from the Jews, Christ says, “You have forsaken Me,” meaning, My kindred, My people—why did You let it go, so as to do such evil against itself? And those of the crowd, being rustic and unlearned in the prophetic writings, did not understand the cry, and supposed that He was calling Elijah; for not all the Jews knew the prophetic writings, just as perhaps not even now do all Christians know those of the Gospels. And they gave Him vinegar to drink, that He might die more quickly, before Elijah should come to help. Whence the rest say, “Let be; let us see whether Elijah comes to save Him”—that is, Do not make Him hasten to die, so that we may know whether Elijah will help Him.

¹³ And Jesus, crying out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many. Jesus cries with a loud voice, that we may know that what He said, I have authority to lay down My soul, was true. For by His own authority He lays down His soul. And what was the cry? Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. For not by compulsion, but willingly, He yielded up His spirit. For this is what “I commit” signifies; and it also makes plain that He was going to take it up again, for such is a deposit, given back again. And see, in the Lord’s case, that when He had died and His spirit had been committed into the hands of the Father, from that time forth the souls of the saints too are placed into the hands of God, and no longer, as before, in the recesses of Hades. So the death of Christ became our sanctification; wherefore He also summons death with a loud voice, since it dared not approach unless it were called. The veil of the temple was a certain curtain hung in the midst of the temple, walling off the inner from the outer, like a partition wall. This, then, is torn, God showing that the temple—the inaccessible, the unseen, whose innermost parts the veil concealed—will be so dishonored and exposed as to become accessible and visible to all. Some give other reasons too: for the veil being torn signified, they say, the removal of the letter of the law, and that all the things of the law would be uncovered, which before were hidden by the letter as by a veil, and that the things that were obscure and enigmatic would now be made manifest, with Christ having come forth. And one may say this too, that it was a law among the Jews, at blasphemies against God, to rend their tunics. And so now the divine temple, as though grieved at the death of God, rent its own garment, the veil. And one could say other things as well, but these suffice. And the elements quaked, both showing that the One who suffered was the Creator, and signifying that affairs would be changed; for Scripture sets the earthquake to denote the changing of affairs. There took place, then, the change of God’s oversight, from the Jews to the nations; and the rocks—the stony hearts of the nations—were split, and received the seed of truth; and those who were dead in their sins arose, and came to the holy city, the Jerusalem above, appearing to those who walk along the broad way, being certain archetypes of repentance and conversion. For whoever sees one formerly dead converted and ascended to the holy city in the heavens, surely imitates him, and is himself converted. These things, then, were understood more subtly; but do you know that the raising of the dead which took place at the cross of the Lord signified also the freeing of the souls in Hades. And those who arose then appeared to many, lest what happened should seem to be a phantom; and they arose for the sake of the sign. And it is plain that they arose after Christ rose, if we are to accept this.

¹⁴ Now the centurion and those with him who were keeping watch over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were done, feared greatly, saying: Truly this was the Son of God. And there were there many women, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. The Gentile centurion believes from the signs, together with those about him; but the Jews, who had listened to the prophets and the law, remain unbelieving—so great an evil is wickedness. And this centurion afterward bore witness for Christ. The women, beholding what happened—being of all the most compassionate, and that sex which had been condemned—are the first to enjoy the sight of good things; and the disciples flee, but the women persevere. By “Mary the mother of James and Joses” he means the Theotokos; for James and Joses were the children of Joseph by his former wife. Since, then, the Theotokos was called the wife of Joseph, she was fittingly called also the mother, or rather stepmother, of his children. And the mother of the sons of Zebedee was called Salome; and they say that she too was a daughter of Joseph.

¹⁵ Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up; and Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb. Joseph, who had once been in hiding, now dares a great thing, laying down his soul for the body of his teacher, and taking upon himself such great enmity from all the Jews. And Pilate gives him the body as a great gift. For, since Christ had been put to death as a rebel, His body was fittingly to be cast out unburied; but Joseph, being rich, likely also gave Pilate gold. And taking it, he honors it, laying it in a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. This was a matter of God’s dispensation, so that, when the Lord had risen, no one could say that some other dead man buried there had risen. For this reason, then, a new tomb. And Mary Magdalene and the other Mary—that is, the Theotokos, whom above he called the mother of Joses and James—these two, sitting opposite the tomb, were watching to see whether the madness would cease, that they might come and embrace the body and anoint it. Concerning such women Isaiah said: Women who come from a spectacle, come; this is not a people of understanding. For plainly, of the Jewish people who crucified the Lord he says that they have no understanding. It is fitting, then, to leave the people without understanding, and to come to the apostles, and to proclaim the good news of the resurrection.

¹⁶ Now on the next day, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying: Lord, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was still alive, After three days I will rise. Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, He is risen from the dead; and the last error will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them: You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone, with the guard. He does not call the Sabbath “Sabbath,” because it was not even a Sabbath, on account of the wickedness of the Jews; for though the law declared that on the day of the Sabbath no one should move from his house, the lawless Jews gather to the foreign Pilate, instead of to the appointed assembly. But they were led by their wickedness to go to Pilate and to make the tomb secure; whereas it was God’s dispensation that the resurrection should take place with the enemies as witnesses, and with the tomb sealed and guarded. And it is worth inquiring whence the Jews had learned to say that He would rise on the third day; for surely the Lord did not say this plainly and openly. One may say, then, that they knew it from the example of Jonah; for Christ said, As Jonah was three days in the belly of the whale, so I also will be in the belly of the earth, or, Destroy this temple; for at first they did not understand this, but supposed that He spoke of the Jewish temple, and they testified against Him; but now they understood that He called His own body the temple, and they call Him a deceiver, not even having changed their wickedness. And among the Romans the guard is called “custodia”; so the soldiers stationed at the tomb he calls the “custody.”

28 CHAPTER 28. — On the Resurrection of the Lord. On the Guards of the Tomb, Witnesses of the Resurrection. On the Appearance of Christ to the Apostles and the Women in Galilee.

¹ Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his garment white as snow. And for fear of him the keepers were shaken, and became as dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women: Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and behold, He goes before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Lo, I have told you. “Late on the Sabbath” is equivalent to what is said in Luke, “in the deep dawn,” and in Mark, “very early, when the sun had risen.” For here we must understand by “sun” the early rays of the sun; for from the moment the eighth hour of the night sets in, from then the beginning of the coming day, and the early morning, seems to set in. So it was then late on the Sabbath, but the beginning of the Lord’s Day, which he calls “the first day of the week.” For they called the days of the week “Sabbaths”; and “the first,” the Lord’s Day, “the first of the Sabbaths”—that is, the first of the days of the week; for in relation to the first the second is spoken of, then the rest. The Lord, then, rose with the tomb sealed; and after He had risen, the angel comes, in order that, having rolled away the stone, he might give the women entrance into the tomb. And the earthquake takes place so that the guards might be wakened and learn the strangeness of what had happened. The Lord, then, rose on the third day. And how are the three days reckoned? At the sixth hour of the Preparation He was crucified; from that hour until the ninth, darkness—reckon this for me as night. Again, from the ninth, light—this is day; behold, a day-and-night. Again, the night of the Preparation and the day of the Sabbath, a second day-and-night; the night of the Sabbath and the dawn of the Lord’s Day, a third; and Matthew himself bears witness, saying, “as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week”; for from the dawn the whole day is also reckoned. Behold, a third day-and-night. And you can reckon the three days in another way as well: on the Preparation He yielded up His spirit—this is one day; on the Sabbath He was in the tomb—this is a second day; and on the night of the Lord’s Day He rose, so the Lord’s Day too is reckoned in part as another day; thus, behold, three days. For indeed in the case of those who have fallen asleep, if someone dies about the tenth hour of the day, and another about the first hour of the same day, both are said to have died on the same day. And I have yet another reason to give you for this, how three days and three nights are reckoned. Attend, then: on Thursday evening the Lord made a supper, and said to His disciples, “Take, eat; this is My body”; so that, since He had authority to lay down His soul, it is plain that He then slew Himself, from the moment that He distributed His body to His own disciples; for no one eats anything unless it has first been slain. Reckon, then: the evening when He distributed His own body—that night is the first; then the whole day, that is, the darkness from the sixth hour, and the light from the ninth until evening—behold, a second day-and-night; the night after the Preparation, and the day of the Sabbath—behold, a third day-and-night. And late on the Sabbath He rose; these are three complete days-and-nights. As for the angel, Matthew said that he sat upon the stone, while Mark said that, having rolled away the stone, he was within the tomb on the right side. Is there, then, a contradiction? The angel first appeared seated on the stone, then went in; and again he appeared within the tomb, seated on the right side. And he said to the women: Do not be afraid—that is, It is for the keepers to be afraid; but you, the disciples of the Lord, do not be afraid. And after He frees them from fear, he brings them the good news of the resurrection. For first the fear had to be cast out, and then the good tidings received, while he named the Lord. For by the cross, as by a trophy of victory, we have come to know Christ.

² And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying: Rejoice. And they came and took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Then Jesus says to them: Do not be afraid. Go, tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there they will see Me. He greets the women with “Rejoice.” For since the female sex had been condemned to sorrow, the Lord, through His resurrection, procured joy beforehand for the female sex, and blessed them. Therefore, out of their great reverence for Him, they take hold even of His feet, not daring out of awe to touch any other part of His body, except the lowest parts of it. Some, however, say that they deliberately grasped His feet, in order to learn whether He had truly risen and not in mere appearance, nor was a spirit. For they suspected that perhaps it was a spirit. But according to John, Mary Magdalene attempts to touch Him but is not permitted, because she wished to be always with Him as before. Or rather, for this reason she is not permitted to touch Jesus according to John, as being overcurious. For since, as Matthew says, she had touched His feet, what further need was there to touch Him again? So He pushes her away, as one whose touch was now superfluous.

³ Now as they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. And being assembled with the elders, and having taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying: Say that His disciples came by night and stole Him while we slept; and if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and keep you out of trouble. So they took the money and did as they were taught. And this saying is spread abroad among the Jews to this day. Those of the guard reported everything: that there had been an earthquake, that the stone had been lifted of itself, that they themselves, being afraid, had become as dead men. But the Jews, abashed neither by the wonders that took place at the Passion, nor by the things attested at the tomb by the soldiers, corrupt the soldiers by their own passion of avarice, persuading them to utter what is of all things most impious and most senseless—that He had been stolen. For how could the disciples have stolen Him, O senseless ones, when they were shut in for fear and did not dare to go out at all? And how, if they had stolen Him, would they later die for Him, proclaiming that He had risen, and be cut to pieces for a lie?

⁴ Now the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had appointed them; and when they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying: All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. According to John, Jesus first appeared to the disciples on the very day of the resurrection, the doors being shut; then after eight days, when Thomas also believed; then, since they were to meet in Galilee, but not all had yet gathered together—rather, some of them were fishing on the Sea of Tiberias—He appeared then to the fishermen alone, who were seven. So what Matthew here relates took place later, after the things in John that happened earlier; for He appeared to them many times, presenting Himself over forty days and again withdrawing, not remaining continuously. The eleven, then, went into Galilee, having of course come together with the rest, and the eleven worshiped. And by “some” he means “certain ones”—that is, some of the seventy—who doubted concerning Christ; yet they too were confirmed. Some, however, understand it thus: that Matthew passed over saying who they were that doubted; and what this one passed over, John told—that it was Thomas who doubted. And perhaps they doubted again, as Luke relates. So you ought to understand it thus: that having come into Galilee, they worshiped Him; but these who worshiped in Galilee had doubted earlier in Jerusalem, as Luke says. Jesus, then, spoke to them: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” And this means the following: I had, as God and Creator, authority over all things—For all things are Your servants, David says to God—but I did not have the voluntary submission of all. Now, then, I am about to have this too; for all things will be made subject to Me; through the cross I have conquered him who had the power of death. For submission is twofold: the one involuntary, in that we are all servants of God, as even the demons are; the other voluntary, in the way that Paul was a servant of Christ. Before, then, when all had only the involuntary submission, the Savior had the authority over all but by half; but after the cross, the knowledge of God having been spread to all, and all having been brought into voluntary submission, Christ fittingly says, Now I have received all authority. For before, the authority belonged to Me partially, in that men served Me only involuntarily, inasmuch as I am their Maker; but now that men serve Me with knowledge as well, all authority, whole and entire, has been given to Me. And by whom was it given? Surely by Himself and by His own humility; for unless He had humbled Himself and grappled with the adversary through the cross, He would not have saved us. So understand “Authority has been given to Me” thus: By My own struggles and wrestlings I saved men, and there came to be Mine, henceforth, an inheritance and a chosen people. The Lord, then, has authority on earth, in that all the earth has come to know Him; and in heaven, because the reward of those who believe in Him, and their commonwealth, is in the heavens; and besides, since human nature, formerly condemned, being joined to God the Word according to hypostasis, sits in heaven, worshiped by angels, He fittingly says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven”; and human nature, which formerly was in servitude, now in heaven rules over all. To say it briefly, then, understand “All authority has been given to Me” thus: take it as spoken from God the Word, that “All authority has been given to Me,” inasmuch as both unwillingly and willingly all now acknowledge Me as God—those who formerly served Me after the manner of involuntary submission; but if taken as spoken from the human nature, understand it thus: that I, the formerly condemned nature, but, according to the unconfused union with the Son of God, being God, have received authority over all, so as to be worshiped by angels in heaven, and glorified on earth by all the ends of the world. He sends the disciples, then, no longer to the Jews only, but, since He had received authority over all, having sanctified human nature in Himself, He fittingly sends them to all the nations, commanding them to baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Let Arius, then, be ashamed, and Sabellius: Arius, in that Christ did not say to baptize “into the names,” but “into the name”; and the name of the three is one, the Godhead; so the three are one God. And Sabellius, in that He sets forth the names of the three persons—not of one person, as that man would have it, but of three persons; whereas Sabellius would have it that there is one person, sometimes named Father, sometimes Son, sometimes Spirit. And since it is not enough to be baptized only, but one must also work the good after baptism, He says: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. He did not say one or two of the commandments, but all; we are not perfect unless we keep all. For we are required to keep all. And see the teaching of the Lord, how it embraces both the chief points of Christianity—doctrine and practical virtue: for in saying that we must baptize into the name of the Trinity, He delivered to us theology; and in saying to teach also the keeping of the commandments, He delivered to us practical virtue. And encouraging them, since they were going to be sent among the nations and to slaughters and dangers, He says: Do not be afraid; for I will be with you until the end of the age. And notice this too, that He made mention of the consummation, in order the more to rouse them to endurance of hardships. Do not be discouraged, He says; and He said this quite simply to all His disciples, for surely the apostles were not going to live until the consummation. So He promises this to us also, and to those after us; not that, being present until the consummation, He will be absent after the consummation—far from it. For from that time He will be present all the more purely and clearly; for the word “until,” wherever it is found set down in Scripture, does not do away with what comes after. Having given thanks, then, to the Lord who is here present with us, and who supplies every good thing, and who will be present with us again more perfectly, let us send up glory to Him, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

⁵ The end of the interpretation of the holy Gospel according to Matthew, by our father among the saints Theophylact.

3 Chapter 3. — John first proclaimed the kingdom of heaven.

¹ Now in those days. Not when the Lord was a child and dwelt in Nazareth, but he speaks simply, meaning, in that time, the time before the new generation.

² John the Baptist comes. For this purpose was John sent by God, that, reproving the Jews, he might persuade them to come to a sense of their own evils, and so to receive Christ. For unless one perceives his sins, he does not come to repentance. John, therefore, was sent.

³ Preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying: Repent. The Jews were arrogant; for this reason he presses them on to repentance.

⁴ For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. By the kingdom of heaven he means the first and second coming of Christ, and the virtuous life. For whenever, living on earth, we conduct ourselves as in heaven, not living passionately, we possess the kingdom of heaven.

⁵ For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The way means the Gospel; and the paths, the commandments of the law, as being worn down and old. He says, then, that: Be ready for the evangelical way of life, and make the commandments of the law straight—that is, make them spiritual. For the spirit is straight. Whenever, then, you see a Jew understanding the things of the law carnally, say that this man has not made the paths straight—that is, he does not understand the law spiritually.

⁶ And John himself had his garment of camel’s hair. He summoned them to repentance even by his dress; for he had a mournful robe. And they say that the camel is between clean and unclean. For inasmuch as it chews the cud, it is clean; but inasmuch as it is not cloven-hoofed in its nails, it is not clean. Since, then, John too brought to God both the people that seemed clean, the Jewish, and the unclean, the gentile, and was a mediator of the old covenant and the new, for this reason he wore the camel’s hair.

⁷ And a leathern girdle about his loins. All the saints are introduced in Scripture as girded, as being always at work; for the negligent and luxurious are not girded, as now the Saracens; or [it is] because they have mortified the passions of desire; for leather is part of a dead animal.

⁸ And his food was locusts and wild honey. [This is said] to those who hold that the locusts are herbs, which they also call melagra; while some [say they are] tree-fruits, that is, wild fruits of the season. And understand the “wild” honey to be that worked by wild bees, found in trees and rocks.

⁹ Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about the Jordan. And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Even though they were baptized, yet the baptism of John did not have remission of sins. But John preached only repentance, and led toward remission of sins—that is, he guided [them] to the baptism of Christ, from whom comes the remission of sins.

¹⁰ And seeing many of the Pharisees. “Pharisee” is interpreted “set apart.” For they seemed in life and in knowledge to be set apart, and to surpass the others.

¹¹ And of the Sadducees. These believed neither in resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit. And they are interpreted “righteous.” For Sedek is righteousness; for they named themselves righteous. Or they are named from the heresiarch Sadok.

¹² Coming to his baptism, he said to them. They did not come with a right mind, like the rest. For this reason he also lays hold of them.

¹³ Brood of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? He speaks to them bitterly, knowing their hardness; yet he also praises them, saying: Who has warned you? For he marvels how this came to pass, that their wicked generation should repent. And he calls them a brood of vipers, because, just as these come forth devouring the wombs [that bore them], so these too murdered their fathers, that is, their teachers, the prophets; and by “the wrath to come” he means that of Gehenna.

¹⁴ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. You see what he says, that one must not only flee from wickedness, but also bring forth the fruits of virtue.

¹⁵ For, he says, turn away from evil, and do good.

¹⁶ And think not to say within yourselves: We have Abraham as our father. This was to their destruction, that they took confidence in their noble lineage.

¹⁷ For I say to you that God is able even from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. By stones are understood also the gentiles, from whom many believed. Yet John says this also quite plainly, that even from stones [God] is able to make children for Abraham. For indeed Sarah was a stone and a rock, because of her barrenness, but she bore a child; and the Lord raised up children to Abraham from the stones—when? When, at his crucifixion, many, seeing the rocks rent asunder, believed.

¹⁸ And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees. By the axe he means the judgment of Christ; and the trees [are] each one of us. He, then, who has not believed is from now on cut off root and all, and is cast into Gehenna.

¹⁹ Every tree, therefore. Even if it be descended from Abraham.

²⁰ Which brings not forth good fruit. He did not say, “Which has not brought forth,” but, “Which brings not forth.” For one must ever bear fruit. For if yesterday you showed mercy, but today you are grasping, you do not please [God].

²¹ Is hewn down, and cast into the fire. The fire of Gehenna.

²² I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that comes after me is mightier than I. He had said to them: Bring forth fruit. He shows, then, what the fruit is: that it is to believe in him who comes after him. And Christ came after him; inasmuch as he was later than [John] in birth, by six months only, but also in manifestation. For the Forerunner was made manifest first, then Christ, attested by him.

²³ Whose sandals I am not worthy to bear. I am not, he says, even his lowest servant, so as to bear these. And you may understand the sandals [as] his two descents, that from heaven to earth, and that from earth to Hades. And the sandals are the fleshly skin and the mortification; these two descents the Forerunner cannot bear, being unable to comprehend how they came to pass.

²⁴ He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit. That is, He shall flood you abundantly with the gifts of the Spirit. For my baptism, he says, does not furnish spiritual grace, nor even the remission of sins; but he will both forgive you, and give the Holy Spirit.

²⁵ Whose winnowing-fan is in his hand. Think not that if you are baptized by him, then, when you sin, he will pardon you. But he also has a winnowing-fan, that is, judgment and scrutiny.

²⁶ And he will thoroughly purge his threshing-floor. That is, the Church, which has many baptized, just as on the threshing-floor [there is] every kind of crop; but among these, some are chaff, as many as are light and moved by the spirits of wickedness; and others [are] wheat, as many as both benefit others, and nourish [them] through teaching and practice.

²⁷ And he will gather his wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Unquenchable is that fire; so that Origen talks nonsense, saying that there will be an end of punishment.

²⁸ Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him; but John forbade him, saying. Being pure, he is baptized, that he might wash us clean; and that he might show us that the one upon whom we are about to be baptized must first be purified, lest we defile baptism, being thereafter easily soiled through evil habit. And John forbids him, lest the beholders should suppose him also to be one of the many baptized unto repentance.

²⁹ I have need to be baptized by you. For the Forerunner had need to be cleansed by the Lord. For, being descended from Adam, he too dragged along the defilement that came from the disobedience; but Christ, being made flesh, cleansed all.

³⁰ And do you come to me? He did not dare to say, “And are you baptized by me?” but,

³¹ And do you come? so reverent was he.

³² But Jesus answering said to him: Suffer it now. Now, he says, give way; but there will be a time when we shall have the glory that is due, even if now we do not appear [in it].

³³ For thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness. By righteousness he means the law. Accursed, he says, was human nature, because it could not bring the law to fulfillment. I, then, have accomplished the other things of the law also; but this remains to me, to be baptized. Having accomplished this, then, I shall deliver nature from the curse; for this becomes me.

³⁴ Then he suffers him; and Jesus, having been baptized. At thirty years of age he is baptized, since this age receives all the sins. For in the first age there is much thoughtlessness; in the second, that of the younger men, [there is] much flame of desire and of anger; in this, that of full-grown men, [there is] much love of money. He waited, then, for this age, that through all the ages he might fulfill the law, and sanctify us.

³⁵ Immediately he went up from the water. The Manichaeans say that his body was laid aside in the Jordan, and that according to appearance he showed another body. But they are silenced from this. For Jesus, he says, went up; not another went up, but the very one who had gone down into the water.

³⁶ And lo, the heavens were opened to him. Adam closed them; but through Christ they are opened; that you might learn that you also, when you are baptized, open them.

³⁷ And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and coming upon him; and lo, a voice from the heavens, saying. The Spirit descends, to bear witness that the one baptized is greater than the one baptizing. For the Jews held John to be great, but for Christ they did not so much care. And all saw the Spirit coming upon Jesus, lest they should suppose that the voice which said,

³⁸ This is my beloved Son, came on account of John; but, seeing the Spirit, they might believe that the voice is on account of Jesus. And “like a dove” [signifies] the guileless and the gentle; and because the dove is most pure, and where there is a stench it does not remain; so too the Holy Spirit. But also in the days of Noah the dove announced the abating of the flood, bearing an olive branch; so too here the Holy Spirit declares the loosing of sins. There [it was] a twig; but here [it is] the mercy of God.

³⁹ This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; that is, In whom I have taken delight, in whom I am pleased.

4 Chapter 4. — On the temptation of Christ. On the calling of Peter, and Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee.

¹ Then was Jesus led up into the wilderness by the Spirit. Teaching us that after baptism we must expect temptations, he is led up by the Holy Spirit; for he did nothing without the Spirit. And he is led up into the wilderness, that he might show us that the devil tempts us then, when he finds us alone, and not helped by one another. We must, then, not rashly trust in ourselves.

² To be tempted by the devil. He is called “devil” (diabolos) who slandered (diabalōn) God to Adam. For he said to him that God envies you. And now too he slanders [our] nature to us.

³ And having fasted. He fasted, that he might show that fasting is a great thing against temptations, just as luxury is the leader of sin.

⁴ Forty days and forty nights. He fasts as many [days] as both Moses and Elijah; for had they been more, the incarnation would have seemed an illusion.

⁵ Afterward he hungered. When he gave way to nature, then he also hungered, that he might give the devil occasion to approach and to grapple with him through hunger, and so [Christ] might throw him, and cast him down, and grant the victory to us.

⁶ And the tempter, coming to him, said: If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves. The robber had heard the voice from heaven. Again he saw him hungering, and was thereafter in doubt how the Son of God hungers; for this reason, then, he tempts him, that he might learn. And he flatters him, thinking to undermine him, in saying:

⁷ If you are the Son of God. But you will say: And what sin was there in making the stones loaves? Hear, then, that to listen to the devil in this is a sin. And besides: he did not say, Let this stone become a loaf, but, The stones, wishing to lead Christ into excess. For one loaf altogether suffices the hungry man; for this reason Christ did not listen to him.

⁸ But he answering said: It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The testimony is from the Pentateuch; for it is the saying of Moses, since indeed the Hebrews too were fed by the manna, which was not bread, but [came] through the word of God, fulfilling every need of the Hebrews, and becoming all that anyone desired to eat. For whether the Jew desired fish, or egg, or cheese, the manna afforded him such a taste.

⁹ Then the devil takes him into the holy city, and sets him upon the pinnacle of the temple. Some part of the temple, such as the things called by us “double-sloped”; for they look like wings.

¹⁰ And says to him: If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it is written, that he shall give his angels charge concerning you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone. If you are the Son of God—he all but says this: I do not believe the voice from the heavens; nevertheless you, if you are the Son of God, show me. And yet, O foul one, if he were the Son of God, would he have cast himself down? It is of your cruelty, this, to cast down the demon-possessed; but of God, to save. And it is not written,

¹¹ In their hands they shall bear you up, concerning Christ, but concerning the saints, who have need of angelic help. But Christ has no need, being God.

¹² Jesus said to him: Again it is written: You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Gently does Christ repel him, teaching us through meekness to conquer the demons.

¹³ Again the devil takes him to an exceedingly high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and says to him: All these things will I give you, if you fall down and worship me. Some indeed suppose the “high mountain” [to be] the passion of the love of money, to which the enemy is eager to lead Jesus up; but they do not suppose rightly. For the devil appeared to him perceptibly; for the Lord did not admit thoughts—God forbid. Perceptibly, then, he showed him on the mountain all the kingdoms, setting these before his eyes in appearance, and,

¹⁴ All these things will I give you, he says. For he reckons the world as his own, out of pride; and this he says now also to the covetous, so that those who worship him, they possess these things.

¹⁵ Then Jesus says to him: Get behind me, Satan; for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. The Lord is angry at him, when he saw him appropriating the things of God, and saying:

¹⁶ All these things will I give you, as his own. And learn how the Scriptures profit; for the Lord from them silenced the enemy.

¹⁷ Then the devil leaves him; and lo, angels came and ministered to him. The Lord conquered the three temptations: that of gluttony, that of vainglory, and that of the love of money, that is, the love of wealth. For these are the rulers of the passions; having conquered these, then, [he conquered] the others much more. Whence Luke says that he accomplished every temptation, having accomplished the chief heads of the temptations. Whence also angels minister to him, that it might be shown that to us also, after the victory, angels will minister. For all things Christ both does and shows for our sake; since to him, as God, the angels ever minister.

¹⁸ And Jesus, having heard that John was delivered up, withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. Jesus withdraws, instructing us not to cast ourselves into dangers. And he withdraws into Galilee, which means “the rolling-down.” For the gentiles were rolling down into sin. And he dwells there in Capernaum, which is “house of consolation”; for in order to make the gentiles a house of the Comforter, for this he came down. And Zebulun is interpreted “night-place”; and Naphtali, “broadening.” The gentiles, then, had both night and broadening in [their] life. For they did not walk the narrow way, but that which leads to destruction.

¹⁹ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles; the people that sat in darkness saw a great light; and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up to them. “By the way of the sea,” instead of, lying toward the way of the sea. And the “great light” [is] the Gospel. For the law too is a light; but a small one. And the “shadow of death” [is] sin; for it is a likeness and a shadowy outline of death. For just as death [deadens] the body, so this deadens the soul. And the light has sprung up to us. For we did not seek it, but it appeared to us, as though it had pursued us.

²⁰ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say. From the time John was bound, Jesus began to preach. For he waited for John first to bear witness concerning him, and to prepare a way for him, by which he was about to come, just as servants prepare beforehand for their masters. For the Lord, being equal to the Father, had himself also a prophet, John, just as his Father and God had the prophets before John—or rather, those too belong to both the Father and the Son.

²¹ Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom of heaven is also Christ, and it is also the blessed life. For whenever someone conducts himself as an angel on earth, is he not then heavenly? So that in each of us is the kingdom of heaven, if we live angelically.

²² And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen), and he says to them. These had been disciples of John. And while John was yet living, they came to Christ. But when they saw John bound, they returned again to fishing, and so Christ, coming, fishes for them, saying:

²³ Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they, immediately leaving their nets, followed him. You see—obedient men, immediately they followed him. Whence it is clear that this is a second calling. For having been taught beforehand by Christ, then having left him, they readily followed again when they saw him.

²⁴ And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father. A very great virtue, to support their father in his old age, and to be nourished from just labors.

²⁵ Mending their nets. For they were poor, and for this reason, being unable to buy new ones, they patched the old.

²⁶ And they, immediately leaving the boat and their father, followed him. It appears that Zebedee did not believe, and for this reason they left him. You see when one must leave [his] father: when he hinders [him] from virtue and godliness. And these, seeing the former ones following, fittingly followed, imitating those.

²⁷ And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. That he might show that he is not contrary to the law, he enters into the synagogues of the Hebrews.

²⁸ And healing every disease and every sickness among the people. He begins with the signs, that he might confirm the things he teaches. And disease is chronic suffering; sickness, the temporary disorder of the body.

²⁹ And his fame went out into all Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with divers diseases and beset with torments, and those possessed of demons, and lunatics, and paralytics, and he healed them. Christ did not demand faith from any of those brought, since this very thing was [a mark] of faith, to bring them from afar. And by “lunatics” he means the demon-possessed. For the demon, wishing to sow among men [the notion] that the stars are malefactors, watched for the moon when it was full, and then attacked, that the moon might seem the cause of the suffering, and the creation of God might be slandered, just as the Manichaeans too were deceived.

³⁰ And great multitudes followed him from Galilee, and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

5 Chapter 5. — On the beatitudes. On not being angry with one’s neighbor. On not committing adultery. On not putting away one’s wife. On not swearing at all. On bearing insults, and not resisting the evil one. On loving one’s enemies.

¹ And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain. Teaching us not to do anything for show, he goes up into the mountain; for since he was about to teach, he trains us to withdraw from the tumults around us whenever we teach.

² And when he had sat down, his disciples came to him. The crowds come for the miracles, but the disciples for the teachings; whence also, after he had finished the miracles and healed the bodies, he heals the souls as well, so that we may learn that he himself is the Maker of both souls and bodies.

³ And he opened his mouth. Why is it added, He opened his mouth? For it seems to be superfluous. But it is not; for even without opening his mouth he used to teach. How? Through his life and his miracles; but now, opening his mouth, he teaches.

⁴ He taught them, saying. Not the disciples alone, but the crowd as well; and he begins from the beatitudes, just as David also began from a beatitude.

⁵ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. He lays down humility first, as a foundation. For since Adam fell through pride, through humility Christ raises us up again; for Adam hoped to become God. And those who are crushed in soul, these are the poor in spirit.

⁶ Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Those who mourn over their sins, not over any worldly thing; and he said “mourning,” that is, always and not once; and not only over our own sins, but also over those of our neighbor. And they shall be comforted even here; for he who mourns over sin rejoices spiritually; and there much more.

⁷ Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Some say the “earth” is the spiritual one, that is, heaven; but understand this earth here as well. For since the meek are thought to be despised and deprived of their possessions, he says that they rather possess all things. And the meek are not those who are never angry at all (for such are without feeling), but those who, though they have anger, master it, and are angry [only] when it is fitting.

⁸ Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Since he is about to speak about almsgiving, he shows first that one must pursue righteousness, and not give alms out of plunder; and one must pursue righteousness with all desire; for the words Hungering and thirsting signify this. And since the greedy seem to be well off and filled, he says that the righteous rather will be filled even here, for they possess what is their own in security.

⁹ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. It is possible to show mercy not only through money, but also through a word; and even if you have nothing, through tears. And they shall obtain mercy even here, from men; for he who was merciful yesterday, if he falls into need today, will be shown mercy by all; and there, from God still more greatly.

¹⁰ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. There are many who do not plunder, but rather show mercy; yet they commit fornication, and are unclean in other ways. Christ therefore commands that, along with the other virtues, [we] be pure also, that is, chaste—not only in body, but also in heart. For without holiness, that is, without chastity, no one shall see the Lord. For just as a mirror, if it be clean, then receives the reflections, so also the pure soul receives the vision of God and the knowledge of the Scriptures.

¹¹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Not only those who are themselves at peace with all, but also those who reconcile others who are at strife. And peacemakers are also those who by their teaching turn back the enemies of God. And such are sons of God. For indeed the Only-begotten also came down to reconcile us to God.

¹² Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Not only the martyrs are persecuted, but also many for helping those who are wronged, and simply for every virtue; for righteousness is all virtue. Since thieves and murderers too are persecuted, but they are not blessed.

¹³ Blessed are you when they shall revile you and persecute you. Henceforth he turns to the apostles themselves, showing that it is especially proper to teachers to be reviled. And shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. It is not he who is simply reviled that is blessed, but [he who is reviled] both for Christ’s sake and falsely. And if these two things are not present, that man is wretched, as one who scandalizes many. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Of the others he did not speak of a great reward; but here he does, showing that to endure reviling is a great and most grievous thing. For many have even hanged themselves. And Job too, having endured the other trials, was then most troubled, when his friends reviled him as one suffering for sin. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. Lest the apostles should suppose that they would be persecuted for teaching things contrary [to the law], he consoles them, saying that the prophets before you too were driven out for virtue’s sake; so that you have a consolation in their sufferings.

¹⁴ You are the salt of the earth. The prophets were sent to one nation. But you are the salt of the whole earth, through your teaching and your reproofs making astringent those who are slack, that they may not breed the worms that never die; so do not cast away the astringency of reproofs, even if you are reviled, even if you are persecuted. Therefore he says: But if the salt has lost its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be cast out and trodden under foot by men. For if the teacher has lost his savor—that is, if he does not reprove and make astringent, but has grown slack—with what shall he be salted, that is, set right? Then indeed he is cast out of the teacher’s dignity, and trodden under foot, that is, despised.

¹⁵ You are the light of the world. First salt, and then light. For he who reproves the things done in secret, that man is light. For everything that is made manifest is light. And these enlightened not one nation, but the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. He trains them to be earnest and exact concerning their life, as those who are about to be seen by all. For do not suppose, he says, that you will be hidden in a corner, but you will be conspicuous; so see how you will live blamelessly, that you may not scandalize others as well.

¹⁶ Neither do men light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all that are in the house. I indeed, he says, kindled the light; but that the grace be not quenched, let that be the work of your diligence, so that the brightness of your life may shine to others as well. He says, then:

¹⁷ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. He did not say that “You display your virtue” (for that is not good), but let it alone shine, so that even your enemies may marvel, and glorify—not you, but your Father. So that if we practice virtue, we ought to practice it for the glory of God, not our own.

¹⁸ Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets; I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Since he himself was about to introduce new laws, lest they should suppose that he is opposed to God, he speaks, healing beforehand the supposition of the many, [saying] that “I have not come to destroy the law, but rather to fulfill it.” And how did he fulfill it? First, because whatever the prophets said about him, he did. Wherefore the evangelist too frequently says: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet. But he also fulfilled all the commandments of the law. For he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. And in another way too he fulfilled the law, that is, he filled it up; for whatever that [law] sketched in outline, this one painted in full. That one [said], You shall not kill; this one, “Neither be angry without cause.” Just as the painter, too, does not destroy the outline, but rather fills it up.

¹⁹ For truly I say to you. The “Amen” is confirmatory, equivalent to “Yes, I say to you.” Till heaven and earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. He shows here that the world passes away and is transformed. He says, then, that so long as the universe holds together, not even the least letter would pass from the law. But others say that the iota and the tittle are the commandments of the law; and others, the Cross; for of the Cross the iota is the upright wood, and the tittle the crossbeam. He says, then, that the things spoken concerning the Cross shall be fulfilled.

²⁰ Whoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. By “least commandments” he means those that he himself is about to deliver; for not the legal ones. And he names them “least” out of humility, that he may train you too to be modest-minded about your teachings. And he “shall be called least in the kingdom,” equivalent to: in the resurrection he shall be last and cast away into Gehenna. For he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven—far from it; rather understand “kingdom” as the resurrection. But whoever shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. First “do,” and then “teach”; for how shall I guide another into a way I have not traveled? And again, if I do indeed, but do not teach, I do not have so great a reward; and often even condemnation, when out of envy or sloth I do not teach.

²¹ For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. By “righteousness” he means all virtue; as in, Job was righteous, holy, blameless. Shudder then, O man, considering how much is required of us. Then he teaches us how we may exceed; and he enumerates the virtues.

²² You have heard that it was said to them of old: You shall not kill; and whoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment. By whom it was said, he does not say. For if he had said, “My Father said to them of old, but I say to you,” he would have seemed to legislate against the Father. Again, if he had said, “I said to them of old,” he would have been hard to accept. Therefore he speaks indefinitely, that It was said to them of old; and he shows that the law had grown old, by saying that It was said to them of old; and since it had now grown old, and is near to vanishing, one must let it go and run to the new.

²³ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the judgment. The prophets, when about to prophesy, said: “Thus says the Lord”; but Christ, “I say,” showing the authoritative power of his Godhead. For they were servants; but he is the Son, and has all that is the Father’s. And he who is angry with his brother without cause, that man is condemned; but if anyone is angry with good reason, and for the sake of correction, and according to a spiritual zeal, he shall not be condemned; for Paul too uttered words of anger against Elymas the magician, and against the high priest, yet not without cause, but according to zeal. And we are angry “without cause” when [it is] for money or glory. And whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the council. By “council” he means the law court of the Hebrews. And the [word] Raca means, equivalent to, “You”—just as we are accustomed to say to someone despised by us, “Get away, you!” Wishing therefore to train us to be exact even about small things, and to honor one another, he exhorts these things. And some [say] that “Raca,” in Syriac, means “contemptible.” Whoever therefore insults his brother as contemptible shall be liable to the council of the holy apostles, when they shall sit judging the twelve tribes. And whoever shall say, You fool, shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire. Many say and think that this too is harsh, but it is not. For he who deprives his brother of speech and understanding—by which we differ from the beasts—how is he not worthy of Gehenna? For he who reviles and insults dissolves love; and this, once dissolved, destroys the virtues along with it, just as its presence holds them together; therefore he who insults tears down all the virtues, in tearing apart love. So that he is fittingly worthy of the fire.

²⁴ If therefore you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. God thinks little of the honor due to himself, that we may love one another. And in saying “if your brother has something against you,” he added nothing else. For whether he has it justly or unjustly, be reconciled. And he did not say, “if you have something against him,” but, “If he has something against you,” make haste to make him your friend. He commands [you] to leave the gift, that he may lay upon you the necessity of being reconciled; for you, wishing your gift to be offered, will be compelled to be reconciled. And at the same time he shows that love is the true sacrifice.

²⁵ Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him, lest the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Truly I say to you, you shall in no wise come out from there till you have paid the last farthing. Some think that by “adversary” is meant the devil, and by “the way” [this present] life; and that the Lord exhorts thus: As long as you are in this life, settle with the devil, that he may not afterward have [grounds] to reprove you concerning sin, as one having something of his, and [that] you then be delivered to punishment, being held to account down to the last sins. For a “farthing” is two mites. But you may understand that he says this also concerning the adversaries here [below], exhorting [us] not to go to law, and to be drawn away from divine works; for if you have been wronged, he says, do not go off to a law court, but settle in the way, lest you suffer worse things through the power of the adversary.

²⁶ You have heard that it was said: You shall not commit adultery. Adultery is one thing, and fornication another; adultery [is] with a married woman, but fornication with one who is unmarried.

²⁷ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. That is, he who stands and busies himself [gazing], and kindles desire from looking, and again looks in order to desire the more—such a one has already completed the evil in his heart. But if he did not add the deed, what of it? He was not strong enough; since if he should be strong enough, he will at once accomplish the evil. Yet know that even if we desire, and are then hindered from doing the deed, it is plain that we have been sheltered by grace. And women too, if they adorn themselves in order to please some, even if they do not please, have nonetheless mixed the poison, even if no one drinks.

²⁸ And if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. For it is profitable for you that one of your members perish, and not that your whole body be cast into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. For it is profitable for you that one of your members perish, and not that your whole body be cast into Gehenna. Hearing “eye” and “hand,” do not think that this is said concerning [bodily] members; for he would not have added “the right [eye]” and “the right [hand]”; but [it is said] concerning those who seem [to be] friends and [yet] harm us. For instance: there is a certain young man, having dissolute friends, and he is harmed. Cut these off, he says; for perhaps you will save even them, when they come to their senses; but if not, [you will save] at least yourself. But if you cling to your friendship with them, you will both perish.

²⁹ And it was said, that Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. Moses commanded that if anyone hated his wife, he should separate from her, lest something worse happen; for being hated, she might perhaps even be killed; and [he commanded] to give to her who was put away a certificate of dismissal, which was called a “writing of divorcement”; so that she might no longer return to him, and from this there arise confusion, the husband living with another.

³⁰ But I say to you that everyone who puts away his wife, except for the matter of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever shall marry her that is put away commits adultery. He does not abolish the Mosaic [laws], but corrects them, frightening the husband, that he may not without reason hate his wife. For if he puts her away with good reason—that is, when she has committed fornication—he is not condemned; but if without fornication, he is condemned; for he forces her to commit adultery. But he also who receives her is an adulterer. For if he had not received her, she would have returned, and submitted to her husband. For the Christian ought to be a peacemaker both toward others, and much more toward his own wife.

³¹ Again you have heard that it was said to them of old: You shall not forswear yourself, but shall perform to the Lord your oaths. That is, When you swear, speak the truth.

6 Chapter 6. — On almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. On despising the things of the world.

¹ But I say to you, Do not swear at all; neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Since the Jews, hearing God saying, Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool, used to swear by such things. The Lord therefore, forbidding them, does not say that “Since heaven is fair and great, and the earth useful, for this reason do not swear,” but that the one is the throne of God, and the other his footstool, so that idolatry may have no place. For the elements would have been deified by those who swore by them; which indeed happened before.

² Neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. God alone swears by himself, as being subject to no one; but we, not having authority over ourselves, how could we swear by our head? For it is another’s possession. For if your head is yours, change, if you can, a single hair.

³ But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no. Do not say, “And how then shall I be believed?” he says; If you speak the truth, and never swear. For no one is so distrusted as the man who swears readily. But whatever is more than these is of the evil one. To swear, he says, being more than the “yes” and the “no,” is of the devil. But you will say, “Then was the law of Moses, which commands swearing, evil?” Learn then that swearing was not evil at that time; but after Christ, it is evil; just as also to be circumcised, and simply to Judaize. Since to nurse at the breast, too, befits infants, but to grown men is a shame.

⁴ You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. The law, condescending, permitted retaliation in kind, so that through fear of suffering the same things, they might not wrong one another.

⁵ But I say to you, Do not resist the evil one; but whoever shall strike you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. By “the evil one” here he means the devil, who works through the man; must we then resist the devil? Yes; but not by striking back, but by enduring. For fire is not quenched by fire, but by water. And do not think that he speaks only of the blow on the cheek, but also of every other [wrong] and simply of every hardship. And to him who would go to law with you, and take your tunic, leave him your cloak also. If he drags you to a law court and troubles you, leave him your cloak also; not if he simply asks [for it]. And “tunic” properly [means] what among us is called the undershirt; and “cloak” [means] what is thrown over [it]; though indeed the names are used interchangeably. And whoever shall compel you [to go] one mile, go with him two. Why do I speak, he says, of cloaks and tunics? Rather, give your very body to him who unjustly drags [you]; and do more than he wishes. Give to him who asks you, and from him who would borrow from you do not turn away. Whether enemy, or friend, or unbeliever, whether he seeks money, or some other use. And by “loan” he does not mean that [made] with interest, but simply the use [of a thing]. Since in the law too they lent without interest.

⁶ You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy; but I say to you: Love your enemies. He has reached the summit of the virtues; for what is greater than this? And it is not impossible; for Moses and Paul loved the Jews who raged against them, [interceding] on their behalf, and all the saints [loved] their enemies. Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. For one must regard them as benefactors. For everyone who persecutes and tries us lightens for us the punishment for our sins. And besides, [consider] also when God gives us so great a prize. For hear:

⁷ That you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. Do you see how great a good he gives you who hates you and spitefully uses you, if only you are willing to endure? And understand by “rain” and “sun” both knowledge and teaching; for God enlightens and teaches all.

⁸ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans do the same? Let us shudder, when we are not even equal to the publicans, but even hate those who love us.

⁹ And if you greet your friends only, what do you more [than others]? Do not even the publicans do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father who is in heaven is perfect. For to love some men—those who are, of course, friends—but to hate others, is imperfect; but the perfect thing is to love all.

¹⁰ On despising the things of the world.

¹¹ Take heed that you do not do your almsgiving before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. Having led [them] up to love, the greatest of the virtues, he now removes vainglory also, which follows upon good deeds; and see what he says: “Take heed,” as though he were speaking about a dreadful beast—take heed lest it tear you to pieces; and even if you give alms before men, but do not do this in order to be seen, you are not condemned. But if you have vainglory as your aim, even if you do it in your storeroom, you are condemned. For God either punishes or crowns the intention.

¹² When therefore you do almsgiving, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified by men. The hypocrites did not have trumpets, but he here mocks their mind, because they wished their almsgiving to be trumpeted. And hypocrites are those who are one thing, but appear another; and these indeed appear prosperous, but are other [than they seem]. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. For being praised, they received in full from men.

¹³ But when you do almsgiving, let not your left hand know what your right hand does. This he said hyperbolically; that, If it be possible, hide [it] even from yourself. Or also in another way: the left hand [is] vainglory; the right hand [is] almsgiving; let not vainglory, then, know the almsgiving.

¹⁴ That your almsgiving may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret, he will reward you openly. When? When all things are presented bare and open, and then I shall be glorified the more.

¹⁵ And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. These too he names hypocrites, as seeming to attend to God, but [in fact] attending to men; from whom they have [it] in full, that is, they receive their reward.

¹⁶ But you, when you pray, enter into your storeroom, and shutting your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. What then? Shall I not pray in church? Indeed [you may], very much; but with a right intention, and so as not to make a display; since the place does not harm, but the manner and the aim. Many, at any rate, praying in secret, do this for the pleasing of men.

¹⁷ And when you pray, do not babble, as the heathen [do]. Babbling is idle chatter; for instance, to ask for some earthly thing, glory, wealth, victory. And barbarism is inarticulate speech, like that of little children; do not you, then, be a babbler. For they think that in their many words they shall be heard. But one ought not to make long prayers, but short ones, [yet] frequent, and, uttering few [words], to be pierced with compunction in prayer.

¹⁸ Do not therefore be like them; for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask him. For we do not ask in order to instruct [him], but that, occupying ourselves apart from the things of [daily] life, we may be benefited by calling upon him.

¹⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father who is in heaven. A vow is one thing, and prayer another; for a vow is a promise to God—as when someone promises to abstain from wine or from something else; but prayer is the asking for good things. And by saying “Father,” he shows you of what good things you have been deemed worthy, having become a son of God; and by saying “in heaven,” he showed you your homeland and your father’s [house]; for if you wish to have God as Father, look toward the heavens, and not toward the earth. And you do not say, “My Father,” but, “Our Father,” so that you may have brethren too, of one Father.

²⁰ Hallowed be your name. That is, Make us holy, that through us you also may be glorified; for just as God is blasphemed through me, so also he is hallowed through me, that is, he is glorified as he ought to be.

²¹ Your kingdom come. That is, the Second Coming; for he who has a conscience [made] confident prays for the resurrection and the judgment to come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Just as, he says, the angels do your will, so grant us also to do it.

²² Give us this day our daily bread. By “daily” [bread] he means that which is sufficient for our nature and constitution, he says; and he removes anxiety about the morrow. And the body of Christ too is daily bread, of which we pray to partake without condemnation.

²³ And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Since even after baptism we sin, we entreat that he forgive us; and he will forgive in such manner as we also [forgive]. For if we bear malice, he will not forgive us; for God has me as his example; and what I do to another, he does to me.

²⁴ And lead us not into temptation. We men are weak, and therefore we ought not to cast ourselves into temptations; but, having fallen [into them], to pray not to be swallowed up by the temptation. For he who is dragged down and overcome, that man has been brought into the pit of temptation, but not he who has fallen in, yet conquered. But deliver us from the evil one. He did not say, “from evil men”; for it is not they who wrong us, but the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory unto the ages. Amen. Here he gives us courage. For if the Father is king, and powerful, and glorious, then surely we too shall conquer the evil one, and afterward be rewarded.

²⁵ For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Again he teaches us to be free of malice. And he reminds us of the Father, that we may reverence him, and not become savage, being children of such a One.

²⁶ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Nothing does the meek God so hate as cruelty.

²⁷ And when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, gloomy; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear to men to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. Disfigurement of the face is the pallor, when someone appears not such as he [really] is, but feigns a gloomy look.

²⁸ But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face, that you may not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. The ancients had as a sign of joy the anointing with oil after the bath; do you too, then, appear thus rejoicing. And by “oil” is also understood almsgiving. And our head is Christ, whom we must anoint with our almsgiving; but the face, that is, the senses, [we must] wash through tears.

²⁹ Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Since he cast out the disease of vainglory, he now speaks about possessing nothing. For since men acquire more out of vainglory, he shows the unprofitableness of the treasure upon the earth; that moth and rust consume foods and garments, and thieves [consume] gold and silver. Then, lest someone say to him that “But not all [men] are robbed,” he says: Even if none of these [befall], yet this very thing—your being nailed to anxiety about wealth—how is it not wretched? Therefore he says:

³⁰ The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye be single, your whole body is full of light; but if your eye be evil, your whole body will be full of darkness; if therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! This he says, that, If you nail your mind to anxiety about money, you have quenched the lamp, you have darkened your soul. For just as the eye, being single—that is, healthy—gives light to the body, but if it be evil—that is, diseased—darkens [it], so also the mind is blinded by anxiety. And if the mind be darkened, the soul becomes darkness, and much more the body.

³¹ No one can serve two masters. By “two masters” he means those who command contrary things, such as God and Mammon. And we make the devil our master, just as [we make] the belly a god; but truly the Lord is God, while Mammon is unrighteousness. For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. Do you see that it is not possible to serve wealth, which is also unrighteous, and God [together]? For the love of money casts him out from God.

³² Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious for your soul, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. “Therefore”—because of what? Because of being cast out from God by riches. It is not the soul that is fed, for it is incorporeal, but he said this according to common usage. For the soul seems not to endure being in the body, unless the flesh be fed. He does not cast out working, but [forbids] this: the giving of ourselves wholly to anxieties, and neglecting God. Since one must indeed farm, but also care for the soul. Is not the soul more than food, and the body more than clothing? That is, He who [made] the greater, having formed the soul and the body, will he not also give both food and clothing?

³³ Look at the birds of heaven, that they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? Though able to bring forward as an example Elijah, [or] John, he makes mention of the birds, that he may shame us, [showing] that we are even more unreasoning than these. And God feeds them, having put into them a natural knowledge for gathering food.

³⁴ Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature? This he says, that, Even if you are anxious, you do nothing, unless God wills [it]. Why then do you needlessly wear yourself to pieces?

³⁵ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they do not toil, neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. Not only from the unreasoning birds does he shame us, but also from the lilies that wither away. For if God so adorned those, though there was no need [of it], how much more will he supply the need of our clothing? And he shows that, even if you are very anxious, you will not be able to be adorned like the lilies; seeing that Solomon, the most prudent and most luxurious [of men], through all his kingdom was not able to array himself in anything such.

³⁶ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, [will he] not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith? We learn from this that one ought not to be anxious about adornment. For this belongs to the flowers, which last [but] a season. So that everyone who adorns himself is grass. And by “you” he meant the rational [creatures], for whom he formed soul and body; and “of little faith” [are] all who are anxious. For if they had perfect faith in God, they would not be so unyieldingly anxious.

³⁷ Therefore do not be anxious, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or with what shall we be clothed? For after all these things the nations seek. Eating he does not forbid. But the saying, “What shall we eat?”—this he forbids. [It is] what the rich say from the evening before: “What shall we eat tomorrow?” Do you see that he forbids luxury and wanton excess?

³⁸ For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. The kingdom of God [is] the enjoyment of good things; and this comes through righteousness. Whoever therefore seeks the spiritual things, to him are added also the bodily things, according to the bountifulness of God.

³⁹ Therefore do not be anxious for the morrow; for the morrow will be anxious for its own things; sufficient to the day is its own evil. By the “evil” of the day he means its affliction and hardship; for instance, It is sufficient for you to be afflicted for today; but if you are anxious also for the morrow, when will you have leisure for God, always wearing yourself down over bodily things?

7 Chapter 7. — On judging no one. On asking and seeking. On being wary of the false prophets.

¹ Judge not, that you be not judged. He does not forbid the rebuking [of others], but the condemning. For reproof is unto profit, but condemnation unto reproach and contempt — and that especially when a man who himself has great sins reproaches others for lesser ones, which God is about to judge.

² For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you. And why do you behold the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me cast out the mote from your eye, and behold, a beam is in your own eye? Hypocrite, first cast out the beam from your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast out the mote from your brother’s eye. He who is about to rebuke others must be blameless. For if he himself, having a beam in his eye — that is, a great log, or sin — finds fault with another who has a mote, he has made that one more shameless. And the Lord shows that one who sins greatly cannot even rightly see his brother’s sin; for he who has a beam in his eye, how should he see another who is moderately harmed?

³ Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Dogs are the unbelievers; swine are those who believe, yet have a filthy life. One must not, then, speak the mysteries to unbelievers, nor the bright and pearl-like words concerning theology to the unclean; for the swine trample, that is, despise, the things spoken, while the dogs, turning, tear us in pieces — as do those called philosophers, when they hear that God was crucified, who tear us with their syllogisms, sophistically [arguing] that this is impossible.

⁴ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you; for everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks it shall be opened. In the foregoing he commanded great and difficult things; so here he shows how they shall be accomplished — namely, through continual prayer to God; for “Ask,” he said, meaning “always”; for he did not say, “Ask once.” Then he confirms what was said by an example drawn from human life.

⁵ Or what man is there of you, of whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? And if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? Here he teaches that one must both ask earnestly and ask for things that are profitable. For you, he says, see your children asking for fitting things, bread and a fish, and you give to them when they seek such things; so do you seek the spiritual things, not the carnal.

⁶ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? He calls men evil, comparing them with God, since our nature is good, as God’s creation, but by choice we do evil.

⁷ All things therefore whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them; for this is the law and the prophets. He shows the short road to virtue; for we men know of ourselves what is fitting. For if you wish to receive good, do good; if you wish to be loved by your enemies, love your enemies also. For indeed the law of God and the prophets say those things which the natural law too enjoins upon us.

⁸ Enter in through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are that go in by it. By the narrow gate he means the trials — both the voluntary, such as fasting and the rest, and the involuntary, such as bonds and persecutions. As, then, a fleshy man, or one carrying much, cannot enter through the narrow [gate], so neither can the luxurious or the rich; but through the broad [gate] such men enter. And showing that the strait place too is temporary, and the broadness passing, he called it a gate and a way; for the one who suffers hardship passes through the gate, that is, the hardship, while the one who lives in luxury passes along his luxury as along a way. Since, then, both are temporary, the better is to be chosen.

⁹ How narrow is the gate, and strait the way that leads to life, and few there are that find it! The “How” is an exclamation; for he marvels — alas, how narrow it is! How then does he say elsewhere, My yoke is light? Because of the recompenses to come.

¹⁰ But beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves; by their fruits you shall know them. The heretics are crafty and treacherous; for this reason he says, Beware. For they put forward fair speech, and feign a solemn life, but within is the hook. And the sheep’s clothing is also the gentleness which some assume in pretense, in order to flatter and deceive. And by their fruit they are known — that is, by their works and their life. For even though they play the hypocrite for a season,

¹¹ Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruits, but the corrupt tree brings forth evil fruits. Thorns and thistles are the hypocrites: thorns, as wounding secretly; thistles, as crafty and many-sided. And a corrupt tree is everyone whom a sodden and dissolute life rots away.

¹² A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruits. So long as it is corrupt, it cannot; but if it be changed, it can. For see that he did not say, “It will not be able,” but that, so long as it is corrupt, it brings forth no good things.

¹³ Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them. These things are aimed at the Jews, for John also said such things to them. And he likens man to a tree, because he can be grafted from fruitless sin into virtue.

¹⁴ Not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Here he shows himself to be Lord, in saying, Not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord — so that he calls himself God. And he teaches us that, if we have faith without works, we are nothing profited thereby; for “he that does the will” — he did not say “he that does it once,” but “he that does it until death.” And he did not say “my will,” lest he should give offense to the hearers, but “my Father’s”; and from this [it follows] that the will of the Father and of the Son is one, since the Son is no rebel.

¹⁵ Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works? And then will I confess to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you that work iniquity. Many at the beginning of the preaching cast out demons, even being unworthy, the demons fleeing because of the name of Jesus; for grace works even through the unworthy, just as we are sanctified even through unworthy priests. Judas too worked signs, and the sons of Sceva. And the “I never knew you” means, “Not even then, when you were working wonders, did I love you”; for knowledge here is called love.

¹⁶ Everyone therefore who hears these my words, and does them, I will liken to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock. Without the word, virtue cannot be accomplished; for this reason he says, I will liken him to a wise man. The rock is Christ; the house is the soul. Whoever, then, builds his soul upon the working of the commandments of Christ — him neither the rain, the devil fallen from heaven, nor the floods, the men begotten of such rain, nor the winds, the spirits of wickedness, nor, in a word, any of the trials whatsoever, can cast down.

¹⁷ And everyone who hears these my words, and does them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. He did not say, “I will liken him,” but, “he shall be likened” of himself to a foolish man — that one who indeed believes, but does not act; this man builds upon sand, upon the rottenness of his works; therefore he also falls by the trials. For when a trial strikes — that is, dashes against — him, he falls a great fall. But none of the unbelievers falls, for they always lie upon the ground; rather it is the believer that falls. And for this reason the fall is great, because it is a Christian that falls.

¹⁸ And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching. For he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. It was not the rulers that were astonished — for how should they be, who envied him? — but the guileless multitude. And they marveled not at the phrasing of the words, but at the boldness; for he showed an authority above the prophets. For those [prophets] said, “Thus says the Lord”; but Christ, as God, said, “I say to you.”

8 Chapter 8. — On the leper. On the centurion. On the mother-in-law of Peter. On those healed of divers diseases. On him who was not permitted to bury his father.

¹ And when he was come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came and worshipped him, saying: Lord, if you will, you are able to cleanse me. The leper, being prudent, did not go up onto the mountain, lest he should interrupt the teaching. But when he had come down, the leper worships him. And showing great faith, he did not say, “If you entreat God, you will heal me,” but, “If you will” — wherefore Christ also [answers]:

² And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying: I will; be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus says to him: See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. He touches the leper, showing that he is not subject to the law, which commands not to touch a leper, but is Master of it; and that to the clean nothing is unclean; and that his holy flesh imparted sanctification. And fleeing glory, he commands him to tell no one, but to show himself to the priest. For unless the priest declared that the leper was cleansed, he would have remained outside the city. And he commands him also to offer the gift for a testimony to the Jews, that is: “When they accuse me of dissolving the law, you shall be a witness that I have now commanded you to bring forward the things ordained by the law.”

³ And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him and saying. Neither did this man come to him on the mountain, lest the teaching should be broken off. And this is the same [centurion] as the one in Luke. And if Luke says that he sent others as envoys to Jesus, this is no contradiction to Matthew, who says that the man himself came. For it was likely that he first sent others, and then, when the danger pressed upon him, came himself and said:

⁴ He did not bring him on a bed, believing that he could heal him even when absent; therefore,

⁵ Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus says to him: I will come and heal him.

⁶ And the centurion answered and said: Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant shall be healed; for I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed: Truly I say to you, not even in Israel have I found so great faith. “If I,” he says, “being a servant of the king, command the soldiers under me, much more can you command death and the diseases, so that this one withdraws and is laid upon another; for the diseases of the body are soldiers and avengers of God.” Christ therefore marvels, saying that not even among the Israelites have I found so great faith as in this Gentile.

⁷ And I say to you, that many shall come from the East and the West, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. He did not say that many Gentiles shall recline, lest he should wound the Jews, but spoke covertly, “from the East and the West.” And he made mention of Abraham, showing that he is not opposed to the Old [Covenant]; and in saying “outer darkness,” he made plain that there is also an inner [darkness], which is also lighter. For there are degrees even in the punishment. And he calls the Jews “children of the kingdom,” for to them belonged the promises: For, he says, Israel is my firstborn son.

⁸ And Jesus said to the centurion: Go, and as you have believed, so be it done to you. And his servant was healed in that hour, and the centurion, returning to his house in that same hour, found the servant whole. He showed, by the things he healed with a word, that he speaks truly also concerning the casting away of the Jews.

⁹ And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid down and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and ministered to them. He entered into Peter’s house in order to eat. And touching her hand, he not only quenched the fever, but also restored the woman to perfect health, so that her strength returned and she was able to minister — and yet we know that much time is required for the sick to recover. And while the other evangelists said that they besought him, and that thus he healed her, Matthew did not say this, taking thought for brevity. For I told you at the beginning that what this one leaves out, another says; and learn also that marriage in no way hinders virtue, for the chief of the apostles had a mother-in-law.

¹⁰ And when evening was come, they brought to him many that were possessed with demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses. In the evening and at an unsuitable hour they brought the sick; but he, being compassionate, healed all. Then, lest you should disbelieve how so many diseases were healed in a short time, he brings forward Isaiah as a witness. And yet the prophet says this concerning sins, while Matthew applied it to sicknesses; for indeed most [sicknesses] come from sins.

¹¹ And when Jesus saw great crowds about him, he commanded them to depart to the other side. For he was not fond of glory, and at the same time he was avoiding the envy of the Jews.

¹² And a certain scribe came and said to him: Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus says to him: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. By “scribe” he means one who understood the letter of the law. This man, then, seeing the many signs, expected that Jesus would gather money from them, and therefore is eager to follow him, that he too might gather. But Christ, meeting his thought, all but says this: “You expect, by following me, to gather money; do you not see that I am homeless? Such also must he be who follows me.” And he said these things as if to persuade him to follow once he had changed; but the man withdraws. And some say that the foxes and the birds are the demons. He says, then, that “The demons rest in you, and I therefore have no rest in your soul.”

¹³ And another of his disciples said to him: Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him: Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead. After one has given himself to God, he ought not to turn back to the affairs of this life. For one must indeed honor one’s parents, but prefer God [to them]. And here the parent was also an unbeliever — and this is plain from his saying, “Let the dead,” that is, the unbelievers, “bury their own dead.” But if that man was not even permitted to bury his father, woe to those who, after having given [themselves to God], turn back to the affairs of this life.

¹⁴ And when he was entered into the boat, his disciples followed him; and behold, a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves; but he was asleep. He kept the disciples themselves [with him], that they might see the wonder. And he allows them to be tossed by the storm, that they might be exercised against trials, and that through this sign they might believe. And he sleeps, so that, being afraid, they might recognize their own weakness and call upon him; wherefore he says:

¹⁵ And his disciples came and woke him, saying: Lord, save us, we perish. And he says to them: Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? He did not call them unbelieving, but of little faith; for inasmuch as they said, “Lord, save us,” they show faith; but the “We perish” is not of faith. For with him sailing along with them, they ought not to have been afraid. And see how, in reproaching them, he shows that fear brings on the tossings, and how, having first stilled the storm of the soul, he gives peace, and then looses also that of the sea.

¹⁶ Then arising, he rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying: What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? For what was seen was of a man; but the works were of God.

¹⁷ And when he was come to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two who were possessed with demons. While those in the boat were in doubt what manner of man he is, that even the winds and the sea obey him, the demons come as heralds. And if Mark and Luke speak of one as having the legion, understand that that one was [but] one of these two, the more prominent perhaps; and of his own accord he came to them, terrible as they were; no one dared to bring them forward.

¹⁸ Coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no one was able to pass by that way. They dwelt in the tombs, the demons wishing to instill the doctrine that the souls of the dead become demons. Which let no one even imagine; for the soul, when it has gone forth, does not wander in the world; for the [souls] of the righteous are in the hand of God, while those of sinners are also led away from here, as was [the soul] of the rich man.

¹⁹ And behold, they cried out, saying: What have we to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here before the time to torment us? They proclaim him Son of God, first confessing their enmity. And they reckon it a torment not to be permitted to wrong men; and as for “before the time,” understand that they thought Christ would put an end to their evil-doing already — because of the excess of their wickedness — and would not await the [appointed] time of punishment; which is not so, for until the consummation they are permitted to wrestle with us.

²⁰ Now there was, a good way off from them, a herd of many swine feeding; and the demons besought him, saying: If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said to them: Go. And they came out and went away into the herd of swine. The demons ask this so that, by striking the swine, they might grieve their owners, that they might not receive Christ. But Christ permits the demons, showing what bitterness they have toward men, and that, if they had the power and were not hindered, they would deal with us worse than with the swine; for he guards the demoniacs, so that they do not kill themselves.

²¹ And behold, the whole herd of swine rushed down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And those who fed them fled, and going away into the city, they told everything, and the things concerning the demoniacs. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they besought him to depart from their borders. Being grieved, and supposing they would suffer something worse thereafter, they besought him. But do you learn that, where there is a swinish life, Christ does not remain there, but the demons do.

9 Chapter 9. — On the paralytic. On Matthew. On the one who ate at table together with the publicans and sinners.

¹ And entering into a boat, he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. By his own city he means Capernaum, for there he dwelt; for Bethlehem bore him, Nazareth nourished him, but Capernaum had him as a continual resident. This paralytic is another than the one in John; for that one was at the sheep-pool in Jerusalem, but this one in Capernaum. And the one had no man, but this one is carried by four, as Mark says, so that he was even let down through the roof—which Matthew omitted.

² And Jesus, seeing their faith. Either of those who brought him—for often he works wonders on account of the faith of those who bring—or also of the man himself.

³ He said to the paralytic: Take courage, child; your sins are forgiven you. He calls him child, either as a creature of God or as one who believed; showing that paralysis arises especially from sins, he first looses those.

⁴ And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves: This man blasphemes. And Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil things in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Arise and walk? By knowing their thoughts he shows himself to be God. He convicts them, then, saying this: You suppose me to be a blasphemer, as daring to forgive sins, which is indeed a great thing; and you think that I take refuge in this so that I may not be put to the test. But I will give assurance, from the healing of the body, of the healing of the soul as well; through the lesser thing, which seems also the harder, confirming likewise the remission of sins, which, though it is great, seems to you the easier because it is unseen.

⁵ But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins—then he says to the paralytic: Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. And he arose and went away to his house. But when the crowds saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, who had given such power to men. He commanded him to carry the bed, that it might not seem an illusion, and at the same time that the crowds might see the sign—they who held him to be a mere man, yet mightier than all.

⁶ And as Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man sitting at the tax office, called Matthew, and says to him: Follow me. And he arose and followed him. He did not call this man together with Peter and John, but when he was about to be persuaded; for thus he also called Paul later, when it was the time. And see the evangelist, how he parades his own former life, though the others concealed his name, not calling him a publican; but it was the work of God to convert him by a word alone.

⁷ And it came to pass, as he reclined at table in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and reclined together with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples: Why does your teacher eat with the publicans and sinners? Matthew, rejoicing at the reception of Christ, called the publicans together; and Christ eats with them, so as to do them good, even though he was reproached for this. For the Pharisees, wishing to draw away his disciples from him, slandered his eating together with the publicans.

⁸ But when Jesus heard it, he said to them: They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. I have not come now, he says, as a judge, but as a physician; whence also I bear with the stench. And he convicts them as ignorant, saying: Go and learn—that is, since up to now you have not learned, at least from now on go and learn that God prefers showing mercy to sinners above sacrifices. And the words, I came not to call the righteous, he says in irony—that is, you who justify yourselves—since no one among men is righteous. I came to call sinners, not that they should remain sinners, but that they should repent.

⁹ Then come to him the disciples of John, saying: Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast? The disciples of John, envying the glory of Christ, find fault with him because he does not fast; and perhaps they were perplexed how he conquers the passions without ascetic exercise, which John was not strong enough to do. For they did not know that John was a mere man, righteous out of virtue, but Christ is virtue itself, as God.

¹⁰ Jesus therefore said to them: Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they will fast. A time of joy, he says, is the present season, as long as I am with the disciples. For he names himself bridegroom, as wedding to himself the new synagogue, the old one having died; and the sons of the bridechamber are the apostles. There will be a time, then, he says, when, after I have suffered and been taken up, they will fast, being persecuted in hunger and thirst. And, showing the disciples to be still imperfect, he adds:

¹¹ No one puts a patch of unfulled cloth on an old garment, for the piece that fills it up takes away from the garment, and a worse rent is made. Neither do men put new wine into old wineskins; else the wineskins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins perish; but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved together. Not yet, he says, have the disciples become strong, but they need condescension; and one must not lay upon them the weight of injunctions. He said these things, teaching the disciples also, that they too, when they make disciples of the world, should show condescension. The unfulled cloth, then, and the new wine are fasting; the old garment and the wineskins are the weakness of the disciples.

¹² While he was speaking these things to them, behold, a certain ruler came and worshiped him, saying: My daughter has just now died; but come and lay your hand upon her, and she will live. And Jesus arose and followed him, and his disciples. This man appears to have faith, even if not great; for he begs Jesus not merely to speak the word, but also to come and lay on his hand. And he says that his daughter has died, although Luke says that she had not yet died—either as conjecturing it, because she had been left at her last breath, or as magnifying the calamity so as to draw Christ to compassion.

¹³ And behold, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself: If I may but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. But Jesus, turning about and seeing her, said: Take courage, daughter; your faith has made you whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. Being unclean because of her affliction, the woman did not come forward openly, fearing lest she be hindered; and she thought to escape notice, yet hoped to obtain health if only she touched the edge of his garment—the hem. But the Savior makes her manifest, not as accusing her, but that he might display her faith for our benefit, and that the ruler of the synagogue also might be assured. And he says to her, Take courage, because she was afraid, as having stolen the gift; and he calls her daughter, as faithful. And they say that, had she not brought faith, she would not have received the grace, even though the garments were holy. And they say that she made a statue of the Savior, at whose feet there grew up a herb that healed women with an issue of blood, which in the days of Julian the impious cast down.

¹⁴ And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd making a tumult, he said to them: Withdraw, for the girl is not dead, but sleeps. And they laughed him to scorn. Since it was a Jewish custom, they bewailed her with the wedding flutes, doing this according to the law; and he says that she sleeps, because with him death was a sleep, since he was able to raise her up. And if they laugh him to scorn, do not be troubled; for they rather bear witness to the miracle, as being one who truly raised her—for, lest anyone say that she had merely fallen into a deathlike faint, for this reason it was confessed by all that she had died.

¹⁵ But when the crowd was put out, he entered in and took hold of her hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land. Where there is distraction, Jesus does not work a wonder. And he takes hold of her hand, imparting power; and you too, if you are deadened by sins, will then rise up when you take hold of the active hand, having cast out the crowd of distractions.

¹⁶ And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying: Have mercy on us, Son of David. The blind men said, Have mercy, as to God; but, Son of David, as to a man. For it was bruited about a little among the Jews that the Messiah would come from the seed of David.

¹⁷ And when he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. And Jesus says to them: Do you believe that I am able to do this? They say to him: Yes, Lord. He draws the blind men as far as the house, that he might display their persevering faith, and might condemn the Jews. And he asks them whether they believe, showing that faith accomplishes all things.

¹⁸ Then he touched their eyes, saying: According to your faith be it done to you. And their eyes were opened. He heals in the house and privately, because he was without love of glory. For everywhere he taught humility.

¹⁹ And Jesus sternly charged them, saying: See that no one knows it. But they went out and spread his fame in all that land. Do you see his freedom from vainglory? But they, not as disobeying, but as giving thanks, spread it abroad. And though elsewhere he appears saying, Go and declare the glory of God, there is nothing contrary in this; for he wishes to say nothing about himself, but to declare the glory of God.

²⁰ And as they went out, behold, they brought to him a man who was mute and possessed by a demon. And when the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The affliction was not natural, but from the demon; therefore others bring him. For he could not entreat through himself, since the demon had bound his tongue. Whence he does not even require faith, but straightway heals him, casting out the demon that hindered his speech.

²¹ And the crowds marveled, saying that it was never so seen in Israel. The crowd, marveling, sets Christ above the prophets and patriarchs as well. For he healed with authority, and not, as those did, by praying. But let us see also what the Pharisees say.

²² But the Pharisees said: By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons. Their words are of the utmost folly. For no demon casts out a demon. But grant that he cast out the demons as serving the ruler of the demons, that is, by sorcery: how then did he loose diseases and sins, and proclaim the kingdom? For the demon, on the contrary, rather both brings on diseases and draws away from God.

²³ And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. Being a lover of mankind, he does not wait for them to come to him, but he himself goes about, that they might have no excuse, saying, No one taught us. And by deed and by word he draws them, teaching and working wonders.

²⁴ But when he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were faint and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. They had no shepherd, since their rulers not only failed to set them right, but even did them harm; and it belongs to a true shepherd to have compassion on the flock.

²⁵ Then he says to his disciples: The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest. He names the multitude needing healing the harvest, and the laborers those who ought to teach, who were not then in Israel. And the Lord of the harvest is Christ himself, as Lord of prophets and apostles; and this is plain from his appointing the twelve without asking God. For hear:

10 Chapter 10. — On the sending forth of the apostles.

¹ And calling to him his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. He chooses twelve disciples, according to the number of the twelve tribes; and adding power to these, though they were few, he sent them forth; for few are those who travel by the narrow way. And he gives them the working of wonders, so that, astonishing men by the wonders, they might have their hearers obedient to the teaching.

² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother. He lists the names of the apostles, on account of the false apostles. And he sets Peter and Andrew first, because they were also the first called. Then the sons of Zebedee; and he ranks James before John—for he lists them not according to worth, but simply as it happened. He says, then:

³ James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus surnamed Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. See the humility of Matthew, how he ranked himself after Thomas. And coming to Judas, he did not say, the foul one, the enemy of God, but named him Iscariot from his homeland. For there was also another Judas, who was both Lebbaeus and Thaddaeus. There were, then, two named James, the son of Zebedee and the son of Alphaeus; and two named Judas, Thaddaeus and the traitor; and three named Simon, Peter, the Canaanite, and the traitor—for Judas Iscariot was called Simon.

⁴ These twelve Jesus sent forth, charging them, saying: Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into a city of the Samaritans; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Whom does he send? These—the fishermen, the unlettered, the publicans. And he sends them first to the Jews, that these might not be able to say that they were sent to the Gentiles, and that, for this reason, we Jews did not believe. He leaves the Jews, then, without excuse. And he joins the Samaritans to the Gentiles, since, being Babylonians, they had settled in Judea, and did not even receive the prophets, but only the five books of Moses. And by the kingdom of heaven understand also the enjoyment that is to come. And he arms them with wonders, saying:

⁵ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Nothing so befits the teacher as humility and freedom from possessions. These two, then, he displays here. Freely you have received, he says—for do not be high-minded, as though you had and gave such good things of your own; for you have these freely and by grace. But along with being humble-minded, become also free from the love of money. For freely, he says, give. And, more perfectly tearing up the root of all evils, he says:

⁶ Do not acquire gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts; no bag for the journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for the laborer is worthy of his food. He trains them to all exactness, thereby making them altogether free of superfluity and free of care; he does not even allow them to have staffs. For this is exact freedom from possessions, which makes the one who teaches about freedom from possessions to be believed. Then, lest they say, From where shall we be fed? he says: The laborer is worthy of his food—that is, you will be fed by the disciples. For they owe this to you, as laborers. And he said food, not luxury. For teachers must not live in luxury.

⁷ And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there remain until you depart. He does not bid them go to everyone, lest, mingling with the unworthy, they be slandered; for if they go only to the worthy, they will surely also be fed. And he bids them remain, and not move from house to house, lest they be reproached as gluttons, and seem to insult those who first received them.

⁸ And when you enter into the house, salute it, saying: Peace to this house. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. By the greeting and the peace understand the blessing, which abides only with the worthy. Learn, then, from this that especially our own works bless us.

⁹ And whoever does not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. He wishes them to shake off the dust, to show that they took nothing from there, because of their disobedience, or so that it might be a testimony of the long journey they walked, while bringing those people no profit. It shall be more tolerable, then, for the Sodomites than for the disobedient, because the Sodomites, having been punished here, will there be punished more moderately.

¹⁰ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. He armed them with signs, he made them confident concerning their food, opening to them the doors of the worthy. Now he tells them also of the terrors that will befall them, displaying his foreknowledge. And he comforts them by the word I. I, he says, the mighty one, send you; therefore be confident, for you will be unconquered. And he prepares them to suffer; for as it is impossible for a sheep in the midst of wolves not to suffer, so also for you in the midst of the Jews. But even if you suffer, do not be angry; for I wish you to be gentle as sheep, and so the rather to conquer.

¹¹ Be therefore wise as serpents, and innocent as doves. He wishes the disciples to be wise as well. For lest, hearing them called sheep, you should suppose that the Christian must be a simpleton, he says that he must also be wise, knowing how he ought to conduct himself in the midst of many enemies. For as the serpent gives up all the rest of its body to be struck, but guards its head, so also let the Christian give up all that is his, and his body, to those who strike him; but let him guard his head, which is Christ and the faith in him. And just as the serpent, squeezing through some narrow hole, sloughs off its old skin, so let us too, traveling by the narrow way, put off the old man. And since the serpent is also harmful, he bids us be innocent—that is, simple and guileless and not harmful, like the doves; for these, even when their young are taken and they are driven off, return again to their masters. Be, then, wise as a serpent, so as not to be mocked in life, but to render all that is yours blameless; but as for harming others, be like a dove—that is, guileless.

¹² But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you; and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Do you see, this is to be wise: to be on guard and not to give occasion to those who wish to afflict you, but to manage your own affairs wisely. If the persecutor wants money, give it; if honor, give it, that he may have no occasion; but if he takes away the faith, then set your head against him. And he is about to send the disciples not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles; therefore he also says, For a testimony to them and to the Gentiles—that is, for the conviction of those who do not believe.

¹³ But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious how or what you shall speak; for it shall be given to you in that hour what you shall speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you. Lest they say, And how shall we be able to persuade the wise, being unlettered? he bids them be confident, and not be anxious. For when we are about to discourse among the faithful, we must prepare beforehand, and be ready for our defense, as Peter exhorts; but in the midst of crowds and raging kings, he promises his own strength, that we may not be afraid: to confess is ours, but to make a defense wisely is God’s. And lest you suppose that the aptitude for making a defense is natural, he says, It is not you who speak, but the Spirit.

¹⁴ And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and put them to death. He foretells to them what will befall, so that, when it happens, they may not be troubled. And he shows also the power of the preaching, how one had to despise nature; for such is Christianity. But he also makes plain the madness of those people, that they will not spare even their nearest of kin.

¹⁵ And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake; but he who endures to the end, this one will be saved. By all, instead of, by many. For not all hated them; for there were also those who would receive the faith. But he who endures to the end, and not only at the beginning, that one will partake of eternal life.

¹⁶ But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the other. Amen I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel until the Son of man come. The things said above, the fearful ones—such as, They will deliver you up, and, You will be hated—were about the things that would befall after the Ascension; but what is said now is about the things before the Cross. For you will not have gone through the cities of Israel in your preaching, and straightway I will come to you. And he bids them flee when persecuted; for openly to throw oneself into danger, and to become a cause of condemnation to the murderers, and to harm those who would have profited by the preaching, is devilish. As for the words, Until the Son of man come, do not understand them of the second coming, but of his being with them and his comfort before the Cross. For having been sent forth and having preached, they returned again to Christ, and were with him.

¹⁷ A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the servant as his master. Here he teaches them to bear with insults. For if I, the teacher and master, bore with them, much more should you, the disciples and servants. But you ask how he says, A disciple is not above his teacher, when we see many disciples better than their teachers? Learn, then, that as long as they are disciples, they are less than their teachers; but if they become better, they are no longer disciples—just as the servant, as long as he is a servant, is not above his master.

¹⁸ If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household? Therefore do not fear them; for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hidden that shall not be known. Take comfort, he says, from what concerns me; for if they called me, the master, the ruler of the demons, what wonder if they slander you, my own people? For he called them those of his household. But not servants—showing his closeness to them. But be confident. For the truth will not be hidden away, but time will show both your virtue and the wickedness of those who slander you; for there is nothing hidden that shall not be known. So that even if they slander you, yet later they will recognize you.

¹⁹ What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops. What I have told to you alone, and in one place—for this is the meaning of in the ear and in the darkness—teach with boldness and with a loud voice, so that all may hear you. And since dangers follow upon boldness, he adds:

²⁰ And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. He teaches them to despise death as well; for more fearful, he says, is the punishment in hell. For those who kill work the destruction of the flesh only, and perhaps even benefit the soul; but God, casting into hell, punishes both, soul and body together. And by saying in hell, he signifies the perpetuity of the punishment. For “Gehenna” (geenna) is so called from aei, “ever.”[2]

²¹ Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And not one of them shall fall to the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Lest they be troubled as though abandoned, he says: If not even a sparrow is caught without my knowing it, how shall I abandon you, whom I love? And, displaying his exact knowledge and providence, he says that our hairs are numbered by God. Do not suppose, however, that it is by God’s working that the sparrows are caught, but that not even their catching is unknown to him.

²² Everyone, therefore, who will confess me before men, I also will confess him before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever will deny me before men, him I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. He urges them on to bear witness; for he is not content with the faith of the soul alone, but wishes also that which is by the mouth. And he did not say, Whoever will confess me, but, in me—that is, in my power; for the one who confesses confesses being helped by the grace from above. But since, of the one who denies, he did not say, in me, but, me—he shows that, not having the help from above, he denies. The one, then, who confesses that Christ is God will find Christ confessing concerning him to the Father, that he is a genuine servant. But those who deny will hear the words, I do not know you.

²³ Do not suppose that I came to bring peace upon the earth; I came not to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. Concord is not everywhere good; rather, there is a time when division too is good. The sword, then, is the word of the faith, which cuts us off from the attachment to our kindred and relatives when they hinder us in our reverence for God. For he does not speak simply of being set against, that is, of being separated from, these people, but only when they do not go along with us, or rather even mock at the faith.

²⁴ He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Do you see that we must hate parents and children at that time when they wish to be loved more than Christ? And why do I speak of father and mother and children? Hear something greater:

²⁵ And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever, he says, will not renounce the present life, and give himself over to a shameful death (for this the cross was among the ancients), is not worthy of me. And since many are crucified as robbers and thieves, he added the words, And follow after me—that is, lives according to my laws.

²⁶ He who finds his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. He seems to find his soul who preserves the life in the flesh. He also loses it, being consigned to eternal punishment; but he who loses his soul and dies—not as a robber or as one who strangles himself, but for Christ’s sake—that one saves it.

²⁷ He who receives you receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. He rouses us to receive those who come from Christ. For he who honors his disciples honors him, and through him the Father also. And we must receive the righteous and the prophets in the name of a righteous man and a prophet—that is, because they are righteous men and prophets; not on account of some patronage and support with kings, but even if perhaps one has the appearance of a prophet, yet falls short in deed, you receive him as a prophet. And God will reward you as though you had received a truly righteous man. For this is the meaning of, He will receive a righteous man’s reward; or you may understand it also otherwise, that the one who receives him will himself be reckoned righteous, and will receive the reward which the righteous receive.

²⁸ And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. Lest anyone put forward an excuse, he says: Even if you give a cup of cold water, for the sake of this man’s being my disciple, you will receive the reward for this also. And he too gives a cup of cold water who teaches one inflamed with the fire of wrath and of the desires. And, making him to be called a disciple of Christ, this man too does not lose his reward.

11 Chapter 11. — On those sent by John.

¹ And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. Having sent forth the disciples, he himself thereafter keeps quiet, not working wonders, but only teaching in the synagogues. For if he himself healed when present, no one would come to the disciples; so that they might have room to heal, he himself withdraws.

² Now when John had heard in prison of the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him: Are you the one who is to come, or do we look for another? Not as though John himself were ignorant of Christ does he ask. For how could he be, when he had borne witness concerning him that, Behold the Lamb of God? But since his disciples envied Christ, in order to assure them, for this reason he sends them, so that, seeing the wonders, they might be persuaded that Christ is greater than John. For this reason he also frames himself as asking, Are you the one who is to come?—that is, the one expected in the Scriptures to come in the flesh. And some say that he asked about the descent into Hades, with John supposedly being ignorant, as if saying: Are you the one who is to come even into Hades, or do we look for another? But this is senseless. For how could John, being more than the prophets, be ignorant of the crucifixion of Christ and the descent into Hades, and that when he had named him Lamb on account of his being about to be slain for us? Whether, then, John already knew that the Lord would come even into Hades with his soul, that there too he might save, as Gregory the Theologian says, those who were going to believe, [and that] in their days he was made flesh—he does not ask as one ignorant, but as wishing to assure his disciples concerning Christ through the working of the wonders. For see what Christ too says to such a question.

³ And Jesus answered and said to them: Go and report to John the things you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who shall not be offended in me. He did not say, Report to John that I am the one who is to come, but, as knowing that John had sent his disciples for this purpose, that they might see the wonders, he says, Report to John the things you see, and surely that man, seizing the occasion, will bear witness more abundantly concerning me to you. And by the poor having the Gospel preached to them, you may understand either those who proclaim the Gospel, that is, the apostles—for they were poor as fishermen, and despised for their lack of learning—or those who give ear to the Gospel and hear of the eternal goods. And, showing John’s disciples that what they were reasoning did not escape him, he says, Blessed is he who shall not be offended in me; for they had much doubt concerning him.

⁴ And as these went away, Jesus began to say to the crowds concerning John: What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? Perhaps the crowds, hearing John’s question, would have been offended, [supposing] that even John doubted concerning Christ, and so easily changed his mind, although he had borne witness concerning Christ before. Removing this suspicion, then, Christ says: John is not a reed—that is, easily turned. For if he were such, why then did you go out to him into the wilderness? For surely you would not have gone out to a reed, that is, an unstable man, but you went out as to a great and steadfast man. He remains, then, such as you yourselves supposed.

⁵ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who wear the soft things are in the houses of kings. For lest they be able to say that, having become a slave to luxury, he afterward grew soft, he says, No. For his robe, being of hair, shows that he is an enemy of luxury. For if he had worn soft things, he would also have been in the houses of kings, and not in prison, had he wished to live in luxury. Learn, then, that the exact Christian must not wear soft things.

⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. John is more than a prophet, because the other prophets only foretold concerning Christ, but this one became also an eyewitness, which is indeed a great thing. And because the others prophesied after they were born, but this one, while still in his mother’s womb, recognized Christ and leaped for joy.

⁷ For this is he of whom it is written: Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you. He was called a messenger both on account of his angelic and almost immaterial life, and because he announced and proclaimed Christ. And he prepared the way of Christ, as bearing witness concerning him, and as baptizing unto repentance—for after repentance comes remission of sins, which remission Christ gives. And Christ says these things after John’s disciples have departed, lest he seem to be flattering him. And the prophecy spoken is that of Malachi.

⁸ Amen I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist. He declares this with assurance, that there is none greater than John; and by saying of women, he excepted himself. For Christ himself was born of a virgin, not of a woman—that is, of one who had come to marriage. But he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Since he had spoken many praises concerning John, lest they suppose that he too is greater than himself, he says here more plainly: I who am least, both in age and in your estimation, am greater than he in the kingdom of heaven—that is, in the spiritual and heavenly goods. For here I am inferior to him, both in that he was born before me, and in that he seems to you to be great; but there I am greater.

⁹ And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. This seems to be inconsequent, but it is not. Consider, then: for, having said concerning himself that he is greater than John, Christ presses them on to believe in him, showing that many seize the kingdom of heaven—that is, faith in him; and there is need of much violence. For to leave father and mother, and to despise even one’s own soul—how much violence is needed for this?

¹⁰ For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. This too belongs to the same train of thought. For he says: I am the one who is to come, for all the prophets have been fulfilled; and they would not have been fulfilled had I not come; expect nothing, then, further.

¹¹ And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. If you are willing, he says, to receive it—that is, if you judge fairly, and not enviously—he is the one whom the prophet Malachi said would be Elijah. For both the Forerunner and Elijah have the same ministry. The one ran before the first coming, and Elijah will run before the coming that is to be. Then, showing that it is an enigma, that John is Elijah, and that there is need of understanding to grasp it, he says:

¹² He who has ears to hear, let him hear, leading them on to inquire and to learn.

¹³ But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplace, and calling to their companions, and saying: We piped to you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament. Here he hints at the peevishness of the Jews. For being perverse, they were pleased neither with the austerity of John nor with the simplicity of Christ; but they were like children who are hard to please because of their fickleness, whom, if one weeps, it does not please, and if one pipes, neither does this.

¹⁴ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a gluttonous man and a wine-drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners. To mourning he likens the conduct of John; for John displayed much austerity, both in words and in deeds. But the conduct of Christ he likens to piping; for the Lord was most gracious, condescending to all, that he might gain them all, and proclaiming the kingdom, and having nothing gloomy, such as John had. And wisdom is justified by her children. This he says: Since, then, neither the life of John nor my own pleases you, but you spurn all the ways of salvation, I, who am wisdom, am shown to be just. For you will no longer have an excuse, but will surely be condemned. For I have fulfilled all things, but you, having disobeyed, prove me, who have left nothing undone, to be just.

¹⁵ Then he began to upbraid the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. After he had shown that he did all that he ought, and they remained unrepentant, then at last he upbraids them.

¹⁶ Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! That you may know that those who did not believe were not wicked by nature, but by choice, he makes mention of Bethsaida, from which were Andrew and Peter and Philip and the sons of Zebedee; so that their wickedness was not by nature, but by choice. For if it were by nature, those men too would have been wicked.

¹⁷ For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. He calls the Jews worse than the Tyrians and Sidonians, in that the Tyrians transgressed the natural law, but the Jews the Mosaic law as well. And because the Tyrians did not see wonders, but these, even seeing them, did not believe. And the sackcloth is a symbol of repentance, and the sprinkling of ashes and dust upon the head we see among those who mourn.

¹⁸ And you, Capernaum, who have been exalted to heaven, shall be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you. Capernaum was exalted because it was the city of the Savior; for it was glorified as though it were his homeland; but it profited nothing, because it did not believe. On the contrary, for this very reason it is the more condemned, down to Hades, because, having such an inhabitant, it profited nothing from him. And since Capernaum is interpreted “place of comfort,” see that even if one be counted worthy to become a place of the Comforter—that is, of the Holy Spirit—and then become high-minded, and be lifted up to heaven, he thereafter falls down on account of his high-mindedness. Shudder, then, O man.

¹⁹ At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes. What he says is this: I confess—instead of, I give thanks—O Father, that the Jews, who seem to be wise and skilled in the Scriptures, disbelieved, but the unlearned and the babes believed and knew the mysteries. And God hid the mysteries from those who seem to be wise, not as begrudging or as being the cause of their ignorance, but because they were not worthy, by reason of their very supposing themselves to be wise; for he who thinks himself wise, and trusts in his own judgment, does not even call upon God. And thereafter God, not being called upon, neither helps him nor reveals to him. Besides, God rather, out of love for mankind, does not reveal the mysteries to the many, lest they be punished the more, as having spurned them after coming to know them.

²⁰ Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing before you. Here he makes plain the love of mankind of the Father, that not at another’s entreaty did he reveal to babes, but so it pleased him from the beginning. For good pleasure is the will and the satisfaction.

²¹ All things have been delivered to me by my Father. He said above to the Father, You have revealed, O Father; so then, lest you suppose that he himself does nothing, but that all things are the Father’s, he says, All things have been delivered to me, and there is one authority of mine and his. But hearing the word delivered, do not suppose that they were delivered to him as to a servant and an inferior, but as to a Son. For according as he was begotten of the Father, accordingly were they delivered to him; for if he had not been begotten and were not of the same essence as the Father, they would not have been delivered. For see what he says: All things have been delivered to me, not by a master, but, by my Father; just as, for example, if a comely child be born of a comely father, and he should say, Comeliness has been given to me by my father.

²² And no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son wills to reveal him. He says the greater thing: It is no marvel if I am Master of all, seeing that I have something else greater, namely, to know the Father, and so to know him that I may reveal him to others as well. And consider: above he said that the Father revealed the mysteries to babes; but here, that the Son reveals the Father. Do you see, then, one power of the Father and of the Son, since both the Father reveals and the Son?

²³ Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He calls all, not only Jews, but also Gentiles. For you may understand the Jews as laboring, as pursuing the burdensome observances of the law, and laboring in the working of the commandments of the law; and the Gentiles as heavy laden, who were pressed down by the weight of their sins. All these, then, Christ gives rest. For to believe, and to confess, and to be baptized—what labor is it? And how is it not rest? Because both here you are free of care concerning the things done before baptism, and there likewise rest awaits you.

²⁴ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is good, and my burden is light. The yoke of Christ is humility and gentleness. He, then, who humbles himself before every man has rest, remaining undisturbed; just as the vainglorious and arrogant man is always in anxieties, not willing to be inferior to anyone, but reckoning how he may be more glorified, how he may conquer his enemies. The yoke of Christ, then—humility, I mean—is light; for it is easier for our humble nature to be humbled than to be exalted. But all the commandments of Christ also are called a yoke, which are light because of the recompense to come, even if for a time they seem heavy.

12 Chapter 12. — On the disciples plucking ears of grain on the Sabbaths. On the man with the withered hand. On the blind and dumb demoniac. On those who ask for a sign. On [his] mother and brethren.

¹ At that time Jesus went on the Sabbaths through the grainfields. And his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck ears of grain and to eat. Doing away with the legal observances, he leads the disciples through the grainfields, so that by eating they might loose the Sabbath. And the Pharisees, seeing it, said to him: Behold, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. But he said to them: Have you not read what David did, when he himself was hungry, and those with him? how he entered into the house of God, and ate the loaves of the presentation, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests only? Again the Pharisees lay the blame upon the natural affection, [namely] hunger, themselves sinning more grievously; but the Lord puts them to shame from the history concerning David. For that man, he says, on account of hunger, dared even something greater. And the loaves of the presentation are those set forth each day; for there were set forth upon the table twelve, six on the right side, and six on the other; and yet, even though David was a prophet, not even so was it right to eat, for it was lawful for the priests only. But much more was it not lawful for those with him; nevertheless, on account of hunger, he is worthy of pardon. So, then, also the disciples.

² Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? But I say to you, that one greater than the temple is here. The law forbade working on the Sabbath; the priests, then, on the Sabbath both split wood and kindled fire, so that they profaned the Sabbath—that is, defiled it, as you suppose. But you say to me that those were priests, and the disciples are not. I say, then, that one greater than the temple is here—that is, Since I, the Master greater than the temple, am also with the disciples, these have greater authority to loose the Sabbath than the priests.

³ But if you had known what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. He shows them to be also unlearned, as not knowing the prophetic [writings]; For ought one not, he says, to have had mercy on men who were hungry? And besides, I, the Son of Man, am Lord of the Sabbath, as the Maker of all things and of the days [themselves], so that I loose the Sabbath as Master. And understand it also according to the anagogical sense; for the apostles were laborers, and the harvests are the ears of grain, [namely] those who believe; the apostles plucked these and ate—that is, they had as their food the salvation of men; and this they did on the Sabbaths, in the resting from evils; but the Pharisees were indignant. So too in the Church, when the teachers often teach and benefit [the people], those who play the Pharisee and are envious are displeased.

⁴ And departing thence, he came into their synagogue, and behold, there was a man there having a withered hand, and they questioned him, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbaths? that they might accuse him. The other evangelists say that Jesus questioned the Pharisees. It is possible, then, to say that, being envious, they anticipated [him] and questioned him, as Matthew says. Then Christ again questioned them, as it were mocking and deriding their hardness, which the other evangelists relate. And they questioned him, that they might have an occasion for slandering [him].

⁵ But he said to them: What man shall there be among you, who shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the Sabbaths, will he not lay hold of it, and lift it out? How much, then, does a man differ from a sheep? So that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbaths. He shows them, on the one hand for the sake of love of money, and that they might not be deprived of a sheep, dissolving the Sabbath; but on the other hand, with regard to a man’s being healed, not enduring this to come to pass. So that at one and the same time he shows them to be both lovers of money and inhuman, and despisers of God. For they take thought for the Sabbath, that they might not lose a sheep; but they are merciless, because they do not will the healing of a man.

⁶ Then he says to the man: Stretch forth your hand; and he stretched it forth, and it was restored whole as the other. Many even now have withered hands—that is, [they are] unmerciful and ungiving; but when the evangelical word resounds in them, they stretch these forth unto giving, even though the Pharisees, the boastful and demon-driven, who are cut off from us, on account of their envy toward us, do not will our hands to be stretched forth unto almsgiving.

⁷ But the Pharisees, going out, took counsel against him, how they might destroy him. But Jesus, knowing it, withdrew thence. O envy! When they are benefited, then they rage. And Jesus withdraws, because the time of the Passion had not yet come, and sparing those very men, lest they fall under a charge of murder. For rashness is not pleasing to God. And observe the [word], Going out. For when they went out from God, then they took counsel to destroy Jesus. For no one who abides in God takes such counsel.

⁸ And great crowds followed him, and he healed them all; and he charged them, that they should not make him known. Soothing the envy of those [Pharisees], he does not will to be made manifest. For he was eager in every way to heal them.

⁹ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: Behold my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall declare judgment to the nations. He shall not strive, nor cry out. He brings in also the prophet as a witness of the meekness of Jesus. For whatever, he says, the Jews wish, he will do; if they wish him not to appear, then this also he will do, and he will not resist as one who loves glory, nor will he strive. But he will charge the crowds that they should not make him known; yet to the nations he will declare judgment—that is, he will also teach the Gentiles. For judgment is the teaching, and the knowledge, and the discernment of the good. Or also he will declare the coming judgment to the Gentiles, who had never heard concerning a coming judgment.

¹⁰ Neither shall anyone hear his voice in the streets. For not in the midst of the marketplace, like those who love glory, but in the temple and the synagogues, and on the mountain, and by the seashores, did he teach.

¹¹ A bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench. He was able, he says, to break the Jews in pieces like a bruised reed, and to quench their wrath like smoking—that is, burning—flax; but he did not will it, until he should fulfill the [divine] economy, and conquer them through all things. For this is what the [clause] that follows signifies.

¹² Until he send forth judgment unto victory; and in his name shall the nations hope. For that they might not have anything to plead as an excuse, he endured all things, so that he might afterward condemn them, and conquer them when they could say nothing in reply. For what did he not do that he might gain those [men]? But they would not; whence the nations shall hope upon him, since the Jews would not.

¹³ Then was brought to him a demoniac, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb man both spoke and saw. And all the crowds were amazed, and said: Is not this the son of David? The demon had shut up the ways toward faith—eyes, and hearing, and tongue. But Jesus heals him, and is named son of David by the crowds. For the Christ was expected [to come] from the seed of David; and now too, if you see anyone neither himself understanding the good, nor receiving the words of another, consider this one blind and dumb, whom God may heal by touching his heart.

¹⁴ But the Pharisees, hearing it, said: This man does not cast out the demons, except by Beelzebul the prince of the demons. And yet the Lord had withdrawn on their account, but those men, even hearing from afar, slander him, and, while men were being benefited, they were thus enemies of [human] nature, like the devil.

¹⁵ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? By publishing their thoughts abroad, he shows that he is God. And he makes his defense to them from common examples, which show their senselessness. For how do the demons cast themselves out, when rather they band themselves together? And Satan is so called as the adversary.

¹⁶ And if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. Granted, he says, that I am such a one; but your sons—that is, my disciples—by whom do they cast them out? For surely not they too by Beelzebul? And if those [cast them out] by a divine power, much more do I. For they work wonders in my name; for this cause, then, those men shall be for your condemnation, because, even seeing those men working wonders in my name, you still slander me.

¹⁷ But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. This is what he says: If by a divine power I cast out the demons, then I am the Son of God, and I have come for your sake, that you might be benefited. So that my presence has come upon you. For this is the kingdom of God; why, then, do you slander my presence, which has come about for your sake?

¹⁸ Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man, and then he will plunder his house? So far, he says, am I from the demons being my friends, that I even set myself in array against them, and bind them, who before my presence were strong; for having entered into the house—that is, the world—Christ plundered the goods of the demons, [namely] men, I mean.

¹⁹ He who is not with me is against me; and he who gathers not with me scatters. How, he says, was Beelzebul going to work together with me, who rather works against me? For I teach virtue, but he wickedness. How, then, is he with me? And I gather men unto salvation, but he scatters; and he hints also at the Pharisees, that while he was teaching and benefiting many, those men were dispersing the people, so that they should not come to him. He shows them, then, to be truly demonic.

²⁰ Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven men. And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the [age] to come. This is what he says here, that every other sin, indeed, has at least some small excuse—such as fornication, theft; for we take refuge in human weakness, and are the more pardonable. But when someone sees wonders accomplished through the Spirit, and slanders these as being done by a demon, what excuse shall this man have? For it is plain that he knows, indeed, that they come from the Holy Spirit, but is willfully malicious. How, then, is such a one pardonable? When, therefore, the Jews saw the Lord eating and drinking, and consorting with publicans and harlots, and doing all the other things as Son of Man, and then slandered him as a glutton and a wine-drinker, for this they are worthy of pardon, and shall not even be required to repent of it. For they seem to be reasonably offended. But when, seeing him working wonders, they slandered and blasphemed the Holy Spirit, saying that it was demonic, how shall this sin be forgiven them, unless they repent? So know that he who blasphemes against the Son of Man, seeing him living in human fashion, and saying that he is a friend of harlots, and a glutton, and a wine-drinker, because Christ does these things, such a one, even if he does not repent, shall not give account for this; for he is pardoned as not having understood that he was God, hidden [in the flesh]. But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit—that is, the spiritual works of Christ—and says that they are demonic, unless he repent, shall not be pardoned; for he had no reasonable occasion for slandering, as did that man who, seeing Christ among harlots and publicans, then slandered. To this man, then, it shall not be forgiven, neither here nor there; but both here and there shall he be punished. For many are chastised here, but there not at all; like the poor Lazarus. Others, both here and there; like the Sodomites, and these who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. But some, neither here nor there; like the apostles, and the Forerunner. For even though they seem to be chastised in being persecuted, yet those are not punishments for sins, but trials and crowns.

²¹ Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt. For by the fruit the tree is known. Since the Jews were not able to slander his wonders as evil, but blasphemed Christ, the doer of these things, as demonic, he says: Either call me also a good tree, and then by all means my wonders too, which are the fruit, will be good; or, if you call me a corrupt tree, plainly the fruit also—that is, the wonders—will be corrupt. But you do say that the wonders—that is, the fruit—are good; therefore I too am good, [I,] the tree. For by all means the tree is recognized by its fruit, so that I too [am known] by the wonders.

²² Offspring of vipers, how can you speak good things, being evil? Behold, he says, you, being evil trees, bear evil fruit, speaking evil of me; so that I too, if I were evil, would bear evil fruit, and not such wonders. And he calls them offspring of vipers, since they vaunted themselves over Abraham. He shows them, then, that they are not from Abraham, but from forefathers worthy of their wickedness.

²³ For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks; the good man, out of the good treasure, brings forth good things; and the evil man, out of the evil treasure, brings forth evil things. When you see someone foul-mouthed, know that he does not have in his heart [only] as much as he says, but many times more. For it is only out of the abundance that [the heart] pours forth even to the outside, and, having a hidden treasure, it shows but a small part. Likewise also he who speaks good things has more in his heart.

²⁴ But I say to you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment; for by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned. We must be alarmed here, that we shall give account even for an idle word—that is, the false, the slanderous, or also the disorderly and frivolous. Then he sets down a testimony from the Scripture: By your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.

²⁵ Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying: Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. The evangelist, marveling, added the [word], then. For when they ought to have submitted on account of the wonders already done, then they ask for a sign; and they wish to see a sign from heaven, as another evangelist says. For they supposed that he did the wonders upon the earth by the power of the devil; for the devil is ruler of the world. What, then, [does] the Savior [say]?

²⁶ But he, answering, said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. He calls them an evil generation, as insolent and deceitful. And adulterous, as departing from God, and cleaving to demons. And he means by a sign his resurrection, as a paradox; for in the heart of the earth—I mean in the lowest place, namely Hades—having descended, he rose on the third day. And the three days and the three nights understand in part, and not as complete [days]. For he died on the Friday—this was one day; and on the Sabbath he was dead—behold, another day; and the night of the Lord’s Day still found him dead. Three day-and-night periods, then, are reckoned in part. For thus also we are often accustomed to reckon.

²⁷ The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. Jonah, he says, after his coming out from the sea-monster, was believed when he preached; but I shall not be believed by you even after the resurrection. Whence you shall also be condemned by the Ninevites, who believed my servant Jonah without signs, and these being barbarians; [while] you who were nurtured among the prophets, who have seen signs, did not believe me, the Master. For this is what the [saying] signifies: And behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

²⁸ The queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The queen, he says, came from afar, although she was a weak woman, that she might hear about trees and plants and certain things of nature. But you, even when I came to you, and spoke ineffable things, did not receive me.

²⁹ But when the unclean spirit has gone out from the man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and finds none; then it says: I will return into my house from which I came out. And coming, it finds it empty, swept, and adorned. Then it goes, and takes along with itself seven other spirits more wicked than itself. And entering in, they dwell there, and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first; so shall it be also with this evil generation. He shows them to be coming to the uttermost ruin from their not receiving him. For as those who are freed from demons, if they grow slack, suffer worse things; so too your generation was held by a demon, when you worshiped the idols; but through the prophets they cast out this demon. And I too came, willing to cleanse you yet more; but since you thrust me away, and rather hasten to be impious, as sinning worse, you shall also be chastised worse, and your last captivity shall be heavier than the former ones. But understand also this, that through baptism the unclean spirit is cast out, and goes about in the waterless and unbaptized souls; but in those it finds no rest. For rest, for the demons, is to harass the unbaptized through wicked deeds, since it already holds the unbaptized. It returns, then, upon the baptized one with the seven spirits. For as the gifts of the Spirit are seven, so, on the contrary, the spirits of wickedness also are seven. For before there was hope through baptism; but now there is no hope, except that which is through repentance.

³⁰ But while he was yet speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brethren stood outside, seeking to speak with him. His mother wished to display something human, that she had authority over her child. For she did not yet conceive anything great concerning him; for this cause, then, while he was still speaking, she wishes to draw him to herself, taking pride [in him] as a son who was subject to her. What, then, [does] Christ [do]? Since he knew her aim, hear what he says.

³¹ And someone said to him: Behold, your mother and your brethren stand outside, seeking to speak with you. But he, answering, said to him who told him: Who is my mother, and who are my brethren? And stretching forth his hand toward his disciples, he said: Behold my mother and my brethren. For whoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. He says these things not to insult his mother, but to correct her vainglorious and human opinion. For he did not say that You are not my mother; but, that Unless she do the will of God, it will profit her nothing to have given birth to me. For he does not deny the kinship according to nature, but adds also that according to virtue. For no one unworthy is profited by kinship. Having corrected, therefore, the disease of vainglory, nevertheless he again obeys his mother when she calls. For the evangelist says:

13 Chapter 13. — On the parables of the sower and of the kingdom of the heavens.

¹ And on that day Jesus went out from the house, and sat by the sea. And great crowds were gathered together to him, so that he entered into the boat and sat, and all the crowd stood upon the shore. He sat down in the boat, that he might set all the hearers before his face, and that all might hear. And as it were from the sea he fishes for those upon the land.

² And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying: To the guileless crowds upon the mountain he speaks without parables; but here, the deceitful Pharisees being present, he speaks in parables, so that, even as not understanding, they might ask and learn. And besides, since they were unworthy, the teachings ought not to be set before them bare. For one must not cast the pearls before the swine. And he speaks first the parable that makes the hearer more attentive; for hear:

³ Behold, the sower went out to sow his seed. He calls himself the sower, and the seed the word. And he went out, not in place; for he was everywhere; but inasmuch as he drew near to us with flesh, in this respect he is said to have gone out, namely from the bosom of the Father. He went out, then, to us, since we were not able to come to him. And to do what did he go out? that he might burn up the earth on account of its many thorns? that he might punish? No, but to sow. And he called it his seed, because the prophets too sowed. But [they sowed] not their own seed, but that of God. But he, being God, sowed his own proper seed; for he was not made wise by divine grace—far from it!—but he himself was the wisdom of God.

⁴ And in his sowing, some [seeds] fell by the wayside; and the birds of heaven came and devoured them. And others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth; but when the sun was risen, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. Those by the wayside are the slack and slothful, who do not at all receive the word. For their reasoning is a road, trodden down and hard, and not plowed at all; from these, then, the birds of heaven—that is, of the air, the spirits, that is, the demons—snatch the word. And those upon the rocky places are they who hear, indeed, but on account of weakness do not withstand temptations or afflictions, but betray their own salvation; for by the sun that rose understand the temptations, because temptations make men manifest, and reveal, like the sun, the hidden things.

⁵ And others fell upon the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. These are they who choke the word through cares; for even if the rich man seem to do some good deed, yet this deed does not increase, nor advance, being hindered by anxieties.

⁶ And others fell upon the good earth, and gave fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. The three parts of the seed were lost, and only the fourth was saved; for few are they who are saved. And later he speaks concerning the feeble earth, giving us hope of repentance; for it is possible, even if one be rocky, or by the wayside, or thorn-bearing, for him to become good earth. Yet not all who receive the word bear fruit equally; but the one a hundredfold, perhaps he who has perfect poverty and the highest ascetic discipline; the one sixtyfold, perhaps the cenobitic monk, still in the active life; the one thirtyfold, he who has chosen honorable marriage, and earnestly pursues the virtues as far as he is able. And observe the goodness of God, how he receives all—both those who do the great things, and those the middling, and those the small.

⁷ He who has ears to hear, let him hear. He makes clear that these things must be understood spiritually by those who have acquired the spiritual ears. But many have ears, yet not for hearing; for this cause, then, he put forth the [saying], He who has ears for hearing, let that man hear.

⁸ And the disciples, coming, said to him: Why do you speak to them in parables? But he, answering, said to them, that To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to those it is not given. For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but whoever has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Seeing much obscurity in the things spoken by Christ, the disciples, as kindly guardians of the multitude, come asking; and he says: To you it is given to know the mysteries—that is, since you have eagerness and zeal, it is given to you; but to those, who have no zeal, it is not given. For that man receives, who seeks. For seek, he says, and it shall be given to you. See, then, how here the Lord spoke the parable, but only the disciples, having sought, received. So that we said well, that to him who has zeal, to that man is given the knowledge, and it is given in abundance. But from him who has neither zeal nor worthiness, even what he seems to have shall be taken away from him; that is, even if he have some little spark of the good, [the Lord] quenches even this, because he does not fan it through the Spirit and through spiritual works and [spiritual] men.

⁹ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, neither do they understand. Attend. For from this is resolved the question of those who say that some are evil by nature and from God. For Christ also said, they allege, that To you it is given to know the mysteries, but to the Jews it is not given. We say, then, to those who say such things, in God, that God indeed makes all to understand what is needful, by nature. For he enlightens every man that comes into the world; but our own choice darkens us. This, then, is what is shown here also. For he says, that Seeing by nature—that is, having been fashioned by God to understand—they do not see by [their] choice; and hearing—that is, having been fashioned by God by nature, so as to hear and understand—they do not hear, neither do they understand, from [their] choice. For tell me, did they not see the wonders of Christ? Yes, but they made themselves blind, and accused him. This, then, is the [meaning of], seeing they do not see. He therefore brings forward also the prophet as a witness.

¹⁰ And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown gross, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with the eyes, and hear with the ears, and understand with the heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. Do you see what the prophecy says? That it is not for this [reason] that you do not understand, because I created your heart gross, but because it grew gross, being subtle before; for that which is being thickened was subtle before. And when this had grown gross, so they closed their eyes. But he did not say that God closed their eyes, but that they did, from [their] choice. And this they did, he says, lest they should be converted and I should heal them; for they willfully and maliciously took pains to remain unhealed and unconverted.

¹¹ But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For amen I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and saw it not, and to hear what you hear, and heard it not. The bodily eyes and ears of the apostles are indeed blessed; yet far rather are the soul’s eyes and ears worthy of blessing, because they recognized Christ. And he prefers these to the prophets, because these also saw Christ bodily, while those [saw him] only with the mind; but also because those were not deemed worthy of so many mysteries and of such knowledge as these. In two respects, then, the apostles surpass the prophets: both in seeing bodily, and in being initiated more spiritually into the divine things. He explains, then, the parable to the disciples, saying:

¹² Hear, then, the parable of the sower. To everyone who hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, comes the evil one and snatches away that which was sown in his heart; this is he who was sown by the wayside. He exhorts us to understand the things spoken by those who teach, that we too may not be like those by the wayside; and perhaps, since Christ is the way, those outside of Christ are by the wayside. They are not in the way, but beside the way.

¹³ But he who was sown upon the rocky places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but is for a season. And when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he is offended. He said affliction, since many, being afflicted by parents or by other misfortunes, immediately blaspheme; and persecution, on account of those who fall away under the tyrants.

¹⁴ But he who was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, and the care of this age and the deceit of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. He did not say that The age chokes [it], but The care of the age; nor that riches [choke it], but The deceit of riches. For wealth, when it is scattered abroad, does not choke, but increases the word; but the thorns—the cares and the indulgences—kindle the fire both of desire and of Gehenna. And just as the thorn, being sharp, sinks into the body, and is hardly cast out, so too indulgence, if it master a soul, sinks in, and is hardly rooted out.

¹⁵ But he who was sown upon the good earth, this is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, the one a hundredfold, the one sixtyfold, the one thirtyfold. Diverse are the forms of virtue, diverse also are those who make progress. And observe that there is an order in the parable. For we must first hear the word and understand it, that we be not as those by the wayside. Then [we must] hold firmly what we have heard; not to be lovers of money. For what profit is it if I hear and hold [the word], but through love of money choke it?

¹⁶ Another parable he set before them, saying: The kingdom of the heavens is likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares in the midst of the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and produced fruit, then appeared also the tares. And the servants of the householder, coming, said to him: Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Whence, then, has it the tares? But he said to them: An enemy, a man, did this. And the servants said to him: Do you wish, then, that we go and gather them up? But he said: No; lest, while gathering the tares, you root up the wheat together with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. In the former parable he said that the fourth part of the seed fell into the good earth; but in the present [parable] he shows that not even that very [seed] which fell into the good earth did the enemy leave incorrupt, because of our sleeping and being slack. The field, then, is the world, or the soul of each one. The sower, Christ. The good seed, the good men, or [good] thoughts. The tares, the heresies, or the wicked thoughts. And he who sowed these, the devil. And the men who slept, those who through slackness give place to the heretics and to the wicked thoughts. And the servants, the angels, who are indignant at there being heresies, or wickednesses, in the soul, and wish to pluck up and cut off from life both the heretics and those who think wicked things. God does not permit the heretics to be consumed through wars, lest the righteous also suffer with them and be consumed together. Likewise neither, on account of the wicked thoughts, does God wish to cut off the man, lest the wheat too be destroyed with [them]. For example, if Matthew, being a tare, had been cut off from life, there would have been cut off together with him also the wheat of the word that was afterward to spring up from him; likewise also Paul, and the thief; for these, being tares, were not cut off, but were permitted to live, that their virtue thereafter might grow. He says, therefore, to the angels, that, At the consummation, then you shall gather the tares, that is, the heretics. But how? Into bundles, that is, having bound their hands and feet; for no one can then any longer work, but every active power is bound. But the wheat, that is, the saints, are gathered by the reaper-angels into the heavenly barns. Likewise, then, also the wicked thoughts which Paul had when he persecuted were burned by the fire of Christ, which he came to cast upon the earth; but the wheat, that is, the good thoughts, were gathered into the barns of the Church.

¹⁷ Another parable he set before them, saying: The kingdom of the heavens is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; which is indeed the least of all the seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than all the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and lodge in its branches. The grain of mustard seed is the preaching and the apostles; for these, seeming to be few, embraced the whole inhabited world; so that the birds of heaven—that is, those who have a light and winged mind toward the things above—rest in them. And you too, then, be a grain of mustard seed: small in appearance, but ardent and zealous and keen and reproving; for thus you will become greater than the herbs—that is, than the weak and imperfect—being yourself perfect, so that the birds of heaven, that is, the angels, may rest in you, who live an angelic life. For these too rejoice over the righteous.

¹⁸ Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened. By the leaven he means the apostles, as also [by] the grain of mustard seed. As, then, the leaven, being small, transforms the whole [batch of] meal into itself, so too you will transform the whole world, even though you are few. And a measure was a certain measure among the Jews. But some understand by the leaven the preaching; and by the three measures, the three powers of the soul, the rational, the spirited, and the appetitive; and by the woman, the soul, which hid the preaching in all the powers, and mingled it in, and was leavened, and wholly sanctified by it; for we must all be leavened and transformed unto the better. For he says, until the whole was leavened.

¹⁹ All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and without a parable he did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world. He brings forward the prophet foretelling how Jesus was to teach, namely that [it would be] in parables, lest you suppose that Christ devised some new manner of teaching. And the [word], That it might be fulfilled, do not take in a causal sense, but from the issue of the matter. For Christ did not teach in this manner in order that the prophecy might be fulfilled, but because he taught in parables, the [saying] of the prophet is found, from the result, to have been fulfilled in him. And without a parable he did not speak to them—then only [was this so]; for he did not always speak in parables. For the Lord uttered the things that were hidden from the foundation of the world. For he himself revealed to us the mysteries in the heavens.

²⁰ Then, dismissing the crowds, Jesus came into the house. He dismissed the crowds then, when they were profited nothing by the teaching. For he himself spoke in parables, that they might ask him; but they, not caring for this, nor seeking to know anything, are reasonably dismissed by him. And his disciples came to him, saying: Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. Concerning this one alone they ask, as the others were thought by them to be plainer. And tares are all the destructive things that grow up upon the wheat: darnel, vetch, wild oats, and the rest.

²¹ But he, answering, said to them: He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; and the field is the world. And the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; but the tares are the sons of the evil one. And the enemy who sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the consummation of the age; and the reapers are the angels. As, then, the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so shall it be in the consummation of this age: the Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all the things that cause stumbling, and those who work iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Whatever needed to be said has been said above. For we said that he is here treating of the heresies, which are permitted to be until the consummation. For if we slew the heretics and cut them off, there would be insurrections and battles, and perhaps many of the faithful would be destroyed in the insurrections; but also Paul and the thief had tares before they believed; they were not cut off, then, at that time, on account of the wheat that was to spring up in them; and the tares were burned by the fire of the Spirit and by the [Spirit’s] fervor.

²² Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father; he who has ears to hear, let him hear. Since the sun seems to us the most brilliant of all the stars, for this cause he compares the brilliance of the righteous to the sun. Yet they shall shine even beyond the sun; and perhaps, since Christ is the Sun of righteousness, then the righteous shall shine forth as Christ; for they too shall be gods.

²³ Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man, having found, hid, and from his joy goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. The field is the world; the treasure, the preaching and the knowledge of Christ. And it is hidden in the world. For we preach, says Paul, a wisdom that has been hidden; and he who seeks the knowledge of God finds it; and all that he has, whether Hellenic doctrines, or wicked habits, or money, he straightway lays aside, and buys the field—that is, the world; for he who has the knowledge of Christ has the world as his own possession; for, having nothing, he holds all things, and has the elements as his servants, commanding them as did Jesus, as did Moses.

²⁴ Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who, having found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. The sea is the present life. The merchants are those who pass through it and seek to find some knowledge. Many things, then, seem to be pearls, [namely] the opinions of the many wise; but one is the precious [pearl]. For the truth is one, which is Christ. As, then, the pearl is recorded to be born in an oyster, into which, when it opens its valves, lightning flashes; then again, when it closes these, from the lightning and the dew the pearl is conceived, and for this cause it is most white; so too Christ was conceived in the Virgin from the lightning from above, [namely] the Holy Spirit; and just as he who has a pearl, often holding it in his hand, himself knows how much wealth he has, while others are ignorant of it; so too the preaching is hidden in the obscure and lowly. We must, then, acquire this pearl, giving all things.

²⁵ Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a net cast into the sea and gathering of every kind, which, when it was filled, they drew up upon the shore, and sitting down, gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away; so shall it be in the consummation of the age. The angels shall go forth, and shall separate the wicked from the midst of the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Fearful is this parable; for it shows that, even if we believe, yet have not a good life, we shall be cast into the fire; for the net is the teaching of the fisher-apostles, which was woven from both signs and prophetic testimonies. For the things which the apostles taught, they confirmed both by the wonders and by the voices of the prophets. This net, then, gathered from every kind: barbarians, Greeks, harlots, publicans, robbers. But when it was filled—that is, when the world is consummated—then those in the net are sorted out. For even if we have believed, yet be found bad, we are cast away; but those who are not such are put into vessels, I mean the eternal dwellings. And every deed, whether good or wicked, is said to be food of the soul. For the soul has intelligible teeth. Then, therefore, the soul gnashes these, that is, being crushed in its active powers, since it did such things.

²⁶ Jesus says to them: Have you understood all these things? They say to him: Yes, Lord. But he said to them: Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple unto the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, a householder, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old. Do you see how the parables made them more attentive? Behold, then, those who were otherwise unintelligent and unlearned understood the things hardly spoken. Whence the Savior, praising them, says, that Every scribe, and so forth. For he calls them scribes, as learned in the law; but even if they were learned in the law, they did not remain in the law, but were made disciples unto the kingdom—that is, unto the knowledge of Christ—and are able to bring forth both the things of the New and of the Old. The householder, then, is Christ, as rich. For in him are the treasures of wisdom. He, teaching the new things, then thus props them up with testimonies from the old; for example, he said that you shall give account for an idle word—this is the new. Then he adduced a testimony: For by your words you shall be justified, and shall be condemned—this is the old. Like to these, then, are the apostles, such as Paul, saying: Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.

²⁷ And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue. He spoke these parables, since he was also about to speak others a little later. And he passes over, that he might benefit others also by his presence. And by his own country understand Nazareth; for in it he was brought up. And in the synagogue he teaches, speaking in public and with boldness, that they might not afterward be able to say that he taught certain unlawful things.

²⁸ So that they were astonished, and said: Whence has this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence, then, has this man all these things? And they were offended in him. Being unintelligent, the Nazarenes supposed that the low birth and the meanness of one’s forebears hinder a man with regard to being useful to God. For granted that Jesus was a mere man, and not God; what hindered him from becoming great in wonders? They are found, then, both unintelligent and envious. For they ought rather to have prided themselves, that their own country had brought forth such a good. And the Lord had brothers and sisters, the children of Joseph, whom he begot of the wife of his brother Clopas; for when Clopas had died childless, Joseph took his wife according to the law, and begot of her six children, four males and two females, [namely] Mary, who was called the daughter of Clopas according to the law, and Salome. And the [phrase], are with us, [stands] instead of, dwell here among us. They too, then, were offended in the Lord, just as Herod supposed him [to cast out] the demons by the demons.

²⁹ But Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house. And he did not do there many mighty works, because of their unbelief. Observe Christ, how he does not insult them, but meekly says: A prophet is not without honor, and so forth. For we men are accustomed always to despise the things in familiarity, but to welcome the foreign. And he added the [phrase], in his own house, because his brethren also, those of the same house, envied him. And he did not do there many mighty works, because of their unbelief, sparing them, lest, remaining unbelieving even after the signs, they should be the more chastised. Many [works], then, he did not do, but a few, that they might not be able to say, that, If he had done [them] at all, we would have believed. But understand also thus, that even to this day Jesus is dishonored in his own country—that is, among the Jews; but we, the foreigners, honor him.

14 Chapter 14. — On John and Herod. On the feeding with the loaves in the wilderness. On Jesus walking upon the water.

¹ At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report of Jesus, and said to his servants: This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore the powers are at work in him. This Herod was the son of the one who slew the infants in Bethlehem. Consider from this the conceit of the tyrannical life. For behold, after how long a time Herod hears the things concerning Jesus! For those in places of power learn such things slowly, because they take no thought for those who shine in virtue. And this man appears to fear the Baptist. For this reason he does not even dare to declare it to any others, but to his servants—that is, to his slaves. And since, while John was living, he did no sign, Herod supposed that from the resurrection he had received this gift also from God, the working of wonders.

² For Herod, having laid hold of John, bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother. For John said to him: It is not lawful for you to have her; and though he wished to kill him, he feared the multitude, because they held him as a prophet. Matthew did not make mention in what went before of the narrative concerning John, because his purpose was to write only the things concerning Christ. For indeed he would not have made mention of it even now, had this not borne upon Christ. And John reproved Herod, as holding unlawfully the wife of his brother; for the law commanded that the brother should then take the wife of his brother, when that one had died childless. But here Philip did not die childless; for he had a child, the girl who danced. Some, however, say that, while Philip was yet living, Herod took away both the wife and the tetrarchy. But whether this or that, the deed was unlawful. And not fearing God, he feared the multitude, whence also he kept putting off the killing; but the devil found for him an opportune season.

³ But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod; whence he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. And she, being instructed beforehand by her mother, said: Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. Behold the wantonness! The queen dances, and the better she dances, the worse it is. For it is a shame for a queen to do anything unseemly with skill. And consider also another folly of Herod: he swore to give whatever she might ask; but if she had asked for your own head, would you have given it? Give me here, she says, the head of John. For what reason did she add the word here? She feared lest Herod, coming to his senses afterward, should repent. Through this she presses him: Give me here, she says.

⁴ And the king was grieved; yet for the sake of the oaths and of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given, and sent and beheaded John in the prison; and his head was brought on a platter, and was given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took up the body and buried it. He was grieved on account of virtue. For even an enemy admires virtue; yet for the sake of the oaths he gives an inhuman gift. And let us learn from this, that there is a time when it is better to break an oath than, for the sake of an oath, to do something impious. The body of the Baptist was buried in Sebaste of Caesarea; but his precious head was first laid in Emesa. And they came and told Jesus. What did they tell Jesus? Not that John was dead—for the narrative concerning John was inserted in the middle—but that Herod was saying of him that he was John.

⁵ And when Jesus heard of it, he withdrew from there by boat into a desert place apart. Jesus withdraws on account of Herod’s murderous deed, teaching us also not to cast ourselves openly into dangers. And at the same time, lest he should seem to have been made flesh in appearance only, for this reason he withdraws. For if Herod had laid hold of him, he would have attempted to kill him; and had he attempted to kill him, if Jesus had snatched himself out of the midst of the dangers—because the time of his death had not yet come—he would have seemed to be a phantom; for these reasons, then, he withdraws. And into a desert place apart, that he might work the wonder of the loaves.

⁶ And when the multitudes heard of it, they followed him on foot from the cities. And Jesus, going forth, saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and healed their sick. The multitudes display faith, in that they run to Jesus even as he withdraws. Therefore as a reward of their faith they receive their healings; but also the following on foot, and that without food—all these are [marks] of faith.

⁷ And when evening had come, his disciples came to him, saying: The place is desert, and the hour is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food. But Jesus said to them: They have no need to go away; give them to eat yourselves. The disciples are loving toward men, for they care for the multitude, and for this reason do not wish them to be fasting. What, then, does the Savior do? Give them to eat yourselves, he says. And this he says, not as ignorant of how great poverty the apostles had—far from it—but that, when they said, We have not, he might seem to come of necessity to the working of the wonder, and not out of vainglory.

⁸ And they say to him: We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes. And he said: Bring them here to me. And having commanded the multitudes to recline upon the grass, taking the five loaves and the two fishes, looking up to heaven, he blessed. Bring me the loaves here; for even if it is evening, yet I, the Maker of the seasons, am present; if the place is desert, yet I am he who gives food to all flesh. And we learn from this, that even if we have but little, we ought to spend it upon hospitality; for the apostles also, having but little, gave to the multitudes. But just as these few things were multiplied, so also your few things shall be multiplied. And he makes the multitudes recline upon the grass, teaching frugality, that you too may not take your rest upon costly couches and coverlets. And he looks up to heaven and blesses the loaves, perhaps both that he might give assurance that he is not against God, but came from the Father and from heaven; and at the same time, that he might train us, when we touch the table, to give thanks and so to eat.

⁹ And having broken them, he gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes; and they all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the fragments, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. He gives the loaves to the disciples, that they might always have the wonder in remembrance, and that it might not slip from their minds—although they quickly forgot it; and that you might not suppose that he worked the wonder in appearance only, for this reason there is a surplus. And twelve baskets, that Judas also might carry one, and might not be flung headlong into betrayal, calling to mind the wonder. And he multiplies both the loaves and the fishes, that he might show that he himself is the Maker of earth and sea, that the things we eat each day, by his giving, nourish us, and are multiplied by him; and the wonder is in the wilderness, lest anyone should suppose that he bought the loaves from some nearby city, and distributed them to the crowd; for it was a wilderness. And thus, then, according to the history. But according to the higher sense, learn that, since Herod—the tyrannical and leathern mind of the Jews (for so is Herod interpreted)—beheaded John, the chief of the prophets, that is, did not believe those who prophesied of Christ, Jesus thereafter withdraws into a desert place, to the nations, which were deserted of God, and heals those sick in soul, and then also nourishes them. For if he will forgive us our sins, and heal our infirmities through baptism, will he not nourish us by the imparting of the undefiled mysteries? For no one unbaptized partakes. And the five thousand are those who use the five senses badly; and through the five loaves they are healed. For since the five senses were diseased, as many as were the wounds, so many also were the fillings. And the two fishes are the words of the fishermen: one fish is the Gospel, the other fish the Apostle. And the five loaves they understood to be the Pentateuch of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. And the twelve baskets were those carried by the apostles. For the things which we, the multitudes, are not able to eat—that is, to understand—these the apostles carried and contained. And besides women and children: nothing childish or womanish and unmanly is required of Christians to have.

¹⁰ And immediately Jesus constrained his disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him to the other side, until he should send the multitudes away. Hinting at the inseparability of the disciples, he said the word constrained; for they wished always to be with him. He sends the multitudes away, not wishing to draw them after him, lest he should seem fond of display.

¹¹ And having sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray; and when evening had come, he was there alone; but the boat was now in the midst of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Showing us that we must pray without distraction, he goes up into the mountain; for he does all things for our sake, since he himself had no need of prayer. Until evening he prays, teaching us not to withdraw quickly from prayer; but to do this especially in the night, for then there is much stillness. And he allows the disciples to be storm-tossed, that they might learn to bear temptations nobly, and might come to know his power. And the boat was in the midst of the sea, that the fear might be the greater.

¹² And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking upon the sea; and when the disciples saw him walking upon the sea, they were troubled, saying that It is a phantom, and they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. He did not at once stand by them to loose the storm, teaching us not to ask quickly for release from misfortunes, but to bear them nobly; but [he came] about the fourth watch. For the night is divided into four [watches] among the soldiers who keep guard by turns, each watch having three hours. The Lord, then, after the ninth hour of the night, walking upon the water, as God, stood by them. Because of the strangeness and unwontedness of it, they thought it was a phantom. For they did not recognize him by his form, both because of the night, and because of the fear; but he first encourages them, saying: It is I, who can do all things; take courage.

¹³ And Peter answered him and said: Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you upon the waters. Peter, being most fervent in his love toward Christ, desires quickly to be near him, and before the others. And he believes that Jesus not only himself walks upon the waters, but will also grant this to him; and he did not say, Bid me walk, but Come to you. For the one would have been a matter of display, but the other of love toward Christ.

¹⁴ And he said: Come. And Peter, coming down from the boat, walked upon the waters, to come to Jesus; but seeing the wind strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying: Lord, save me. The Lord spread the sea beneath Peter, showing his own power. But see how Peter, having prevailed over the greater thing—the sea, I mean—feared the wind; so weak is human nature. And straightway, when he feared, then he began to sink; for when his faith grew weak, then Peter is plunged under. And this made him not to be high-minded, and consoled the other disciples. For perhaps they had envied him; but he also showed how greatly Christ surpasses him.

¹⁵ And immediately Jesus, stretching out his hand, took hold of him, and says to him: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they had entered into the boat, the wind ceased; and those in the boat came and worshiped him, saying: Truly you are the Son of God. Christ, showing that it was not the wind that was the cause of the sinking, but the faintheartedness, rebukes not the wind, but Peter who had grown fainthearted. Wherefore also, lifting him up, he set him upon the water, allowing the wind to blow. And Peter doubted not altogether, but in something—that is, partially; for in that he feared, in this he disbelieved; but in that he cried, Lord, save me, in this he healed his unbelief. Wherefore he hears that he is of little faith, but not unbelieving. Those, then, in the boat were themselves also loosed from fear. For the wind ceased; and indeed, having come to know Jesus from these things, they confess his divinity. For to walk upon the sea is not [the work] of a man, but of God; as David also says: In the sea are your ways, and your paths in many waters. And let us sum up the discourse: the vessel is the earth; the waves are the life troubled by the wicked spirits. And in the fourth watch, toward the end at last of the ages, Christ stood by. For the first watch was the covenant with Abraham; the second, the law of Moses; the third, the prophets; the fourth, the coming of the Lord; for he saved those who were storm-tossed, entering in and becoming with us, so that we, coming to know him as God, might worship him. And see this also, how the things that befell him on the sea foreshadowed Peter’s denial, and then his turning back and repentance; for just as there he says, presumptuously, I will never deny you; so here also: Bid me come upon the waters; and just as then he was permitted to deny, and the Lord granted it to him, and did not forsake him utterly, [so here the force] of the denial drew him on.

¹⁶ And having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent into all that surrounding region, and brought to him all who were sick, and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment; and as many as touched were saved. When Jesus, after a long time, came to Gennesaret, the people, recognizing him not only from his appearance, but also from the signs, display a fervent faith; so that they desire even to touch the hem, and indeed, having done this, they were healed. So then do you also touch the edge of the garment of Christ, that is, the end of his incarnate sojourning. For if you believe that he was taken up, you shall be saved; for the garment is the flesh, and the hem of it the end of his life on earth.

15 Chapter 15. — On the transgression of the commandment of God through the tradition of the elders. And on the strangers who were healed.

¹ Then there come to Jesus the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, saying: Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. Although all the regions had scribes and Pharisees, yet the more honored ones were in Jerusalem; wherefore these especially were envious, as being more fond of glory. Now the Jews had a custom, from an ancient tradition, not to eat with unwashed hands. Seeing, therefore, the disciples despising this tradition, they supposed that they were setting at nought the elders. What, then, does the Savior do? He makes no defense at all against this; but he counter-charges them.

² But he answered and said to them: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, saying: Honor your father and your mother; and he who speaks evil of father or mother, let him die the death. But you say: Whoever shall say to father or mother, It is a gift, whatever you might have been profited by from me, and he shall not honor his father or his mother; and you have made void the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition. The Pharisees accused the disciples as transgressing the commandment of the elders; but Christ shows them to be transgressing the law of God. For they taught the children to give nothing to their parents, but to dedicate whatever they had to the treasury of the temple. For there was in the temple a treasure, into which whoever wished cast [his offering], and this was called the corban. And the treasure was distributed to the poor. The Pharisees, therefore, persuading the children to give nothing to their parents, but to dedicate it to the treasure of the temple, taught them to say: It is a gift—that is, it is dedicated to God, O father, that which you seek to be profited by from me. And thus they themselves shared the money with the children, and the parents were left uncared for in their old age. And the creditors also did this. For if anyone lent money to someone, and then the debtor was difficult and did not pay back what was owed, the creditor would say to this ungrateful debtor: It is corban that you owe me—that is, a gift dedicated to God. The debtor, then, as thenceforth owing it to God, paid it even against his will; this the Pharisees taught the children to do.

³ Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, saying: This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far removed from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the precepts of men. He shows, through the voice of Isaiah, that they were such toward his Father as they are found to be toward himself; for being wicked, and through their wicked works removing themselves far from God, they spoke the oracles of God with the mouth only. For wholly in vain do they worship and seem to honor God, who through their works dishonor him.

⁴ And having called the multitude to him, he said to them: Hear and understand. Not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man, but that which comes forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man. He no longer discourses with the Pharisees, as being incurable, but with the multitude. And by calling them to him he seems to honor them, that they might receive his word, and he says: Hear and understand, rousing them to attention. Now since the Pharisees blamed the disciples as eating with unwashed hands, the Lord speaks concerning foods, that no food defiles the man—that is, pollutes [him]. And if food does not pollute, much less does eating with unwashed hands. For what defiles the inner man is the speaking of things that ought not [to be spoken]. And by this he hints at the Pharisees, who were polluted by speaking words of envy; and see his wisdom, how he neither openly lays down a law to eat with unwashed [hands], nor turns [men] away from it. But he teaches something else: not to cast forth wicked words from the heart.

⁵ Then his disciples came and said to him: Do you know that the Pharisees, when they heard the word, were offended? The disciples speak on account of the Pharisees, that they were offended. Yet they themselves also were disturbed; and this is plain from Peter’s coming forward and asking about this. Jesus, then, hearing that the Pharisees were offended, said:

⁶ Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up; let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into a pit. He says that the traditions of the elders and the Jewish precepts shall be rooted up; not the things of the law, as the Manichaeans suppose; for the law is a planting of God; this, then, was not rooted up. For its root remains, that is, the hidden spirit. But the leaves, that is, the apparent letter, fell away; for we no longer understand the law according to the letter, but according to the spirit. And since the Pharisees were past hope and incurable, he said: Let them alone. From this, then, we learn that the being offended of those who are willingly offended and incurable is not harmful to us. And he calls them teachers blind [guides] of the blind; and this he says in order to draw the multitudes away from them.

⁷ And Peter answered and said to him: Explain to us this parable. Peter, since he knew that the law forbade the eating of all things, fearing to say to Jesus, I am offended at the things you said, which appear to be unlawful, feigns ignorance and asks.

⁸ But Jesus said: Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet perceive that everything which enters into the mouth passes into the belly, and is cast out into the privy? But the things which come forth out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those things defile the man; for out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnessings, blasphemies. These are the things that defile the man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man. The Savior rebukes the disciples, and reproaches their foolishness, either as having been offended, or as not perceiving what is plain; he says, then: Do you not perceive this thing, which is understood and apparent to all? That foods do not remain within, but pass downward, defiling the man in no way as to the soul, for they do not remain inside. But the thoughts are both begotten within, and remain there, and coming forth—that is, advancing into deed and into action—they defile the man; for the thought of fornication, both remaining within, pollutes, and coming forth into deed and being acted upon, stains [the man].

⁹ And Jesus, going forth from there, withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon; and behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried to him, saying: Have mercy on me, Lord, son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed by a demon. But he answered her not a word. For what reason, having forbidden the disciples to go into the way of the Gentiles, does he himself come to Tyre and Sidon, the Gentile cities? Learn, then, that he did not come there to preach, since, as Mark says, he even hid himself. And besides, since he saw that the Pharisees did not receive the discourse concerning foods, he passes over to the nations. And she says, Have mercy—not on my daughter; for she has no feeling—but on me, who suffer the terrible things and have feeling. And she does not say, Come and heal, but Have mercy. But he answers her not a word, not as despising her, but that he might show that he came first of all on account of the Jews; and that he might stop their slanders, so that they might not have it to say afterward that he benefits the Gentiles; and at the same time, that he might display the persevering faith of the woman.

¹⁰ And his disciples came and asked him, saying: Send her away, for she cries after us. But he answered and said: I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The disciples, burdened by the crying of the woman, asked that he might send her away—that is, they besought him to dismiss her. And this they did, not as being without compassion, but rather wishing to persuade the Lord to have mercy on her. But he says: I was not sent except to the Jews, who are lost sheep, [lost] through the wickedness of those entrusted with them. And through these [words] he makes the faith of the woman the more public.

¹¹ But she came and worshiped him, saying: Lord, help me. But he answered and said: It is not good to take the children’s bread and to cast it to the little dogs. But she said: Yes, Lord; for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. When the woman saw her advocates, the apostles, fail, she comes forward again fervently, and calls him Lord. And since Christ calls her a dog, because the Gentiles have an unclean life and busy themselves about the blood of things offered to idols, and [calls] the Jews children, she answers prudently and very wisely, that: Even if I am a dog and not worthy to take bread—that is, some power and great sign—yet grant this thing, which is little as regards your power, but great to me; just as with the crumbs, those who eat the loaves have nothing great, but the dogs [have it] as great, and are nourished from them.

¹² Then Jesus answered and said to her: O woman, great is your faith; be it done to you as you wish; and her daughter was healed from that hour. Jesus now made manifest the reason for which he had put off the healing from the beginning; for that the faith and understanding of the woman might be made to shine forth, for this reason Christ did not at once from the beginning consent, but rather even sends her away. But now, since her faith and understanding were uncovered, she is praised, hearing: Great is your faith; and in saying, Be it done to you as you wish, he showed that, had she not had faith, she would not have obtained her request; so that, if we too are willing, there is nothing to hinder us from obtaining what we wish. And note this, that even if the apostles were not strong enough to ask on our behalf, as the apostles [asked] on hers, yet we, asking on our own behalf, accomplish the more. And the Canaanite woman is also a symbol of the Church from among the nations. For indeed the nations, formerly cast off, were afterward raised up into the rank of sons, and were counted worthy of the bread—the body, I mean, of the Lord. But the Jews became dogs, seeming to be nourished from the crumbs, that is, from the small and worthless things of the letter. And Tyre signifies a constraining; Sidon, hunters; and Canaanite, made ready by humility; those, then, who are held fast by wickedness, the Gentiles, over whom were the demons who hunt souls, these are the ones made ready by humility; for the demons were made ready by the height of the kingdom of God.

¹³ And Jesus, departing from there, came beside the sea of Galilee, and going up into the mountain, he sat there; and there came to him great multitudes, having with them the lame, the blind, the dumb, the maimed, and many others, and they cast them down at the feet of Jesus, and he healed them; so that the multitudes marveled when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. He does not sojourn continually in Judea, but in Galilee, on account of the great unbelief of the Jews; for the Galileans were more believing than they. See, then, their faith, how, being lame and blind, they go up even into the mountain, and do not shrink back, but cast themselves at the feet of Jesus, glorifying him as one above man, whence also they obtained healing. Do you also, then, go up into the mountain of the commandments, where the Lord sits; even if you are blind, not able of yourself to see the good; even if lame, seeing indeed the good, but not able to come to it; even if dumb, neither hearing another exhorting, nor able to exhort another; even if maimed, that is, not able to stretch out the hand to almsgiving; even if you be sick with any other thing, falling at the feet of Jesus and touching the footsteps of that life, you shall be healed.

¹⁴ But Jesus, having called his disciples to him, said: I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with me three days, and have nothing to eat, and I am not willing to send them away fasting, lest perhaps they faint on the way. The multitudes did not dare to ask for bread, as having come for healing. But he, being loving toward men, takes thought; and that no one might be able to say, But they have provisions, he says: Even if they had, they would have been used up; for it is now three days. And he shows that they had also come from afar, in saying: Lest they faint on the way. And these things he says to the disciples, wishing to rouse them to say to him, You are able to feed them as you did the five thousand also; but they are still without understanding.

¹⁵ And his disciples say to him: Where should we get so many loaves in a wilderness, so as to fill so great a multitude? And yet they ought to have understood, when before also more were fed in a wilderness; but they are without perception, that, when you see these same men afterward full of so great wisdom, you might marvel at the grace of Christ.

¹⁶ And Jesus says to them: How many loaves have you? And they said: Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitudes to recline upon the ground; and taking the seven loaves and the fishes, having given thanks, he broke them and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the fragments, seven baskets full. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. Teaching frugality, he makes them recline upon the ground; and teaching us to give thanks before food, he himself also gives thanks. But you ask how it is that there, although there were five loaves and five thousand who were fed, [there were] twelve baskets; while here, the loaves being more and those fed fewer, seven baskets were left over. It is possible, then, to say either that the baskets were larger than the [former] baskets, or that [it was] lest the equality of the wonder should cast them into forgetfulness. For if even now twelve baskets had been left over, they would have forgotten, by reason of the equality, that he had worked a wonder upon loaves a second time. But do you know this also, that the four thousand—that is, those who have the four virtues perfectly—these are nourished by seven loaves, that is, by more spiritual and more perfect words. For the number seven is a symbol of the seven spiritual gifts; and they recline upon the ground, putting beneath them all earthly things and trampling them under, just as the five thousand also reclined upon the grass—that is, they set the flesh and [its] glory beneath them. For all flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. And the seven baskets here are the superfluities, because the things which they were not able to eat were spiritual and more perfect; those things, then, were left over which seven baskets contain—that is, the things which only the Holy Spirit knows. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

¹⁷ And having sent the multitudes away, he entered into the boat, and came to the borders of Magdala. Jesus withdraws, since no other sign made more [people] follow him than that of the loaves. So that they were even about to make him a king, as John says. That he might flee, therefore, the suspicion of [seeking] tyranny, he passes over.

16 Chapter 16. — On the leaven of the Pharisees. And on Caesarea Philippi and the confession of Peter. On the things which Christ is about to suffer.

¹ And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and tempting him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. Although the Pharisees and Sadducees differed in their doctrines, yet against Christ they are of one mind; and they sought a sign from heaven, such as to stay the sun, or the moon; for they supposed that the signs upon earth were wrought by demonic power and by Beelzebub. For the foolish men were ignorant that Moses also wrought many signs from the earth in Egypt, and that the fire which came down from heaven upon Job’s cattle was from the devil; so that not all things from heaven are from God, nor all things from earth from demons.

² But he answered and said to them: When evening has come, you say: Fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning: Today there will be a storm, for the sky is red and lowering; hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the sky, but the signs of the times you cannot? He reproves their tempting inquiry, naming them hypocrites, and he says that: Just as, of the things that appear in heaven, one is a sign of storm, and another of fair weather, and no one would seek the sign of storm in a calm, or [the sign] of calm in a storm; so also concerning me it must be understood. For this is one season, that of [my first] coming, and another the one to come; now there is need of the signs upon earth. But the [signs] in heaven are betokened in that season, when the sun shall be quenched, the moon shall be hidden, the heaven shall be changed.

³ A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet, and he left them and went away. A wicked generation, as tempting; adulterous, as departing from God and consorting with the devil. And when they seek a sign from heaven, he does not give it except the sign of Jonah—that is, that, having been three days in the belly of the great whale of death, he will rise again. And this sign you might say is also from heaven. For at his death the sun was darkened, and the whole creation was shaken. And note the saying: A sign shall not be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For the signs were given to them—that is, they came to pass for their sake—even though those men disbelieved. Wherefore also, leaving them as incurable, he went away.

⁴ And his disciples, coming to the other side, forgot to take bread. But Jesus said to them: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Just as leaven is sour and old, so also the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees was biting the souls, being sour, and bringing in the old traditions of the elders; and just as leaven is a mixture of water and flour, so also the teaching of the Pharisees was a mixture of word and a corrupted life. He did not say to them openly, Beware of the teaching of the Pharisees, that he might remind them of the signs of the loaves.

⁵ But they reasoned among themselves, saying that: We took no bread. And Jesus, perceiving it, said to them: Why do you reason among yourselves, O you of little faith, that you took no bread? Do you not yet perceive, nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? How is it that you do not perceive that I did not speak to you concerning bread, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Then they understood that he said to beware, not of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They supposed that he was saying this to them, namely, to guard against the defilement from the Jewish foods, wherefore also they reasoned that they took no bread; he reproaches them, then, as foolish and of little faith. For in that they did not remember with how many loaves he had fed how many, [they were] foolish; but in that they disbelieved, that, even if they had not bought loaves from the Jews, he himself was able to provide them, in this they were of little faith; as a master he reproved them more sharply, for gentleness is not everywhere good; and immediately they understood that he called the teaching leaven. So strong everywhere is reasonable rebuke.

⁶ And Jesus, coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? He made mention of the one who founded the city, since there is also another Caesarea, that of Strato, and he asks them not in that one, but in this. For he leads the disciples far away from the Jews, that, fearing no one, they might speak with boldness. And first he asks the supposition of the multitude, that they might be raised to a higher thought, and might not fall into the same lowliness as the many; and he does not ask, Whom do the Pharisees say that I am? but, [Whom do] men [say], speaking of the guileless multitude.

⁷ And they said: Some, John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Those who named him John were like Herod, supposing that John, after the resurrection, had received this gift also, that of wonder-working; and those [who said] Elijah, on account of [his] reproving [spirit], and because it was expected that he would come; and those [who said] Jeremiah, on account of the natural and untaught quality of his wisdom; for Jeremiah, while yet a child, was appointed to prophecy.

⁸ He says to them: But whom do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And again, as fervent, Peter leaps forward, and confesses him truly to be the Son of God. For he did not say, You are the Christ, a Son of God, without the article, but with the article, the Son—that is, that very one, the one and only, not a Son by grace, but the one begotten of the very essence of the Father; since there were also many christs, all the priests and the kings, but the Christ with the article is one.

⁹ And Jesus answered and said to him: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my Father who is in the heavens. He blesses Peter as having received the knowledge from divine grace; and approving him, he shows thereafter that the suppositions of the other men are false; he said to him Bar-Jonah—that is, son of Jonah—saying all but this, that: As you are the son of Jonah, so I am of one essence with my Father who is in heaven. And he calls knowledge a revelation, the hidden and unknown things having been made manifest by the Father.

¹⁰ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. The Lord rewards Peter, giving him a great reward, that the Church should be built upon him. For since Peter confessed him to be the Son of God, he says: This confession which you have confessed shall be the foundation of those who believe, so that every man about to build the house of faith shall lay this confession as the foundation. For though we build ten thousand walls, yet if we have not for a foundation the right confession, we build to no soundness. And in saying, My Church, he shows himself to be Master of all; for all things are his servants. And the gates of Hades are the persecutors in their seasons, who sent the Christians down to Hades. And the heretics also are gates leading down to Hades; over many persecutors, then, and many heretics the Church has prevailed. And each one of us is also a church, becoming a house of God. If, then, we are established upon the confession of Christ, the gates of Hades—that is, the sins—shall not prevail against us; for it was when lifted up out of these gates that David also said: You who lift me up from the gates of death. From what gates, O David? From the two, those of murder and of adultery.

¹¹ And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind upon the earth shall be bound in the heavens; and whatever you loose upon the earth shall be loosed in the heavens. As God he says, I will give you, with authority; for as the Father gave me the revelation, so I [give] the keys. By keys you will understand the things that bind and loose sins, [namely] either the remittings or the [retainings]; for they have authority to forgive and to bind, who after the manner of Peter have been counted worthy of the episcopal grace; for although it was said to Peter alone, I will give you, yet it has been given to all the apostles also. When? When he said: Whosoever’s sins you remit, they are remitted. For indeed the word I will give signifies a future time—that is, the [time] after the resurrection. And the virtues also are called heavens, and the keys of these are the works; for through working we enter, as through certain keys that open, into each of the virtues. But if one does not work them, he who walks in them is bound in the heavens—that is, in the virtues; for the earnest man is loosed in these. Let us, then, not have sins, that we may not be bound with the cords of our own sins.

¹² Then he charged his disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ. Christ wished, before the cross, that the glory concerning him should be overshadowed. For if men had heard before the passion that he is God, and then had seen him suffering, how would they not have been offended? For this reason, then, he hides himself from the many, that after the resurrection he might be made known without offense, the Spirit smoothing out all things through the wonders.

¹³ From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. He foretells to them the passion, that, when it came unexpectedly, they might not be offended, supposing that he had suffered unwillingly and in ignorance; for since they had come to know, through Peter’s confession, that he is the Son of God, then he reveals to them also the things of the passion. And after the grievous things, he adds also the joyful, his being raised on the third day.

¹⁴ And Peter, taking him aside, began to rebuke him, saying: Be it far from you, Lord; this shall not be to you. What was revealed, Peter rightly confessed; but what was not revealed, in this he erred; that we might learn that without God he could not utter even that great [confession]. Not wishing, then, that Christ should suffer, and being ignorant of the mystery of the resurrection, he says: Be it far from you, Lord; this shall not be to you.

¹⁵ But he turned and said to Peter: Get behind me, Satan, you are an offense to me, for you do not mind the things of God, but the things of men. When Peter spoke right things, Christ blessed him; but when he was irrationally faint-hearted and did not wish him to suffer, he rebuked him, saying: Get behind me, Satan. And Satan means the adversary. Get behind me, then—that is, do not set yourself against [me], but follow my will. And he calls Peter thus, since to Satan also the suffering of Christ was unwished-for; he says, then, that: You by human reasoning think the passion unseemly for me; but you do not perceive that God through this works salvation, and that this is most fitting for me.

¹⁶ Then Jesus said to his disciples: If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Then—when? When he had rebuked Peter; for wishing to show that Peter had erred in hindering him from suffering, he says: You hinder me; but I say to you that not only is my not suffering harmful to you, but neither will you be able to be saved unless you yourself also die—and likewise anyone else, whether man or woman, whether poor or rich. And he said If anyone wishes, that he might show that virtue is free and not constrained. And he follows after Jesus, not [merely] he who confesses him to be the Son of God, but he who also comes through all the terrible things, and endures the same. And he said, Let him deny himself, signifying the perfect denial through the putting-off [of self]. That is, let him have nothing in common with the body, but let him despise himself, just as we are wont to say, So-and-so denied so-and-so, instead of, He has him neither as friend nor as acquaintance. So, then, everyone too must have no friendship toward the body; so as even to take up the cross—that is, to choose death, and with eagerness to seek out even a reproachful death; for such was the cross among the ancients. But, And let him follow me, he says. For many robbers and thieves are crucified, but those are not my disciples; let him follow, then—that is, let him display also all the rest of virtue. And he too denies himself who yesterday was wanton, but today is chaste. Such was Paul, who denied himself in saying: It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. And he takes up the cross who has put to death and crucified himself to the world.

¹⁷ For whoever wishes to save his soul shall lose it; but whoever shall lose his soul for my sake shall find it. He urges us on to martyrdom. He finds his soul for the present—that is, saves it—who denies [me], who also loses it afterward; but he loses his soul, yet for the sake of Christ, who shall bear witness on his behalf. And he shall also hold it fast in incorruption and life eternal.

¹⁸ For what is a man profited if he gain the whole world, but forfeit his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall render to each according to his deed. Suppose, he says, by way of hypothesis, that you have gained the whole world; but what is the profit, when the soul is ill-disposed, that the body should fare well? As if, when the mistress of the house went about in torn rags, the maidservants were splendidly clad. For neither in the age to come can anyone give anything in exchange for his soul. For here he can give tears, groanings, almsgiving; but there, no. For the Judge who succeeds [to all] is not to be bribed; for he judges each according to his works; and [he is] fearful, for he comes in his glory with the angels, and not despised.

¹⁹ Verily I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste of death until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. He said that the Son of man is about to come in his glory. Lest, then, those men should disbelieve, he says that there are some here who, so far as is possible, shall see in the Transfiguration the glory of the second coming; and at the same time he also shows in what glory those will be who have suffered for his sake. For as his flesh shone forth at that time, so in proportion the saints shall then shine; and here he hints at Peter and James and John, whom he took up into the mountain, and showed them his kingdom—that is, the state which is to come, in which he himself also will come and the righteous shall shine forth. He says, then, that: Some of those here shall not die until they see [him] transfigured. And note that those who stand fast in the good and are steadfast, those behold Jesus transfigured into the more splendid [form], and ever advance in faith and in the commandments.

17 Chapter 17. — On the Transfiguration of Christ. On the lunatic. On those who demanded the didrachma.

¹ And after six days, Jesus takes Peter, and James, and John his brother. This is not contrary to what is said in Luke, that, And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, and so forth; for Luke counts both the first day and the last, on which they went up into the mountain, while Matthew counts only the days in between. And he took Peter as one who loved him exceedingly, and John as one who was beloved, and James as one who was himself also a zealot; and that he had zeal is clear from his both promising to drink the cup, and from Herod’s slaying him with the sword to please the Jews.

² And he brings them up into a high mountain apart, and he was transfigured before them. And his face shone as the sun, and his garments became white as the light. He brings them up into a high mountain, showing that unless one is lifted up, he does not become worthy of such visions. And [he leads them] apart, because Christ was wont to perform his more extraordinary miracles in secret, lest, being seen by the many as God, he should be thought to be a man only in appearance. And when you hear “transfiguration,” do not suppose that he then cast off the body, but that, the body remaining in its own form—for you hear of his face and his garments—he appeared more radiant, his divinity displaying a little of its own rays, and this only so far as [the disciples] were able to behold it. For this reason he above called the Transfiguration the kingdom of God, as having revealed to the disciples the unspeakable [greatness] of his authority, and as having shown that he is genuinely [begotten] of the Father, and as bearing the dignity of the second coming, through the ineffable splendor of the face of Jesus.

³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. What were they talking about? His departure, Luke says, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem—that is, the cross. And why did Moses and Elijah appear? That it might be shown that he is Lord both of the law and of the prophets, and of the living and the dead; for Elijah is a prophet, and is still alive, while Moses is a lawgiver, and has died. But also that it might appear that he is not opposed to the law, nor against God; for neither would Moses have spoken with one who opposed his own [precepts], nor would Elijah the zealot have endured him, were he against God. And further, that he might dispel the suspicion of those who said he was Elijah or one of the prophets. How did the disciples know that they were Moses and Elijah? Surely not from images, since to make images of men was then thought impious. It seems, then, that they recognized them from the words they were speaking; for perhaps Moses was saying, “You are he whose Passion I prefigured, when I slew the lamb and celebrated the Passover”; and Elijah, “You are he whose resurrection I prefigured in the widow’s son”—or some such things. Showing these men, then, to the disciples, he teaches them to imitate them: to be, after the manner of Moses, meek and able to lead the people; and after the manner of Elijah, zealous and unbending when there is need, and ready to face danger, just as these men were for the sake of the truth.

⁴ And Peter answered and said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you will, let us make here three tabernacles, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Peter, wishing that Christ should not suffer, out of his great love says: “It is good to remain here, and not to go down and be killed. For even if someone should come here, we have both Moses and Elijah to work with us; for Moses overcame the Egyptians, and Elijah brought down fire from heaven; so that against the enemies who might come here, these men will be such [helpers].” He spoke these things out of much fear, as Luke says, not knowing what he said. For the strangeness astonished him; or because he truly did not know what he was saying, wishing Jesus to remain on the mountain and not to go down and suffer for us. And fearing lest he should seem presumptuous, he says, “If you will.”

⁵ While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him. You, O Peter, seek tabernacles made with hands; but the Father, setting around them another tabernacle not made with hands—the cloud—shows that, just as he himself appeared to the ancients in a cloud, being God, so too does his Son. And the cloud here is bright, not dark as in the old [covenant], because he wished not to terrify but to teach. And the voice came from the cloud, that it might be shown that it was from God. And the [phrase] “in whom I am well pleased” [stands] for “in whom I rest and take delight.” And he teaches that “you are to hear him, even if he wills to be crucified; do not oppose him.”

⁶ And when the disciples heard it, they fell upon their faces, and were exceedingly afraid; and Jesus came and touched them, and said: Rise, and be not afraid. And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only. Not bearing the brightness of the cloud, nor the voice, the disciples fell to the ground; and their eyes were also weighed down with sleep—and by “sleep” he means the great stupor that came from the sight. But lest the fear, lingering long, should cast out the memory of the things they had seen, he raises them up and emboldens them, and he alone is found, so that you might not suppose that the voice was about Moses or Elijah, but about himself; for it is he who is the Son of God.

⁷ And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no one until the Son of man be risen from the dead. Out of humility he charges them to tell no one; and at the same time, that those who heard such things might not be scandalized, seeing him afterward crucified. For they would have thought him a deceiver, who had performed the godlike [wonders] only in appearance. But learn this, that after six days—that is, after [passing beyond] the world that was created in six days—comes the vision of God; for unless you pass beyond the world and are lifted up on the mountain, you will not see the radiant things—neither the face of Jesus, by which I mean his divinity, nor the garments, by which I mean the flesh. And then you would also see Moses and Elijah conversing with Jesus; for the law and the prophets and Jesus speak one thing and are in concord. But also, whenever you find someone interpreting the meaning of Scripture radiantly, know that this man beholds the face of Jesus radiantly; and if he also makes the words clear and brightens them, this man also sees the garments of Jesus as white; for the words are the garments of the meanings. But do not say, like Peter, It is good for us to be here; for one must always advance, and not remain at one single level of virtue and contemplation.

⁸ And his disciples asked him, saying: Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? Deceiving the people, the scribes said that he was not the Christ; for if he were, Elijah would have come first—not knowing that there are two comings of Christ, of which the forerunner of the first is John, and of the second, Elijah. This very thing, then, Christ also interprets to the disciples; for listen.

⁹ And Jesus answered and said to them: Elijah indeed comes first, and shall restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished; so also shall the Son of man suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist. In saying, “Elijah indeed comes,” he shows that he had not yet come, but will come as forerunner of the second coming, and will restore to the faith of Christ all the Hebrews who shall be found obedient, restoring them as one restores to certain men a fallen paternal inheritance. But in saying that “Elijah has already come,” he means the forerunner John. And “they did to him whatever they wished,” having slain him; for through the very means by which they permitted Herod to slay him, being able to prevent it, they themselves slew him. Then, indeed, the disciples, becoming sharper, understood that he had called John “Elijah,” as having become forerunner of the first [coming], while that other [Elijah] shall be [forerunner] of the second coming.

¹⁰ And when they had come to the crowd, there came to him a man kneeling down to him, and saying: Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers grievously. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. This man appears to be exceedingly unbelieving, both from what Christ said to him, “O faithless generation,” and because he accuses the disciples. And it is not the moon that is the cause, but the demon watches for the moon when it is full, and then sets upon him, so that the works of God might be blasphemed as harmful. But understand also that every foolish man is altered like the moon, according to what is written—at one time appearing great through virtue, at another diminished and vanishing away. This man, then, is moonstruck and falls down, both into the fire of wrath and of desire, and into the water, the currents of a life full of cares, in which leviathan lurks—that is, he who reigns in the waters; for are not the cares of the rich like waves following one upon another?

¹¹ And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him. And Jesus answered and said: O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you? bring him here to me; and Jesus rebuked him, and the demon went out of him, and the boy was healed from that hour. Do you see the man laying his own fault of unbelief upon the disciples, as though they had been too weak for the healing? The Lord, therefore, putting him to shame—since he accused the disciples—says: “O faithless generation”; that is, the fault is not so much one of their weakness as of your unbelief; for being great, it overcame their measured power. And in reproaching the man, he reproaches all in common as unbelieving, even the bystanders. And in saying, “How long shall I be with you?” he shows that he longs for the Passion upon the cross, or for his departure from them. For how long shall I dwell among the insolent and unbelieving? And Jesus rebuked him—whom? The lunatic; from this, then, it appears that he too, being himself unbelieving, became, through his unbelief, the cause of the demon’s [coming] upon himself.

¹² Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said: Why could we not cast it out? And Jesus said to them: Because of your unbelief. For verily I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you; but this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. The apostles feared lest they had perhaps lost the grace given to them against the demons; therefore in private they ask, in anxiety. But the Lord, reproaching them as too imperfect, says that it is “because of your unbelief”; for if you had warm and fervent faith, even though it seemed small, you would have accomplished great things. Where the apostles removed mountains is nowhere written; nevertheless, it is likely that they did remove them, and that it was not written. For not all things were written; and besides, the occasion did not require it, and for this reason they did not remove them, but did other, greater things. See, then, what the Lord also said: You shall say to this mountain, Move, that is, “Whenever you say it, then it will move”; the apostles, then, did not say it, since neither the occasion called for it nor any necessity, and for this reason they did not move mountains; whereas, had they said it, they would have moved them. And this kind, the kind of demons, is cast out through prayer and fasting; for both the demon-possessed themselves must especially fast, and those who are about to heal them. And prayer is effective then, when it is made not with drunkenness but with fasting. Understand also that all faith is a grain of mustard seed, reckoned indeed to be of little worth because of the foolishness of the preaching; yet, if it lights upon good soil, it grows into a tree, in which the birds of heaven—the thoughts that soar on high—make their nests. Whoever, then, has all faith, that man is able to say to this mountain, “Move”—that is, to the demon; for he was pointing to the demon that had gone out.

¹³ And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said to them: The Son of man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him, and on the third day he shall be raised; and they were exceedingly grieved. He continually foretells the Passion, lest he should be thought to suffer unwillingly, and at the same time that he might train them, and that they might not be troubled by its unexpectedness when it came to pass. And to the grievous things he joins also the joyful, [namely] “He shall rise again.”

¹⁴ And when they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma came to Peter, and said: Does your teacher not pay the didrachma? He says: Yes. God, in place of the firstborn of the Hebrews, willed that the tribe of Levi should be consecrated to him. And the tribe of Levi, when numbered, was found to be twenty-two thousand; while the firstborn were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three. In place of those firstborn who were over and above the tribe of Levi, God appointed that a didrachma be given to the priests. From then on, therefore, it became a custom that all the firstborn, without exception, should pay the didrachma, which is five shekels, that is, two hundred obols. Since, then, the Lord too was a firstborn, he also paid it; but perhaps out of reverence for Christ on account of his miracles, they do not question him, but Peter—or rather, craftily, as if to say something like this: “Has your teacher, who opposes the law, then deigned to pay the didrachma?”

¹⁵ And when he had entered into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying: What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tribute or tax? from their own sons, or from strangers? Peter says to him: From strangers. Jesus said to him: Then the sons are free. As God, although he had not heard, he knew what those men had discussed with Peter; therefore he also anticipates him, saying: “If the kings of the earth do not take tribute from their own sons, but from strangers, how shall the heavenly King take the didrachma from me, his Son?” For this, as I said above, was offered to the priests and to God. If, then, the sons of the kings here below are free—that is, paying nothing—how much more I!

¹⁶ But that we may not scandalize them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you have opened its mouth, you shall find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and for you. “That we may not be reckoned arrogant and despisers of the law,” he says, “and so give offense, pay the tribute; for I give it not as one who owes it, but as one correcting their weakness.” For from this let us learn that we must not give offense where we are not harmed; for where we are harmed by a single deed, we must not have regard for those who are unreasonably scandalized. So then, that he might show that he is God and ruler of the sea, he sent Peter to bring the stater from the fish. And at the same time we also learn a certain mystery: for our nature is the fish, baptized in the deep of unbelief; but the apostolic word drew us up, and found in our mouth the stater, the oracles of the Lord and the confession of Christ; for he who confesses Christ, that man has the stater in his mouth—a stater drawing two drachmas. For Christ also has two natures, being God and man. This precious stater, then, was given for two: for Jews and Gentiles, and for the righteous and sinners. And whenever you see a lover of money, having nothing else in his mouth but gold and silver, know that this man is a fish, swimming in the sea of this life; but if some teacher like Peter is found, he hooks him, and casts out of his mouth the gold and the silver. Some, however, think the stater to be a fourth part of a [standard] coin.

18 Chapter 18. — On those who disputed who is greater. On not giving offense. On the hundred sheep. On the reproving of one’s neighbor. On the power of binding and loosing. On the man who owed ten thousand talents.

¹ At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Since they had seen Peter honored by Christ—for he was honored in being commanded to give the stater for Christ and for himself—on this account they suffered something human, and, stung by envy, they come asking the Lord obliquely: Who is greatest?

² And Jesus called a little child to him, and set it in their midst, and said: Verily I say to you, unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven; whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Seeing the disciples held fast by the passion of love of glory, the Lord checks them, showing them through the unpretentious little child the way of humility. For we must be children in the lowliness of our disposition, not in the childishness of our reasoning; and in innocence, not in folly. And in saying, “Unless you turn,” he showed that they had passed from humility into love of glory. They must, then, turn back there again—that is, to the humility from which they had departed.

³ And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name, receives me; but whoever shall scandalize one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him that a millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. “Not only must you be humble-minded,” he says, “but if you also honor others who are humble-minded for my sake, you shall receive a reward; for you receive me, whenever you receive the little children—that is, the humble.” Then from the contrary he also says that “whoever shall scandalize”—that is, insult—“one of these little ones”—that is, of those who make themselves small and humble, although they are in fact great—“it would be better for him that an ass’s millstone be hanged about his neck.” For he brings forward a sensible punishment into the midst, wishing to show that those who insult and scandalize the humble in Christ shall undergo great chastisement. But understand also that even if one scandalizes the truly little—that is, the weak—and does not by every means support him, he shall be punished. For the great man is not easily scandalized, but the little one is.

⁴ Woe to the world because of offenses! for it is necessary that offenses come; but woe to that man through whom the offense comes. As one who loves mankind, he laments the world, as about to be harmed by offenses. But someone might say: And what need is there to lament, when one ought rather to help and stretch out a hand? We will answer, then, that this very thing—to lament over someone—is itself a form of help. For often those whom our exhortation did not benefit, we benefit when we lament over them, [thereby] bringing them to a sense [of their state]. And if it is necessary, he says, that offenses come, how are those who cause them punished? It is necessary that they come, but not necessary that one perish. For it is possible to resist offenses. And by “offenses” understand those who hinder [men] from the good, and by “the world,” those who are base and earthbound, and who can easily be hindered.

⁵ And if your hand or your foot scandalizes you, cut it off, and cast it from you; it is good for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire; and if your eye scandalizes you, pluck it out, and cast it from you; it is good for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than, having two eyes, to be cast into the Gehenna of fire. By “hand” and “foot” and “eye” understand your friends, whom we hold in the rank of members; if, then, those who harm us are such persons—that is, kinsmen and friends—we must despise them as rotted members, and cut them off, lest they harm others also. So that from these things it is plain that, even if it is necessary that offenses come—that is, those who do harm—it is not necessary that we be harmed. For if we do as the Lord said, and cut off from ourselves those who harm us, even if they be friends, we shall not be harmed.

⁶ See that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven; for the Son of man came to save that which was lost. He charges us not to despise those reckoned little—that is, the poor in spirit, who are great in God’s sight; for so greatly, he says, are they loved by God that they have angels as guardians, that they may not be harmed by demons. For each of the faithful, or rather all men, have angels. But the angels of the little and humble in Christ are so intimate with God that they always behold his face, standing before him. And from this it appears that, although we all have angels, yet the angels of sinners, as if ashamed because of our lack of boldness, do not themselves have boldness to behold the face of God, nor, perhaps, to make petition on our behalf; whereas the angels of the humble-minded, these behold the divine face, because they have boldness. And what then? “For this cause I came, to save that which was lost, and to win back those who have fallen away.”

⁷ What do you think? If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them go astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and go to seek the one that is straying? And if it should come to pass that he find it, verily I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. To what man did the hundred sheep belong? To Christ. For the whole rational creation, both angels and men, are the hundred sheep, of which Christ is the shepherd, not a sheep. For he is not a creature, but the Son of God. He, then, left the ninety-nine in heaven; and taking the form of a servant, came to seek the one sheep, which is human nature. And he rejoices over this more than over the steadfastness of the angels. This hints, by way of summary, that God takes care for the conversion of sinners, and rejoices over these more than over those who have a settled virtue.

⁸ But if your brother sin against you, go and reprove him between you and him alone; if he hear you, you have gained your brother; but if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established; and if he refuse to hear them, tell it to the Church; and if he refuse to hear the Church also, let him be to you as the heathen and the publican. Having stretched out a severe word against those who give offense, he now also sets right those who are offended. For so that you who are offended—that is, harmed—may not utterly collapse, as though the offender held the [stronger position], he says: “You who are offended, that is, harmed, I wish to reprove those who wrong and harm you, if they be Christians.” For see what he says: “If your brother sin against you”—that is, the Christian. For if an unbeliever wrongs [you], then withdraw even from your own possessions; but if a brother [wrongs you], reprove him; for he did not say, “Insult [him],” but, “Reprove [him].” “If he hear you”—that is, condemn himself; for he wishes that sinners be reproved first in private, lest, being reproved before many, they become more shameless. But if, having been reproved before two or three witnesses, he is not abashed, then let the fault be made public before the presidents of the Church. For since he did not hear the two or three—although the law says that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word is confirmed—let him henceforth be brought to his senses by the Church; and if he hear not even her, then let him be cast out, lest he impart his own evil to the others also. And he likens such brethren to publicans, since a publican is a [worthless] thing; and it is a consolation to the one wronged that the one who wrongs him be reckoned a publican and a heathen—that is, a sinner and an unbeliever. Is this the only punishment of the one who wrongs? No. But hear what follows.

⁹ Verily I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. “If you who are wronged,” he says, “hold the one who wrongs you as a publican and a heathen, he shall be such in heaven also. And if you loose him—that is, forgive him—he shall be forgiven in heaven also.” For not only the things that the priests loose are loosed, but whatever we too, when wronged, either bind or loose, those things also shall be bound or loosed.

¹⁰ Again, verily I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven; for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in their midst. Through such words he leads us to peace with one another; for since he forbade us to scandalize one another, and to harm and be harmed, he speaks also of concord with one another. But those who are understood to be in agreement are not those gathered for evil, but those gathered for good. For see what he said: “If two of you”—that is, of the faithful, of the virtuous; for Annas and Caiaphas too agreed, but blamably; so that for this reason we often pray and do not receive, because we do not even have concord with one another. And he did not say, “I shall be,” for he neither delays nor is absent, but, “I am”—that is, “I am found there at once.” And you will understand that, when the flesh and the spirit agree, and the flesh does not lust against the spirit, then the Lord is in the midst. And the three powers of the soul also agree—the rational, the irascible, and the appetitive. But the old [covenant] and the new, the two, also agree, and in their midst Christ is found, proclaimed by both.

¹¹ Then Peter came to him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? Jesus says to him: I do not say to you, until seven times, but until seventy times seven. This is what Peter asks: “As often as he sins, and comes and asks pardon in repentance, shall I forgive him?” And he added, “against me”; for if one sins against God, I, a layman, am not the one to forgive him, unless perhaps the priest, who holds the rank of God; but if he sin against me, and I then forgive him, he shall be forgiven, even though I am a layman and not a priest. And he said “until seventy times seven” so that he might not confine forgiveness to a number; for it is unreasonable that one sit counting until four hundred ninety be reached—for so many are “seventy times seven”—but he signifies here what is unlimited; as though he said: “As often as one stumbles and repents, forgive him.” For this he says also through the parable that follows, that we must be compassionate.

¹² Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a man who was a king, who would take account with his servants. The general sense of the parable teaches us to forgive the sins committed against us by our fellow servants, and especially if those who have need of forgiveness fall down before us. But to expound the parable in detail would belong only to one who has the mind of Christ; nevertheless, we too will set our hand to it. The kingdom is the Word of God; not, however, the kingdom of some small things, but of the heavens. This one, then, was likened to a man who was a king, having been made flesh for us and become in the likeness of men; and he takes account with his servants, as a good [king] judging for them. For he does not punish without judgment; for that belongs to cruelty.

¹³ And when he had begun to take account, there was brought to him one who owed ten thousand talents; and as he had nothing to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. Debtors of ten thousand talents are we, who are benefited every day, yet give nothing good in return to God. Debtors of ten thousand talents also are those who have received the oversight of a people and of many men—for each man is a talent, according to him who says, “A great thing is man”—and then have not used their office well. And the selling of the debtor together with his wife and his children signifies the estrangement from God. For he who is sold becomes the property of another master. And may it not be that the wife is the flesh, as being the consort of the soul, and the children the deeds wrongly wrought by the soul and the body? He commands, then, that the flesh be given over to Satan for destruction—that is, be delivered up to sicknesses or to the suffering of a demon; but also that the children—I mean the workings of evils—be tormented. For instance, there is someone whose hand steals; this God withers, or strangles through some demon. Behold, then, the wife, the flesh, and the children—that is, the working of the evil—have been delivered up to affliction, that the spirit may be saved; for that man will no longer work in thievish fashion.

¹⁴ The servant therefore fell down and did obeisance to him, saying: Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you all; and the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. Behold the strength of repentance, and the love of mankind of the Lord. For repentance made the servant fall down from his wickedness; for he who stands firmly in wickedness is not to be forgiven. And the love of mankind of God forgave even the loan entirely, although the servant did not ask for entire forgiveness, but for a postponement. Learn, then, that God gives even more than we ask. For so great is his love of mankind that even that which seemed harsh—the commanding that he be sold—he spoke not out of harshness, but that he might terrify the servant, and persuade him to have recourse to supplication and entreaty.

¹⁵ But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay me what you owe; his fellow servant therefore fell down at his feet and besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. But he would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay the debt. Having been forgiven, he goes out and thus throttles his fellow servant; for none of those who abide in God is without compassion, but [only] he who has gone out from God and become a stranger to him. And so great was his inhumanity that, having been forgiven the greater [debt]—for it was ten thousand talents—he would not show the least clemency over the lesser—for it was a hundred denarii—nor grant any delay. And yet the fellow servant says the very same words, reminding him of the means by which he himself was saved: Have patience with me, and I will pay you.

¹⁶ And when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly grieved. And they came and reported to their lord all that was done. The angels appear from this to be the fellow servants, haters of evil and lovers of good; and they tell these things to the Lord not as to one ignorant of them, but that you might learn that the angels are our overseers, and that they are indignant against the inhuman.

¹⁷ Then his lord called him, and says to him: You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt, because you besought me; should you not also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you? And his lord, being angry, delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was owed to him. The master is judged by the servant on account of his love of mankind, that it might be shown that it was not he, but the cruelty of the servant and his ingratitude, that overturned the gift. And to what tormentors does he deliver him? To the punishing powers, so that he might be chastised eternally. For the [phrase] “until he should pay the debt” signifies this: that he should be punished until then—that is, until he should pay; but in truth he will never pay the debt—that is, the punishment ever owed in due measure; therefore he shall be punished forever.

¹⁸ So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you do not each from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses. He did not say “your Father,” but “my Father”; for such men are unworthy to have God as Father. He wishes [us] to forgive from the heart, and not from the lips only. And consider also how great an evil is the bearing of malice, since it overturned the gift of God; for although the gifts of God are without repentance, yet they were overturned.

19 Chapter 19. — On those who asked whether it is lawful to put away one’s wife. On the rich man who questioned Jesus.

¹ And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan; and great crowds followed him, and he healed them there. Again he sojourns in Judea, that the unbelievers among those in Judea might have no excuse to say: “He did not dwell among us more constantly, but among the Galileans.” Again, then, after the teaching and the finishing of the discourses, the miracles follow. For we must both teach and also act; but the foolish Pharisees, having seen the miracles, when they ought to have believed, rather tempt [him]; for listen.

² And the Pharisees came to him, tempting him, and saying: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said to them: Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female? and he said: For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder. Oh, the folly! They sought to silence Christ by their questions; for if he should say that it is lawful to put away one’s wife for every cause, they would be able to say to him: “How then did you say that no one is to put away [his wife] except [for] adultery only?” But if he should say that it is not lawful to put away one’s wife, they would slander him as legislating against Moses. For that man commanded that the hated [wife] be sent away, even without a reasonable cause. What then does Christ do? He shows that monogamy is the work and the legislation of him who formed us from the beginning. For from the beginning, he says, God joined one [man] to one [woman]; so that one man ought not to be joined to many [women], nor one [woman] to many [men], but, as they were joined from the beginning, so to remain, not rending apart the cohabitation without reason. And he did not say, “I made them male and female,” lest he wound them, but indefinitely, “He who made them.” Thus, then, he says, is the good of marriage so earnestly sought by God, that he even permitted [men] to leave their parents and cleave to their wives. But how is it that in Genesis it is written that Adam spoke the [words], “For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother,” whereas here Christ says that God said, “For this cause shall a man leave,” and so forth? We say, then, that what Adam said, he said from God; so that Adam’s word is the word of God. Since, then, those who are joined become one flesh both through their union and through natural affection, just as it is unholy to cut one’s own flesh, so also to rend apart those who are joined. And he did not say, “Let not Moses put asunder,” lest he disturb them, but simply, “man,” showing the difference between God who joins and man who dissolves. And understand this also, that he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit, and a marriage comes to be for the believer with Christ. For we are all become of one body with him, and are members severally of Christ. Rightly, then, can no one separate such a union, according to the word of Paul, who says: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? What therefore God has joined together, neither man, nor any other creature, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, as Paul says, are able to put asunder.

³ They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He says to them: Moses, because of your hardness of heart, permitted you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery. The Pharisees, seeing that the Lord had silenced them, were then constrained, and they bring forward Moses as legislating against Christ, and they say: “How then did Moses command that a writing of divorcement be given, and that [a man] put away [his wife]?” The Lord, then, turning the whole of the accusation back upon their own head, makes a defense on Moses’ behalf, and says: “Moses, in giving this legislation, does not say it in opposition to God, but he legislated this with a view to your wickedness; that, wishing through licentiousness to be with others, you might not do away with your former wives. For being savage men, they would have murdered their wives, had they been compelled to keep them. But now he commanded that a writing of divorcement be given to those wives who were hated by their husbands. But I say to you,” he says, “that it is good to put away the wife who has committed fornication, as an adulteress; but if one puts away her who has not committed fornication, he becomes the cause of adultery in her.”

⁴ His disciples say to him: If the case of a man with his wife is so, it is not expedient to marry. The disciples are troubled, and they say that “If they were joined together for this purpose, that they might be one and remain inseparable throughout the whole of life, so that even if the wife should otherwise be wicked, [a man] should not dare to put her away, it is not expedient to marry; for it is lighter not to marry, but to fight and wrestle with natural desires, than to endure a wicked wife.” For by “the case of a man with his wife” he means the inseparable union. But some understand it thus also: that “If the case of the man is so”—that is, if the man is going to incur a charge, namely blame and accusation, as putting away his wife unlawfully—it is not expedient to marry.

⁵ But he said to them: Not all receive this saying, but those to whom it is given. Since the disciples had said that it is better not to come to marriage, the Lord says that virginity is indeed a great thing, but not achievable by all, but only by those whom God helps. For the [word] “it is given” stands here for “those whom God helps.” And it is given to those who ask. For ask, he says, and it shall be given to you. For everyone that asks receives.

⁶ For there are eunuchs who were so born from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it. Of few, he says, is this achievement of virginity. For there are some eunuchs from their mother’s womb—that is, there are some who, from their natural constitution, remain unmoved toward union, and who are chaste without [any] gain [of merit]. And there are those made eunuchs by men; but those who make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven are not those who mutilate themselves—for that is accursed—but those who exercise self-control. And understand it also thus: there is the eunuch by nature, who because of his natural constitution is not easily moved to sexual things; and one is made a eunuch by men who, through human teaching, cuts off the burning of fleshly desire; and one makes himself a eunuch who is taught not by another, but by himself, and of his own learning inclines toward chastity. This one, then, is also the best—he who is guided to the kingdom of heaven not by another, but by himself. And wishing virtue to be wrought in us by [free] choice, he says: He who is able to receive it, let him receive it. For he does not compel [men] to be virgins, nor does he abolish marriage, but he sets virginity before [them].

⁷ Then little children were brought to him, that he might lay his hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked them; but Jesus said: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Mothers were bringing their children, that they might be blessed through the touch of his hands. But they came in a disorderly and tumultuous manner, and for this reason the disciples forbid them, at the same time also supposing that the dignity of the Teacher was diminished by the bringing of little children. Christ, then, showing that he rather welcomes the unpretentious, says, Suffer the little children; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. He did not say “of these,” but “of such”—that is, of those who have simplicity, who are guileless, who are without malice. And even if someone is teaching, and some come to him asking childlike questions, let him welcome these, and not forbid them.

⁸ And having laid his hands on them, he departed thence. And behold, one came and said to him: Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And he said to him: Why do you call me good? None is good, save one, God. This man did not come as one tempting, but as one wishing to learn, and thirsting for eternal life; but he came to Christ as to a mere man. For this reason the Lord says: “Why do you call me good? None is good save one, God”—that is, “If you call me good as [you would call] one of the teachers, you speak ill; for no man is good in the strict sense; partly because we are changeable, turning away from the good; and partly because human [goodness], when compared to the goodness of God, is reckoned as wickedness.”

⁹ But if you would enter into life, keep the commandments. He says to him: Which? And Jesus said: You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The Lord refers the questioner to the commandments of the law, that the Jews might not be able to say that he despises the law.

¹⁰ The young man says to him: All these have I kept from my youth. What do I yet lack? Some accuse this man as a boaster and braggart. For how had he achieved the love of his neighbor, if he was rich? for no one who loves his neighbor as himself is richer than his neighbor; and every man is [our] neighbor. But some understand it thus: “Suppose,” he says, “that I have kept all these; what do I yet lack?”

¹¹ Jesus said to him: If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. But when the young man heard the saying, he went away grieved; for he had many possessions. “When you said that you had kept [these things],” he says, “you kept them in the Jewish manner; but if you would be perfect—that is, be my disciple and a Christian—go, sell what you have, and give it all at once together, holding nothing back, that you may make your almsgiving unceasing.” For he did not say, “Give to the poor,” but, “Give once for all and strip yourself bare.” Then, since there are some who give alms, yet have a life full of all filth, he says: “And come, follow me”—that is, “Have also all the rest of virtue.” The young man, however, was grieved; for he did indeed desire [it], and the earth of his heart was deep and rich, but the thorns of riches were choking it; for he had, it says, many possessions. For he who has little is not held fast by them in the same way; for in great [possessions] the bond is more tyrannical. And since the Lord was conversing with a rich man, he says, “You shall have treasure in heaven,” because he was a lover of money.

¹² And Jesus said to his disciples: Verily I say to you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. As long as one is rich, and himself has superfluities while others lack even necessities, he shall by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven. But when he has shaken off everything, then he is no longer rich, and thereafter he shall enter. For it is impossible for one who has much to enter, just as it is impossible for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle. See, then, how above he said that to enter is difficult, but here [that it is] altogether impossible. Some, however, say that the “camel” is not the animal, but the thick rope which sailors use for casting their anchors.

¹³ And when his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying: Who then can be saved? But Jesus looked upon them and said to them: With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. The disciples, being lovers of mankind, ask not on their own behalf—for they were poor—but on behalf of all men. The Lord, then, teaches [us] not to measure salvation by human weakness, but by the power of God. For if one begins not to be grasping, he will advance also to the giving away of his superfluities, and from this he will proceed also to the emptying out of his necessities, and so he will be prospered by the help of God.

¹⁴ Then Peter answered and said to him: Behold, we have left all and followed you; what then shall we have? Even if Peter seems to have left nothing great, as being poor, yet know that he too in fact left many things. For we men have, in a manner, more in our few things; but Peter also disregarded all worldly pleasure, and the love of the flesh toward his parents. For these passions wage war not only against the rich, but also against the poor.

¹⁵ And Jesus said to them: Verily I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Will they then sit? No; rather, he indicated the surpassing honor by the [image of the] seat. Will Judas, then, also sit? No. For he said “those who have followed”—that is, those [who followed] to the end; but that man [did] not [follow] to the end. Besides, God often promises good things to certain men who are worthy. But when they change and become unworthy, he takes the things away. And likewise in the case of more grievous [threats], he often threatens and does not carry out [the threat], when we have changed. And by “regeneration” understand the resurrection.

¹⁶ And everyone who has left houses, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or wife or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. Lest anyone suppose that what was said applies only to the disciples, he extended the promise to all who do the like. For they shall have, in place of kinsmen according to the flesh, intimacy with God and the brotherhood; and in place of lands, paradise; and in place of houses of stone, the Jerusalem above; in place of a mother, the elder women in the Church; in place of a father, the presbyters; in place of a wife, all the faithful women—not by marriage, far from it!—but by a spiritual disposition and relationship, and by a loving care toward them. The Lord does not command [us] to separate from our own kindred simply, but only when they hinder [us] from piety. Just as he also commands [us] to despise both soul and body, yet not so as to kill ourselves. And see that God, being good, gives not these things only, but adds eternal life as well. Be diligent, then, you also, to sell what you have, and to give to the poor. And your possessions are, for the wrathful man, his wrath; for the adulterer, the adulterous disposition; for the malicious man, his malice. Sell these, then, and give them to the poor demons, who are destitute of all good. Turn the passions back upon the makers of the passions; you will find Christ in your heaven—that is, in your mind—such as is the heavenly One.

¹⁷ But many that are first shall be last, and the last first. Here he hints at the Jews and the Gentiles. For the former, being first, became last, while we Gentiles, being last, were established as first; and that you may clearly learn what is said, he joins to it also the parable that follows.

20 Chapter 20. — On the laborers in the vineyard. On the sons of Zebedee. On the blind men.

¹ For the kingdom of heaven is like a man who was a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And having agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said: Go you also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you; and they went. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle; and he says to them: Why have you stood here all the day idle? They say to him: Because no one has hired us. He says to them: Go you also into the vineyard, and whatever is right you shall receive. Christ is the kingdom of heaven, who is likened to a man, according to that form of ours which he took; and a householder, as being master of the house—that is, of the Church. Christ himself, then, went out from the bosom of the Father, and hires laborers into the vineyard, that is, the Scriptures or the commandments. Or [rather] he hires each one to work the vineyard, that is, his own soul. And he hires the one in the morning—that is, in his youthful age; another at the third hour—the adolescent age; others at the sixth and ninth—when one is twenty-five years old, or thirty, and in general of manly age; and about the eleventh, the old men; for many old men too have believed. Or, otherwise, by “day” is meant the present age, for in it we work as in the day. The Lord, then, called at the first hour those about Enoch and Noah; at the third, those about Abraham; at the sixth, those about Moses; at the ninth, the prophets; at the eleventh—that is, at the present time—those of the Gentiles, who were idle as to works of well-doing; for no one had hired them.

² And when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard says to his steward: Call the laborers, and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first. And when those who came about the eleventh hour came, they received each a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they murmured against the householder, saying: These last have worked but one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the heat. But he answered and said to one of them: Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go. But I will give to this last one even as to you. Or is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Is your eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few chosen. The “evening” is the consummation; at the consummation, then, all receive each a denarius, which is the grace of the Holy Spirit, refashioning man into [his estate] according to the image, and making him a partaker of the divine nature. But those before the coming of Christ labored more, inasmuch as death was not yet then abolished, nor was the devil crushed, but sin was still alive; whereas we, justified by the grace of Christ through baptism, receive power to conquer our adversary, who has already been cast down and put to death by Christ. But also, according to the former interpretation, those who believed in their youth have more labors than those who came in old age; for the young man bears the burden of wrath and the heat of desire, warring against the passions, while the old man comes to be in calm. Yet nonetheless all are deemed worthy of one and the same gift of the Holy Spirit. The parable teaches us, then, that even in old age it is possible to repent and to attain the kingdom; for this is the eleventh hour. But will not the saints envy those who receive equal [reward]? Far from it; rather, this is shown thereby, that so many and so great are the good things given to the righteous, that they are able even to stir up envy.

³ And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify; and on the third day he shall rise again. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, doing obeisance and asking something of him. And he said to her: What do you wish? She says to him: Say that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right hand and one on your left, in your kingdom. The sons of Zebedee supposed that if the Lord went up to Jerusalem he would reign with a perceptible kingdom; for they heard him saying continually, “We go up to Jerusalem.” They suffered, then, something human, and they persuade their mother to come forward, themselves being reluctant to approach openly; for they too came secretly, as Mark says; for he says that James and John went before him, [meaning] that they came forward stealthily and privately.

⁴ But Jesus answered and said: You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say to him: We are able. Leaving aside the mother, he converses with the sons, that he might show that he was not ignorant that they had put their mother forward, and he says to them: “You do not know what you ask”—how it is great, and astounding even to the powers of the angels; then, drawing them away from such thoughts, he urges them rather toward dangers. And he asks, not in ignorance, but that he might compel [them] to disclose the sore through their answer, and that they might be eager to fulfill the promise. For this is what he means: “Since no one can become a partaker of my kingdom unless he also becomes a partaker of my sufferings, tell me whether you are able to suffer the like.” For by the “cup” he means martyrdom and his own death, at once showing that it is easy, like the drinking of a cup, and that we too must henceforth hasten to it as to an easy thing; and at the same time signifying that he himself also gladly accepts death. And just as one who drinks a cup straightway grows drowsy, being weighed down, so also he who drinks the cup of martyrdom is borne down into the sleep of death. And he also names death a “baptism.” And they promised, not knowing what they said, but only longing for the honor.

⁵ And he says to them: My cup indeed you shall drink, and with the baptism that I am baptized with you shall be baptized; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father. “You shall indeed bear witness—this I know, and it surely came to pass. For Herod killed James, and Trajan condemned John as he bore witness to the Word of truth. But to sit is not mine to give, but [it is] for those for whom it has been prepared”—that is, “if anyone is found who, besides bearing witness, also has all the rest of virtue, that man shall receive the gift.” For it has been prepared for the one who has labored, just as crowns are prepared for those who contend. As, then, when a foot-race is set forth, and the king presides over the contest, if someone should come who has not contended at all and should say, “Give me the crown, O president of the games”—to one who has not contended that man would say, “It is not mine to give the crown as a favor, but [it is] for the one for whom it has been prepared—that is, for the one who has run and conquered.” So indeed here too Christ says: “It is not in my power to give you, as a favor, the seat at my right hand; for it belongs to others, to those who have labored, since for them it has been prepared.” You will ask, then: Are some indeed going to sit there? But you will learn that no one will sit there. For this belongs to the divine essence alone. For to which of the angels did he say, Sit at my right hand? But the Lord said this with a view to their supposition; for not understanding that to sit upon twelve thrones is to be glorified for virtue, they were seeking such a seat.

⁶ And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him, and said: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you shall be your servant, and whoever would be first among you shall be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. When the ten saw the two rebuked by Christ, then they too became indignant, and it became plain that they had been provoked at the honor [shown] to these two. For they were still imperfect; for the [two] set themselves above the ten, while the [ten] envied the two. Since, then, the ten were troubled at what they heard, he calls them to him, by the very calling soothing them before [speaking] the words. For the sons of Zebedee, having drawn apart from the rest, were conversing with him; so he speaks to all in common. For knowing that the love of being first is tyrannical, and needs a more severe blow, he reaches them more deeply, casting them down into the lot of the heathen and unbelievers, if they should wish to love glory. And thus he shames them, saying: “Other men, because they rule, are made illustrious; and the loving of pre-eminence is a passion of the heathen; but my disciples are honored through humility; so that he who wishes to be greater ought to serve his inferiors, which belongs to the utmost humility. And in myself I show this, who, being ruler and king of those in heaven, humbled myself to serve you unto salvation; and I serve you so far as even to give my life a ransom for many”—that is, for all; for “all” are “many.”

⁷ And as they went out from Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying: Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David. And the crowd rebuked them, that they should be silent. But they cried out the more, saying: Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David. And Jesus stood still and called them, and said: What do you wish that I should do for you? They say to him: Lord, that our eyes may be opened. And Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. The blind men, knowing the Lord from report, seized the opportunity, having heard that he was passing by the way, and believing that Jesus, who according to the flesh was of the seed of David, was able to heal them; and being exceedingly fervent in faith, they did not keep silent even when rebuked, but cried out the more. Wherefore he does not even ask them whether they have faith, but what they wish, lest anyone suppose that he gives one thing to those who want another. He shows, then, that they did not [seek to be] healed in order to receive money, but in order to be cured. And he touches them in healing, that we might learn that every member of his holy flesh was life-giving and a member of God. And if Luke and Mark speak of one blind man, this is no discrepancy; for they made mention of the more notable one. Besides, Luke says that before coming to Jericho he healed a blind man, while Mark [says it was] after going out from Jericho. Matthew, then, being fond of brevity, included the two in one. And understand the blind men [to be] those of the Gentiles, who were healed in passing; for Christ did not come primarily for the Gentiles, but for those of Israel. And just as the blind men learned of Jesus from hearing, so also the Gentiles [learned] from the hearing of faith; and those who silenced the blind men, that they should not cry the name of Jesus, are the persecuting tyrants, who tried to silence the Church, but she confessed the name of Christ all the more; wherefore she also was healed, and sees the light of truth more clearly, and follows Christ, imitating him in [her] life.

21 Chapter 21. — On the ass and the colt. On the lame and the blind. On the withered fig tree. On the chief priests and elders who questioned the Lord. The parable of the two sons. On the vineyard.

¹ And when they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them: Go into the village over against you, and immediately you shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them and bring them to me; and if anyone say anything to you, you shall say that the Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your King comes to you, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and a colt the foal of a beast of burden. He sat upon the ass, there being no other need, save to fulfill the prophecy, and to show you how one ought to ride in humble fashion; for he was carried not upon a horse, but upon a humble little ass. He fulfills, then, the prophecy both according to the history and according to the higher sense: according to the history, as the one seen sitting upon an ass; according to the higher sense, because he sat also upon the colt—the new and untamed people, the unsubjected. And both the ass and the colt were bound with the cords of their own sins. And two [disciples] were sent to loose [them]: Paul to the Gentiles, and Peter to the circumcision—that is, the Jews. And even to this day, two loose us from our sins, the Apostle and the Gospel. And Christ comes meek; for he came not to judge the world at his first coming, but to save [it]. And whereas the other kings of the Hebrews were rapacious and unjust, Christ is a meek King.

² And the disciples went, and did as Jesus had commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat upon them. Luke and Mark spoke only of a beast of burden, but Matthew [spoke] of an ass and a colt, [yet] they do not say contrary things; for as the colt was led, its mother followed along with it. And he sat upon them—not the two beasts, but the garments; or first he sat upon the ass, and then also upon the colt. For he first rested upon the synagogue of the Jews, and then upon the people from the Gentiles.

³ And the very great crowd spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way; and the crowds that went before and that followed cried out, saying: Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. According to the history, the spreading of the garments and the cutting of branches displays great honor, a token of festal celebration; but according to the higher sense, learn that after the apostles laid down their garments—that is, their virtues—then the Lord sits [upon them]. For unless the soul be adorned with the apostolic virtues, God does not ride upon it. And those who go before are the prophets before the incarnation of Christ; and those who follow are the martyrs and teachers who came afterward, who strew their garments for Christ—that is, they subject the flesh to the spirit; for the body is the garment and covering of the soul. They spread [them], then, in the way—that is, in Christ. For I am the way, he says. For unless one strew his flesh—that is, humble it—in the way—that is, abiding in Christ, and not being a heretic—the Lord does not ride upon him. As for the “Hosanna,” some say that it signifies a hymn or psalm, but others [say], what is also more exact, “Save now.” And the Lord is called “he who comes,” as being expected by the Hebrews to come; for thus John also says, Are you he who comes, instead of “he who is expected to come.” And in another sense too he is called “he who comes,” inasmuch as his second coming is awaited day by day; each one, then, ought always to expect the consummation, and the Lord ever coming, and to make himself ready.

⁴ And when he had entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying: Who is this? And the crowds said: This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee. The crowds, being guileless and unaffected, neither envied Christ nor again held the fitting opinion concerning him. Wherefore here too they call him a prophet. But perhaps, since they say it with the article, “the prophet,” it can be understood that this is the awaited prophet, of whom Moses said that God will raise up for you a prophet. For they did not say, “This is a prophet,” but, “The prophet”—that is, that long-awaited one.

⁵ And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all those who sold and bought in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of those who sold doves. And he says to them: It is written: My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers. As master of the house, that is, of the temple, he cast out those who sold, showing that the things of the Father are his own as well. And this he did, at once both caring for the good order of the temple, and signifying the transference of the sacrifices; for by casting out the oxen and the doves he foretold that there would no longer be need of animal-sacrifices or victims, but of prayer; for “my house,” he says, “is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers”; for in the dens of robbers there are slaughters and sheddings of blood; or [he so calls it] because of the petty traders, and those buying and selling, that he called the temple a den of robbers; for the love of gain is a robber’s passion. And the money-changers are those whom we call bankers; for “kollybos” is a kind of paltry coin, just as we perhaps have obols or small silver pieces. And those who sell the offices in the Churches also sell doves. For the grace of the Spirit, which is the dove, these men sell. Wherefore they are cast out from the temple above and from the one below; for they are unworthy to exercise the priesthood. But take heed, you also, lest you make the temple of God—that is, your own mind—a den of robbers, that is, of demons. And it will become a den if we have thoughts that love matter, that buy and sell and love money, gathering up even the very “kollyba,” that is, the paltry coins; and if we sell and traffic away the doves—that is, if there be in us any spiritual teaching and thought of such a kind—we have made ourselves a den of robbers.

⁶ And the lame and the blind came to him in the temple, and he healed them. By healing the sick he shows that he is God and does well in casting out the unworthy from his house with authority. And this too is shown, that after the Jews were cast out, those who clung to the law and to animal-sacrifices, the blind and the lame from among the Gentiles were taken in, being healed by him.

⁷ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were indignant, and said to him: Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus says to them: Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise? The Pharisees, seeing the children offering to Christ the hymn of David, which the prophet seems to dedicate to God, are cut to the heart with envy, and reproach him as one who tolerates the things of God being said of himself; but he, rather confirming it, says, “Yes.” “For I am so far,” he says, “from silencing those who say these things to me, that I even bring forward the prophet as a witness, and prove you to be either ignorant or envious. For have you not read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise?” And “you have perfected” stands for “You have shown forth a complete and perfect hymn, even though these seem imperfect in age.” For it was not they who spoke what they spoke, but, having given only their mouth to the Spirit, they were his instruments. For this reason, then, he says, “Out of the mouth of babes,” hinting that the words were not of their own understanding, but only of the mouth, moved by divine grace. And this signified that he would be blessed even by the Gentiles, who are babes and foolish. And this was a consolation also to the apostles, that to them too a word would be given, even though they were somewhat simple. And you also, if you become a babe in evil, being without malice, and suck the spiritual milk, the divine oracles, then you will become worthy to hymn God.

⁸ And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there. He withdraws from these men as unworthy, and comes to Bethany, which is interpreted “house of obedience”; for from the unsubjected he passes over to those who obey him, and lodges among them. For he says, I will dwell in them and walk among them.

⁹ Now in the morning, returning to the city, he was hungry; and seeing a single fig tree by the way, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only, and he says to it: Let no fruit grow on you henceforth forever. And immediately the fig tree withered away; and when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying: How did the fig tree wither away so soon? Since the Lord had wrought many miracles for the benefit of all who beheld [them], but had displayed no punitive miracle, lest some should suppose that he was unable to punish, he shows here this power of his also—not abusing it against men, but [using it] against a tree, as one who loves mankind, just as before [he had used it] against the swine. He withers, then, the tree, that he might bring men to their senses; and the disciples marvel, with reason. For this tree is more full of sap, and the wonder is the more displayed, that it withered quickly; and the fig tree signifies also the synagogue of the Jews, which has leaves only—that is, the visible letter—and not the fruit of the Spirit. But also every man who has given himself over to the sweetness of the present life is likened to a fig tree, who has no spiritual fruit to give to the hungering Jesus, but leaves only, the fleeting and decaying show [of things]. This man, then, hears himself cursed: Depart, he says, you cursed, into the fire. And his tongue is also dried up, like that of the rich man.

¹⁰ And Jesus answered and said to them: Verily I say to you, if you have faith and doubt not, you shall not only do this of the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be removed and cast into the sea, it shall be done; and all things whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. Great is the promise of Christ to the disciples, that they can remove mountains, if we doubt not—that is, waver not; for whatever we ask, believing without doubt in the power of God, we shall receive. “Yes,” one says, “but if I ask something unprofitable, and foolishly believe that God will give me this, shall I then receive even that which is unprofitable? And how is God a lover of mankind, if he fulfills my unprofitable request?” Hear, then. First, that whenever you hear “faith,” you ought to understand not the foolish kind, but the true kind; and that prayer which asks the things that are profitable, as the Lord delivered it, saying, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, and whatever words belong to such a prayer. Then consider also the very word “doubt.” For he who is united to God, and is one with him, and is not divided nor separated [from him]—how should he ask the unprofitable thing? So that, if we are inseparable and undivided from God, then we shall ask the things that are profitable, and shall receive [them].

¹¹ And when he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, saying: By what authority do you do these things? and who gave you this authority? And Jesus answered and said to them: I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or from men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying: If we say, From heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him? But if we say, From men, we fear the crowd; for all hold John to be a prophet. And they answered Jesus and said: We do not know. And he also said to them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. The teachers of the law, envious that he had cast out of the temple those who trafficked there, come questioning him, as if [to say]: “Who are you to cast out of the temple those who do business? Is it as a priest? Yet you have no priestly office. Is it then as a king? Yet you are neither a king, nor, even if you were, would it be permitted you to do such things; for it is not lawful for kings to do these things in the temple.” And they asked these things of the Lord so that, if he should say, “I do these things by my own authority,” they might slander him as a rebel claiming to have authority of his own; but if he should say, “I do these things by divine authority,” they might draw away from him the crowds who praised him as God, showing the crowds that “Behold, he himself is not God, but does these things by the authority of God, as a servant.” What then does Christ, who is Wisdom itself? He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and asks them the like concerning John, so that, if they should say that the preaching of John was from heaven, they might be found fighters against God, as not having accepted it; but if they should say it was from men, they might be endangered by the crowd. For all held John to be a prophet. And the Lord shows from this that one need not answer those who question with malice. For neither did he himself answer the Jews who questioned him in guile, although he was not at a loss for an answer. And at the same time we learn that to praise oneself is not according to Christ. Behold, then, the Lord, though able to say by what authority he does these things, did not say it, lest he should seem to praise himself.

¹² But what do you think? A man had two sons; and he came to the first and said: Son, go work today in my vineyard. But he answered and said: I will not. Yet afterward he repented and went. And he came to the second and said likewise; and he answered and said: I go, sir; and went not. Which of the two did the will of the father? They say to him: The first. Jesus says to them: Verily I say to you that the publicans and the harlots go before you into the kingdom of God. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and you, when you had seen it, did not even afterward repent, that you might believe him. He introduces two ranks: one, of those who promised from the beginning—such as were the Jews, who said, All that God has spoken we will do and obey; and another, of the disobedient, such as harlots and publicans, but also indeed of the people from the Gentiles, who, having from the beginning obeyed the will of God, afterward repented and obeyed. See, then, the wisdom of Christ. He did not at once from the beginning say to them that the publicans and the harlots are better than they, but he first secured them, and they confessed that of the two sons the obedient one was he who did the will of the father. Then, when they had thus confessed, he added that “John came in the way of righteousness”—that is, in a blameless life; for you cannot say that his life was open to blame—“yet nonetheless the harlots obeyed, but you did not; therefore they also go before you—that is, they enter before you into the kingdom; so that you too must strive, that you may at least enter after them, you yourselves believing; but if you do not believe, you shall not enter in at all.” And many even to this day promise God and the Father, perhaps, that they will become monks or priests, but after the promise grow slothful. Others, however, did not promise the monastic or priestly manner of life, yet they live in monastic and priestly fashion; so that these are obedient children, who do [the work] even though they promised nothing.

¹³ Hear another parable. There was a certain man, a householder, who planted a vineyard, and put a hedge about it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. He brings forward another parable to them, showing that, although they had been deemed worthy of countless cares, they were not made better. For the man, the householder, is the Lord, who is called “man” on account of his love of mankind. And the vineyard is the people of the Jews, planted by God in the land of promise; for, having brought them in, he says, you shall plant them in your holy mountain. And the hedge is the law, not permitting them to mingle with the Gentiles; or [it is] the angels who guarded Israel. The winepress is the altar. The tower is the temple. And the husbandmen are the teachers of the people, the Pharisees and scribes. And the householder, God, went into a far country, when he no longer spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; or the going into a far country [is] the long-suffering of God. For God seems both to slumber and to go away in being long-suffering, and in not exacting the penalties for wrongdoings on the very heels [of the deeds].

¹⁴ And when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and stoned another, and killed another. Again he sent other servants more than the first, and they did to them likewise. But afterward he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son. But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves: This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize on his inheritance. And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. The time of the fruits drew near in the times of the prophets. For the servants sent are the prophets, whom the husbandmen—that is, the false prophets and false teachers of the several times—insulted in various ways. For one they beat, as Micaiah, whom Zedekiah struck on the cheek; another they killed, as Zechariah, between the temple and the altar; and they stoned [another], as Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the high priest. And afterward the Son of God was sent, having appeared in the flesh. And the [saying] “They will reverence my son” he spoke, not in ignorance that they were about to kill him, but signifying what ought to have come to pass. For it ought, he says, even if they killed the servants, that they should at least reverence the dignity of the Son. But the husbandmen, when they saw him, said: “This is the heir; come, let us kill him.” For indeed the Jews, who said, “This is the Christ,” they crucified him. And they cast him out of the vineyard, for outside the city the Lord was put to death. But also, since we said that the vineyard is [the people] of the guileless disposition, the Pharisees killed him.

¹⁵ When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen? They say to him: He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. “When he comes”—when? Is it at the second coming? This too seems to be intended; nevertheless it is better understood thus: The lord of the vineyard is God the Father, who sent his Son, who was also slain by them. When, then, this one comes—that is, when he looks upon the lawlessness which the Jews committed—then he will miserably destroy those wicked men, sending against them the Roman armies. And his vineyard—that is, the people—he will let out to other husbandmen—that is, to the apostles and teachers. And understand by the vineyard also the divine Scriptures, in which the hedge is the letter; the winepress dug is the depth of the Spirit; and the tower is theology, being lofty and most exalted. These Scriptures, then, wicked husbandmen, the Pharisees, possessed before; but God let them out to us, who cultivate them well. For those men also killed the Lord outside the vineyard—that is, outside [the things] of which the Scriptures spoke.

¹⁶ Jesus says to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone shall be broken; but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. He names himself a stone; and the builders are the teachers of the Jews, who rejected him as useless, saying, You are a Samaritan, and have a demon. But he, having risen from the dead, was set as the head of the corner—that is, he became the head of the Church, joining together the Jews and the Gentiles into one faith. For just as the stone which forms the corner in a building holds together the wall on this side and on that, so also Christ bound all together into one faith. And this corner is marvelous, and was the Lord’s doing. For the Church which holds us together and unites us in faith was the Lord’s doing, and is worthy of much wonder, because it was so well built. And in another way too it is marvelous, because the word of Christ was confirmed and strengthened by the miracles; so that the constitution of the Church is marvelous. The kingdom of God, then, was taken away from the Jews—that is, the intimacy with God—and was given to those who believed. For those who stumble at the stone, and are scandalized at Christ, shall indeed be broken in the second coming; but already from now they have been ground to powder by him—that is, they have been scattered everywhere over the earth, as we now see the wretched Jews. This, then, is the [meaning of] “it will grind to powder”—that is, it will scatter them.

¹⁷ And when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them; and seeking to lay hold on him, they feared the crowds, since they held him to be a prophet. See again that the crowd, being guileless and unaffected, follows the truth; but the teachers of the law work wickedness. And even to this day the Hebrews seek to lay hold of Jesus, but they neither lay hold of him nor understand [him]. For they shall lay hold of the Antichrist, and shall worship him; but Christ shall not be seized, that is, understood, by them.

22 Chapter 22. — On those invited to the wedding feast. On the denarius. On the Sadducees. On the matter of the lawyer. On the Lord’s questionings.

¹ And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man who was a king, who made a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come to the wedding. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; and the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. And when that king heard of it, he was angry, and sent his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. This parable too signifies the disobedience of the Jews, just as the parable of the vineyard did. Except that the former indicates the death of Christ, while this one indicates a wedding joy, that is, the Resurrection. And this parable shows that these men sinned worse than those in the former parable. For those, when fruits were demanded of them, killed those who demanded them; but these, when invited to a wedding, displayed their bloodthirstiness. God, then, is likened to a man who is a king; for he does not appear as he is, but as he must appear toward us. Whenever, then, we die as men, being subject to human failings, God appears toward us as a man; but whenever we walk as gods, then God stands in the congregation of gods. And just as, whenever we live as wild beasts, he too becomes toward us, in their regard, a panther, and a bear, and a lion; so he makes a wedding for his Son, joining him to every soul that is beautiful. For Christ is the Bridegroom, and the bride is the Church and the soul. And the servants sent first are those around Moses, whom the Hebrews did not obey, but provoked God in the wilderness forty years, and would not receive the word of God and the spiritual joy. Then other servants were sent, the prophets. But of these too some they killed, as Isaiah; others they treated shamefully, as Jeremiah, casting him into a pit of mire. And others declined with milder feeling, the one going off to his own farm, that is, turning aside to a flesh-loving and luxurious life; for each man’s own farm is his body; and the other to his merchandise, that is, to the gain-loving life; for merchants are a most gain-loving race. The parable shows, then, that those who fail of the spiritual wedding, and of the union with Christ and of the banquet, fail for the most part through these two things: either through bodily pleasures, or through the passion of love of gain. And here he names it a dinner, although elsewhere he calls it a supper; and not without reason. He calls it a supper, because in the last times this wedding appeared in its fullness, and toward the evening, that is, the end of the ages; but a dinner, because in the former ages too the mystery was being revealed, though more dimly. And the oxen and the fatlings are the Old and the New Covenant. For the Old is shown through the oxen, for it had animal sacrifices; and the New through the fatlings, for now we offer loaves upon the altar, which might more truly be called fatlings, as being composed of wheat. God, then, calls us to eat both the good things of the Old Scripture and those of the New. But also, whenever you see someone interpreting the divine oracles clearly, know that such a one gives fatling foods; for he who teaches clearly, as it were, feeds and gives nourishment to the simpler. And you will inquire here how he says, Call those who are invited; if they were already invited, how was he about to call them again? Learn, then, that each of us is called by nature unto the good, being called by the word of the innate teacher. Nevertheless God sends also the outward teachers, that those who were called naturally by the word, these too may call outwardly. Then he says to his servants: The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy; go therefore to the partings of the highways, and as many as you find, call to the wedding. And those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was filled with guests. Since the former servants, those around Moses and the prophets, did not persuade them, then he sends other servants, the apostles, who called those of the nations, who were not walking in the true way, but were scattered, each in a different direction, divided among many ways and doctrines. Or rather, they were beside the partings of the ways, that is, in much error and irregularity. For indeed they too were in faction among themselves, and were not in the ways, but beside the partings; and those partings are the wicked doctrines which they held. But perhaps it is better understood also thus: The way is each man’s life and conduct; and the partings off from the way are the doctrines. The Greeks, then, having wicked ways, that is, blameworthy lives, went out from their wicked lives unto the godless doctrines, setting up shameful gods as advocates for their passions. The apostles, then, going out from Jerusalem to the nations, gathered together all, both bad and good, that is, both those filled with all wickedness, and the good in comparison with those.

² And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who was not clothed in a wedding garment, and he says to him: Friend, how did you come in here, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants: Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; for many are called, but few are chosen. The entrance into the wedding comes about by grace; for by grace alone were we all called, both good and bad. But the life thereafter of those who have entered will not be unexamined; rather, the king makes a very thorough examination of those who, after entering into the faith, are found defiled. Let us shudder, then, considering that, if a man does not have a pure life, faith alone profits him nothing; for not only is he cast out of the wedding, but he is also sent away into the fire. And who is the one wearing defiled garments? He who has not put on bowels of compassion, kindness, brotherly love. Many, then, deceiving themselves with empty hopes, suppose that they will attain the kingdom of heaven, and thrust themselves into the company of the guests, thinking great things concerning themselves. And the Lord, in justifying himself toward that unworthy man, shows us these two things: one, that he is loving toward mankind; and the other, that we too must not condemn anyone, even if they sin openly, unless those who have sinned are convicted. The Lord, then, says to the servants, the angels of punishment:

³ Bind him hand and foot, that is, the active powers of his soul. For in the present age it is possible to act and to work; but in the age to come all the active powers of the soul are bound. And it is not possible to do any good to counterbalance one’s sins; and the gnashing of teeth is the unprofitable repentance that will then come about. For many are called; for God calls many, or rather all; but few are chosen. Few are both saved and worthy to be chosen by God; so that to call belongs to God, but to become chosen, this is in our power. The parable was spoken against the Jews, who were indeed called,

⁴ Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his speech; and they send to him their disciples together with the Herodians. What was being done was a plot, and for this reason Luke too names such men as suborned spies, as having been sent secretly to plot against Christ. And the Herodians were either the soldiers of Herod, or those who supposed that Herod was the Christ; for since, when the rulers of Judah had failed, Herod reigned, they supposed that he was the Christ. The Pharisees, then, come with these to entrap him. And hear how they speak with him, saying:

⁵ Teacher, we know that you are true, and that you teach the way of God in truth, and that you care for no one, for you do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said: Why do you tempt me, hypocrites? Show me the tribute coin. And they brought him a denarius. And he says to them: Whose image and inscription is this? They say to him: Caesar’s. Then he says to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And when they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went their way. Supposing that they would soften him and make him slack through their praises, they flatter him, that, made slack, he might say that one ought not to give the tribute, and from this they might seize him as a seditious man stirring up the people against Caesar. For this reason too they bring along the Herodians, as being of the king, that they might lay hold of him as a revolutionary. You do not regard the person, they say; that is, you would say nothing to gratify Pilate or Herod. Tell us, then, ought we to be subject to men also, and to bring them the tax, just as we bring the half-shekel to God; or should we pay it to God alone, and not also to Caesar? This they said so that, if he should say that one ought not to pay it to Caesar, they might lay hold of him and kill him, as they did those around Theudas and Judas, who said that one ought not to sacrifice on behalf of Caesar’s name. But Jesus, through Caesar’s being stamped upon the coin, persuades them that one ought to render to Caesar his own things, that is, the things bearing his image; and that in bodily and outward matters we are to be subject to the one who reigns, but in the inward and spiritual matters, to God. And it must also be understood thus: that each of us ought to render and cast back to Caesar the things of Caesar, that is, the things of the demon who rules over the things below. For example, you have wrath from Caesar; cast this upon him, be angry against him; for thus you will be able also to render to God the things of God. But moreover, since we too are twofold, for we are composed of soul and body, to the body, as to Caesar, we owe food and clothing, but to the diviner part within us, the things that befit it.

⁶ On that day there came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and they questioned him, saying: Teacher, Moses said: If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers; and the first, having married, died; and having no seed, he left his wife to his brother; likewise also the second, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her. When the Pharisees together with the Herodians had been silenced, again the Sadducees tempt him. And the heresy of these men was of this sort: they believed neither in a resurrection, nor in spirit, nor in angel, being disposed opposite to the Pharisees. So they put together a thing that never happened. For suppose that two took her, and died: how would the third not have taken it for a bad omen and refused the marriage, taught by those before him? They fabricate it, then, supposing that they would throw Christ into perplexity, that they might slander the resurrection; and they take Moses as an advocate for their fabrication. And they said the brothers were seven, that they might the more make a mockery of the mystery of the resurrection; and whose, they say, shall the woman be? One might say, then: O foul Sadducees, she shall be the wife of the one who first married her, if indeed we should grant that there is marriage even in the resurrection; for the others are men after the manner of remarriage, not lawful husbands.

⁷ But Jesus answered and said to them: You are in error, knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the crowds heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. The Savior shows that there will indeed be a resurrection, and not such a fleshly one as they err in supposing, but a diviner and more spiritual one. For why, he says, are you in error, knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For if you knew the Scriptures, you would understand that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living; and if you knew the power of God, you would know that all things are possible to God, so that he can even make men live as angels. And see the wisdom of the Lord: those men were eager to overthrow the doctrine of the resurrection from Moses, and he in turn persuades them from Moses. For I am, he says, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob; and what he means is this: God is not the God of those who are not, but of those who subsist and are; for he did not say, I was, but, I am. For even if they died, yet they live in the hope of the resurrection. But you ask, How then does he say elsewhere that he is Lord both of the dead and of the living? Learn, then, that there he calls dead those who have died, but who are about to live. But here the Lord, in standing against the heresy of the Sadducees, who held that the soul is not immortal but is utterly destroyed, says that God is not the God of the dead, that is, of those who, as it seems to you, are utterly destroyed, but of the living, that is, of those who have an immortal soul, and who will rise again, even if now they are dead.

⁸ But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they were gathered together to the same place, and one of them, a lawyer, questioned him, tempting him, and saying: Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? And Jesus said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; this is the first and great commandment; and the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Out of measureless envy the tempter approaches; for since they saw the Sadducees put to shame, and the Lord praised for his wisdom, they approach tempting him, to see whether he would add something to the first commandment, as though correcting the law, that they might find a handle against him. But the Lord, testifying against their wickedness, that they came not to learn, but out of having no love, and rather out of envy and jealousy, shows love to be supreme among the commandments. And he teaches that we must not love God partially, but give our whole selves to God. For we observe these three distinctions concerning the soul of man: the vegetative, the animal, and the rational. For in that whereby it grows and is nourished, and begets its like, it is likened to plants; and in that whereby it grows angry and desires, to the animals; and in that whereby it reasons, it is called rational. See, then, these three signified here:

⁹ You shall love your God with all your heart; this is the animal part of man; and with all your soul; this is the vegetative, for plants too are ensouled; and with all your mind; this is the rational. So that to love God with the whole soul is this: to attend to him through all the parts and powers of the soul. This is the first and great commandment, training us unto piety; and the second is like it, rousing us toward what is just in our dealings with men. For there are two things that lead unto destruction: wicked doctrines and a corrupted life. That we may not fall, then, into impious doctrines, we must love God; and that we may not have a corrupted life, we must love our neighbor; for he who loves his neighbor fulfills all the commandments, and he who fulfills the commandments loves God. So that these two commandments are knit together and established through one another, and they contain all the other commandments. For who that loves God and his neighbor will steal, or bear malice, or commit adultery, or murder, or fornicate? And this lawyer came at first tempting, but then, having been bettered by the answer of Christ, was praised, as Mark too says: that Jesus, looking upon him, welcomed him, and said to him: You are not far from the kingdom of God.

¹⁰ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them, saying: What do you think concerning the Christ? Whose son is he? They say to him: David’s. He says to them: How then does David in spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? If David, then, calls him Lord, how is he his son? And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day to question him any more. Since they supposed him to be a mere man, he overturns their opinion, and teaches the truth through the prophecy of David, that he is also Lord, proclaiming his own divinity. For when the Pharisees had said that the Christ is the son of David, that is, a mere man, he says: How then does David name him Lord? And not simply Lord, but in spirit, that is, having had him revealed through the grace of the Spirit? And he says this not denying that he is the son of David, but showing this: that he is not a mere man, descended only from the seed of David. And the Lord asks these things, so that either, saying, We do not know, they might ask and learn; or, saying the truth, they might believe; or, having nothing to say, they might be put to shame and withdraw, no longer daring to question him.

23 Chapter 23. — On the woe pronounced upon the Pharisees.

¹ Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying: The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down on Moses’ seat; all things, therefore, that they tell you to observe, observe and do; but do not do according to their works. For they say, and do not do. When he had silenced them, and shown that their disease was incurable, then he speaks concerning them; he discourses about life and conduct, correcting his hearers, that they might not despise their teachers, even if they be of a corrupted life. And at the same time he shows that he is not opposed to the law, but rather wills that the things of the law be done, even if those who teach these things are unworthy. For whatever the teachers say, he says, consider that they say it from Moses, or rather from God. Ought one, then, to do all things whatsoever they say, even if they be evil? We say, then, first, that a teacher would never dare to urge anyone toward evil. Next, even if we should grant this, that there will be someone urging others to an evil life, such a one does not speak from Moses’ seat, nor from the law. Nor does the Lord speak concerning such, but concerning those who sit on Moses’ seat, that is, those who teach the things of the law. We must, then, hear those who teach anything from the divine law, even if they themselves do not do it.

² For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger. And all their works they do to be seen by men; for they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. The Pharisees laid on heavy burdens, compelling men to fulfill the commandments of the law, which were many and hard to keep; or also they weighed men down beyond the commandments of the law, handing on certain traditions beyond the law, while they themselves would not move them with their finger, that is, did nothing themselves, nor dared even to come near to such burdens. For when the teacher not only teaches but also does, he seems to bear the load together with those he teaches, and to help them; but when he loads me down, while he himself does nothing, he weighs me down the more, showing, by the very things he neglects, that it is impossible to accomplish what he says. The Lord, then, accuses the Pharisees, as unwilling to help bear the weight of the commandments and to work together. And not only do they do no good, but they even make a show of doing it; and yet even if they did do it, since they did it to be seen, the gain would be taken away from them. But as it is, of how great condemnation are they worthy, when they neither do it, and yet wish to be glorified as doers? And what do they do? They make broad their phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments. And this matter was of this kind: it was laid down in the law, Write upon your hand, and let it be unmoved before your eyes. So they wrote the ten commandments of the law upon two skins, that is, parchments, and set the one upon their forehead, and hung the other from the right hand; and they made the borders upon the edges of their garments, certain threads of hyacinth-blue or of scarlet, like fringes. And this too they found laid down in the law, that, seeing them, they might not forget the commandments of God. But God did not will this; rather, the having of the phylactery upon the hand signified that one must work the commandments; and the borders being scarlet signified that we must be marked with the blood of Christ. But the Pharisees falsified it, enlarging the phylacteries and the borders, that they might seem to be keepers of the law.

³ And they love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men Rabbi, Rabbi. Rabbi! As if he should say: Because they love it, for this reason they are condemned. And if the one who merely loves the chief place is blamed, of what is the one worthy who does everything for the sake of it? And the chief seats in the synagogues; there, where they ought rather to have taught others to be humble-minded, there they themselves were corrupted. For they did everything for the sake of glory; and in doing these things they were not ashamed, but rather loved to hear Rabbi, Rabbi, that is, teachers.

⁴ But you, do not be called Rabbi; for one is your teacher, the Christ; and you are all brothers. And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, who is in the heavens. Nor be called masters; for one is your master, the Christ. But the greater among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Christ does not forbid that anyone be called a teacher, but the wishing to be called so out of passion, and being eager in every way to be so called. For the dignity of teacher belongs in the proper sense to God alone. And in saying, Call no man father, he does not forbid the honor due to parents, since he wills us to honor our parents, and especially our spiritual fathers; but he leads us to recognize the true Father, that is, God; for properly God is Father. The bodily fathers are not the cause of our begetting, but ministers and joint causes. And showing the gain of humble-mindedness, he says that the greater among you ought to be your servant and least. For he who exalts himself, supposing himself to be something, shall be humbled, being abandoned by God.

⁵ But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour the houses of widows, and for a pretense make long prayers; for this you shall receive the greater judgment. He calls these men hypocrites, as professing reverence and doing nothing worthy of the profession, but for a pretense of praying long, that is, for a long time, devouring the goods of the widows. For in truth they were mockers, deriding the simpler and despoiling them. Therefore you shall also receive the greater judgment, because you devour all the goods of the widows, to whom you ought rather to have given freely, and to have set right their poverty. And in another way too the condemnation will be the greater, because under the guise of a good work, that is, of praying, they accomplish something wicked, the devouring of the goods of the widows; for he is worthy of the greatest condemnation who, under the guise of a good thing, allures men to evil.

⁶ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut up the kingdom of heaven before men; for you neither enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Not only, he says, are you yourselves unbelieving, and have a corrupted life, but you also teach others not to believe in me, and through your life and example you corrupt them. For the people are wont to be made like their rulers, and the more so if they see them inclining toward evil. Let every wicked teacher and ruler see, then, what he gains: the woe, as one who through his own life does not allow any to advance toward the good.

⁷ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you go about the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, you make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves. Not only, he says, do you corrupt the Jews, but also those who from idolatry have come over to the Jewish religion; for these they named proselytes. For you are eager to turn someone to the Jewish way of life and to circumcision; but when he has Judaized, then he is destroyed, being corrupted by your wickedness. And a son of hell is one worthy of it, and having a certain kinship to it, so as to be burned by it.

⁸ Woe to you, blind guides, who say: Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound. Fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is bound. Fools and blind, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Whoever, then, swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things upon it; and whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it. He calls them blind, as unwilling to teach what is fitting, but honoring the lesser things, while accounting the things of the first honor to be of secondary worth. For they preferred the gold in the temple, and the Cherubim, and the golden jar, above the temple itself. Therefore they also taught many that it is nothing to swear against the temple, but to swear by the gold that surrounded the temple, which for this very reason was wholly venerable, namely that it surrounded the temple. And the gifts placed upon the altar they said were more honorable than the altar itself; so that the Pharisees also laid down this doctrine, that if anyone swore by the gold, or by an ox, or a sheep brought forward for sacrifice, and then forswore himself, he was condemned to pay the equivalent. For they preferred the gift to the altar because of the gains from the sacrifices. But if anyone swore by the temple and forswore himself, since he could not build something equal to the temple, for this reason he was let off; and so the oath by the temple seemed to be the lighter, because of the love of gain of the Pharisees. Under the old covenant, then, Christ does not allow the gift to be greater than the altar; but in our case the altar is rather sanctified by the gifts; for the things upon the altar are changed by divine grace into that very Body of the Master.

⁹ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, judgment and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, and not to have left the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat, but swallow the camel. Again he reproaches them as senseless, because, despising the greater commandments, they sought exactness in the small ones, not even overlooking the tithing of cumin, but tithing even that; and whenever anyone blamed them as petty, they alleged that the law says this. But it would have been better and more pleasing to God, if they had required judgment and mercy and faith of the people. And what is judgment? To do nothing unjust and unreasonable, but all things with discernment and with reason. For mercy at once follows judgment. For he who does all things with discernment knows also whom he ought to pity; and faith follows mercy. For he who shows mercy believes wholly that he will lose nothing, but will receive all things; and besides, one must show mercy, but also believe in the true God. For many of the Greeks had mercy, but, not believing in the living God, did not have faith following upon their mercy. Each of the teachers, then, must tithe from his own people, that is, require from the ten senses, the five bodily and the five of the soul, judgment and mercy and faith. And as for the saying, These you ought to have done, the Lord said it not to urge the tithing of herbs, but that he might not seem to be legislating against Moses for the time. And he names them blind guides, because, while boasting that they teach and know all things, they benefited no one, but rather corrupted all, casting them into a pit of unbelief. And he names them those who strain out the gnat, as guarding against the small sins, but swallowing the camel, that is, the great ones, and overlooking them.

¹⁰ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of plunder and injustice. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside of them may become clean also. Holding to the traditions of the elders, they washed the cups and the platters, that is, the dishes on which the meats are placed; but they drank wine got by plunder, and ate foods of plunder, and so defiled those very things. Do not acquire wine, then, he says, from injustice, and thereupon the inside of the cup becomes clean. Or he does not speak of cups and dishes, but of the bodily and outward state, and of the inward and spiritual. For you, he says, fashion the outside of the cup, that is, your outward state, to be the more dignified, but your inside is full of filth; for you plunder and act unjustly. But one must wash the inside, that is, the soul, that by the purity of the soul the outward dignity may shine forth together with it.

¹¹ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness; so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. This parable too is understood like the preceding one; for they were eager to appear dignified in their outward state, like the tombs that have been whitewashed, that is, made white with gypsum and lime; but their inward parts were full of all uncleanness and of dead and rotten works.

¹² Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say: If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. So that you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. He pronounces woe upon them, not because they build the tombs of the prophets, for this is pleasing to God, but because, while pretending these things, and supposedly condemning their fathers, they did worse than those, and surpassed them in wickedness, lying openly that, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have murdered the prophets; for they themselves grieved the Master of the prophets, so as to murder him. Therefore he also says:

¹³ And you, fill up the measure of your fathers. Serpents, offspring of vipers, how shall you flee from the judgment of hell? He says, Fill up the measure of your fathers, not commanding them, or urging them on to murder him, but he says something of this sort: Since you are serpents, and the offspring of such fathers, and have been hurled into so great a wickedness as to be incurable, more quickly be eager to outdo your fathers; and this will come to pass if you murder me; for you will attain the very summit of wickedness if you fill up the bloodthirstiness that was lacking to your fathers. How, then, being such, shall you flee from the punishment?

¹⁴ Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city. He convicts them, who had falsely said that, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have murdered the prophets. For behold, he says, I send prophets, and wise men, and scribes, but nevertheless you will kill them. And he says these things concerning the apostles; for the Holy Spirit, adorning them also with teachings, made them scribes, that is, teachers of the people, and prophets, and filled with all wisdom. And he said, I send, showing the authority of his divinity.

¹⁵ That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. He says that upon the Jews then living shall come all blood unjustly shed; for they shall be punished worse than their fathers, who were not brought to their senses even after so many examples; just as Lamech too was punished more than Cain, although he had not slain a brother, because he was not brought to his senses by the example concerning Cain. There shall come, then, he says, upon you all the blood, from Abel to Zechariah. And opportunely he made mention of Abel. For as Abel was slain through envy, so also was Christ, being envied. And which Zechariah does he here mention? Some say it is the one numbered among the twelve prophets; but others, the father of the Forerunner; for there is a tradition handed down to us, that there was a certain place in the temple in which the virgins stood. This Zechariah, then, being high priest, set the Theotokos, even after she had borne Christ, in the place of the virgins; and the Jews, being indignant at this, killed him, as having ranked among the virgins a woman who had given birth. And it is nothing to wonder at, if the father of the Forerunner too had a father named Barachiah, just as the one among the twelve prophets is also called the son of Barachiah; for it is likely that, just as the names of these men coincided, so also did the names of their fathers.

¹⁶ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets, and stone those who are sent to you, how often I wished to gather together your children, as a bird gathers her young under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall not see me from now on, until you say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. He doubles the name of Jerusalem, pitying her and calling her back with compassion; for, just as toward one beloved, but ardently despising the one who loves her, he makes his defense, being about to bring on the punishment. For he charges her as murderous, and that, though he often wished to have mercy on her, she herself would not, but, obeying the devil who scatters her and leads her away from the truth, which is a single and unified thing, she would not receive the Lord who gathers her together. For nothing so scatters from God as sin, just as, on the other hand, a good conscience gathers toward God. And showing his tender love, he set down the example of the bird. Therefore, since you will not, I leave the temple desolate. And from this let us learn that God dwells in the temples for our sake; but when we are given over to despair, then the temples too are forsaken. You shall not, then, see me until the second coming. For then, even unwillingly, they shall worship him, and shall say: Blessed is he who comes. And understand the from now on as meaning, after my crucifixion, not, however, that hour in which he was saying these things. For they saw him many times after he had spoken these things; yet after the crucifixion they did not see him, nor shall they see him until his coming is at hand.

24 Chapter 24. — On the consummation, the day and the hour.

¹ And Jesus went out and was departing from the temple, and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. But Jesus said to them: Do you see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. Going out from the temple, he showed that he would remove himself from the Jews. And just as he had said, Your house is left to you desolate, so indeed he also does. And he foretells to the disciples the destruction of the temple; for since they, being earthly-minded, were astonished at the beauty of the buildings, and as it were were showing Christ, See of what house the beauties are which you leave desolate, he leads them away from being nailed to earthly things, and sends them on toward the Jerusalem above. There shall not remain, he says, one stone upon another here; and this he said, hinting at the utter destruction of the building, and making his statement in a hyperbolic manner.

² And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately, saying: Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the consummation of the age? They come privately, as being about to question him concerning great matters. For they question him about two things: When shall these things be, that is, the destruction of the temple and the capture of Jerusalem; and another, What shall be the sign of your coming?

³ And Jesus answered and said to them: See that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying: I am the Christ; and they will deceive many. Many, he says, will come proclaiming themselves to be Christs; for indeed Dositheus the Samaritan said, I am the prophet foretold by Moses; and Simon the Samaritan named himself the great power of God.

⁴ And you will be about to hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places; but all these things are the beginning of birth-pangs. By wars he means those of the Romans at Jerusalem. And he says that not only wars will come to pass, but also famines and pestilences, showing that the wrath against the Jews will be sent from God. For the wars one might say come about through the malice of men; but the famines and pestilences from nowhere else than wholly from God. That they might not suppose that the world will be consummated before they preach, he says: Do not be troubled. For the consummation is not yet; nor will the general consummation come together with the razing of Jerusalem. And he says that nation shall be raised against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, because of the evils that are to befall the Jews, which are the beginning of birth-pangs. For just as the birth-pangs come upon the woman in labor, and so she gives birth, so too the present age, after its confusions and wars, will bring to birth the things to come.

⁵ Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will be made to stumble, and will betray one another, and will hate one another; and many false prophets will arise, and will deceive many. And because lawlessness will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end, the same shall be saved. He foretells the evils that will come to pass, encouraging the disciples by foretelling them. For the unexpected is wont to frighten and disturb. He levels out their fear, then, by foretelling the coming terrors, the envyings, the enmities, the stumblings, the false prophets, who are forerunners of the Antichrist, leading the many astray, so as to hurl them headlong into every kind of lawlessness; and because of the multiplying of lawlessness through the deceit of the Antichrist, men will become so brutish that they will not keep even a drop of love toward their nearest kin, but will be betrayed by one another. But he who endures to the end, and bears it patiently, and does not give way before the things brought upon him, shall be saved, having shown himself an approved soldier.

⁶ And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the inhabited world, for a testimony to all the nations; and then the end shall come. You shall not be hindered in your preaching; take courage. For the Gospel will be preached among all the nations, for a testimony, that is, for a reproof, for an accusation of those who did not believe; and then the end shall come, not of the world, but of Jerusalem; for before Jerusalem was captured, the Gospel was preached, as Paul too says: The Gospel having been preached in all creation under heaven. For that he speaks concerning the end of Jerusalem is plain from what follows; for he says:

⁷ When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let him who reads understand— By the abomination of desolation he means the statue of the one who took the city, which he set up in the inner sanctuary of the temple; of desolation, then, because the city was laid waste; and an abomination, because the Hebrews, hating idolatry, called the statues and the images of men abominations.

⁸ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not come down to take the things out of his house, and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his garments. Hinting at the inescapable excess of the calamities, he says that one must flee without turning back, taking no thought for the things in the houses, neither garments nor other goods. But some, understanding the abomination of desolation to be the Antichrist, as one who will come for the desolation of the world and the overthrow of the churches, and will sit in the temple, understand these things too in this way: that he who is on the housetop, that is, who is in the height of the virtues, must not come down from the height of the virtues so as to take up the things of the body. For the house of the soul is the body. And one must withdraw also from the field, that is, from earthly things; for the field is this life; and one must not take up the garment, the old wickedness which we have put off.

⁹ But woe to those who are with child and to those who give suck in those days. For the women with child will not be able to flee, weighed down by the burden of the womb. And those who give suck, because of their sympathy toward their children, being able neither to leave them, nor yet to carry them and be saved together with them, will not escape the wrath of that time. Or Christ hints also at this, the eating of children. For Josephus says that, there being a famine because of the siege, a woman roasted her own child and ate it.

¹⁰ But pray that your flight may not be in winter, nor on the Sabbath. He says these things in the person of the apostles to the Jews; for the apostles had already gone out of Jerusalem beforehand. To the Jews, then, he says to pray that their flight may not be in winter, since because of the difficulty of the season they would not be able to escape, nor on the Sabbath, for then they rest according to the law, and would not dare to flee. But understand it also thus: that we must pray that our flight from this life, that is, our death, may not be on a Sabbath, in the idleness of good deeds, nor in winter, in the barrenness of good things, but in the fair weather and tranquility of the soul.

¹¹ For then there shall be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be; and unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened. The tribulation then was unbearable. For the soldiers of the Romans were ordered to spare no one; but God, for the sake of those who were about to believe from among them, or who had already believed, did not allow them to be utterly destroyed, but shortened both the tribulations and the war. For if the war had prevailed longer, all those within would have perished by the famine. But some understand these things concerning the days of the Antichrist; yet these things are not about the Antichrist, but about the capture of Jerusalem. And the things concerning the Antichrist begin from here; listen.

¹² Then if anyone says to you, Behold, here is the Christ, or there, do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise, and will give great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand. Since the disciples brought forward two questions, concerning the capture of Jerusalem and concerning the coming of the Lord, having spoken of the capture, he now begins to speak concerning his own coming and the consummation of the world. And the word then does not indicate this, that immediately after Jerusalem is captured, if anyone says to you, and so forth, but it indicates that time at which it is about to come to pass; so that what is said is of this sort: Then, that is, when the Antichrist is about to come, there will be many false christs and false prophets, who through the phantasms of demons mock the eyes of those who behold them, so as to deceive some; so that, unless they are watchful, even the righteous will be deceived. But behold, I have told you beforehand; you have no excuse; for you are able not to be deceived.

¹³ If, then, they say to you, Behold, he is in the wilderness, do not go out; behold, he is in the inner chambers, do not believe it. For as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines as far as the west, so shall be the coming of the Son of man; for wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. If the deceivers come, he says, saying that the Christ has come, but he is hidden in the wilderness, or in some house, and in the inner chambers and more secret places of it, do not be deceived; for the coming of Christ does not need anyone to point it out, but will be manifest to all, just like the lightning. For this too is both sudden and clear to all; so that coming of his too will be evident to all who are in the world; for it is not as in the former coming, when he passed from place to place, that it will be in the second, but in the twinkling of an eye he will be present. And just as the eagles, that is, the vultures, swiftly gather over a dead body, so also, wherever Christ may be, all the saints will come, who fly to the heights and are to be caught up in the clouds like eagles. And the carcass is wholly Christ, because of his falling for us and dying, as Symeon too says: This one is set for the falling.

¹⁴ But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. After the coming of the Antichrist, he says, which will quickly be brought to an end—for this he indicated by the immediately—the sun shall be darkened, that is, shall be dimmed, not vanishing away, but overcome by the light of Christ’s coming; and likewise the stars and the moon. For what need is there any longer of such perceptible light, there being no night, and the Sun of righteousness having appeared? But also the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, that is, they shall be astounded and shudder, seeing the creation being altered, and all men from Adam until then about to give account.

¹⁵ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming upon the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. The Cross will then be seen in heaven, shining brighter than the sun, for a reproof of the Jews; for the Lord comes against the Jews as one having the Cross as a kind of mightiest vindication, just as if someone struck by a stone should display the stone. And by the sign he means the Cross, as a trophy and a royal emblem. Then, therefore, shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, namely the Jewish tribes, perceiving their own unbelief; and all those who are earthly-minded, even if they are Christians, shall mourn. For the tribes of the earth might be said to be those who are cast down upon earthly things. And if the Lord comes with the Cross, yet he comes also with power and great glory.

¹⁶ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. He will send the angels to gather together the saints, and those who have risen from the dead, so as to meet him in the clouds. He honors them, then, even with the calling through angels. And if Paul too says that they will be caught up through clouds, this is not contrary; for when they have been collected by the angels, the clouds will catch them up. And the trumpet is for the greater astonishment.

¹⁷ Now from the fig tree learn the parable: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near; so also you, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors. When, he says, all these things have come to pass, the interval between the consummation and my coming will not be great. And by summer he means the age to come, and the calm after the storm, which is for the righteous; whereas for sinners it is rather winter and turmoil. As, then, he says, seeing the branches and the leaves of the fig tree, you hope for summer, so also, seeing those signs which I have spoken of, the sun and the moon being altered, look for my coming.

¹⁸ Truly I say to you, this generation shall not pass away until all these things come to pass. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. By generation here he means, not the one then existing, but that of the faithful; as if he were saying this: The generation of the faithful shall not pass away until all these things come to pass. For do not, because you hear of famines and pestilences, suppose that the generation of the faithful will be destroyed by these evils, but it will remain, and no terror shall prevail over it. But some understood the all these things of the capture of Jerusalem alone, and not also of the second coming; whence they interpret it thus: This generation shall not pass away, that is, the generation of you the apostles shall see the calamities of Jerusalem. And confirming what he has said, he says that it is easier for heaven and earth to vanish away, those fixed and unmoved elements, than for anything of the things spoken by me to prove false.

¹⁹ But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of the heavens, except my Father alone. Here he teaches the disciples not to seek to learn the things that surpass human knowledge. For in saying, not even the angels, he restrained them from learning now what even the angels do not know; and in saying that the Father alone knows, he prevented them from seeking to learn it for the time thereafter. For if he had said, I do know, but I do not wish to tell you, they would have been grieved, as though despised by him; but as it is, by saying that not even the Son knows, except the Father alone, he prevents them from seeking; just as fathers too, often holding something in their hands, and then being asked for it by their children, and not wishing to give it, hide it, saying, We do not have what you seek; and so the children cease their wailing. So also the Lord, that he might make the apostles cease from wishing to learn concerning the day and the hour, said that not even I know, except the Father alone; for that he himself too knows that hour and day was plain even from many other things. For all things that the Father has are the Son’s; and the Father has the knowledge of the day; the Son, then, also has it. And more evidently, from this: for how is it possible that the Son should be ignorant of the day, to whom the things before the day are thus known? For he who has led us to the very doorway, plainly knew the door also; but profitably he did not open it; for it is not profitable for us to know when the consummation is, lest we grow slack. For ignorance keeps us awake.

²⁰ But as the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of man also be. For as they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of man also be. For the confirmation of his unerring words, he makes use of the things that came to pass in Noah’s time; for as then some accounted the building of the ark a thing to mock at, until the calamity came and swept all away, so now too some mock at the words concerning the consummation; but suddenly, he says, the destruction will come upon them. And he shows that, when the Antichrist has come, pleasure will prevail over men, and they will incline toward marriages and luxuries more insolently, just like the giants in Noah’s time.

²¹ Then two shall be in the field; the one is taken, and the one is left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left. Then, he says, when all are without care, and are working their own works, the one is taken, that is, the righteous one, to meet the Lord in the air, but the one, the sinner, of course, is left below, in Hades. But even if certain ones are servants and are grinding, of these too some are taken, all who are worthy, and others are left, all who are unworthy; so that from this also we learn that both servants and women are not hindered from virtue.

²² Watch, therefore, for you do not know in what hour your Lord comes. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief comes, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for in an hour when you do not think, the Son of man comes. He commands them to be vigilant and to make themselves ready, that is, to have the works of virtue stored up beforehand, so that, when the Lord comes, requiring some of the things he wills, we may have something to give. And see how he did not say, I do not know in what hour the thief comes, but, You do not know; and by the thief he means the consummation, and the death of each one. And he hints from this that his coming will be also by night. As, then, the thief comes unseen, so also my coming; therefore do not grow slack, but be watchful. For if we knew when our death will be, we would be eager to please God on that day alone; but now, being ignorant of it, we are ever watchful unto the works of virtue.

²³ Who then is the faithful and prudent servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, shall find so doing. Truly I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. The Lord raises the question who shall be the faithful and prudent servant, whom his master set over his household, in order to show that such a one is rare and hard to find. And of every steward two things are required, faithfulness and prudence; for whether he is faithful and steals nothing, but is not prudent, and squanders the goods to no purpose, or whether, while being prudent, he himself steals, there is no benefit. The one, then, who shall then be found faithful and prudent, that one will also attain the more perfect things, I mean the kingdom of heaven. For of all the possessions of God the saints shall be heirs. And a faithful and prudent servant is also every teacher who in due season gives the food to each of those taught by him, such as Paul, now giving milk to drink, now speaking wisdom, being a faithful minister, he who was formerly a blasphemer, and prudent, as not being ignorant of the devices of the enemy. But also everyone who has received anything whatever from God, whether money, or power, or rule, ought to administer these things both faithfully and prudently, as one who shall give account.

²⁴ But if that wicked servant says in his heart, My master delays his coming, and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, the master of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect him, and in an hour when he does not know, and will cut him asunder, and will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Having said how the faithful servant will be honored, he now says how the wicked one will be punished. For if anyone entrusted with the stewardship of some gift despises the judgment-seat there, and says, My master delays, that is, does not impose the punishment forthwith and immediately, and makes the long-suffering of God an occasion for wickedness, and beats his fellow servants—I mean, causes them to stumble, and beats their conscience; for the subjects, seeing the rulers using badly the things given them, are struck and made to stumble, and are harmed—such a one, then, will be cut asunder, that is, will be stripped of the gift that was his, and then he will appear for what he was, and will be cast into the darkness; for formerly through his outward guise he deceived, such as many of the chief priests, seeming to be holy because of their dignity; but then the grace will be taken from them. And they will be punished as hypocrites, being one thing and appearing another.