is forced to bear its burden. And old wineskins are also old men; but new wine is the new word, which they do not contain; for their rottenness is burst, not bearing the power of the spiritual life. And the word was not given to such people for a purpose, but as far as it concerned them, it was received in vain. Therefore, the Lord, by saying these things, was foreshadowing the renewal of the disciples that would take place in his resurrection, after which

it was now the time for spiritual practices. 42 Mt 9, 27-31 There is no boast, if power speaks of its own ability; but it would be a boast for one not having the ability by nature, but receiving it through grace, to say "I am able." And the Savior instructed the blind men to tell no one what had happened, teaching us that one must not show off; for it was no boast for God that the truth be spoken about him. But the confession of those who were healed about their healing did not bring an accusation, but testified to their gratitude.

43 Mt 10, 5-6 He did not completely cut off those from the nations who were going to believe, nor the Samaritans, he who "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth," but it was necessary first to go to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," just as he himself says to the Canaanite woman: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," which God promised to seek through Ezekiel the prophet. For they lost the law given to them by not keeping it. 45 Mt 10, 7 And he says it has drawn near, not as if it were absent; for it had drawn near when the Lord became incarnate, but as far as it concerns those who have not yet believed, Christ seems

to be absent from them. 46 Mt 10, 9-10 For I wish to show the ministers of the gospel to be completely free and without care, not humbled by any anxiety for the body. And Matthew and Luke say, "neither sandals" "nor" a tunic "nor a staff," which seems to be the most trivial of all to take, "for the journey." But Mark seems to permit them to take a "staff" and "to wear sandals" in some of the copies. For in others he says that "he instructed them to take nothing for the journey," neither a "staff" nor a "bag" nor "bread" nor "copper in their belt" nor "to wear <sandals>." 47 Mt 10, 10 Neither two tunics, but the "seamless" and "woven from the top" Christ Jesus; "for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ"; for one "must put off" the old man with his practices "and his desires." Having left this "in the hands" of the Egyptian woman, Joseph went out naked. 48 Mt 10, 10 Nor sandals. It is fitting for an apostle on his journeys not to have deadness, but to travel with living feet Him who said, "I am the way," and to go out from holy ground suspecting nothing difficult; for there are no "ways of a serpent on a rock," and perhaps not of any other beast either. 49 Mt 10, 10 For as long as you have the Savior enlightening your darkness and guarding "your coming in and your going out," you have no need of sandals. 50 Mt 10, 10 Where there is no disorder, but gentleness, there is no need of a staff, so that one does not seem at the beginning to be frightening by means of the staff; for the good sheep turn back at the voice of the shepherd alone, so that if you have meekness, do not fear the rod, which is threatened to the Corinthians by

Paul. 51 Mt 10, 11-15 He says these things so as not to carry away an opinion of an easy and ready judgment from those who inhabit the city. And he brings a punishment equal to that of the Sodomites upon those who did not receive them, since the former insulted the angels who seemed to have come for hospitality, while the latter rejected those calling them to the kingdom. 52 Mt 10, 16 Just as the serpent withdraws from its pursuers and hides itself, so too

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φέρειν αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐπαχθὲς ἀναγ κάζεται. ἀσκοὶ δὲ παλαιοὶ καὶ οἱ παλαιοὶ ἄνθρωποι· οἶνος δὲ νέος ὁ καινὸς λόγος, ὃν οὐ χωροῦσιν· ῥήγνυται γὰρ αὐτῶν τὸ σαθρὸν οὐ φέρον τὸ δυνατὸν τοῦ πνευματικοῦ βίου. καὶ οὐκ εἰς δέον ἐδόθη τοῖς τοιούτοις ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἐπ' αὐτοῖς εἰς μάτην ἐχώρησεν. ταῦτα οὖν ὁ κύριος λέγων τὴν ἀνακαίνωσιν προεδήλου τῶν μαθητῶν τὴν ἐσομένην ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ, μεθ' ἣν

ἤδη καιρὸς τῶν πνευματικῶν ἐπιτηδεύσεων. 42 Mt 9, 27-31 Κόμπος οὐδείς, ἐὰν ἡ δύναμις λέγῃ περὶ ἑαυτῆς τὸ δύνασθαι· κόμπος δ' ἂν ἦν τῷ μὴ φύσει τὸ δύνασθαι ἔχοντι, ἀλλὰ διὰ χάριτος λαμβάνοντι λέγειν ὅτι δύναμαι . παρήγγειλε δὲ ὁ σωτὴρ τοῖς τυφλοῖς τὸ μηδενὶ ἐξειπεῖν τὸ γενόμενον, τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι διδάσκων ἡμᾶς· οὐ γὰρ θεῷ κόμπος ἦν τὸ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγεσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ. ἡ δὲ τῶν ἰαθέντων ὁμολογία περὶ τῆς ἰάσεως οὐκ ἔγκλημα ἤνεγκεν, ἀλλ' εὐγνωμοσύνην ἐμαρτύρησεν.

43 Mt 10, 5-6 Οὐ τελείως ἀπέκοψεν τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν μέλλοντας πιστεύειν οὔτε τοὺς Σαμαρείτας ὁ «πάντας ἀνθρώπους » θέλων «σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν », ἀλλ' ἔδει πρῶτον ἐπὶ «τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολω λότα οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ » πορεύεσθαι καθὰ καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς τὴν Χαναναίαν φησίν· «οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ », ἅπερ ὁ θεὸς ζητήσειν ἐπηγγείλατο διὰ Ἰεζεκιὴλ τοῦ προφήτου. ἀπωλώ λεσαν δὲ τὸν δοθέντα αὐτοῖς νόμον οὐ φυλάξαντες. 45 Mt 10, 7 Ἠγγικέναι δὲ λέγει οὐχ ὡς ἀποῦσαν· ἦν γὰρ ἐγγίσασα τοῦ κυρίου σαρκωθέντος, ἀλλ' ὅσον πρὸς τοὺς μήπω πιστεύσαντας δοκεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς

ἀπεῖναι αὐτῶν. 46 Mt 10, 9-10 Ἐλευθέρους γὰρ πάντη καὶ ἀφρόντιδας ἀποδεῖξαι <τοὺς> τοῦ εὐαγγε λίου διακόνους βούλομαι μηδεμιᾷ σώματος ἕνεκα μερίμνῃ ταπεινουμένους. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖός φησιν καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς «μήτε ὑποδήματα » «μήτε » ἱμάτιον «μηδὲ ῥάβδον» , ὃ δοκεῖ πάντων εὐτελέστατον εἶναι λαβεῖν, «εἰς ὁδὸν» ἕλησθε. ὁ δὲ Μᾶρκος «ῥάβδον» δοκεῖ ἐπιτρέπειν αὐτοῖς λαμβάνειν καὶ «ὑποδεδέσθαι σανδάλια » ἔν τισι τῶν ἀντιγράφων. ἐν ἄλλοις γάρ φησιν, ὅτι «παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδὲν αἴρωσιν εἰς ὁδόν », μήτε «ῥάβδον» μήτε «πήραν» μήτε «ἄρτον » μήτε «εἰς τὴν ζώνην χαλκὸν » μήτε «ὑπο δεδεμένους <σανδάλια> ». 47 Mt 10, 10 Μήτε δύο χιτῶνας , ἀλλὰ τὸν «ἄρραφον » καὶ «ἄνωθεν ὑφαντὸν » Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν· «ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύ-σασθε »· «τὸν » γὰρ παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον « ἀποδύσασθαι δεῖ » σὺν ταῖς πράξεσι « καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις » αὐτοῦ . τοῦτον καταλείψας Ἰωσὴφ «ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ » Αἰγυπτίας γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθεν. 48 Mt 10, 10 Μηδὲ ὑποδήματα . ἀποστόλῳ πρέπον ἐν ταῖς πορείαις μὴ ἔχειν νέκρωσιν, ζῶσι δὲ ποσὶν ὁδεύειν τὸν εἰπόντα· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός », καὶ ἐκβαίνειν ἁγίας γῆς μηδὲν ὑφορώμενον χαλεπόν· οὐ γάρ εἰσιν «ὁδοὶ ὄφεως ἐπὶ πέτρας », τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ ἄλλου θηρίου. 49 Mt 10, 10 Ὅσον γὰρ ἔχεις τὸν σωτῆρα φωτίζοντα τὸ σκότος σου καὶ φυλάσ σοντα «τὴν εἴσοδόν σου καὶ τὴν ἔξοδόν σου », οὐκ ἔχεις χρείαν ὑποδη μάτων. 50 Mt 10, 10 Ὅπου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀταξία, ἀλλ' ἡμερότης, οὐ χρεία ῥάβδου, ἵνα μὴ ἐν ἀρχῇ δόξῃ ἐκφοβεῖν διὰ τῆς ῥάβδου· τὰ γὰρ καλὰ πρόβατα διὰ μόνης φωνῆς ἐπιστρέφουσι τοῦ ποιμένος, ὥστε εἰ ἔχεις τὸ πρᾶον, μὴ φοβοῦ τὴν ῥάβδον, ἣν Κορινθίοις ἐπανατείνεται ὁ

Παῦλος. 51 Mt 10, 11-15 Ταῦτά φησιν ὥστε μὴ εὐκόλου καὶ προχείρου γνώμης ἀποφέρεσθαι δόξαν παρὰ τοῖς τὴν πόλιν οἰκοῦσιν. ἰσόρροπον δὲ τοῖς Σοδομίταις τὴν τιμωρίαν τοῖς μὴ δεξαμένοις ἐπάγει, ἐπειδήπερ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ ξενίαν ἐλη λυθέναι δοκοῦντας τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἐνύβρισαν, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ βασιλείαν καλοῦν τας παρῃτοῦντο. 52 Mt 10, 16 Ὥσπερ ὁ ὄφις ὑποχωρεῖ τοῖς διώκουσι καὶ κατακρύπτει ἑαυτόν, οὕτω καὶ

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