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having taught them to bear their sufferings nobly, since the disposition of kinship was being left behind, being very capable of making reason slack (for who would readily choose to be extremely hostile towards his closest relatives?), he rightly says, "Do not think"; for I want you to be so far from respecting physical kinship, that it is fitting for you to know this more: that my preaching will cause a great division among family members; for I want those who have once chosen to look toward piety to put all kinship, even the closest, in second place. 36

Mt 12, 30 How is it possible? he says, for me to come together with the demons, when it is so clear that I am doing the opposite of them, and they are contriving to do everything to the contrary? For I and my followers try to lead all people to God, and this is what my company of associates wants, but they have been eager to drag everyone away. 37 mt 12, 33 Since Beelzebul is evil, and the things done by me possess immeasurable goodness, your statements are inconsistent; for neither can the evil one do anything good nor the good one anything evil, just as trees cannot bear fruit unlike themselves. 38 mt 12, 38 Since Moses had persuaded them through wonders and thus had given the law, they want him also to do something of this sort, as if they would supposedly change their mind, if he should do this. 39

mt 13, 24-30 After the growth of Christianity and when it has already begun to appear throughout the whole world, heresies will be revealed, with some perverting the truth and taking on the name of Christians and by this luring the many; for such also is the darnel, which comes from the wheat by corruption and bears some truth of the wheat in its appearance; this, he says, will grieve even the invisible powers with their goodwill toward me, so that they would wish to destroy both the inventors and those who are persuaded by them, but I will prevent this from happening for the sake of those who are strangers to the faith, lest, if they suffer this, the adversaries, thinking because of the common name that the Christians are being punished by the demons on account of their audacity and because they teach all to depart from idols, might be entirely alienated from piety, so that henceforth the gathering of the pious would be diminished for them, with the many fleeing from approaching Christianity in ignorance of what is happening. And what, when the servants come and are perplexed, does he answer them? He tells of their disposition, and the reason for the permission; for whenever he sketches discourses on parables, he assigns plausibility to the parables, so that they may also seem to be complete, being made in the order of a narrative. But it is fitting for us to examine the purpose which he wishes to signify through the parable. 40

mt 21, 12 but the work is more forceful, not being done in childishness of speech, when he both cast out the sellers and overturned the tables; and yet according to the prophetic word he has done nothing violent, according to "he will not quarrel or cry out" and "his voice will not be heard." And John said that he had "made a whip of cords"; and this is a sign of rebuke and forcefulness. Therefore this too must be counted among symbols; for he did not strike anyone with a whip, but it was a sign of the scourge being brought upon those who pollute the things of God with market affairs. 42

mt 22, 16 They say the Herodians are the soldiers of Herod or the collectors of the taxes imposed on the Jews by the Romans. 43

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τὰ πάθη φέρειν γενναίως παιδεύσας αὐτούς, ἐπειδὴ ἡ τῆς συγγενείας ὑπελιμπάνετο διάθεσις σφόδρα χαυνοῦν λογισμὸν ἱκανὴ οὖσα (τίς γὰρ ἂν ἕλοιτο ῥᾳδίως πρὸς τοὺς μάλιστα οἰκείους σφόδρα ἔχειν ἐχθρῶς;), καλῶς φησι τὸ μὴ νομίσητε· τοσοῦτον γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἀφεστάναι βούλομαι τοῦ τὴν σωματικὴν αἰδεῖσθαι συγγένειαν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνο πλέον εἰδέναι προσ ῆκεν ὑμᾶς ὡς τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ ἐμὸν πολλὴν τῶν οἰκείων ποιήσεται τὴν διαίρεσιν· τοὺς γὰρ τὸ πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἅπαξ ἰδεῖν ἑλομένους ἐν δευ τέρῳ πᾶσαν καὶ τὴν ἐγγύτατα βούλομαι τίθεσθαι συγγένειαν. 36

Mt 12, 30 Πῶς δυνατόν; φησίν, ἐμέ τε συνελθεῖν καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας οὕτως

σαφῶς ἐμοῦ μὲν τἀναντία ἐκείνοις διαπραττομένου, ἐκείνων δὲ πάντων πρὸς τοὐναντίον ἐπιτηδευόντων ποιεῖν; ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἐμοὶ ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν ἀνάγειν πειρῶμεν καὶ τοῦτο βούλεταί μοι τῶν οἰκείων ὁ σύλλογος, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἅπαντας ἀφέλκειν ἐσπουδάκασιν. 37 mt 12, 33 Ἐπειδὴ πονηρός ἐστιν ὁ Βεελζεβούλ, τὰ δὲ παρ' ἐμοῦ γινόμενα ἀγαθότητος ἔχεται ἀμέτρου, ἀσύμφωνά ἐστι τὰ παρὰ ὑμῶν· οὔτε γὰρ ὁ πονηρὸς δύναται ἀγαθόν τι ποιεῖν οὔτε ὁ ἀγαθὸς πονηρόν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τὰ δένδρα ἀνομοίους ἑαυτῶν καρπούς. 38 mt 12, 38 Ὡς ἂν τοῦ Μωσέως διὰ θαυμάτων αὐτοὺς πεπεικότος καὶ οὕτως δεδωκότος τὸν νόμον τοιοῦτόν τι βούλονται καὶ αὐτὸν ποιεῖν, ἵν' ὡς δῆθεν μεταθησόμενοι τῆς γνώμης, εἰ τοῦτο ποιήσειεν. 39

mt 13, 24-30 Μετὰ τὴν ἐπίδοσιν τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ καὶ ὅταν ἤδη κατὰ πάσης

ἄρξηται φαίνεσθαι τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἀναδειχθήσονται αἱρέσεις παρα τρεπόντων τινῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ Χριστιανῶν ἐπαγομένων ὄνομα καὶ ταύτῃ τοὺς πολλοὺς δελεαζόντων· τοιοῦτον γὰρ καὶ τὸ ζιζάνιον ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου κατὰ διαφθορὰν γινόμενον καί τι φέρον τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ σίτου κατὰ τὴν ὄψιν· τοῦτο λυπήσει, φησίν, καὶ τὰς ἀοράτους δυνάμεις εὐνοίᾳ τῇ πρὸς ἐμὲ ὡς ἐθελῆσαι καὶ ἀφανίσαι τοὺς εὑρετὰς ἤτοι τοὺς πειθο μένους αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐφέξω τοῦτο γενέσθαι δι' αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τῆς πίστεως, μήπου τι τοῦτο πασχόντων διὰ τὸ τῆς προσηγορίας κοινὸν οἰηθέντες οἱ ἐναντίοι τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς παρὰ τῶν δαιμόνων κολάζεσθαι τοῦ τολμήματος ἕνεκεν καὶ ὅτι πάντας ἀφίστασθαι τῶν εἰδώλων διδά σκουσιν, ἀλλοτριωθῶσι τῆς εὐσεβείας πάντη ὡς λοιπὸν αὐτοῖς μειοῦσθαι τῶν εὐσεβῶν τὸ συνάθροισμα τῶν πολλῶν φευγόντων προσιέναι τῷ Χριστιανισμῷ ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν γινομένων. τί δέ, ὅτε προσελθόντες οἱ δοῦλοι διαποροῦσιν, ἀποκρίνεται αὐτοῖς; καὶ τῶν μὲν λέγει τὴν διά θεσιν, τοῦ δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς συγχωρήσεως· καὶ γὰρ ὅταν ἐπὶ τῶν παρα βολῶν ὁμιλίας ἀνατυποῖ, ταῖς μὲν παραβολαῖς τὸ εἰκὸς ἀναδίδωσιν, ἵνα καὶ δοκῶσιν εἶναι ἐντελεῖς ἐν διηγήματος τάξει γινόμεναι. ἡμᾶς δὲ προσ ῆκεν τὸν σκοπὸν ἐξετάζειν, ὃν βούλεται διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς σημαίνειν. 40

mt 21, 12 σφοδρότερον δὲ τὸ ἔργον οὐκ ἐν νηπιότητι λόγου γινόμενον, ὁπότε

καὶ τοὺς πιπράσκοντας ἐξέβαλεν καὶ τὰς τραπέζας κατέστρεψεν· καίτοι κατὰ τὸ προφητικὸν οὐδὲν βίαιον πεποίηκεν κατὰ τὸ «οὐκ ἐρίσει οὐδὲ κραυγάσει» «οὐδὲ ἀκουσθήσεται ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ». καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης «φραγέλλιον ἐκ σχοινίων» εἶπεν αὐτὸν «πεποιηκέναι»· καὶ τοῦτο ση μεῖον ἐπιτιμήσεως καὶ σφοδρότητος. ἐν συμβόλοις οὖν καὶ τοῦτο ἀρι θμητέον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔτυπτέν τινα φραγελλίῳ, ἀλλὰ σημεῖον ἦν τῆς ἐπι φερομένης μάστιγος τοῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ χραίνουσιν ἀγοραίοις πράγμασιν. 42

mt 22, 16 Ἡρωδιανούς φασιν εἶναι τοὺς Ἡρώδου στρατιώτας ἢ τοὺς

ἀπαιτητὰς τῶν τελῶν τῶν ἐπιβληθέντων τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων. 43