Cyril of Alexandria, Commentaries on Luke

Commentary on Luke

having obtained such splendid good things? Then in addition to these things, he instills fear in them, saying that he will descend from heaven not in

in the kingdom of the Father according to the voice of the Savior. ZU LK 9, 32φ The blessed disciples were dozing off for a short while, as Christ was

powerful. To these the blessed Baptist has addressed, saying: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Therefore, the unbeliever will sur

and perhaps to think and say this among themselves: He who is so great in glory, who raised the dead with authority befitting God, who rebuked the sea

The question of who might be the greater among them belongs to one who is contentious and desires to be preeminent over the others. But Christ, who kn

in your name. They thought, therefore, that it was not permitted to any of the others, but to them alone, to bear the given dignity. For this reason t

Jerusalem having the time of his passion already near, he was about to endure the drunken insolence of the Jews. Therefore, so that when they see him

to die to the world, that is, to renounce the vain distractions of the present life for the friendship of the world is enmity with God. He rebukes su

brought us into being altogether, but father and mother have become ministers of the passage into being for those from them. Will not, therefore, the

In neglected fields, couch grass springs up, and it takes hold and spreads over every place, always running forward, according to the same principle,

I will deliver from evil, I will change the wolves into sheep for I do all things and refashion them, and nothing withstands my will. That the outcom

this by some, but so that they might rather not be disbelieved when they preach. It was better, then, for them to be seen rejoicing over those who wer

Since God rules all things, he surely rules over all things with him and is above all things, not as lesser or of a different substance, but as God fr

in your name. They thought, therefore, that it was not permitted to any of the others, but to them alone, to bear the given dignity. For this reason they approach, deeming it right to learn if another is also permitted to do this. We have something of this sort also in the more ancient writings. For God said somewhere to Moses: Choose for yourself seventy men from the elders of Israel and I will take from 91 the spirit that is upon you and give it to them. And the chosen were gathered into that ancient tent except for two; for they remained in the assembly. And when the spirit of prophecy fell upon them, not only did those who had run together in the holy tent prophesy, but also those who remained in the camp. And Joshua, it says, who stood by Moses, said: Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp, lord Moses; forbid them. And Moses, it says, said to Joshua: Are you jealous for my sake? For who would grant that all the Lord's people were prophets, when the Lord puts his spirit upon them? But it was also Christ at that time who, in the Holy Spirit, persuaded the hierophant Moses to speak these things. And so to the holy apostles he himself says through himself: Do not forbid the one crushing Satan in his name; for he is not against you, he says. For whoever is not against you is for you; for they are for you who love Christ, because they wish to fulfill the things for his glory, being crowned by the grace from him. ZU LK 9, 51 That is, when the time had come in which it was necessary, having now endured the saving passion, to ascend to heaven and to be seated with God the Father, he decided to go up to Jerusalem. For this I think is what "He set his face" signifies. ZU LK 9, 52-55 He sent messengers to prepare lodging for him and for those with him. But they, arriving in a village of Samaritans, were not received. At these things the blessed 92 disciples were indignant, not so much for their own sake, but because they had not honored the savior and lord of all. Then, not being ignorant of the greatness of the authority in him, they said: Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them? And they said this, not yet having taken hold of the new grace, but still clinging to the former custom, looking to Elijah who twice consumed with fire the fifty and their leaders. And as they say this, Christ rebukes them. ZU LK 9, 52-54 The thought, therefore, of what has been read has this scope. But let us examine each thing in detail; for it is written: Churn milk and there will be butter. Did the savior not know what was going to happen? Is it not true to say that, knowing all things, he knew with certainty that those sent would not be received by the Samaritans? Then how is this debatable? How then did he command them to go ahead? It was his custom to hasten to benefit the holy apostles in every way and sometimes to make a secondary object of the journey to test them. For example, I say: Once he was sailing across the lake of Tiberias together with those named, then he providentially welcomes sleep, and when no ordinary squall arose, the boat was in danger; for he providentially allowed the wave to be stirred up against the boat, so that he might both train the faith of the disciples and make manifest the superiority of his own power. And this indeed happened; for they, being of little faith, said: Master, save us, we are perishing. But he, having arisen, immediately showed that he is also master of the elements; for he rebuked the sea and the wave, and there came a very great calm. So therefore also in this matter; for he knew that those who announced beforehand that 93 he would lodge with them would not be received by the Samaritans, but so that this too might again become an occasion of benefit for the holy disciples, he allowed them to go. And what was the economy of the matter? He was going up to

τῷ ὀνόματί σου. ᾠήθησαν τοίνυν οὐδενὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων, αὐτοῖς δὲ μόνοις ἐξεῖναι φέρειν τὸ δοθὲν ἀξίωμα. διὰ τοῦτο προσίασιν ἀξιοῦντες μαθεῖν, εἰ καὶ ἕτερον ἔξεστι τοῦτο δρᾶν. ἔχομέν τι τοιοῦτον καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀρχαιοτέροις γράμμασιν. ἔφη μὲν γάρ που θεὸς πρὸς τὸν Μωυσέα· Ἐπίλεξαι σεαυτῷ ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἀφελῶ ἀπὸ 91 τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἐπὶ σοὶ καὶ δώσω αὐτοῖς. καὶ συνήχθησαν μὲν εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν ἐκείνην σκηνὴν οἱ ἐξειλεγμένοι πλὴν δύο τινῶν· ἀπέμειναν γὰρ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ. ἐπιπεσόντος δὲ αὐτοῖς τοῦ τῆς προφητείας πνεύματος οὐ μόνον προεφήτευον οἱ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ σκηνῇ συνδεδραμηκότες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἀπομείναντες ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ. εἶπε δέ, φησίν, Ἰησοῦς ὁ παρεστηκὼς Μωυσῇ· Ἐλδὰδ καὶ Μωδὰδ προφητεύουσιν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ, κύριε Μωυσῆ· κώλυσον αὐτούς. καὶ εἶπε, φησί, Μωυσῆς πρὸς Ἰησοῦν· Μὴ ζηλοῖς σὺ ἐμοί; τίς γὰρ δοίη πάντα τὸν λαὸν κυρίου εἶναι προφήτας, ὅταν δῷ κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτούς. ἀλλ' ἦν καὶ τότε Χριστὸς ὁ ἐν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι ταῦτα λαλεῖν ἀναπείσας τὸν ἱεροφάντην Μωυσέα. καὶ γοῦν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ φησι· Μὴ κωλύετε τὸν συντρίβοντα τὸν σατανᾶν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ· οὐ γάρ ἐστι καθ' ὑμῶν, φησί. ὃς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι καθ' ὑμῶν, ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐστιν· ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν γάρ εἰσι τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν Χριστόν, ὅτι τὰ εἰς δόξαν αὐτοῦ πληροῦν ἐθέλουσι τῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ χάριτι στεφανούμενοι. ZU LK 9, 51 Τουτέστιν ἐνστάντος τοῦ καιροῦ καθ' ὃν ἔδει λοιπὸν τὸ σωτήριον ὑπομείναντα πάθος ἀναβῆναι μὲν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, συνεδρεῦσαι δὲ τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί, ἔκρινεν ἀνελθεῖν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. τοῦτο γὰρ οἶμαι δηλοῦν τὸ Ἐστήρισε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. ZU LK 9, 52-55 Πέπομφεν ἀγγέλους ἑτοιμάσοντας αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ τὸ κατάλυμα. οἳ δὲ εἰς κώμην ἀφικόμενοι Σαμαρειτῶν οὐκ ἐδέχθησαν. ἐπὶ τούτοις ἠγανάκτουν οἱ μα 92 κάριοι μαθηταὶ καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῶν ἕνεκα μᾶλλον, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὸν τῶν ὅλων σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον οὐ τετιμήκασιν. εἶτα τῆς ἐνούσης ἐξουσίας αὐτῷ τὸ μέγεθος οὐκ ἠγνοηκότες ἔφασκον· Κύριε, θέλεις εἴπωμεν πῦρ καταβῆναι ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ κατακαῦσαι αὐτούς. τοῦτο δὲ εἰρήκασι μήπω τῆς νέας κεκρατηκότες χάριτος, ἀλλ' ἔτι τῆς προτέρας ἐχόμενοι συνηθείας πρὸς Ἠλίαν ἀφορῶντες τὸν πυρὶ καταφλέξαντα δὶς τοὺς πεντήκοντα καὶ τοὺς ἡγουμένους αὐτῶν. τοῦτο δὲ λέγουσιν ἐπιτιμᾷ Χριστός. ZU LK 9, 52-54 Ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἀνεγνωσμένων διάνοια ταύτην ἔχει τὴν περιοχήν. ἕκαστα δὲ λεπτῶς ἐρευνήσωμεν· γέγραπται γάρ· Ἄμελγε γάλα καὶ ἔσται βούτυρον. ἆρ' ἠγνόησεν ὁ σωτὴρ τὸ ἐσόμενον; οὐκ ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν ὅτι πάντα γινώσκων ᾔδει που πάντως ὡς οὐ δεχθήσονται παρὰ τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν οἱ ἀπεσταλμένοι; εἶτα πῶς τοῦτο ἀμφίλογον; πῶς οὖν ἐκέλευσε προβαδίζειν αὐτούς; ἔθος ἦν αὐτῷ διὰ τρόπου παντὸς ὠφελεῖν ἐπείγεσθαι τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους καὶ ὁδοῦ πάρεργον ἔσθ' ὅτε ποιεῖσθαι τὸ δοκιμάζειν αὐτούς. οἷόν τι φημί· ∆ιέπλει ποτὲ τὴν Τιβεριάδα λίμνην ὁμοῦ τοῖς ὠνομασμένοις, εἶτα τὸν ὕπνον οἰκονομικῶς εἰσδέχεται, καὶ ζάλης κινηθείσης οὐ τῆς τυχούσης τὸ σκάφος ἐκινδύνευεν· ἐφίει γὰρ οἰκονομικῶς ἐπεγείρεσθαι τῷ σκάφει τὸν κλύδωνα, ἵνα καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν διαγυμνάσῃ τὴν πίστιν καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐμφανῆ καταστήσῃ τὴν ὑπεροχήν. ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν· οἳ μὲν γὰρ ὀλιγοπιστοῦντες ἔφασκον· Ἐπιστάτα, σῶσον ἡμᾶς, ἀπολλύμεθα, ὃ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς ὅτι καὶ τῶν στοιχείων ἐστὶ δεσπότης διέδειξεν εὐθύς· ἐπετίμησε γὰρ τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ τῷ κλύδωνι καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη σφόδρα. οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ ἐν τῷδε τῷ πράγματι· ᾔδει μὲν γὰρ ὡς οὐκ ἔσονται δεκτοὶ παρὰ τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν οἱ προκαταγγέλλοντες ὅτι 93 καταλύσει παρ' αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' ἵνα πάλιν καὶ τοῦτο ὠφελείας πρόφασις τοῖς ἁγίοις γένηται μαθηταῖς, συγκεχώρηκεν ἀπελθεῖν. καὶ ποία τις ἦν ἡ τοῦ πράγματος οἰκονομία; ἀνέβαινεν εἰς