Commentarii in matthaeum (in catenis) 1 mt 1, 2 abraham was justified through faith and to him, having believed, god said: i will multiply your seed

 Having believed in god, he shone forth those, therefore, who believe in god, even if they come from obscure and lowly origins, are raised up by god a

 Despising the son of a carpenter, they clearly also considered his commandments to be cheap and despised, but for their insolence and contempt toward

 He made them so that they become imitators of him who both rains upon the just and sinners and makes the sun rise on all alike. 22 mt 6, 3 4 let not,

 Being bodiless it neither eats nor drinks, but do not be anxious for the soul about what you might eat or what you might drink for the soul puts fort

 Wanting it ready at hand. for lest someone should say, i have come to judge not wishing to reproach or grieve my brother, but taking thought to clean

 As we understand the gate and the way that leads to eternal life to be called narrow, not even my yoke is easy and my burden is light will contradic

 To them the sins, for which was the sacrifice, they both promised and seemed to accomplish, but a paralyzed man they were in no way strong enough to h

 Of grace, but they fasted according to the old custom. it was therefore unfitting and inappropriate for those appointed as lawgivers and heralds of th

 But they pursue the royal houses. since, therefore, you have supposed no such thing about the man, but you knew him to be a prophet in deeds and words

 To those who have despised wealth and renown and parents as well as children and death itself. but before the teaching of christ and the coming of joh

 You have received, or rather through which you have abundantly enjoyed the benefaction, through those things it was necessary, if you are ungrateful,

 His own creation, being led by good works to the knowledge of both himself and of his own father and of the consubstantial and co-powerful spirit. the

 Made man, and to hear the voice of god united to flesh hypostatically. 61 mt 13, 24 52 the kingdom of the heavens and the kingdom of god is said to be

 Knowledge and comprehension as he says: for this reason every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven, and so forth for through knowled

 For the children considered nothing of their own labors and resources to be their own, but they brought everything to their fathers, fearing lest they

 He awaited an opinion and testimony about him for if he had said: whom do men say that i, the son of god, am, the disciples' response would have been

 The narrative of higher and more wondrous things. but the lord does not offer to the scribes a solution appropriate to the seeming difficulty, showing

 They escaped the civil disturbances. and elijah dwelt on carmel, but john tarried in the desert, and in other respects the similarity between them was

 From there by a mist they were able to perceive none of the things being done, but later, having been freed from that confusion and having come to the

 Of evils) not only does he subtly and wisely exclude wealth from the appellation of 'good,' but also all other things, by his declaration concerning a

 They will convict the disobedient jews, but they themselves will be shining in honor and glory, while the others are in utmost disgrace and dejection.

 Unbearable, but what appeared heavy and unbearable by the judgment of those priests themselves for what they themselves do not move even with a finge

 Seek the rank of deacons and of those who are last, that is, practice humility for through this it is possible to obtain true primacy and inexpressib

 To kill the righteous. therefore you bear witness to your forefathers as impious, desiring to become like them. and you, he says, fill up the measu

 Always having the inflamed passion of avarice, he is indignant everywhere when deprived of profit. therefore the master, looking to their thought and

 Will be preached, not depriving the one reward of the other for each of the sins has found forgiveness and through the deed is preached throughout th

 He says, that before the entire first cockcrowing is completed, you will deny me three times. but when mark says, “before the cock crows twice, you wi

 This has been permitted for security, that we may always be sober, that even if we seem to do any good work, we may always consider it a gift from abo

 For them who are being saved, their commonwealth is on earth, but in heaven is their reward and inheritance. but since, he says, i have received autho

of grace, but they fasted according to the old custom. It was therefore unfitting and inappropriate for those appointed as lawgivers and heralds of the new commonwealth to fast their fasts. But they fast an appropriate and suitable fast. Therefore he says: but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved, receiving what is fitting and suitable. But to put new wine into old wineskins or old into new is not to give what is appropriate and congruous, but what is contrary and foreign. 39 Mt 9, 17 He calls old wineskins those who lie in the old law, and new wine the grace of Christ given to us later or the new covenant. 40 Mt 10, 32 33 Then by saying that I too will confess in him, he shows that being proclaimed in the kingdom of heaven is not of grace alone, but also of the will and zeal of the one receiving the grace; for he says, I will confess in him: in his practice, in his good works, in his boldness, which he displayed and spoke boldly for my sake before his persecutors; for just as without grace, choice alone can accomplish nothing, so unless we ourselves choose, grace does not help. 41 Mt 10, 33 But why is God not content with faith in the mind, but also demands confession with the mouth? Both because faith in the mind no longer remains perfect and firm when it is insulted by the tongue, and because it harms the hearers more than if he had denied in his mind; for in that case the fall was hidden; but he who denies with the tongue, by setting his transgression forth in the midst of all, has caused a common scandal and, by coming to this point, has condemned the weakness of his faith and falsehood. 42 Mt 10, 38 Whoever does not bear his cross; whoever is not so ready for death for my sake, as to seem to always carry it with him and so follow me, is not worthy of me, but one must always bear and carry with oneself death for Christ and for faith in him, as a personal possession and achievement; for he says his cross, meaning through the cross death, and not just any death, but a violent and shameful one; and through the word "his," it is clear that considering it their own and being lovingly disposed towards it, they must bear and carry it around, as I said, being ready for it, when it is brought on by those who persecute you; for those so disposed towards death will have nothing left of the hardships in life to cut off their faith and sincere disposition toward the Lord. And if the command seems heavy, one must also consider what a prize it is to become worthy of Christ. Who could become worthy of Christ? For this one is truly thrice-blessed, such as his disciples and his martyrs. 43 Mt 10, 38 Whoever does not bear my cross, he says, is not worthy of me; that is, whoever does not always have death for my sake in his soul and constantly meditates on it, is not worthy of me. 44 Mt 11, 7 10 Since it was likely that some of the crowd would be scandalized by the question which John's disciples brought, he resolves their scandal not from another source, but by using those very people as witnesses. You, he says, know what John testified concerning me, and you by deed showed what a wonderful man he is by going out to him in the desert of the Jordan to be baptized by him. Since, therefore, you know what he testifies and you have testified to his trustworthiness by your deed, do not think that he has now changed and that he suspects or says other things about me instead of those things; for as a rule those who change from virtue to vice and from truth to falsehood are changed either by fickleness of mind or by a desire for glory and money, but you suspected no such thing of John; for you would not have gone out into the desert to see a fickle and changeable man and, like a reed, tossed about by every wind, [you would not have gone out,] nor a vainglorious or money-loving one; for such men do not [seek] the deserts,

χάριτος, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν ἔθος ἐνήστευον. ἀνάρμοστον οὖν ἦν καὶ ἀνοίκειον τὰς ἐκείνων νηστείας νηστεύειν τοὺς τῆς καινῆς πολιτείας νομοθέτας καθισταμένους καὶ κήρυκας. νηστεύουσι δὲ νηστείαν οἰκείαν καὶ πρόσφορον. διό φησιν· ἀλλὰ βάλλουσιν οἶνον νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς καινούς, καὶ ἀμφότεροι συντηροῦνται τὸ εὐάρμοστον καὶ κατάλληλον ἀπολαμβάνοντες. οἶνον δὲ νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς βάλλειν παλαιοὺς ἢ παλαιὸν εἰς νέους οὐκ ἔστιν τὸ οἰκεῖον καὶ ὁμόστοιχον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐναντίον καὶ ἀλλότριον ἀποδιδόναι. 39 Mt 9, 17 Ἀσκοὺς παλαιοὺς τοὺς ἐν τῷ παλαιῷ νόμῳ κειμένους λέγει, οἶνον δὲ νέον τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν ὕστερον ἢ τὴν νέαν διαθήκην. 40 Mt 10, 32 33 Εἶτα εἰπὼν ὅτι ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐ τῆς χάριτός ἐστι γυμνῆς τὸ ἀναγορευθῆναι ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς γνώμης καὶ τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ τοῦ τὴν χάριν ὑποδεχομένου· ἐν αὐτῷ γάρ φησιν ὁμολογήσω· ἐν τῇ πράξει αὐτοῦ, ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ τοῖς καλοῖς, ἐν τῇ παρρησίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἣν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τοὺς διώκοντας ἐπεδείξατο καὶ ἐπαρρησιάσατο· καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ χωρὶς τῆς χάριτος οὐδὲν δύναται κατορθῶσαι μόνη ἡ προαίρεσις, οὕτως ἂν μὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ προαιρώμεθα οὐδ' ἡ χάρις συναντιλαμβάνεται. 41 Mt 10, 33 ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐκ ἀρκεῖται ὁ θεὸς τῇ κατὰ διάνοιαν πίστει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διὰ τοῦ στόματος ὁμολογίαν ἀπαιτεῖ; καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲ ἡ κατὰ διάνοιαν πίστις ἔτι διαμένει τελεία καὶ βεβαία διὰ τῆς γλώσσης ἐνυβριζομένη, καὶ ὅτι τοὺς ἀκούοντας μᾶλλον βλάπτει ἢ εἰ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐξηρνήσατο· τῆς μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἐν ἀδήλῳ τὸ πτῶμα· ὁ δὲ διὰ γλώσσης ἐξαρνησάμενος εἰς μέσον ἅπασιν τὸ παράπτωμα προθεὶς κοινὸν τὸ σκάνδαλον κατειργάσατο καὶ τότε εἰς αὐτὸ ἥκων ἀσθένειαν τῆς πίστεως καὶ ψεῦδος κατεψηφίσατο. 42 Mt 10, 38 Ὅστις οὐ βαστάζει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ· ὅστις οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτως ἕτοιμος εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ θάνατον, ὥστε δοκεῖν αὐτὸν ἀεὶ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ φέρειν καὶ οὕτως ἕπεσθαί μοι, οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος, ἀλλὰ δεῖ βαστάζειν καὶ περιφέρειν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἀεὶ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως τὸν θάνατον, ὡς οἰκεῖον κτῆμα καὶ κατόρθωμα· καὶ γάρ φησιν τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, διὰ μὲν τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τοῦτον οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸν βίαιον καὶ ἐπονείδιστον· διὰ δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ, δηλονότι οἰκεῖον λογιζομένους καὶ ἀγαπητῶς πρὸς αὐτὸν διακειμένους δεῖ βαστάζειν καὶ περιάγειν αὐτὸν οἷον ὡς ἔφην ἑτοίμους εἶναι πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅταν ἐπάγηται παρὰ τῶν διωκόντων ὑμᾶς· οἱ γὰρ οὕτως διατεθέντες πρὸς τὸν θάνατον οὐδὲν λοιπὸν τῶν ἐν βίῳ δυσχερῶν ἕξουσι περικόπτον αὐτῶν τὴν περὶ τὸν δεσπότην πίστιν καὶ διάθεσιν εἰλικρινῆ. εἰ δὲ τὸ ἐπίταγμα δοκεῖ βαρύ, ἀλλὰ σκοπεῖν χρὴ καὶ τὸ ἔπαθλον ὁποῖον τὸ γενέσθαι ἄξιον Χριστοῦ. τίς ἂν γένοιτο Χριστοῦ ἄξιος; οὗτος γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ τρισμακάριστος ὁποῖοι οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες. 43 Mt 10, 38 Ὅστις οὐ βαστάζει τὸν σταυρόν μου, φησίν, οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος· τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὅστις τὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ θάνατον οὐκ ἀεὶ ἔχει ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ διηνεκῶς τοῦτον μελετᾷ, οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος. 44 Mt 11, 7 10 Ἐπειδή τινας ἦν εἰκὸς τῶν ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους σκανδαλισθῆναι ἐπὶ τῇ ἐρωτήσει, ἣν προσήνεγκαν οἱ τοῦ Ἰωάννου μαθηταί, οὐκ ἄλλοθεν αὐτῶν τὸ σκάνδαλον, ἀλλ' αὐτοῖς ἐκείνοις χρώμενος μάρτυσιν διαλύει. ὑμεῖς, φησίν, ἐπίστασθε, ἃ ἐμαρτύρει ὁ Ἰωάννης περὶ ἐμοῦ, καὶ ὑμεῖς τὸν ἄνδρα οἷός ἐστι θαυμαστὸς ἔργῳ ἐδείξατε ἐξελθόντες πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἅ τε μαρτυρεῖ οἴδατε καὶ τὸ ἀξιόπιστον αὐτοῦ ἔργῳ ὑμεῖς ἐμαρτυρήσατε, μὴ νομίσητε νυνὶ μεταβεβλῆσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ἄλλα ἀντ' ἐκείνων περὶ ἐμοῦ αὐτὸν ὑπονοεῖν ἢ λέγειν· ὡς γὰρ ἐπίπαν οἱ ἐξ ἀρετῆς ἐπὶ κακίαν καὶ ἐξ ἀληθείας εἰς ψεῦδος μεταβαλλόμενοι ἢ κουφότητι διανοίας ἢ δόξης καὶ χρημάτων ἐπιθυμίᾳ μεταβάλλονται, ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην ὑμεῖς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο ὑπενοήσατε· οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἐξήλθετε, ἵνα κοῦφον ἄνθρωπον καὶ εὐμετάβολον καὶ ὥσπερ κάλαμον παντὶ ἀνέμῳ περιφερόμενον, [οὐκ ἂν ἐξήλθετε,] ἵνα ἴδητε, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κενόδοξον ἢ φιλοχρήματον· οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι οὐ τὰς ἐρήμους,