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he came for the sake of teaching, but to avoid the madness of the Pharisees who did not accept his ordinance concerning foods. 97 Mt 15, 32 Thus he had disposed their souls by his word so that they came to a forgetfulness of themselves and took no thought for food or other necessary need, not growing weary of being with Christ in the wilderness. But Christ, knowing the weakness of nature, that we need food for the health of our bodies, takes thought for this too, so that he might be shown to care not only for souls, but also for bodies, as he himself is the creator of both soul and body; and not of one or the other according to the nonsense of the Manichaeans, who introduce different creators, one for the soul and another for the body. 98 col1 Mt 15, 37-38 Not only once does he do this, but also a second time, so that we might know that his is the divine power that feeds multitudes when he wishes, even without bread; and he does this to assure the crowd that he was the one who also formerly in the wilderness nourished Israel for forty years. And not only did he feed them from a few loaves, but seven baskets were also left over, so that he might be shown to be incomparably superior to Elijah, who himself also made the little oil and the meal of the widow to abound. Nevertheless, he did not fill the seven baskets beyond the need from seven loaves, so that the difference of the signs might not again cast the disciples into forgetfulness. A second time the savior performed such a miracle not simply and at random, but so that we might know the power of his divinity, and that he was the one who in the wilderness nourished Israel for forty years, and so that he might show himself to be superior to Elijah, who made the very little oil and meal of the widow to abound.

99 Mt 16, 6 See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and

Sadducees. Christ calls leaven the traditions of the Pharisees who have the custom of preferring human things to divine things and the traditions of the elders to the holy scriptures. 100 Mt 16, 8 As God, that is, and as the one who formed man, he knew all that is in man. And he said to them: Why are you reasoning among yourselves, you of little faith, reminding them that he is God. 101 Mt 16, 13-16 Jesus asks, so that we might know from the answer the opinions about him that had arisen among the Jews, and so that we might learn to be concerned with what people say about us, and, if it be bad, that we may remove the occasions for it, but if good, that we may increase them. And he said Son of Man, to show clearly that the one who appears and truly became man without changing is himself also true God, not being divided into parts as specifically God and man, but that whoever would address him as Son of Man would not disbelieve this same one to be also Son of God. 102 Mt 16, 22-23 Hearing this against expectation, Peter was disturbed, because on the one hand the revelation showed him to be Son of God and the living God, but on the other hand the passion showed him to be swallowed up by terrible things. Rebuking him, he shows his own righteous judgment, that when he confessed, he praised him, but when he was irrationally fearful, he rebuked him, acting without partiality.

103 col1 Mt 18, 8 For since he calls the church of Christ one body, and the members

each one individually, he meant to say this: if you have someone in the church who becomes a cause of harm to many others, do not spare him, but cut him off, casting him outside the church, believing it better for that one, on account of his wickedness, to be alienated from the kingdom of heaven than to lead many others away into the eternal fire. Christ calls the church one body, that is, the congregation of the faithful; and the members are each one of these. But if anyone from among these faithful and members of the church becomes a cause of scandal to others, do not spare him, but

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διδάξαι χάριν ἐλήλυθεν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐκκλῖναι τὴν τῶν Φαρισαίων μανίαν μὴ δεξαμένων αὐτοῦ τὴν περὶ τῶν βρωμάτων διάταξιν. 97 Mt 15, 32 Οὕτως ἦν αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχὰς διαθεὶς τῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ ὡς καὶ εἰς λήθην ἑαυτῶν ἐλθεῖν καὶ μηδεμίαν φροντίδα τροφῆς ποιήσασθαι ἢ ἄλλης ἀναγκαίας χρείας οὐκ ἀποκαμόντων ἐν ἐρήμῳ συνεῖναι Χριστῷ. ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς τὸ τῆς φύσεως εἰδὼς ἀσθενές, ὅτι δεόμεθα τροφῆς πρὸς τῇ ὑγιείᾳ τῶν σωμάτων, καὶ τούτου πρόνοιαν τίθεται, ἵνα φανῇ μὴ μόνον ψυχῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σωμάτων κηδόμενος ὡς αὐτὸς ὢν καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος δημιουργός· οὐ μὴν θατέρου κατὰ τοὺς τῶν Μανιχαίων λήρους, οἳ διαφόρους εἰσάγουσιν δημιουργούς, ἄλλον τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ ἄλλον τὸν τοῦ σώματος. 98 col1 Mt 15, 37-38 Οὐ μόνον ἅπαξ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεύτερον, ὅπως γνῶμεν, ὅτι τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ ἰσχὺς ἡ ἀποτρέφουσα ὅτε θέλει πλήθη καὶ δίχα ἄρτων· τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ πιστοποιῶν τὸν ὄχλον, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ καὶ πρώην ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διαθρέψας. καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐξ ὀλίγων αὐτοὺς ἔθρεψεν ἄρτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπερίσσευσαν ἑπτὰ σπυρίδες, ἵνα δειχθῇ ἀσυγκρίτως τὸν Ἡλίου ὑπεραίρων, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν πλεονάζειν τὸ ἔλαιον τὸ μικρὸν καὶ τὸ ἄλευρον τῆς χήρας. ὅμως οὐ περαιτέρω τῆς χρείας ἑπτὰ σπυρίδας ἐπλήρωσεν ἀπὸ ἑπτὰ ἄρτων, ἵνα ἡ διαφορὰ τῶν σημείων μὴ πάλιν ἐμβάλῃ εἰς λήθην τοὺς μαθητάς. Ἐκ δευτέρου ἐποίησεν ὁ σωτὴρ τὸ τοιοῦτον θαῦμα οὐχ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα γνῶμεν τὴν δύναμιν τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διαθρέψας καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ ἑαυτὸν ὑπεραίροντα τὸν Ἡλίου, ὃς πλεονάζειν ἐποίησε τὸ σμικρότατον ἔλαιον καὶ τὸ ἄλευρον τῆς χήρας.

99 Mt 16, 6 Ὁρᾶτε καὶ προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ

Σαδδουκαίων. ζύμην ὁ Χριστὸς τὰς παραδόσεις τῶν Φαρισαίων φησὶν τῶν ἔθος ἐχόντων προτιμᾶν τῶν θείων τὰ ἀνθρώπινα καὶ τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν τὰς παραδόσεις τῶν πρεσβυτέρων. 100 Mt 16, 8 Ὡς θεὸς δηλαδὴ καὶ ὡς πλάσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον ᾔδει πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ. ἔλεγε δὲ αὐτοῖς· τί διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ὀλιγόπιστοι, ὑπομιμνῄσκων αὐτούς, ὅτι θεός ἐστιν. 101 Mt 16, 13-16 Ἐρωτᾷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἵνα γνῶμεν τὰς ἐν Ἰουδαίοις γενομένας περὶ αὐτοῦ ὑπολήψεις ἐκ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως, καὶ ἵνα μάθωμεν περιεργάζεσθαι τίνα λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι περὶ ἡμῶν καὶ, εἰ μὲν φαῦλα εἴη, τὰς ἀφορμὰς περιαιρῶμεν, εἰ δὲ ἀστεῖα, αὔξωμεν. υἱὸν δὲ ἀνθρώπου εἶπεν, ἵνα δείξῃ σαφῶς ὡς ὁ φαινόμενος καὶ κατ' ἀληθείας ἀναλλοίωτος γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος αὐτός ἐστι καὶ θεὸς ἀληθὴς μὴ τεμνόμενος ἀνὰ μέρος εἰς θεὸν καὶ εἰς ἄνθρωπον εἰδικῶς, ἀλλ' ὅν τις υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου προσαγορεύσειεν, οὐκ ἀπιστήσειε τοῦτον αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ υἱὸν θεοῦ. 102 Mt 16, 22-23 Ὡς παρ' ἐλπίδα ἀκούσας τοῦτο ἐταράχθη ὁ Πέτρος, ἐπειδὴ ἡ μὲν ἀποκάλυψις υἱὸν θεοῦ καὶ ζῶντα θεὸν αὐτὸν ἔδειξεν, ἡ δὲ τοῦ πάθους τοῖς δεινοῖς καταποθέντα, ἐπιτιμῶν αὐτῷ δεικνύει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δικαιοκρισίαν, ὅτι ἡνίκα μὲν ὡμολόγει, ἐπῄνει αὐτόν, ὅτε δὲ ἐδειλία ἀλόγως ἐπέπληττεν αὐτῷ ἀπροσωπολήπτως ποιῶν.

103 col1 Mt 18, 8 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἓν σῶμα λέγει τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μέλη

δὲ τὸν καθ' ἕνα, τοῦτο εἰπεῖν ἐβουλήθη, ὅτι ἐὰν ἔχῃς· ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τινὰ πολλοῖς ἑτέροις αἴτιον γινόμενον βλάβης, μὴ φείσῃ, ἀλλ' ἔκκοψον αὐτὸν ἔξω τῆς ἐκκλησίας καταστήσας κρεῖττον εἶναι νομίζων ἐκεῖνον διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ μοχθηρίαν ἀλλότριον καταστῆναι τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἢ πολλοὺς ἑτέρους ἀπαγαγεῖν εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον. Ἓν σῶμα λέγει ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὴν τῶν πιστῶν συναγωγήν· μέλη δὲ τὸν καθ' ἕνα. τούτων. ἐὰν δέ τις ἐκ τῶν πιστῶν τούτων καὶ μελῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας αἴτιος γίνηται ἑτέροις σκανδάλου, μὴ φείσῃ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ'