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

you have received, or rather through which you have abundantly enjoyed the benefaction, through those things it was necessary, if you are ungrateful, to expect a more severe and indubitable punishment; for just as, whenever the one freed from a demon relapses and becomes soft and lives idly, not remembering the affliction and securing himself and giving thanks through works to the benefactor, just as, then, that one through what he did rather gave boldness to the unclean spirits and delivered himself whole as a captive to his enemies, so also you, having enjoyed countless good things and having been freed from unspeakable evils both now and in the past, if you do not repent and correct yourselves and do not cease giving thanks for the benefactions, you will draw upon yourselves many times more and much more dreadful evils; for thus he says it will be for this generation, just as for that man who was freed from the unclean spirit, but by his own negligence of life and ungratefulness of mind drew it back upon himself more bitterly and with more besides, and pulled it in. 52 Mt 12, 46 50 He who teaches to put the salvation of the soul before all other things and commands that neither father nor mother nor brother be placed before it, nor even the whole world itself, now through these very actions demonstrates and does this very thing for our instruction; for since, while he was teaching the crowds and working for their spiritual benefit, his mother and his brothers arrived, calling him to them, and he did not turn nor did he obey nor did he leave the teaching and prefer his mother to the salvation of the many, teaching from this that whenever one is occupied with any spiritual salvation, it is fitting to accomplish this diligently and without distraction, not being divided by other cares, not even if it is a mother or anyone else of the closest family who is pulling and calling one to them from there. Having taught us by word to put piety first, which is the beginning of all virtues, and to prefer neither father nor mother to it, the savior now confirms through actions what he spoke; for since when he was diligently teaching the crowds, his mother and his brothers arrived, he did not obey, not despising his mother, but so that he might not seem to neglect those being taught and cut short the teaching; and he did not prefer his mother to the benefit of the many. 55 Mt 13, 3 7 Of the commandments of Christ, some heard carelessly like those by the wayside; others diligently, but not firmly, like those on the rock; and others diligently and firmly, but having an oversowing of thorns and tares, were later choked by these. But these differ, because some received the oversowing while sleeping, while others, even at the time of the good seed, had shoots of the offshoots growing in them; and others both heard diligently and received firmly as far as knowledge, and neither before nor after did they admit an oversowing of tares, but they showed a life unworthy of the preaching, whom he also calls rotten as rotting in the mire of pleasures. All these are disowned from the kingdom, and in addition to these are those who did not even endure to hear, but also mock the teaching, and those who rise up against it, such as were the hardened of the Jews, and these the scribes and those who feigned the priesthood. There are therefore seven ways of perdition; wherefore it is also wide and spacious . Of the commandments of Christ, some heard carelessly; these are they who are situated by the wayside; others diligently, but not firmly, as many as are by the rock; and others diligently and firmly, but having an oversowing of thorns and tares, who also were choked by the cares of life. 56 Mt 13, 4 9 Who is the sower? Christ himself; whence did he come out? from his hidden and unseen comprehension; how, having come out from there? by the putting on and appropriation of the flesh, in which he has been known and comprehended as much as it is possible for a man to know and comprehend; so that what might happen? so that he might sow the word of teaching throughout the world and save the

εἰλήφατε, μᾶλλον δὲ δι' ὧν τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀφθόνως ἀπηλαύσατε, δι' ἐκείνων ἐχρῆν τὴν τιμωρίαν σφοδροτέραν, ἂν ἀγνωμονῆτε, καὶ ἀναμφίβολον ἀπεκδέχεσθαι· ὥσπερ γάρ, ἐπειδὰν ὁ δαίμονος ἀπαλλαγεὶς ἀναπέσῃ καὶ καταμαλακισθῇ καὶ ῥᾳθύμως βιοτεύῃ μὴ μνημονεύων τοῦ πάθους καὶ ἀσφαλιζόμενος ἑαυτὸν καὶ εὐχαριστῶν δι' ἔργων τῷ εὐεργέτῃ, ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνος δι' ὧν ἔπραξεν παρρησίαν μᾶλλον τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις πνεύμασιν ἐδωρήσατο καὶ αἰχμάλωτον ἑαυτὸν ὅλον τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἐνεχείρισεν, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς μυρίων ἀπολαύσαντες ἀγαθῶν καὶ ἀφάτων ἀπαλλαγέντες κακῶν καὶ νῦν καὶ πάλαι, ἐὰν μὴ μεταγνῶτε καὶ διορθώσησθε καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν εὐχαριστοῦντες μὴ διαλιμπάνητε, πολλαπλάσια ἑαυτοῖς καὶ πολλῷ φρικωδέστερα τὰ κακὰ ἐπισπάσεσθε· οὕτως γάρ φησιν ἔσται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ, ὥσπερ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἀπαλλαγέντι μὲν τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου πνεύματος, οἰκείᾳ δὲ βίου ἀμελείᾳ καὶ ἀχαριστίᾳ γνώμης εἰς ἑαυτὸν πάλιν πικρότερον καὶ μετὰ πλειόνων ἐπισπασαμένῳ καὶ ἐφελκύσαντι. 52 Mt 12, 46 50 Ὁ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῆς ψυχῆς τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων προτιθέναι διδάσκων καὶ μήτε πατέρα μήτε μητέρα μήτε ἀδελφὸν ἐπίπροσθε ταύτης εἶναι κελεύων, μήτε δὲ αὐτὸν συμπάντα τὸν κόσμον, νῦν διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν εἰς ἡμετέραν διδασκαλίαν τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἐνδείκνυται καὶ ποιεῖ· ἐπεὶ γὰρ διδάσκοντος αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὄχλους καὶ τὴν ψυχικὴν αὐτῶν ὠφέλειαν πραγματευομένου ἐπέστη ἡ μήτηρ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ μετακαλουμένη πρὸς ἑαυτήν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπεστράφη οὐδὲ ὑπήκουσεν οὐδὲ καταλιπὼν τὴν διδασκαλίαν προυτίμησεν τὴν μητέρα τῆς τῶν πολλῶν σωτηρίας, διδάσκων ἐντεῦθεν ὡς ἐπειδάν τινι σωτηρίᾳ ψυχικῇ πραγματεύηται, ἐπιμελῶς ταύτην προσήκει καὶ ἀπερισπάστως ἐπιτελεῖν μὴ καταμεριζόμενον πρὸς ἑτέρας φροντίδας μηδ' ἂν μήτηρ ἤ τις ἄλλος τοῦ ἐγγυτάτω γένους ᾖ ὁ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐκεῖθεν μεθέλκων καὶ μετακαλούμενος. ∆ιδάξας ἡμᾶς ὁ σωτὴρ διὰ λόγου προτιθέναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ πασῶν ἀρετῶν, καὶ μήτε πατέρα μήτε μητέρα προτιμᾶν αὐτῆς νῦν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιβεβαιοῖ, ἅπερ ἐφθέγξατο· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὅτε τοὺς ὄχλους ἐπιμελῶς ἐδίδασκε, τότε ἐπέστησαν ἥ τε μήτηρ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί, οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν, οὐ καταφρονῶν τῆς μητρός, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἀμελεῖν δόξῃ τῶν διδασκομένων καὶ περικόψῃ τὴν διδασκαλίαν· καὶ οὐ προτετίμηκε τὴν μητέρα τῆς τῶν πολλῶν ὠφελείας. 55 Mt 13, 3 7 Τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἱ μὲν ἤκουσαν ἀμελῶς ὡς οἱ παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν· οἱ δὲ ἐπιμελῶς μέν, οὐ βεβαίως δέ, ὡς οἱ παρὰ τὴν πέτραν· οἱ δὲ ἐπιμελῶς μὲν καὶ βεβαίως, ἔχοντες δὲ ἐπισπορὰν ἀκανθῶν καὶ ζιζανίων ὕστερον τούτοις ἐναπεπνίγησαν. διαφέρουσι δὲ οὗτοι, ὅτι οἱ μὲν καθεύδοντες ἐδέξαντο τὴν ἐπισποράν, οἱ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ καλοῦ σπέρματος καὶ τὰ τῶν παραφυάδων ἐν ἑαυτοῖς μοσχεύοντες εἶχον· ἄλλοι δὲ ἐπιμελῶς τε ἤκουσαν καὶ βεβαίως ὅσον εἰς γνῶσιν ἐδέξαντο καὶ οὔτε πρότερον οὔτε ὕστερον ἐπισπορὰν ζιζανίων παρεδέξαντο, βίον δὲ τοῦ κηρύγματος ἀνάξιον ἐπεδείξαντο, οὓς καὶ σαπροὺς ὀνομάζει ὡς ἐνα ποσήποντας τῶν ἡδονῶν τῷ βορβόρῳ. οὗτοι μὲν πάντες ἀποκηρύττονται τῆς βασιλείας καὶ πρὸς τούτοις οἱ μηδ' ἀκοῦσαι ἀνασχόμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταγελῶντες τῆς διδασκαλίας, οἱ δὲ καὶ κατεξανιστάμενοι, ὁποῖοι οἱ πεπωρωμένοι τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐτύγχανον, καὶ τοῦτο οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ὑποδυόμενοι. ζʹ οὖν αἱ τῆς ἀπωλείας ὁδοί· διὸ καὶ πλατεῖά ἐστιν καὶ εὐρύχωρος . Τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἱ μὲν ἤκουσαν ἀμελῶς· οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν κείμενοι· οἱ δὲ ἐπιμελῶς μέν, οὐ βεβαίως δέ, ὅσοι παρὰ τὴν πέτραν· οἱ δὲ ἐπιμελῶς μὲν καὶ βεβαίως, ἔχοντες δὲ ἐπισπορὰν ἀκανθῶν καὶ ζιζανίων, οἵτινες καὶ ἀπεπνίγησαν ταῖς βιωτικαῖς φροντίσιν. 56 Mt 13, 4 9 Τίς ἐστιν ὁ σπείρων; αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστός· πόθεν ἐξῆλθεν; τῆς κρυφίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀθεάτου καταλήψεως· πῶς ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν; τῇ περιβολῇ καὶ οἰκειώσει τῆς σαρκός, ἐν ᾗ ἔγνωσται καὶ κατείληπται ὅσον ἀνθρώπῳ γνῶναι καὶ καταλαβεῖν δυνατόν· ἵνα τί γένηται; ἵνα τὸν τῆς διδασκαλίας λόγον κατασπείρῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ καὶ σώσῃ τὸ