of your Father, who is in heaven. Let your kingdom come. That every rule and authority and power may be abolished, and also every kingdom of the world, and the sin that reigns in our mortal bodies; and that God may reign over all these things. Verse 3. Give our daily bread. And "daily" is necessarily added. For our true life is, as it were, a preparation, so that the inner man may live according to God. Verses 5, 6, 7. Therefore, "Which of you," is said to the disciples; and, "will have a friend," to say that God is a friend to the saints, as to Moses and to Abraham. And perhaps "midnight" is this constricted time of life, when the destroyer enters every house of the Egypt that is in the world, where the doorpost is not anointed with the blood of Christ. And the disciple asks the friend for three loaves, wishing to feed with the theology of the Trinity the one who has come to him from the road, as he says: Apart from me you can do nothing. But how does the friend answer from within, saying: Do not bother me? But you will ask, lest those who labor and are burdened offer their own troubles to the Savior. Therefore he bears our infirmities, and is in pain for us. Or just as God does not sleep for this one, but is said to be angry with another who sins; so also to have trouble from the one who gives it to him. But you see, if bread is the necessary food of the soul 17.356 in knowledge, without which it is not possible to be saved; such as the precise account of how one must live; but a fish, or as it were a delicacy, is the love of learning; such as knowing the composition of the world, the activity of the elements, the beginning and end and middle of times, and whatever else wisdom enumerates. Thus, therefore, God does not give a stone instead of bread, which the devil wanted to be eaten by Jesus; nor a snake instead of a fish, which the Ethiopians, who are unworthy to eat fish, eat. For there, says the Psalmist, you crushed the head of the dragon upon the water, you gave him as food to the Ethiopian peoples; nor simply inedible and harmful things instead of what is nourishing and beneficial. Verse 34. The lamp of the body is the eye. When therefore your eye is sound, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is evil, your body also is dark. Verse 35. Take care, then, lest the light that is in you be darkness. Verse 36. If then your whole body is full of light, having no dark part, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its flash gives you light. And of the following saying, I think the meaning is this: If indeed because your body has become full of light, having been illumined by the lamp of the body, there is no longer any dark part in you, since you are no longer sinning at all, thus the whole body will be full of light, so that its rays may be compared to a lamp in an illuminating flash and in a light that dispels the darkness. For the illumination from the mind resembles a most brilliant flash; but the light in the body, which is naturally darkness, is like a lamp in a flash, being led wherever the mind wishes. Verse 51. From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah. Therefore the executioners, having failed to find Elizabeth and the child, also vent their anger on Zechariah, as the story goes. For this very reason, at least, and on account of the virgin Mary after she gave birth to our Savior. For having come to worship, she stood in the place of the virgins. And when those who knew she had given birth were preventing her, Zechariah said to those preventing her that she was worthy of the place of the virgins, being still a virgin. As one clearly transgressing the law, therefore, they killed him between the temple and the altar, while he was ministering and sacrificing to God, and they mingle blood with blood. CHAPTER 12. Verse 6. Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Verse 7. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. But observe that he did not say the fall of a sparrow to the ground, as Matthew does. But "five sparrows" now signifies the senses of the righteous man; which perceive things heavenly 17.357 and beyond man, seeing divine things, hearing the voice of God, tasting the living
Πατρὸς ὑμῶν, τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου. Ἵνα καταργηθῇ μὲν πᾶσα ἀρχὴ καὶ ἐξουσία καὶ δύναμις, ἔτι δὲ καὶ πᾶσα βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ἡ βασιλεύουσα ἐν τοῖς θνη τοῖς ἡμῶν σώμασιν ἁμαρτία· πάντων δὲ τούτων βα σιλεύσῃ ὁ Θεός. Στίχ. γʹ. Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου. Ἀναγκαίως δὲ καὶ τὸ καθ' ἡμέραν πρόσκειται. Οἱονεὶ γὰρ ἐπισκευαστή ἐστιν ἡμῶν ἡ ζωὴ ἡ ἀληθινὴ, ἵνα κατὰ Θεὸν ζήσῃ ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος. Στίχ. εʹ, ʹ, ζʹ. Τὸ μὲν οὖν, Τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν, πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς λέ γεται· τὸ δὲ, ἕξει φίλον, ἵνα εἴπῃ τὸν Θεὸν φίλον τυγχάνοντα τοῖς ἁγίοις, ὡς Μωϋσῇ καὶ τῷ Ἀβραάμ. Τάχα δὲ καὶ μεσονύκτιον ὁ συνεσταλμένος οὗτός ἐστι καιρὸς τοῦ βίου, ὅτε ὀλοθρευτὴς εἰσέρχεται εἰς πᾶσαν οἰκίαν τῆς ἐν κόσμῳ Αἰγύπτου, ἔνθα μὴ κέχρισται ἡ φλιὰ τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αἵματι. Αἰτεῖ δὲ ὁ μαθητὴς τὸν φίλον τρεῖς ἄρτους, βουλόμενος θρέψαι τῇ περὶ Τριά δος θεολογίᾳ τὸν γενόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ, καθά φησιν· Ἐκτὸς ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε ποιῆσαι οὐδέν. Ἀλλὰ πῶς ἀποκρίνεται ἔσωθεν ὁ φίλος λέ γων· Μή μοι κόπον πάρεχε; Ζητήσεις δὲ, μήποτε οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν κόπους παρέχωσι τῷ Σωτῆρι. ∆ιὸ τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν φέ ρει, καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται. Ἢ ὥσπερ τῷδε μὴ ὑπνοῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ἄλλῳ δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντι ὀργίζεσθαι λέγε ται· οὕτω καὶ κόπον ἔχειν ἀπὸ τοῦ παρέχοντος αὐτῷ. Σὺ δὲ ὅρα, εἰ ἄρτος μὲν ἡ ἀναγκαία τῆς ψυχῆς 17.356 ἐν γνώσει τροφὴ, ἧς ἄνευ οὐκ ἔστι σώζεσθαι· οἷον ὁ περὶ τοῦ, πῶς βιωτέον ἀκριβὴς λόγος· ἰχθὺς δὲ ἢ οἷον ὄψον φιλομάθεια· οἷον τὸ εἰδέναι σύστασιν κό σμου, ἐνέργειαν στοιχείων, ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος καὶ με σότητα χρόνων, καὶ ὅσα ἑξῆς ἡ σοφία καταλέγει. Οὕ τως οὖν ἀντὶ ἄρτου λίθον οὐ δίδωσιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὃν ὁ διά βολος ἐβούλετο ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ ἐσθίεσθαι· οὔτε ἀντὶ ἰχθύος ὄφιν, ὃν ἐσθίουσιν οἱ ἀνάξιοι τοῦ ἰχθύας ἐσθίειν Αἰθίοπες. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς, σὺ συνέθλασας τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ δράκοντος ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕδατος, ἔδωκας αὐτὸν βρῶμα λαοῖς τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν· οὔτε ἁπλῶς ἀντὶ τροφίμου καὶ ὠφελοῦντος τὰ ἄβρωτα καὶ βλάπτοντα. Στίχ. λδʹ. Ὁ λύχνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ ὀφθαλ μός. Ὅταν οὖν ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἁπλοῦς ᾖ, καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου φωτεινόν ἐστιν. Ἐπὰν δὲ πονηρὸς ᾖ, καὶ τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινόν. Στίχ. λεʹ. Σκόπει οὖν, μὴ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκό τος ἐστίν. Στίχ. λʹ. Εἰ οὖν τὸ σῶμά σου φωτεινὸν, μὴ ἔχον μέρος σκοτεινὸν, ἔσται φωτεινὸν ὅλον, ὡς ὅταν ὁ λύχνος τῇ ἀστραπῇ φωτίζεται. Τοῦ δὲ ἐφεξῆς ῥητοῦ τοιοῦτον εἶναι τὸν λόγον νο μίζω· Εἴπερ διὰ τὸ σῶμά σου φωτεινὸν γεγονέναι, φωτισθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ λύχνου τοῦ σώματος, μηδέν ἐστιν ἐν σοὶ μέρος ἔτι σκοτεινὸν, μηδαμῶς ἁμαρτά νοντι ἔτι, οὕτως ἔσται φωτεινὸν τὸ ὅλον σῶμα, ὡς παραβάλλεσθαι τὰς αὐγὰς αὐτοῦ λύχνῳ ἐν φωτιζούσῃ ἀστραπῇ κἀν φωτισμῷ τὸ σκότος λύοντι. Ἀστραπῇ μὲν γὰρ ἔοικε λαμπροτάτῃ ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ φωτισμός· λύχνῳ δὲ ἐν ἀστραπῇ τὸ ἐν τῷ σώματι φῶς, πεφυ κότι εἶναι σκότος, ἀγομένῳ, ὅπου ὁ νοῦς βούλεται. Στίχ. ναʹ. Ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος Ἄβελ ἕως τοῦ αἵματος Ζαχαρίου. ∆ιὸ τῆς Ἐλισάβετ καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀποτυχόντες οἱ δήμιοι, καὶ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου τὸν θυμὸν ἀφιᾶσιν, ὡς λόγος. Κατ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ διὰ τὴν παρθέ νον Μαρίαν μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι τὸν Σωτῆρα ἡμῶν. Ἐλ θοῦσα γὰρ προσκυνῆσαι, ἔστη ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τῶν παρ θένων. Καὶ κωλυόντων τῶν εἰδότων αὐτὴν γεννήσα σαν, ὁ Ζαχαρίας ἔλεγε τοῖς κωλύουσιν, ἀξίαν αὐτὴν εἶναι τοῦ τόπου τῶν παρθένων, ἔτι παρθένον οὖσαν. Ὡς οὖν σαφῶς παρανομοῦντα ἀπέκτειναν μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, λειτουργοῦντα καὶ θύοντα τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἀναμιγνύουσι τὸ αἷμα τῷ αἵματι. ΚΕΦ. ΙΒʹ. Στίχ. ʹ. Οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία πωλεῖται ἀσσα ρίων δυοῖν καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλε λησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ; Στίχ. ζʹ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς ὑμῶν πᾶσαι ἠρίθμηνται. Μὴ οὖν φοβεῖσθε. Πολλῶν στρουθίων διαφέρετε. Τήρει δὲ, ὅτι οὐ πτῶσιν στρουθίου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἶπεν, ὡς ὁ Ματθαῖος. Πέντε δὲ στρουθία νῦν τὰς αἰσθήσεις τοῦ δικαίου αἰνίττεται· αἳ τῶν μετεώρων 17.357 καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον αἰσθάνονται, ὁρῶσαι τὰ θεῖα, ἀκούουσαι φωνῆς Θεοῦ, γευόμεναι ζῶντος