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 should transgress the law which wills that one honor one's parents. The elders therefore permitted the children to proclaim such things and to testify beforehand to their father or mother and to say whatever you might be profited, that is, gain, from me and you would reckon to be for your profit, this is a gift already dedicated by me to God. And for the rest, the parents found themselves fighting against a greater law, the one that wills that God be honored above all, and of necessity they yielded, not daring even to touch what had been promised and dedicated as sacred. And by this device, robbing their parents of the honor due to them, the children shared in unholy gains with the elders. But Mark more clearly said the gift is Corban, which in the language of the Hebrews means the offering and the gift dedicated to God; for there were some who were zealous to consecrate themselves to God. But being hindered by a lack of funds, they put forward their reverence for their parents as a hindrance; for they were barely able to provide necessities for themselves and for them. But the elders persuaded them to consider the matter as nothing for God's sake; and if their parents should approach seeking their customary help from them, they taught that they should say, "that whatever you would receive from me, know that you are harming a divine offering, and laying your hands on sacred money; for I have dedicated myself and am promised as a gift to God." And they, fearing the harms from sacrilege, endured, wailing, having piety towards God as a pretext for famine. Why then have you nullified the commandment? For one must neither neglect what is fitting for God on account of human things, nor indeed be utterly neglectful of human things. 66 Mt 15, 2 6 One must not marvel if, when the law forbade certain things, looking more toward the outer man, our Lord, making his teaching for the inner man, did not forbid them. 67 Mt 15, 39 So that by performing signs on every occasion he might not seem vainglorious—for this stirred up the crowds to follow him—showing his own humility on account of the economy of the flesh he withdraws into the boat. 68 Mt 16, 13 17 And since he himself did not wish to state the dignity of his divinity, but awaited the verdict of their opinion; for if he had said to them: "Whom do they say that I, the Son of God, am?", their response would have been suspect, saying, "You are the Son of God," as if they had said this by following the voice of the teacher. but with him saying nothing of the sort and with them answering, "You are the Son of the living God," it was shown clearly that that wonderful response was from their own understanding. And otherwise, since he who knows all things foreknew that Peter and the disciples were about to confess him as Son of the living God, he himself anticipates that of the economy and confesses himself human, so that both by his own voice and by the response of the disciples he might establish the truth of the two natures, of the divinity and of the humanity, and stop the mouths of the heretics, both of those who were about to blaspheme him as a mere man and of those who mythologize that he wore the flesh in appearance only. And he makes the response of the disciples most certain by testifying that it is a revelation from the Father, so that, that he is Son of God, both the apostles said, and the Father revealed, and the Son, by testifying, confessed together; but that he is man, the truth itself, the Son, by confessing it, was sufficient; for that which was unknown to the many also needed greater proof, but for that which was seen by all, the confession and assent of the one who bore it alone was sufficient. And "flesh and blood has not revealed it to you" means: to you who imagine nothing carnal and earthly about me now, but have become higher than the opinion of the many who creep on the ground, the Father has revealed to you also the highest and heavenly knowledge, that you should recognize that I am by nature and truly the Son of the living God. He did not wish to state the dignity of his divinity, but that of the disciples
γὰρ παῖδες οὐδὲν τῶν οἰκείων πόνων καὶ πόρων ἐνόμιζον ἴδιον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ πάντα τοῖς πατράσι προσεπόριζον δεδιότες μὴ προσκρούσωσιν τῷ τιμᾶν τοὺς γονεῖς βουλομένῳ νόμῳ. ἐπέ τρεψαν οὖν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῖς παισὶ τοιαῦτα κηρύττειν καὶ προδιαμαρτύρεσθαι τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρὶ καὶ λέγειν πᾶν, ὃ ἐὰν ὠφεληθῇς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν κερδαίνῃς, ἐξ ἐμοῦ καὶ πρὸς σῆς ὠφελείας εἶναι λογίσαιο, τοῦτο δῶρόν ἐστιν ἀφιερωθὲν ἤδη θεῷ παρ' ἐμοῦ. καὶ λοιπὸν οἱ γονεῖς εὑρίσκοντο κρείττονι μαχόμενοι νόμῳ τῷ βουλομένῳ πάντων προτιμᾶσθαι θεὸν καὶ ἀναγκαίως παρεχώρουν μηδὲ ἐφάψασθαι τολμῶντες τῶν προεπηγγελμένων καὶ ἀνατεθέντων ὡς ἱερῶν. καὶ ταύτῃ τῇ μηχανῇ τοὺς γονεῖς ἀποστεροῦντες τῆς ὀφειλομένης τιμῆς τῶν ἀνοσίων λημμάτων τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ἐκοινώνουν οἱ παῖδες. ὁ δὲ Μᾶρκος σαφέστερον τὸ δῶρον κορβᾶν εἶπεν, ὅπερ τῇ τῶν Ἑβραίων γλώττῃ σημαίνει τὴν προσφορὰν καὶ τὸ δῶρον τὸ ἀφιερωθὲν τῷ θεῷ· ἦσαν γάρ τινες, οἳ καθιεροῦν ἑαυτοὺς ἐσπούδαζον τῷ θεῷ. σπάνει δὲ χρημάτων ἀνακοπτόμενοι τὴν εἰς τοὺς γονεῖς αἰδῶ παραπόδισμα ἔχειν προετείνοντο· μόλις γὰρ σφίσι τε αὐτοῖς κἀκείνοις τὰ ζωαρκῆ πορίζεσθαι δύνασθαι. οἱ δὲ πρεσβύτεροι ἀνέπειθον παρ' οὐδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸ χρῆμα διὰ θεόν· κἂν εἰ προσίοιεν οἱ γεγεννηκότες τὴν συνήθη παρ' αὐτῶν ζητοῦντες ἐπικουρίαν, χρῆναι λέγειν ἐδίδασκον, ὅτι ὅπερ ἂν ἐξ ἐμοῦ λάβοις τὸ θεῖον ἴσθι σοι παραβλάπτων ἀνάθημα καὶ χρήμασιν ἱεροῖς τὰς χεῖρας ἐπάγων· ἀνατέθεικα γὰρ ἐμαυτὸν καὶ ὡς δῶρον ἐπήγγελμαι τῷ θεῷ· οἱ δὲ τὰ ἐκ τῆς ἱεροσυλίας δεδιότες βλάβη διεκαρτέρουν οἰμώζοντες καὶ τὴν εἰς θεὸν εὐσέβειαν πρόφασιν λιμοῦ ἔχοντες. διὰ τί τοίνυν ἠκυρώσατε τὴν ἐντολήν; οὔτε γὰρ τῶν τῷ θεῷ πρεπόντων ἀμελητέον διὰ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα οὔτε μὴν εἰς ἅπαν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων καταρρᾳθυμητέον. 66 Mt 15, 2 6 Οὐ δεῖ θαυμάζειν, εἰ τοῦ νόμου κωλύσαντός τινα ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἔξω ἄνθρωπον μᾶλλον ἀποβλέποντος ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον ποιούμενος τὴν διδασκαλίαν οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν αὐτά. 67 Mt 15, 39 Ἵνα μὴ καθ' ἑκάστην ποιῶν σημεῖα δόξῃ φιλόδοξος τοῦτο γὰρ διήγειρε τοὺς ὄχλους ἀκολουθεῖν αὐτῷ δεικνὺς τὸ ταπεινὸν ἑαυτοῦ διὰ τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς οἰκονομίαν ἀναχωρεῖ εἰς τὸ πλοῖον. 68 Mt 16, 13 17 Καὶ ἐπειδὴ οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο εἰπεῖν τὸ τῆς θεότητος ἀξίωμα, ἀλλ' ἐκείνων τῆς γνώμης τὴν ψῆφον ἀνέμενεν· εἰ γὰρ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τίνα με λέγουσιν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, ὕποπτος ἂν ἦν αὐτῶν ἡ ἀπόκρισις λεγόντων σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς ἄρα ἀκολουθοῦντες τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ διδασκάλου τοῦτο εἶπον. ἐκείνου <δὲ> μηδὲν τοιοῦτον εἰπόντος καὶ ἐκείνων ἀποκρινομένων σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ἐδείχθη καθαρῶς τοῦ οἰκείου εἶναι φρονήματος τὴν θαυμασίαν ἐκείνην ἀπόκρισιν. ἄλλως τε δὲ ἐπειδὴ προῄδει ὁ πάντα εἰδὼς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς μέλλοντας αὐτὸν υἱὸν ὁμολογεῖν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, αὐτὸς τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας προλαμβάνει καὶ ἀνθρώπινον ἑαυτὸν ὁμολογεῖ, ἵνα διά τε τῆς οἰκείας φωνῆς διά τε τῆς τῶν μαθητῶν ἀποκρίσεως τῶν δύο φύσεων παραστήσῃ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῆς θεότητος καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, καὶ ἐμφράξῃ τῶν αἱρετιζόντων τὰ στόματα τῶν τε ψιλὸν ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν βλασφημεῖν μελλόντων καὶ τῶν ἐν φαντασίᾳ τὴν σάρκα φορέσαι μυθολογούντων. βεβαιοτάτην δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν μαθητῶν ἀπόκρισιν ποιεῖται τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτὴν ἐπιμαρτυρόμενος εἶναι ἀποκάλυψιν, ὥστε, ὅτι μὲν θεοῦ υἱὸς οἵ τε ἀπόστολοι ἔφασαν καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἀπεκάλυψεν καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ἐπιμαρτυρήσας συνωμολόγησεν· ὅτι δὲ ἄνθρωπος, αὐτὴ ἡ ἀλήθεια ὁ υἱὸς ὁμολογήσας ἐξήρκεσεν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄγνωστον τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ πλείονος ἔδει παραστάσεως, τὸ δὲ πᾶσιν ἑορᾶτο καὶ μόνη ἐξήρκει ἡ τοῦ φοροῦντος ὁμολογία καὶ συγκατάθεσις. τὸ δὲ σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέν σοι ἀντὶ τοῦ· οὐδὲν σαρκικὸν καὶ γήινον ἤδη περὶ ἐμὲ φανταζομένῳ, ἀλλ' ἀνωτέρω τῆς τῶν πολλῶν καὶ χαμαὶ συρομένων δόξης γεγονότι ἀπεκάλυψέν σοι καὶ τὴν ὑψηλοτάτην καὶ οὐράνιον γνῶσιν ὁ πατήρ, τὸ ἐπιγνῶναί σε, ὅτι φύσει καὶ ἀληθῶς εἰμι υἱὸς τοῦ ζῶντος θεοῦ. Οὐκ ἐβούλετο εἰπεῖν τὸ τῆς θεότητος ἀξίωμα, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν μαθητῶν