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

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 very great. And this Christ makes clear, saying that Elijah came, but they did not know him, that is, John who was in all respects like him. 73 Mt 17, 19 21 He gave three reasons for the demon-possessed man not receiving healing: the unbelief of those present and the perversion of their mind, the disciples' lack of faith concerning signs, the gluttony and voracity of the one in need of healing and his indolence in prayer; for sometimes the disposition alone of those who approach, being vehement and intense, compels the healing, at other times the ineffable strength and power of the healer, and in some places also the conversion and salvation of those who see and are present. When the Lord said, therefore, *this kind does not go out*, he indicated two things and comforted the disciples; Do not think, he says, that it was all because of your lack of faith, but the gluttony and lack of diligence in prayer of those needing healing became a great obstacle to their own salvation. Again, he also delivered a truly divine and wise method of therapy, the fasting and prayer of the sufferers, by which we are able to be delivered not only from the vexations of demons, but also from other passions. There are three reasons for not receiving healing: the unbelief of those present and the lack of faith of the disciples concerning miracles and the gluttony and voracity of the demon-possessed man. 74 Mt 18, 8 9 Having spoken about stumbling blocks and having declared woe to the world because of their sowing and multitude, he also declares woe to the person who is their worker and introducer. Through this declaration of woe, he shows that it is not only not fitting for us to be perpetrators of stumbling blocks, but also not to accept those who do these things, but to declare woe to them and turn away from them; for friendship and association with them little by little calls one to imitation and the same action. Then, lest someone say, "But what if such a person is a friend, if he is a beloved relative, if he is the most honored of one's household, how must one also turn away from this person?", he himself anticipates such a dispute and cuts off the reasoning, saying that even if he is a friend, so that you hold him as your eye and through him seem to see many useful things, or if he is a relative, so that you hold him as your hand and find him a helper in many things, or if he is someone else, through whom your entire path in life is made smooth, whoever then is disposed to you in this way, yet is a worker and creator of stumbling blocks, cut him off and cast him from you, detach yourself from him, flee the harm of his company and the poison that is shared. And if it is necessary to turn away from those who are so useful to us in life but cause spiritual harm, how much more so those who, along with spiritual harm, bring us no benefit in life at all. Having said many things about stumbling blocks and having lamented the world, the Savior also laments the person as a worker of evils, showing that it is not only necessary to flee and turn away from stumbling blocks, but also not to accept those who do such things; for it is necessary for people to be called to imitation of them through association with them. Even if someone is disposed to you in a friendly way, but is a worker and creator of evils, detach yourself from him, avoiding the harm to your soul and the poison from his company. 75 Mt 18, 15 18 Having brought under great condemnation those who cause stumbling and sin against their neighbors, he now turns his discourse also to those who are considered to have been wronged and says: And you yourself, who consider yourself to have been wronged and dishonored, do not give up, nor make your neighbor's sin against you a loss; you are able to turn this into a great gain. How and in what way? If you go to the one who has sinned and show him his sin, you will present to him the reproof through the matter itself; for many, being darkened at the time of their passion by

τοὺς πολιτικοὺς θορύβους ἐξέφυγον. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἠλίας ᾤκει τὸν Κάρμηλον, ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διέτριβε καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἄλλα δὲ πλείστη ἐτύγχανεν αὐτοῖς ἡ ὁμοιότης. καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῖ ὁ Χριστὸς λέγων, ὅτι ἦλθεν Ἠλίας, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔγνωσαν αὐτόν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὁ Ἰωάννης ὁ κατὰ πάντα ὅμοιος αὐτῷ. 73 Mt 17, 19 21 Τοῦ μὴ τυχεῖν τῆς ἰάσεως τὸν δαιμονιζόμενον τρία ᾐτιάσατο· τὴν ἀπιστίαν τῶν παρεστώτων καὶ διαστροφὴν τῆς γνώμης, τὴν περὶ τὰ σημεῖα τῶν μαθητῶν ὀλιγοπιστίαν, τὴν τοῦ δεομένου τῆς ἰάσεως γαστριμαργίαν καὶ ἀδηφαγίαν καὶ τὸ ἐρρᾳθυμημένον εἰς προσευχήν· ἐνίοτε γὰρ καὶ ἡ τῶν προσιόντων μόνη διάθεσις σφοδρὰ καὶ σύντονος οὖσα ἐκβιάζεται τὴν ἴασιν, ἄλλοτε δὲ τοῦ ἰατροῦ ἡ ἄφατος ἰσχὺς καὶ ἡ δύναμις, ἐνιαχοῦ δὲ καὶ τῶν ὁρώντων καὶ παρεστώτων ἡ ἐπιστροφὴ καὶ ἡ σωτηρία. εἰπὼν οὖν ὁ δεσπότης τοῦτο δὲ τὸ γένος οὐκ ἐξέρχεται δύο τινὰ παρεδήλωσεν καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς παρεμυθήσατο· μὴ νομίσητε, φησίν, ὅτι τὸ πᾶν τῆς ὑμῶν ὀλιγοπιστίας γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ μέγα γέγονεν ἐμπόδιον εἰς τὴν σφῶν αὐτῶν σωτηρίαν τὸ γαστρίμαργον καὶ πρὸς εὐχὴν ἀφιλόπονον τῶν δεομένων τῆς ἰάσεως. πάλιν δὲ καὶ θεραπείας παρέδωκεν θείαν καὶ σοφὴν ὄντως μέθοδον τὴν νηστείαν καὶ προσευχὴν τῶν πασχόντων, δι' ὧν οὐ μόνον δαιμόνων ἐπηρείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παθῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι δυνάμεθα. Τοῦ μὴ τυχεῖν τῆς ἰάσεως τρία εἰσὶν αἴτια, ἀπιστία τῶν παρεστώτων καὶ ἡ περὶ τὰ θαύματα ὀλιγοπιστία τῶν μαθητῶν καὶ ἡ τοῦ δαιμονιζομένου γαστριμαργία καὶ ἀδηφαγία. 74 Mt 18, 8 9 Εἰπὼν περὶ τῶν σκανδάλων καὶ ταλανίσας τὸν κόσμον διὰ τὴν ἐπισπορὰν καὶ τὸν πληθυσμὸν αὐτῶν ταλανίζει καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἐργάτην καὶ εἰσαγωγέα αὐτῶν. δείκνυσι διὰ τοῦ ταλανισμοῦ, ὅτι οὐ μόνον οὐ προσῆκεν τῶν σκανδάλων εἶναι ἡμᾶς αὐτουργούς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοὺς ταῦτα πράττοντας ἀποδέχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ ταλανίζειν καὶ ἐκτρέπεσθαι αὐτούς· ἡ γὰρ μετ' αὐτῶν φιλία καὶ συναναστροφὴ εἰς μίμησιν κατὰ μικρὸν ἐκκαλεῖται καὶ πρᾶξιν τὴν αὐτήν. εἶτα ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ, τί δέ; ἂν φίλος ᾖ ὁ τοιοῦτος, ἂν τῶν συγγενῶν ὁ ἐπέραστος, ἂν τῶν συνοικούντων ὁ τιμιώτατος, πῶς καὶ τοῦτον χρὴ ἀποστρέφεσθαι, ἐπάγει αὐτὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ἀμφισβήτησιν προφθάσας καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν ἐκτεμῶν, ὅτι κἂν φίλος ᾖ ὥστε ἐν τάξει αὐτὸν ἔχειν σε ὀφθαλμοῦ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ πολλὰ δοκεῖν τῶν χρησίμων σοι καθορᾶν, κἂν συγγενής, ὥστε τόπον αὐτὸν ἔχειν χειρὸς καὶ συνεργὸν εὑρίσκειν ἐν πολλοῖς, κἂν ἄλλος τίς ἐστιν, δι' οὗ σοι πᾶσα ἡ κατὰ τὸν βίον ἐξομαλίζεται τρίβος, ὅστις ἂν οὖν ᾖ τοῦτόν σοι διακείμενος τὸν τρόπον, ὅμως δὲ σκανδάλων ἐστὶν ἐργάτης καὶ δημιουργός, ἔκκοψον αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἀποκολλήθητι αὐτοῦ, φύγε τῆς αὐτοῦ συναναστροφῆς τὴν βλάβην καὶ τὸν μεταλαμβανόμενον ἰόν. ἂν δὲ τοὺς οὕτως ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸν βίον χρησίμους βλάβην προξενοῦντας ψυχικὴν ἐκτρέπεσθαι χρή, πῶς οὐ πολλῷ πλέον τοὺς μετὰ τῆς ψυχικῆς βλάβης μηδὲ συμφέρον τι κατὰ τὸν βίον συνεισάγοντας ἡμῖν. Πλεῖστα περὶ τῶν σκανδάλων εἰπὼν ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ θρηνήσας τὸν κόσμον, θρηνεῖ καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὡς ἐργάτην τῶν κακῶν δεικνύς, ὅτι οὐ μόνον χρὴ τὰ σκάνδαλα ἐκφεύγειν καὶ ἀποτρέπεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας μὴ ἀποδέχεσθαι· τὴν γὰρ μετὰ τούτων ἀναστροφὴν εἰς μίμησιν αὐτῶν ἐκκαλεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀναγκαῖον. Κἂν φιλικῶς εἴη τις πρός σε διακείμενος, εἴη δὲ ἐργάτης τε καὶ δημιουργὸς τῶν κακῶν, ἀποκολλήθητι αὐτοῦ τὴν βλάβην ἐκκλίνων τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τὸν ἐκ τῆς συνουσίας αὐτοῦ ἰόν. 75 Mt 18, 15 18 Ὑπὸ μεγάλην κατάκρισιν ἀγαγὼν τοὺς σκανδαλίζοντας καὶ ἁμαρτάνοντας εἰς τοὺς πλησίον νῦν τρέπει τὸν λόγον καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἠδικῆσθαι νομιζομένους καί φησιν· καὶ σὺ δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ ἠδικῆσθαι καὶ ἠτιμῶσθαι νομίζων μὴ ἀναπέσῃς μηδὲ τὴν εἰς σὲ τοῦ πλησίον ἁμαρτίαν ζημίαν ποιήσῃς· δύνασαι ταύτην καὶ εἰς μέγα κέρδος καταστῆσαι. πῶς καὶ τίνα τρόπον; ἂν ἀπελθὼν εἰς τὸν ἁμαρτήσαντα ἐπιδείξῃς αὐτῷ τὸ ἁμάρτημα, παραστήσεις αὐτῷ τὸν διὰ τοῦ πράγματος ἔλεγχον· πολλοὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους ἐπισκοτιζόμενοι τῇ