Jesus does not accuse them concerning a tradition of the Jewish elders, but concerning two of the most necessary commandments of God, of which the one was the fifth of the decalogue, being as follows: "Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you, and that you may be long-lived upon the land which the Lord your God gives you," and the other was written in Leviticus in this manner: "If a man speaks evil of his father and his mother, let him be put to death; he has spoken evil of his father or mother, he shall be liable." But since we wish to see the very wording that Matthew set forth, that "he who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die," consider whether it was not taken from the place where it is written: "Whoever strikes his father or his mother, let him surely die" and "he who speaks evil of his father or his mother, let him surely die." Thus, then, were the wordings from the law concerning the two commandments. But Matthew set them forth partially and summarily and not in the exact words. What the Savior accuses the Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem of, saying they transgress the commandment of God because of their own tradition, must be understood. And God said: "Honor your father and your mother," teaching the one born of them to render due honor to parents. Part of this honor towards parents was also to share with them the necessities of life for nourishment and clothing and whatever else he was able to give to his own parents. But the Pharisees and the scribes have issued such a tradition opposing the law, which is stated rather obscurely in the gospel, which we ourselves would not have understood, had not one of the Hebrews given us the details of the matter as follows. Sometimes, he says, creditors, encountering difficult debtors who were able but unwilling to pay their debt, would dedicate what was owed to the account of the poor, for whom contributions were cast into the treasury by each, as he was able, of those who wished to contribute to them. Sometimes, then, they would say to the debtors in their own dialect: "Corban is what you owe me," that is, a gift; "for I have dedicated it to the account of piety towards God for the poor." Then the debtor, as owing no longer to men but to God and to piety towards him, was as it were shut up to paying the debt, even if unwilling, no longer to the creditor, but now to God for the account of the poor in the name of the creditor. What the creditor, then, did to the debtor, this some of the sons sometimes did to their parents, and would say to them that, "Whatever benefit you might receive from me, father or mother, know that you receive this from Corban, from the account of the poor dedicated to God." Then the parents, hearing that what was given to them was Corban dedicated to God, no longer wanted to receive it from their sons, even if they were in great need of necessities. The elders, therefore, stated such a tradition to those of the people, that whoever might say to his father or mother that what was given to either of them was Corban and a gift, this one is no longer a debtor to his father or mother in the giving of things for the needs of life. The Savior, therefore, refutes this tradition as being unsound, but opposing the commandment of God. For if God says to honor one's father and mother, but the tradition said: he who has dedicated to God as Corban what would have been given to his parents does not owe honor to his father or his mother by giving, it is clear that the commandment of God concerning the honor of parents was being nullified by the tradition of the Pharisees and scribes, which said that he who had once dedicated to God what his parents would have received no longer needs to honor his father and mother. And being lovers of money, the Pharisees taught such things, so that on the pretext of the poor they might receive also what would have been given to someone's parents. And the gospel bears witness to their love of money, saying: "The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things and they scoffed at him." If, then, any of those among us called elders, or however rulers of the people, rather

Ἰησοὺς οὐκ ἐγκαλεῖ περὶ παραδόσεως αὐτοῖς πρεσβυτέρων Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐντολῶν θεοῦ ἀναγκαιοτάτων δύο, ὧν ἡ μὲν ἑτέρα πέμπτη ἦν τῆς δεκαλόγου οὕτως ἔχουσα· «Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου, ἵν' εὖ σοι γένηται, καὶ γένῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἧς κύριος ὁ θεός σου δίδωσί σοι», ἡ δὲ λοιπὴ ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ τοῦτον ἐγέγραπτο τὸν τρόπον· «Ἐὰν ἄνθρωπος κακῶς εἴπῃ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ θανατούσθω· πατέρα αὐτοῦ ἢ μητέρα κακῶς εἶπεν, ἔνοχος ἔσται.» Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ αὐτὴν θέλομεν ἰδεῖν τὴν λέξιν ἣν ἐξέθετο ὁ Ματθαῖος, ὅτι ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θανάτῳ τελευτάτω, ἐπίστησον μήποτε ἐλήφθη ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου ἔνθα γέγραπται· «Ὃς τύπτει πατέρα αὐτοῦ ἢ μητέρα αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ τελευτάτω» καὶ «ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα αὐτοῦ ἢ μητέρα αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ τελευτάτω». Οὕτως μὲν οὖν εἶχον αἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου λέξεις περὶ τῶν δύο ἐντολῶν. Ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος ἐκ μέρους καὶ ἐπιτετμημένως αὐτὰς ἐξέθετο καὶ οὐκ αὐταῖς λέξεσι. Τί δὲ ἐγκαλεῖ τοῖς ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων Φαρισαίοις καὶ γραμματεῦσιν ὁ σωτήρ, λέγων αὐτοὺς παραβαίνειν τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν παράδοσιν, κατανοητέον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν θεὸς εἶπε· «Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου», διδάσκων τὴν δέουσαν τιμὴν ἀπονέμειν γονεῦσι τὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν γεννώμενον. Ταύτης τῆς πρὸς τοὺς γονεῖς τιμῆς μέρος ἦν καὶ τὸ κοινωνεῖν αὐτοῖς τῶν βιωτικῶν χρειῶν εἰς διατροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο οἷός τε ἦν χαρίζεσθαί <τις> τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ γονεῦσιν. Οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς τοιαύτην ἐναντιουμένην τῷ νόμῳ παρά δοσιν ἐκδεδώκασιν, ἀσαφέστερον ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ κειμένην, ᾗ οὐδ' αὐτοὶ ἐπιβεβλήκειμεν ἄν, εἰ μὴ τῶν Ἑβραίων τις ἐπιδέδωκεν ἡμῖν τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον οὕτως ἔχοντα. Ἔσθ' ὅτε, φησίν, οἱ δανεισταὶ δυστραπέλοις περιπίπτοντες χρεώ σταις καὶ δυναμένοις μέν, μὴ βουλομένοις δὲ ἀποδιδόναι τὸ χρέος, ἀνετίθεσαν τὸ ὀφειλόμενον εἰς τὸν τῶν πενήτων λόγον, οἷς ἐβάλλετο εἰς τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον ὑπὸ ἑκάστου, ὡς ἐδύνατο, τῶν βουλομένων αὐτοῖς κοινωνεῖν. Ἔλεγον οὖν ἔσθ' ὅτε τοῖς ὀφείλουσι κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν διάλεκτον· Κορβᾶν ἐστιν ὃ ὀφείλεις μοι, τουτέστι δῶρον· ἀνέθηκα γὰρ αὐτὸ εἰς λόγον τῆς εἰς θεὸν εὐσεβείας τοῖς πένησιν. Εἶτα ὁ χρεώστης, ὡς μηκέτι ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ τῷ θεῷ ὀφείλων καὶ τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν εὐσεβείᾳ, οἱονεὶ συνεκλείετο πρὸς τὸ καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος ἀποδοῦναι τὸ χρέος, οὐκέτι μὲν τῷ δανειστῇ, ἤδη δὲ εἰς τὸν λόγον τῶν πενήτων τῷ θεῷ ἐξ ὀνόματος τοῦ δανειστοῦ. Ὅπερ οὖν ὁ δανειστὴς ἐποίει τῷ χρεώστῃ, τοῦτό ποτέ τινες τῶν υἱῶν τοῖς γονεῦσιν, καὶ ἔλεγον αὐτοῖς ὅτι, ὃ ἂν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς, πάτερ ἢ μῆτερ, τοῦτο ἴσθι ἀπὸ τοῦ κορβᾶν λαμβάνειν, ἐκ τοῦ λόγου τῶν θεῷ ἀνακειμένων πενήτων. Εἶτα ἀκούοντες οἱ γονεῖς ὅτι κορβᾶν ἐστιν ἀνακείμενον τῷ θεῷ τὸ διδόμενον αὐτοῖς, οὐκέτι ἐβούλοντο λαμβάνειν, εἰ καὶ πάνυ ἔχρῃζον τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἀπὸ τῶν υἱέων. Οἱ οὖν πρεσβύτεροι τοιαύτην παράδοσιν εἰς τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ ἔλεγον ὅτι, ὅστις ἂν τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρὶ εἴπῃ τὸ διδόμενόν τινι αὐτῶν κορβᾶν εἶναι καὶ δῶρον, οὗτος οὐκέτι ὀφειλέτης ἐστὶ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἢ τὴν μητέρα ἐν δόσει τῶν πρὸς τὰς τοῦ βίου χρείας. Ταύτην οὖν ἐλέγχει ὡς οὐχ ὑγιῶς ἔχουσαν παράδοσιν ὁ σωτήρ, ἀλλὰ ἐναντιουμένην τῇ ἐντολῇ τοῦ θεοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ μὲν θεὸς λέγει τὸ τίμα τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα, ἡ δὲ παράδοσις ἔλεγεν· οὐκ ὀφείλει τιμᾶν τὸν πατέρα ἢ τὴν μητέρα τῇ δόσει ὁ ἀναθεὶς τῷ θεῷ ὡς κορβᾶν τὸ δοθησόμενον ἂν τοῖς γεγεννηκόσι, δῆλον ὅτι ἠκυροῦτο ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ τιμῆς γονέων ἐντολὴ ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ γραμματέων παραδόσεως, λεγούσης μηκέτι δεῖν τιμᾶν τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα τὸν ἅπαξ ἀνατεθεικότα τῷ θεῷ ὃ ἔλαβον ἂν οἱ γεγεννηκότες. Καὶ ὡς φιλάργυροί γε οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, ἵνα τῇ προφάσει τῶν πενήτων λαμβάνωσι καὶ τὰ δοθησόμενα ἂν τοῖς γονεῦσί τινος, τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐδίδασκον. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ γε αὐτῶν τῇ φιλαργυρίᾳ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον λέγον· «Ἤκουον δὲ ταῦτα πάντα οἱ Φαρισαῖοι φιλάργυροι ὄντες καὶ ἐξεμυκτή ριζον αὐτόν.» Εἴ τις οὖν καὶ τῶν λεγομένων ἐν ἡμῖν πρεσβυτέρων, ἢ ὅπως ποτὲ ἀρχόντων τοῦ λαοῦ, μᾶλλον