Chapter XLIX.—Of the Woman of Canaan Who Said, “Yet the Dogs Eat of the Crumbs Which Fall from Their Masters’ Tables,” And of the Harmony Between the Account Given by Matthew and that by Luke.

103. Matthew, accordingly, proceeds with his narrative, after the notice of that discourse which the Lord delivered in the presence of the Pharisees on the subject of the unwashed hands. Preserving also the order of the succeeding events, as far as it is indicated by the transitions from the one to the other, he introduces this account into the context in the following manner: “And Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But He answered her not a word,” and so on, down to the words, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”576    Matt. xv. 21–28. This story of the woman of Canaan is recorded also by Mark, who keeps the same order of events, and gives no occasion to raise any question as to a want of harmony, unless it be found in the circumstance that he tells us how the Lord was in the house at the time when the said woman came to Him with the petition on behalf of her daughter.577    Mark vii. 24–30. Now we might readily suppose that Matthew has simply omitted mention of the house, while nevertheless relating the same occurrence. But inasmuch as he states that the disciples made the suggestion to Him in these terms, “Send her away, for she crieth after us,” he seems to imply distinctly that the woman gave utterance to these cries of entreaty behind the Lord as He walked on. In what sense, then, could it have been “in the house,” unless we are to take Mark to have intimated the fact, that she had gone into the place where Jesus then was, when he mentioned at the beginning of the narrative that He was in the house? But when Matthew says that “He answered her not a word,” he has given us also to understand what neither of the two evangelists has related explicitly,—namely, the fact that during that silence which He maintained Jesus went out of the house. And in this manner all the other particulars are brought into a connection which from this point onwards presents no kind of appearance of discrepancy. For as to what Mark records with respect to the answer which the Lord gave her, to the effect that it was not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it unto the dogs, that reply was returned only after the interposition of certain sayings which Matthew has not left unrecorded. That is to say, [we are to suppose that] there came in first the request which the disciples addressed to Him in regard to the woman’s case, and the answer He gave them, to the effect that He was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel; that next there was her own approach, or, in other words, her coming after Him, and worshipping Him, saying, “Lord, help me;” and that then, after all these incidents, those words were spoken which have been recorded by both the evangelists.

CAPUT XLIX. De muliere Chananaea quae dixit, Et canes edunt de micis cadentibus de mensa dominorum suorum, quomodo inter se Matthaeus Lucasque consentiant.

103. Sequitur itaque Matthaeus post illum sermonem Domini, ubi de non lotis manibus cum Pharisaeis egit, atque ita conserit narrationem, ordinem, quantum ipse transitus indicat, rerum etiam quae consecutae sunt servans: Et egressus, inquit, inde Jesus secessit in partes Tyri et Sidonis. Et ecce mulier Chananaea a finibus illis egressa, clamavit dicens ei: Miserere mei, Domine, fili David; filia mea male a daemonio vexatur. Qui non respondit ei verbum, etc., 1130 usque ad illud ubi ait, O mulier, magna est fides tua; fiat sicut vis. Et sanata est filia ejus ex illa hora (Matth. XV, 21-28). Hoc de muliere Chananaea etiam Marcus commemorat, eumdem rerum gestarum ordinem servans, nec afferens aliquam repugnantiae quaestionem, nisi quod in domo dicit fuisse Dominum cum ad illum venit eadem mulier profilia sua rogans (Marc. VII, 24-30). Matthaeus autem posset quidem facile intelligi de domo tacuisse, eamdem tamen rem commemorasse: sed quoniam dicit discipulos Domino ita suggessisse, Dimitte illam, quoniam clamat post nos; nihil videtur aliud significare, quam post ambulantem Dominum mulierem illam deprecatorias voces emisisse. Quomodo ergo in domo, nisi quia intelligendum est dixisse quidem Marcum quod intraverit ubi erat Jesus, cum eum praedixisset fuisse in domo? Sed quia Matthaeus ait, Non respondit ei verbum; dedit agnoscere, quod ambo tacuerunt, in eo silentio egressum fuisse Jesum de domo illa: atque ita caetera contexuntur, quae jam in nullo discordant. Quod enim Marcus commemorat ei Dominum respondisse de pane filiorum non mittendo canibus, illis interpositis, dictum est, quae Matthaeus dicta non tacuit: id est, quia discipuli rogaverunt eum pro illa; et quia respondit non se esse missum nisi ad oves quae perierunt domus Israel; et quia illa venit, id est, consecuta est, et adoravit eum dicens, Domine, adjuva me: tunc deinde dictum est quod Evangelistae ambo commemorant.