John Chrysostom, On Matthew

258

they are quiet; but where they see some being saved, they become savage and are troubled, and are more burdensome than all; so are they enemies of men's salvation. How then does Jesus defend them? Have you not read, He says, what David did in the temple, when he was hungry, he and all who were with him? how he entered into the house of God, and ate the loaves of the presence, which it was not lawful 57.435 for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests? For when He defends His disciples, He brings David forward; but when He defends Himself, the Father. And see how reproachfully: Have you not read what David did? For great was the Prophet's glory, so that Peter, afterwards defending himself to the Jews, said thus: It is permitted to speak with boldness to you concerning the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried. But why does He not call him with his title of honor, neither here, nor after this? Perhaps because from him He traced his lineage. If then they had been forgiving, He would have brought the argument to the suffering of hunger; but since they were foul and inhuman, He reads history to them. But Mark says, In the time of Abiathar the high priest, not speaking contrary to the history, but showing that he had two names; and he adds that he gave it to him; showing from this too that the defense was great, where even the priest permitted it; and not only permitted, but also ministered. For do not say to me, that David was a prophet; for not even so was it lawful, but the prerogative was the priests'; wherefore He added, except for the priests alone. For even if he were a prophet ten thousand times over, still he was not a priest; and if he was a prophet, yet those with him were not; for he gave to them also. What then? he says; are these equal to David? Why do you speak to me of rank, where there seems to be a transgression of the law, even though it is a necessity of nature? For in this way too He acquitted them of the charges even more, when the greater one appears to have done the same thing. 2. And what has this to do with the matter in question? he says; for he did not break the Sabbath. You tell me what is greater, and what especially shows the wisdom of Christ, that leaving aside the Sabbath, He brings another example greater than the Sabbath. For it is not the same thing to transgress a day, and to touch that sacred table, which was lawful for no one. For the Sabbath was both broken many times, or rather is always being broken, both in circumcision, and in many other works; and in Jericho one might see the same thing having happened; but this happened only at that time. So the victory is from the greater point. How then did no one accuse David, although there was another charge greater than this, that of the murder of the priests, which had its origin from this? But He does not put this forward; for He addresses only the matter at hand. Then again He resolves it in another way. For in the beginning He brought forward David, suppressing their madness by the dignity of the person; but when He had silenced them, and put down their arrogance, then He brings forward the more authoritative solution. And what was this? Do you not know that in the temple the priests profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? For there, He says, the circumstance made the solution; but here is the solution even without circumstance. But He did not solve it so immediately; but first by way of excuse, then by way of objection. For it was necessary to bring forward the stronger point later, although the former also had its own power. For do not tell me that it is not to be acquitted of a charge, to bring forward another who has sinned in the same way. For when the one who has done it is not accused, the thing dared becomes a law of defense. Nevertheless He was not satisfied with this, but also brings forward the more authoritative point, saying, that what had happened is not even a sin; 57.436 which was especially a mark of a brilliant victory, to show the law itself abrogating itself, and doing this in a twofold way, both from the place and from the Sabbath; or rather even in a threefold way, because the work was twofold, and with this another, that done by the priests; and what is indeed greater, that it is not even a charge; For they are, He says, blameless. Do you see how many things He has set forth? the place; for He says, In the temple; the person; for the priests; the time; for He says, The Sabbath; the thing itself; for they profane; nor

258

ἡσυχάζουσιν· ἔνθα δὲ ὁρῶσί τινας σωζομένους, ἀγριαίνουσι καὶ ταράττονται, καὶ πάντων εἰσὶ φορτικώτεροι· οὕτως ἐχθροὶ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας εἰσί. Πῶς οὖν ἀπολογεῖται περὶ αὐτῶν ὁ Ἰησοῦς; Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε, φησὶ, τί ἐποίησε ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, ὅτε ἐπείνασεν, αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ πάντες; πῶς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγεν, οὓς οὐκ ἐξὸν 57.435 αὐτῷ φαγεῖν, οὐδὲ τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ, εἰ μὴ μόνοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν; Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀπολογῆται, τὸν ∆αυῒδ εἰς μέσον παράγει· ὅταν δὲ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν Πατέρα. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς ἐπιπληκτικῶς· Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησε ∆αυΐδ; Καὶ γὰρ πολλὴ τοῦ Προφήτου ἦν ἡ δόξα, ὡς καὶ Πέτρον μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπολογούμενον πρὸς Ἰουδαίους οὕτως εἰπεῖν· Ἐξὸν εἰπεῖν μετὰ παῤῥησίας πρὸς ὑμᾶς περὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου ∆αυῒδ, ὅτι καὶ ἐτελεύτησε καὶ ἐτάφη. ∆ιατί δὲ αὐτὸν οὐχὶ μετὰ τοῦ ἀξιώματος καλεῖ, οὔτε ἐνταῦθα, οὔτε μετὰ ταῦτα; Ἴσως ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖθεν τὸ γένος κατῆγεν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν συγγνωμονικοί τινες ἦσαν, ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἂν τῆς πείνης τὸν λόγον ἤγαγεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ μιαροὶ καὶ ἀπάνθρωποι, καὶ ἱστορίαν αὐτοῖς ἀναγινώσκει. Ὁ δὲ Μάρκος, Ἐπὶ Ἀβιάθαρ τοῦἀρχιερέως, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐναντία λέγων τῇ ἱστορίᾳ, ἀλλὰ δεικνὺς ὅτι διώνυμος ἦν· καὶ προστίθησιν ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ· δεικνὺς καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μεγάλην οὖσαν ἀπολογίαν, ὅπου γε καὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐπέτρεψε· καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐπέτρεψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διηκονήσατο. Μὴ γάρ μοι λέγε, ὅτι προφήτης ἦν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἐξῆν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἱερέων ἦν τὸ προτέρημα· διὸ καὶ προσέθηκεν, Εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι μόνοις. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μυριάκις ἦν προφήτης, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἱερεύς· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐκεῖνος προφήτης, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκείνοις ἔδωκε. Τί οὖν; φησίν· ἴσον ∆αυῒδ καὶ οὗτοι; Τί μοι λέγεις ἀξίαν, ὅπου νόμου παράβασις εἶναι δοκεῖ, κἂν φύσεώς ἐστιν ἀνάγκη; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταύτῃ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἀπήλλαξε τῶν ἐγκλημάτων, ὅταν ὁ μείζων φαίνηται τὸ αὐτὸ πεποιηκώς. βʹ. Καὶ τί τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ ζητούμενον; φησίν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ σάββατον ἐκεῖνος παρέβη. Τὸ μεῖζόν μοι λέγεις, καὶ ὃ μάλιστα δείκνυσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν σοφίαν, ὅτι τὸ σάββατον ἀφεὶς, ἕτερον ὑπόδειγμα φέρει τοῦ σαββάτου μεῖζον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἴσον, παραβῆναι ἡμέραν, καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐκείνης ἅψασθαι τραπέζης, ἧς μηδενὶ θέμις ἦν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ σάββατον καὶ ἐλύθη πολλάκις, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀεὶ λύεται, καὶ ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ, καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις πλείοσιν ἔργοις· καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἰεριχῶ δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ γενόμενον ἴδοι τις ἄν· τοῦτο δὲ τότε μόνον ἐγένετο. Ὥστε ἀπὸ τοῦ πλείονος ἡ νίκη. Πῶς οὖν οὐδεὶς ἐνεκάλεσε τῷ ∆αυῒδ, καίτοι καὶ τούτου μεῖζον ἔγκλημα ἕτερον ἦν, τὸ τοῦ φόνου τῶν ἱερέων ἐντεῦθεν λαβὸν τὴν ἀρχήν; Ἀλλ' οὐ τίθησιν αὐτό· πρὸς γὰρ τὸ προκείμενον ἵσταται μόνον. Εἶτα πάλιν καὶ ἑτέρως αὐτὸ λύει. Ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν γὰρ τὸν ∆αυῒδ παρήγαγε, τῷ ἀξιώματι τοῦ προσώπου καταστέλλων αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπόνοιαν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐπεστόμισε, καὶ τὴν ἀλαζονείαν καθεῖλε, τότε καὶ τὴν κυριωτέραν ἐπάγει λύσιν. Ποία δὲ ἦν αὕτη; Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ οἱ ἱερεῖς τὸ σάββατον βεβηλοῦσι, καὶ ἀναίτιοί εἰσιν; Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ περίστασις τὴν λύσιν ἐποίησεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ χωρὶς περιστάσεως ἡ λύσις. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εὐθέως οὕτως ἔλυσεν· ἀλλὰ πρῶτον κατὰ συγγνώμην, εἶτα κατὰ ἔνστασιν. Τὸ γὰρ ἰσχυρότερον ὕστερον ἐπάγειν ἐχρῆν, καίτοιγε καὶ τὸ πρότερον τὴν οἰκείαν εἶχε δύναμιν. Μὴ γάρ μοι λέγε, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπηλλάχθαι ἐγκλήματος, τὸ καὶ ἕτερον τὸ αὐτὸ ἁμαρτάνοντα εἰς μέσον ἐνεγκεῖν. Ὅταν γὰρ μὴ ἐγκαλῆται ὁ πεποιηκὼς, νόμος ἀπολογίας γίνεται τὸ τολμηθέν. Πλὴν οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κυριώτερον ἐπάγει λέγων, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἁμάρτημά ἐστι 57.436 τὸ γεγενημένον· ὅπερ μάλιστα λαμπρᾶς νίκης ἦν, τὸ δεῖξαι τὸν νόμον ἑαυτὸν παραλύοντα, καὶ διπλῇ τοῦτο ποιοῦντα, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σαββάτου· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τριπλῇ, τῷ καὶ διπλοῦν τὸ ἔργον γενέσθαι, καὶ μετὰ τούτου καὶ ἕτερον, τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν ἱερέων· καὶ τὸ δὴ μεῖζον, τὸ μηδὲ ἔγκλημα εἶναι· Ἀναίτιοι γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰσίν. Εἶδες πόσα τέθεικε; τὸν τόπον· Ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ γάρ φησι· τὸ πρόσωπον· οἱ ἱερεῖς γάρ· τὸν καιρόν· Τὸ σάββατον γάρ φησι· τὸ πρᾶγμα αὐτό· Βεβηλοῦσι γάρ· οὐδὲ