Chapter LXVIII.—Of the Withering of the Fig-Tree, and of the Question as to the Absence of Any Contradiction Between Matthew and the Other Evangelists in the Accounts Given of that Incident, as Well as the Other Matters Related in Connection with It; And Very Specially as to the Consistency Between Matthew and Mark in the Matter of the Order of Narration.

130. Matthew continues thus: “And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were sore displeased, and said unto Him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise? And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and He lodged there. Now in the morning, as He returned into the city, He hungered. And when He saw a single642    Unam. fig-tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig-tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig-tree withered away! But Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig-tree; but also, if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”643    Matt. xxi. 14–22.

131. Mark also records this occurrence in due succession.644    Consequenter. He does not, however, follow the same order in his narrative. For first of all, the fact which is related by Matthew, namely, that Jesus went into the temple, and cast out those who sold and bought there, is not mentioned at that point by Mark. On the other hand, Mark tells us that He looked round about upon all things, and, when the eventide was now come, went out into Bethany with the twelve. Next he informs us that on another day,645    Alia die. when they were coming from Bethany, He was hungry, and cursed the fig-tree, as Matthew also intimates. Then the said Mark subjoins the statement that He came into Jerusalem, and that, on going into the temple, He cast out those who sold and bought there, as if that incident took place not on the first day specified, but on a different day.646    Mark xi. 11–17. But inasmuch as Matthew puts the connection in these terms, “And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany,”647    Matt. xxi. 17. and tells us that it was when returning in the morning into the city that He cursed the tree, it is more reasonable to suppose that he, rather than Mark, has preserved the strict order of time so far as regards the incident of the expulsion of the sellers and buyers from the temple. For when he uses the phrase, “And He left them, and went out,” who can be understood by those parties whom He is thus said to have left, but those with whom He was previously speaking,—namely, the persons who were so sore displeased because the children cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David”? It follows, then, that Mark has omitted what took place on the first day, when He went into the temple; and in mentioning that He found nothing on the fig-tree but leaves, he has introduced what He called to mind only there, but what really occurred on the second day, as both evangelists testify. Then, further, his account bears that the astonishment which the disciples expressed at finding how the fig-tree had withered away, and the reply which the Lord made to them on the subject of faith, and the casting of the mountain into the sea, belonged not to this same second day on which He said to the tree, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever,” but to a third day. For in connection with the second day, the said Mark has recorded the incident of the casting of the sellers out of the temple, which he had omitted to notice as belonging to the first day. Accordingly, it is in connection with this second day that he tells us how Jesus went out of the city, when even was come, and how, when they passed by in the morning, the disciples saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots, and how Peter, calling to remembrance, said unto Him, “Master, behold the fig-tree which Thou cursedst is withered away.”648    Mark xi. 20, 21. Then, too, he informs us that He gave the answer relating to the power of faith. On the other hand, Matthew recounts these matters in a manner importing that they all took place on this second day; that is to say, both the word addressed to the tree, “Let no fruit grow on thee from henceforward for ever,” and the withering that ensued so speedily in the tree, and the reply which He made on the subject of the power of faith to His disciples when they observed that withering and marvelled at it. From this we are to understand that Mark, on his side, has recorded in connection with the second day what he had omitted to notice as occurring really on the first,—namely, the incident of the expulsion of the sellers and buyers from the temple. On the other hand, Matthew, after mentioning what was done on the second day,—namely, the cursing of the fig-tree as He was returning in the morning from Bethany into the city,—has omitted certain facts which Mark has inserted, namely, His coming into the city, and His going out of it in the evening, and the astonishment which the disciples expressed at finding the tree dried up as they passed by in the morning; and then to what had taken place on the second day, which was the day on which the tree was cursed, he has attached what really took place on the third day,—namely, the amazement of the disciples at seeing the tree’s withered condition, and the declaration which they heard from the Lord on the subject of the power of faith.649    [The explanation of Augustin is still accepted by many. But the order of Mark may be followed without any difficulty. The long discourses occurred on the third day, and the blasted condition of the fig-tree was first noticed on the morning of that day; these are the main points.—R.] These several facts Matthew has connected together in such a manner that, were we not compelled to turn our attention to the matter by Mark’s narrative, we should be unable to recognise either at what point or with regard to what circumstances the former writer has left anything unrecorded in his narrative. The case therefore stands thus: Matthew first presents the facts conveyed in these words, “And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and He lodged there. Now in the morning, as He returned into the city, He hungered; and when He saw a single fig-tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever; and presently the fig-tree withered away.” Then, omitting the other matters which belonged to that same day, he has immediately subjoined this statement, “And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is it withered away!” although it was on another day that they saw this sight, and on another day that they thus marvelled. But it is understood that the tree did not wither at the precise time when they saw it, but presently when it was cursed. For what they saw was not the tree in the process of drying up, but the tree already dried completely up; and thus they learned that it had withered away immediately on the Lord’s sentence.

CAPUT LXVIII. De arefacta arbore ficulnea, et quae juxta narrata sunt, quomodo non repugnet Matthaeus caeteris, et maxime Marco de ordine narrationis.

130. Sequitur Matthaeus: Et accesserunt ad eum caeci et claudi in templo, et sanavit eos. Videntes autem principes sacerdotum et Scribae mirabilia quae fecit, et pueros clamantes in templo et dicentes, Hosanna filio David; indignati sunt, et dixerunt ei: Audis quid isti dicunt? Jesus autem dicit eis: Utique; nunquam legistis, quia ex ore infantium et lactentium perfecisti laudem? Et relictis illis, abiit foras extra civitatem in Bethaniam, ibique mansit. Mane autem revertens in civitatem, esurivit: et videns fici arborem unam secus viam, venit ad eam, et nihil invenit in ea, nisi folia tantum; et ait illi: Nunquam ex te fructus nascatur in sempiternum; et arefacta est continuo ficulnea. Et videntes discipuli mirati sunt dicentes: Quomodo continuo aruit? Respondens autem Jesus, ait eis: Amen dico vobis, si habueritis fidem et non haesitaveritis, non solum de ficulnea facietis, sed et si monti huic dixeritis, Tolle te, et jacta te in mare, fiet: et omnia quaecumque petieritis in oratione credentes, accipietis (Matth. XXI, 14-22).

131. Hoc et Marcus consequenter dicit, sed non eumdem ordinem tenet. Primo enim quod eum Matthaeus in templum dixit intrasse, et ejecisse vendentes et ementes, non commemorat Marcus, sed circumspectis omnibus, cum jam vespera esset, exisse dicit in Bethaniam cum duodecim; et alia die cum exirent a Bethania esuriisse, et arbori fici maledixisse: quod et Matthaeus commemorat. Et subjungit idem Marcus, quod venerit Jerosolymam, et cum introisset in templum, ejecit vendentes et ementes, quasi altero die, non primo factum esset (Marc. XI, 11-17). Sed quia Matthaeus ita connectit, Et relictis illis, abiit foras extra civitatem in Bethaniam, unde mane revertentem in civitatem arbori maledixisse commemorat; probabilius creditur ipse potius tenuisse ordinem temporis de vendentibus et ementibus ejectis de templo. Cum enim dicit, Et relictis illis, abiit foras; quibus relictis intelligi poterit, nisi cum quibus superius loquebatur, indignantibus quod pueri clamarent, Hosanna filio David? Praetermisit ergo Marcus quod primo die factum est, cum intravit in templum; et recordatum interposuit, cum dixisset quod non invenerit aliquid in ficulnea praeter folia, quod secundo die factum est, sicut ambo testantur. Miratos autem esse discipulos quod arbor aruerit, et eis Dominum respondisse de fide et de monte in mare transferendo, non ipso secundo die quo dixit arbori, Jam non amplius in aeternum quisquam ex te fructum manducet, sed tertio die dicit. Ipso quippe die secundo commemoravit idem Marcus de templo ejectos vendentes, quod primo die factum praetermiserat. Ipso ergo secundo die dicit facta vespera egressum de civitate, et cum mane transirent, vidisse discipulos ficum aridam factam a radicibus, et 1141 recordatum Petrum dixisse ei, Rabbi, ecce ficus cui maledixisti, aruit: tunc eum de potentia fidei respondisse. Matthaeus autem tanquam secundo die hoc totum factum sit, id est, et dictum arbori, Nunquam ex te fructus nascatur in sempiternum; et arefactam esse continuo; et videntibus hoc discipulis atque mirantibus illud de virtute fidei fuisse responsum. Unde intelligitur, Marcum quidem secundo die commemorasse quod primo die factum praetermiserat, de templo scilicet ejectos vendentes et ementes: Matthaeus vero cum commemorasset quod altero die factum est, de arbore maledicta quando mane revertebatur a Bethania in civitatem, praetermisit ea quae Marcus commemoravit, venisse illum in civitatem, et vespere exiisse, et mane cum transirent, discipulos arborem aridam fuisse miratos; et ei quod secundo die gestum erat, quo arbor maledicta est, adjunxit illud quod tertio die gestum est, ejus ariditatem miratos esse discipulos, et de potentia fidei a Domino audisse: sic ea conjungens, ut nisi ex Marci narratione cogamur intendere, ubi et quid Matthaeus praetermiserit, non possit agnosci. Cum ergo dixisset Matthaeus, Et relictis illis, abiit foras extra civitatem in Bethaniam, ibique mansit. Mane autem revertens in civitatem, esurivit: et videns fici arborem unam secus viam, venit ad eam, et nihil invenit in ea, nisi folia tantum; et ait illi: Nunquam abs te fructus nascatur in sempiternum; et arefacta est continuo ficulnea; praetermissis caeteris ad eumdem diem pertinentibus, adjunxit statim, Et videntes discipuli mirati sunt dicentes: Quomodo continuo aruit? quod alio die viderunt, alio die mirati sunt. Intelligitur autem non tunc aruisse quando viderunt, sed continuo cum maledicta est. Neque enim arescentem, sed penitus arefactam viderunt, ac sic eam continuo in verbo Domini aruisse intellexerunt.