The Renewal of the Disciples and the Manner of Service
The dispute and logomachy around him is a trampling of the Word, and the contempt and dishonor of those speaking is a casting down.
How does the evangelist lift up the word brought to the cross according to Isaiah (Isa 53:5) into healings (Mt 8:17)? Because even his passion was a healing for men, and the Lord suffered no more than he worked through those dishonoring him and through his own death, preparing and fighting against the life of men by setting himself apart for them. Isaiah brought the word to the cross, but Matthew to the healings of diseases; and he did this because even that passion of the Savior was a healing for men, and it is evident that his death also granted life to us.
“You have come,” they say, “before the time of the prophetic words” (Mt 8:29), the demons hearing, because Christ is about to come into the world through the flesh of your flesh and because he is about to judge them in the consummation. “You have come to torment us before the time,” that is, before the consummation.
Why then are they worthy to enter into the swine (Mt 8:31)? When they are not able according to men, they desire according to the irrational, of those things which are through man, just as the misanthropes harm him or his own things. Seeing such a small sign, the Gergesenes entreat Jesus to depart from their borders (Mt 8:34), because they had no desire for the good. For they did not say this judging themselves unworthy, but as being unfeeling and exceedingly unfaithful.
Because they had no desire for the good, but were lazily dividing and sluggishly toward the grasping of the great good.
“An old garment,” he said, speaks the old man; “but a coarse cloth” the new Word (Mt 9:16-17), and a joining of these does not happen; immediately the fast and the spiritual joy; for spiritual susceptibility in a bodily man is not. For having been accustomed to seeking the things of the flesh, he will never find joy in these, but the matter will appear harsh and unendurable to him and will be separated from him more, because the thing being dragged along burns him. And the fasts are old and the old men; but new wine is the new Word, which they cannot contain; for their soft material is torn, not bearing the strength of the spiritual life. And the Word was not given to such people for what is necessary.
not much, but only as much as it advanced toward them for destruction. These things, therefore, the Lord says, regarding the renewal of the foremost of the disciples which is about to be at his resurrection, with which it is already the time for spiritual exercises (Mt 9:27-31). No one boasts if the power speaks about itself that it is able; but it would be boasting for one who does not have the power by nature, but receives it by grace to say 'I am able.' And the Savior commanded the blind not to say anything about what happened, teaching us not to show that it is necessary; for it was not boasting toward God to speak the truth about it. And the confession of those who were healed concerning the healing did not bring a charge, but testified to gratitude.
He did not completely cut off those from the Gentiles about to believe, nor the Samaritans, desiring 'all people' (Mt 10:5-6) to be 'saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,' but it was necessary first to go to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel,' just as he himself says toward the Canaanite: 'I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,' which God promised to seek through the prophet Ezekiel. But they lost the law having been given to them, not having guarded it.
And he says 'has come' (Mt 10:7) not as if it were approaching; for it had approached of the incarnate Lord, but as far as those who have not yet believed, it seems Christ is far from them. For I want to show the deacons of the Gospel to be entirely free and prudent, not being humbled by care for any single thing of the body (Mt 10:9-10). And Matthew says both he and Luke say 'neither sandals' 'nor' a garment 'nor a staff,' which seems to be the most modest thing to take, 'on the way.' But Mark seems to permit them to take a 'staff' and 'to have put on sandals' in some of the copies. For he says in others that 'he commanded them so that they might carry nothing on the way,' neither a 'staff' nor a 'bag' nor 'bread' nor 'copper into the belt' nor 'having put on sandals.'
Not two tunics, but the 'seamless' and 'woven from above' Christ Jesus; 'for as many as were baptized into Christ, you have clothed yourselves with Christ' (Gal 3:27); for it is necessary 'to strip off' the old man (Eph 4:22) along with his 'deeds' and his 'desires.' This...
Greek
καταπάτησις τοῦ λόγου ἡ περὶ αὐτὸν ἔρις καὶ λογομαχία, ῥῆξις τῶν λεγόντων ἡ καταφρόνησις καὶ ἀτιμία. 37 Mt 8, 17 Πῶς δὲ Ἠσαΐου εἰς τὸν σταυ ρὸν ἀνενέγκαντος τὸ ῥητὸν ὁ εὐαγ γελιστὴς εἰς τὰς ἰάσεις ἀνάγει; ὅτι καὶ τὸ πάθος αὐτοῦ ἴασις ἦν ἀν θρώπων καὶ οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἔπασχεν ὁ κύριος ἤπερ ἐνήργει διὰ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀτιμιῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου θανάτου τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζωὴν κατασκευάζων καὶ καταπολεμῶν τοὺς κακῶς ἑαυτοὺς διατιθέντας. Ὁ Ἠσαΐας εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν ἀνήνεγκε τὸ ῥητόν, ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος εἰς τὰς τῶν νοσημάτων θεραπείας· τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίησεν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ πάθος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἴασις ἦν ἀν θρώπων καὶ δηλονότι καὶ ὁ θάνα τος αὐτοῦ τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο. 38 Mt 8, 29 Ἦλθες , φασίν, πρὸ καιροῦ τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων ἀκούοντες οἱ δαίμονες, ὅτι μέλλει παραγενέσθαι εἰς τὸν κόσμον ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ σαρκώ σεως καὶ ὅτι μέλλει αὐτοὺς κρίνειν ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ. ἦλθες , φασίν, βασα νίσαι ἡμᾶς πρὸ καιροῦ , τοῦτ' ἔστιν πρὸ τῆς συντελείας. 39 Mt 8, 31®34 ∆ιὰ τί δὲ αὐτοὶ εἰς τοὺς χοίρους ἀξιοῦσιν εἰσελθεῖν; ὅταν κατὰ ἀνθρώπων μὴ δύνωνται, κατὰ ἀλόγων βούλονται τῶν δι' ἄνθρωπον ὄντων, ὥσπερ αὐτὸν ἢ τὰ αὐτοῦ κακοῦσιν οἱ μισάνθρωποι. ἰδόντες δὲ τηλι κοῦτον σημεῖον οἱ Γεργεσηνοὶ παρακαλοῦσιν τὸν Ἰησοῦν μεταβῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων αὐτῶν , ἐπειδὴ πόθον οὐκ εἶχον τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. καὶ γὰρ οὐχ ὡς ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς κρίνοντες τοῦτ' εἶπον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀναίσθητοι καὶ ἄγαν ἄπιστοι. 40 Mt 8, 34 Ἐπειδὴ πόθον οὐκ εἶχον τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀργῶς διέκειντο καὶ ὀκνηρῶς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου ἀγαθοῦ κατάληψιν. 41 Mt 9, 16®17 Παλαιὸν ἱμάτιον εἶπεν τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον· ῥάκος δὲ ἄγναφον τὸν καινὸν λόγον, ἕνωσιν δὲ τούτων μὴ γίνεσθαι· αὐτίκα ἡ νηστεία ἡ πνευματικὴ χαρά· πνεύματος γὰρ εὐπάθεια ἐν σωματικῷ ἀνθρώπῳ οὐκ ἔστιν· ζητεῖν γὰρ εἰωθὼς τὰ σαρκὸς οὐδέποτε ἐν τῇ τούτων στερήσει χαρήσεται, ἀλλὰ σκληρὸν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀφόρητον τὸ πρᾶγμα φανήσεται καὶ χωρισθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον, ὅτι 3 φέρειν αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐπαχθὲς ἀναγ κάζεται. ἀσκοὶ δὲ παλαιοὶ καὶ οἱ παλαιοὶ ἄνθρωποι· οἶνος δὲ νέος ὁ καινὸς λόγος, ὃν οὐ χωροῦσιν· ῥήγνυται γὰρ αὐτῶν τὸ σαθρὸν οὐ φέρον τὸ δυνατὸν τοῦ πνευματικοῦ βίου. καὶ οὐκ εἰς δέον ἐδόθη τοῖς τοιούτοις ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἐπ' αὐτοῖς εἰς μάτην ἐχώρησεν. ταῦτα οὖν ὁ κύριος λέγων τὴν ἀνακαίνωσιν προεδήλου τῶν μαθητῶν τὴν ἐσομένην ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ, μεθ' ἣν ἤδη καιρὸς τῶν πνευματικῶν ἐπιτηδεύσεων. 42 Mt 9, 27®31 Κόμπος οὐδείς, ἐὰν ἡ δύναμις λέγῃ περὶ ἑαυτῆς τὸ δύνασθαι· κόμπος δ' ἂν ἦν τῷ μὴ φύσει τὸ δύνασθαι ἔχοντι, ἀλλὰ διὰ χάριτος λαμβάνοντι λέγειν ὅτι δύναμαι . παρήγγειλε δὲ ὁ σωτὴρ τοῖς τυφλοῖς τὸ μηδενὶ ἐξειπεῖν τὸ γενόμενον, τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι διδάσκων ἡμᾶς· οὐ γὰρ θεῷ κόμπος ἦν τὸ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγεσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ. ἡ δὲ τῶν ἰαθέντων ὁμολογία περὶ τῆς ἰάσεως οὐκ ἔγκλημα ἤνεγκεν, ἀλλ' εὐγνωμοσύνην ἐμαρτύρησεν. 43 Mt 10, 5®6 Οὐ τελείως ἀπέκοψεν τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν μέλλοντας πιστεύειν οὔτε τοὺς Σαμαρείτας ὁ «πάντας ἀνθρώπους » θέλων «σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν », ἀλλ' ἔδει πρῶτον ἐπὶ «τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολω λότα οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ » πορεύεσθαι καθὰ καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς τὴν Χαναναίαν φησίν· «οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ », ἅπερ ὁ θεὸς ζητήσειν ἐπηγγείλατο διὰ Ἰεζεκιὴλ τοῦ προφήτου. ἀπωλώ λεσαν δὲ τὸν δοθέντα αὐτοῖς νόμον οὐ φυλάξαντες. 45 Mt 10, 7 Ἠγγικέναι δὲ λέγει οὐχ ὡς ἀποῦσαν· ἦν γὰρ ἐγγίσασα τοῦ κυρίου σαρκωθέντος, ἀλλ' ὅσον πρὸς τοὺς μήπω πιστεύσαντας δοκεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπεῖναι αὐτῶν. 46 Mt 10, 9®10 Ἐλευθέρους γὰρ πάντη καὶ ἀφρόντιδας ἀποδεῖξαι <τοὺς> τοῦ εὐαγγε λίου διακόνους βούλομαι μηδεμιᾷ σώματος ἕνεκα μερίμνῃ ταπεινουμένους. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖός φησιν καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς «μήτε ὑποδήματα » «μήτε » ἱμάτιον «μηδὲ ῥάβδον» , ὃ δοκεῖ πάντων εὐτελέστατον εἶναι λαβεῖν, «εἰς ὁδὸν» ἕλησθε. ὁ δὲ Μᾶρκος «ῥάβδον» δοκεῖ ἐπιτρέπειν αὐτοῖς λαμβάνειν καὶ «ὑποδεδέσθαι σανδάλια » ἔν τισι τῶν ἀντιγράφων. ἐν ἄλλοις γάρ φησιν, ὅτι «παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδὲν αἴρωσιν εἰς ὁδόν », μήτε «ῥάβδον» μήτε «πήραν» μήτε «ἄρτον » μήτε «εἰς τὴν ζώνην χαλκὸν » μήτε «ὑπο δεδεμένους <σανδάλια> ». 47 Mt 10, 10 Μήτε δύο χιτῶνας , ἀλλὰ τὸν «ἄρραφον » καὶ «ἄνωθεν ὑφαντὸν » Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν· «ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύ-σασθε »· «τὸν » γὰρ παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον « ἀποδύσασθαι δεῖ » σὺν ταῖς πράξεσι « καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις » αὐτοῦ . τοῦτον
About this text
Apollinaris of Laodicea on Matthew (catena fragments).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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