Matthew 7:7
The beginning of virtue is to pray that the way of truth be made known to someone. The second step is to seek how one must travel that way. The third is, having taken hold of virtue, to knock to Christ, that he may open the door, free him from the narrow and compressed way, and lead him into the spacious work of knowledge. All this one receives through petition from God and toward God.
Perhaps he also hinted at asking with practice when he said “knock.” (Matthew 7:7) One knocks with the right hand, and the right hand is a symbol of good practice. And if you do not receive at once, do not despair even so — that is why he said “knock.”
Greek
Ἀρχὴ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ εὔχεσθαι γνωρισθῆναί τινι τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀλη θείας· δεύτερος βαθμὸς τὸ ζητεῖν πῶς δεῖ ὁδεῦσαι τὴν ὁδόν· τρίτος τὸ ἁψάμενον τῆς ἀρετῆς κρούειν τῷ Χριστῷ, ἵνα ἀνοίξῃ αὐτῷ τῆν θύραν καὶ ἀπαλλαγῇ τῆς στενῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ τεθλιμμένης καὶ εἰσαγάγῃ αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν εὐρύχωρον γνωστικὴν ἐργασίαν, ἅπερ πάντα διὰ τῆς ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ πρὸς θεὸν δεήσεως λαμβάνει τις. ἴσως δὲ καὶ τὸ μετὰ πράξεως αἰτεῖν ᾐνίξατο διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν· κρούετε. κρούει γάρ τις τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρί. ἀγαθῆς δὲ πράξεως σύμβολον ἡ δεξιὰ χείρ. εἰ δὲ μὴ εὐθέως λαμβάνεις, μηδὲ οὕτως ἀπογνῷς· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο εἶπεν κρούετε.
About this text
Catena fragments on Matthew (CPG 5206). Contents follow Matthew chapter and verse. Edition fragment numbers stay in About this text and under each passage.
English follows the named copy-text (Aegean/khazarzar Migne PG 72 extract). Other prints were checked as noted; no silent merge of recensions.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Migne PG 72 Commentarii in Matthaeum (Aegean Digital Patrologia / khazarzar) (Greek · CPG 5206 catena fragments (290 parsed heads))
- Checked print matia.gr mirror of same Aegean extract (Greek · Byte-identical PDF; integrity check only)
- Checked print Internet Archive PG 72 volume OCR (bim … 1859_72) (Greek (OCR damaged) · Locus confirmation only; not used as reading text)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.