Matthew 10:2

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The law also prefigured these twelve disciples (Matthew 10:2), and the prophets proclaimed them beforehand. It is written in the Mosaic book: “Take fine flour and make it into twelve loaves, and set them on the pure table before the Lord, and set frankincense and salt on them.” (Leviticus 24:5–7) For the bread that came down from heaven “and gives life to the world” (John 6:33–35) is Christ himself; and by imitation of him the blessed disciples too are called breads. Having become sharers in the one who nourishes us unto eternal life, they also nourish, through their own writings, those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” (Matthew 5:6)

Just as the Savior, being “the true light,” named them light (“You are the light of the world”), (Matthew 5:13–14) so he himself, being “the bread of life,” also granted the disciples to be understood in the rank of the breads. See the skill of the law: “You shall set frankincense and salt on the breads.” Frankincense is a symbol of fragrance; salt, of mind and understanding. Both were present in the highest degree in the holy apostles. Their life was fragrant — they even said, “We are the fragrance of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15) to Christ — and they were also all-understanding. That is why they also heard, “You are the salt of the earth.”

I hear the prophet David singing about them: “There Benjamin the younger in ecstasy, rulers of Judah their leaders, rulers of Zebulun, rulers of Naphtali.” (Psalm 68:27) For the divine disciples were chosen from almost every tribe of Israel and became worldwide luminaries holding a word of life — men who had been craftsmen, seafarers, and fishers, without a stock of polished words, “unlearned in speech” yet rich “in knowledge.”

God also showed these through Jeremiah’s voice, saying about Satan: “Woe to him who multiplies for himself what is not his, for suddenly those who bite him will rise, and your plotters will wake, and you will be plunder for them.” For Satan gathered all people on earth who were not his and made them his own worshipers; but those who plunder his vessels rose up. The net of the apostolic teaching caught all who had gone astray, and they brought the world under heaven near to God.

Greek

Τούτους τοὺς δώδεκα μαθητὰς καὶ ὁ νόμος προανετύπου καὶ οἱ προφῆται προανεκήρυξαν. γέγραπται γοῦν ἐν Μωσαϊκῷ βιβλίῳ· "καὶ λήμ ψεσθε σεμίδαλιν καὶ ποιήσατε αὐτὴν δώδεκα ἄρτους, καὶ ἐπιθήσετε αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν τὴν καθαρὰν ἔναντι κυρίου, καὶ ἐπιθήσετε λίβανον καὶ ἅλας"· ἄρτος μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατελθὼν "καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ" αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, κατὰ μίμησιν δὲ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἄρτοι κέκληνται καὶ οἱ μακάριοι μαθηταί· μέτοχοι γὰρ γεγονότες τοῦ τρέφοντος ἡμᾶς εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον τρέφουσιν καὶ αὐτοὶ διὰ τῶν οἰκείων συγγραμ μάτων τοὺς "πεινῶντας καὶ διψῶντας τὴν δικαιοσύνην". ὥσπερ δὲ "φῶς" ὑπάρχων "τὸ ἀληθινὸν" ὁ σωτὴρ φῶς ὠνόμασε αὐτούς ("ὑμεῖς" γάρ, φησίν, "ἐστὲ τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου")· οὕτως αὐτὸς ὢν "ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς" ἐχαρίσατο καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς τὸ ἐν τάξει νοεῖσθαι τῶν ἄρτων. καί μοι βλέπε τοῦ νόμου τὸ εὐτεχνές. "ἐπιθήσετε" γάρ, φησίν, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρτους "λίβανον καὶ ἅλας". καὶ ὁ μὲν λίβανος εὐωδίας ἐστὶ σύμβολον, οἱ δὲ ἅλες φρενῶν καὶ συνέσεως. ἐνυπῆρχον δὲ ἄκρως ἀμφότερα τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις· εὐώδης γὰρ ἦν ὁ βίος αὐτῶν καὶ γοῦν ἔφασκον· "Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν" τῷ Χριστῷ. ἦσαν δὲ πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ πανσύνετοι. διὸ καὶ ἤκουσαν· "ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ ἅλας τῆς γῆς". ἀκούω δὲ τοῦ προφήτου ∆αβὶδ ψάλλοντος περὶ αὐτῶν· "ἐκεῖ Βενιαμὶν νεώτερος ἐν ἐκστάσει, ἄρχοντες Ἰούδα ἡγεμόνες αὐτῶν, ἄρχοντες Ζαβουλών, ἄρχοντες Νεφθαλείμ"· σχεδὸν γὰρ ἐξ ἁπάσης φυλῆς τῆς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπόλεκτοι γεγόνασιν οἱ θεσπέσιοι μαθηταὶ καὶ φωστῆρες γεγόνασιν οἰκουμενικοὶ λόγον ἐπίσχον τες ζωῆς, ἄνθρωποι χειροτέχναι γεγονότες καὶ θαλασσουργοὶ καὶ ἰχθυο θῆραι, οὐ λέξεων ἔχοντες εὐπορίαν δεδοκιμασμένων, ἀλλ' "ἰδιῶται" μὲν "τῷ λόγῳ", πλούσιοι δὲ "τῇ γνώσει". τούτους ἐδήλου ὁ θεὸς καὶ διὰ φωνῆς Ἰερεμίου λέγων περὶ τοῦ σατανᾶ· "οὐαὶ ὁ πληθύνων αὐτῷ 12 τὰ οὐκ ὄντα αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐξαίφνης ἀναστήσονται οἱ δάκνοντες αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκνήψουσιν οἱ ἐπίβουλοί σου, καὶ ἔσῃ εἰς διαρπαγὴν αὐτοῖς"· ἅπαντας μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώπους οὐκ ὄντας αὐτοῦ συνήγαγεν ὁ σατανᾶς καὶ ἰδίους ἀπέφηνε προσκυνητάς, ἀλλ' ἠγέρθησαν οἱ διαρπάζοντες αὐτοῦ τὰ σκεύη· ἐθήρευσε γὰρ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς διδασκαλίας τὸ δίκτυον ἅπαν τας τοὺς πεπλανημένους καὶ προσεκόμισαν τῷ θεῷ τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανόν.

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.