The Ministry of John and the Birth of Christ
They do not catch the child lying in a 'manger' just like the shepherds, but they see him inside in a 'house with his mother'. For because there was no 'place in the inn', he is placed in a 'manger'; here, after two years, he is found by the magi 'with his mother', the school being in Bethlehem, 'and having fallen down they worshiped him' (Mt 2:11).
The presence of Christ is the kingdom of heaven; for this grants us the participation of the Father and the ascent into the heavens and the unshakeable good for the saints in the coming age (Mt 3:2).
Joseph in the fifteenth book of Jewish history testifies that John the Baptist came to be and promised cleansing to those being baptized (Jos 15).
Do not neglect the virtue of the soul, even while being honored by the ancestors (Mt 3:7–9). It seemed that John, having fulfilled in Jesus the service of baptism, ended with him, to be handed over and to be shut up in prison; for after the baptizing of Jesus, we find nothing written about John or that after the temptation toward the devil immediately and at the same time with the baptism being cast out by the Spirit into the wilderness, as Mark wrote (Mt 4:12), Jesus, having heard that John was handed over, withdrew into Galilee. But also Luke, in the narrative concerning John baptizing, connects the things concerning his being shut up by Herod. And it is evident that according to the evangelist, this was the time for him to be shut up in prison; for it is written by him, 'And John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim. For John had not yet been cast into prison' (John 3:23). According to the four then evangelists, neither before baptizing Jesus did John encounter any obstacle while baptizing, nor did he baptize after these things, but it was necessary for John's things to end at the beginning of the gospel being administered by Jesus. Perhaps the guarding power left John, until he completed the administration of baptism in Jesus, to the trial in prison and to the beheading.
Regarding Matthew 5:5, some of the copies contain this beatitude third, and the sixth of these second. Regarding Matthew 5:6, another says that the reward for such a desire is promised to him: the enjoyment of those things to come. Regarding Matthew 5:12, from this, they will be provided the consolation from the fellowship of those who suffered badly before them, so that even from them it became possible for us to know that it is not possible to establish those who pursue virtue outside of the sorrowful ones.
Regarding Matthew 5:16, he does not say: 'let your light shine before God'; for even the light of lamps does not shine before the sun. Regarding Matthew 5:15–16, virtuous conduct is light. It is not necessary to speak the evangelical word in secret, but with boldness, so that the men upon the earth might be enlightened. Regarding Matthew 5:22, he calls the crushed man 'Raca'; for even among the Syrians the 'ptuelos' is so called.
Regarding Matthew 5:35, the earth is a footstool, because it is under authority, even if it is not currently receptive to his holiness because of the sins. And Jerusalem is the city of the great king. He says this regarding the perception of the Jews. Regarding Matthew 5:40, he did not say to the one wanting you to take the tunic, 'give also the other,' but to the one wanting you to be judged, demonstrating that it is proper not to flee from contention toward opponents when they bring this piety upon us, and undergoing both sufferings and loss gladly, so as not to neglect piety. We should look to guard this for the sake of virtue.
Regarding Matthew 6:11, just as a man is nourished for life, so some say that the 'epiousion' is that which is to come and to approach, so that the thing called 'bread not of the present age, but of the one to come and after these things to be set before you to receive from under you, give to us today and according to the day' is like this. Regarding Matthew 6:22–23, some said that the lamp of the body is the eye, according to the teacher of the church, but it seems to me that they did not examine the whole sequence of the things said from above. For he began with 'do not treasure,' then, having inserted the lamp of the body and 'no one is able to serve two masters.'
Greek
οὐκ ἐν «φάτνῃ» κείμενον αὐτοὶ καταλαμβάνουσι τὸ παιδίον ὁμοίως τοῖς ποιμέσιν, ἀλλ' ἔνδον ἐν «οἰκίᾳ μετὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ μητρὸς» θεωροῦσιν. ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι «τόπον ἐν τῷ καταλύματι» ἐν «φάτνῃ» τίθεται, ἐνταῦθα δὲ μετὰ διετῆ χρόνον ἐν «οἰκίᾳ» εὑρίσκεται ὑπὸ τῶν μάγων «μετὰ τῆς μη τρὸς αὐτοῦ» σχολῆς οὔσης ἐν τῇ Βηθλεὲμ «καὶ πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ». 9 Mt 3, 2 Βασιλεία ἐστὶν οὐρανῶν ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Χριστοῦ· αὕτη γὰρ ἡμῖν χαρίζεται τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς μετάληψιν καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον καὶ τὸ εἰς ἀγαθὸν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐν τῷ ἐσομένῳ αἰῶνι ἄτρεπτον. 10 mt 3, 5 Ἰώσηπος ἐν τῷ πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ λόγῳ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἱστορίας μαρτυρεῖ Ἰωάννῃ βαπτιστῇ γενομένῳ καὶ καθάρσιον τοῖς βαπτιζομένοις ἐπαγγειλαμένῳ. 11 mt 3, 7–9 μηδὲ τοῖς προγόνοις σεμνυνόμενοι τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀρετῆς ἀμελήσητε· 14 mt 4, 12 Ἔοικεν Ἰωάννης πληρώσας ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ τὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος διακονίαν εἰς αὐτὸν καταλήξασαν μετὰ τοῦτο παραδεδόσθαι καὶ ἐν φυ λακῇ κατακεκλεῖσθαι· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ βαπτίσασθαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν οὐδὲν εὕρομεν ἀναγεγραμμένον περὶ Ἰωάννου ἢ ὅτι μετὰ τὸν πρὸς τὸν διάβολον πει ρασμὸν εὐθέως καὶ ἅμα τῷ βαπτίσματι ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐκβληθεὶς εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, ὡς ὁ Μᾶρκος ἔγραψεν, ἀκούσας Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι Ἰωάννης παρεδόθη ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς τῇ περὶ τοῦ βαπτίζειν τὸν Ἰωάννην διηγήσει συνάπτει τὰ περὶ τοῦ κεκλεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Ἡρώδου. δῆλον δὲ ὅτι καὶ κατὰ τὸν εὐαγγε λιστὴν Ἰωάννην οὗτος ἦν ὁ καιρὸς αὐτῷ τοῦ κεκλεῖσθαι εἰς φυλακήν· λέλεκται γὰρ παρ' αὐτῷ τὸ «ἦν δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων ἐν Αἰνὼν ἐγγὺς Σαλείμ. οὔπω γὰρ ἦν Ἰωάννης βεβλημένος εἰς φυλακήν». κατὰ τοὺς τέσσαρας τοίνυν εὐαγγελιστὰς οὔτε πρὶν βαπτίσασθαι Ἰησοῦν ἀπήντα τι κώλυμα βαπτίζοντι Ἰωάννῃ οὔτε μετὰ ταῦτα ἔτι ἐβάπτισεν, ἀλλ' ἔδει καταλῆξαι τὰ Ἰωάννου ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ οἰκονομεῖσθαι τὸ εὐαγ γέλιον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. τάχα δὲ ἡ φρουροῦσα δύναμις Ἰωάννην, ἕως ἐν Ἰησοῦ τελειώσῃ τὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος οἰκονομίαν, κατέλιπεν αὐτὸν τῷ τε ἐν φυλακῇ πειρασμῷ καὶ τῷ ἀποκεφαλισμῷ. 15 mt 5, 5 τοῦτον δὲ μακαρισμόν τινες τῶν ἀντιγράφων τρίτον περιέχουσιν, δεύτερον δὲ τὸν ἑξῆς τούτων κείμενον. 16 mt 5, 6 Ἄλλος δέ φησιν, ὅτι τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιθυμίας μισθὸν αὐτῷ τὴν τῶν μελλόντων ἀπόλαυσιν ἐπαγγέλλεται. 17 mt 5, 12 Ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοῖς παρέχεται τὴν παραμυθίαν ἀπὸ τῆς κοινωνίας τῶν πρὸ αὐτῶν πεπονθότων κακῶς, ὥστε καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνων εἰδέναι προσ ῆκεν ἡμᾶς, ὅτι τοὺς ἀρετῆς ἐφιεμένους ἔξω καθεστάναι τῶν λυπηρῶν οὐ δυνατόν. 18 mt 5, 16 Οὐ λέγει· λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ λύχνων φῶς λάμπει ἔμπροσθεν ἡλίου. 19 mt 5, 15–16 Φῶς ἐστιν ἡ ἐνάρετος πολιτεία. οὐ δεῖ ἐν κρυφῇ λαλεῖν τὸν εὐαγ γελικὸν λόγον, ἀλλὰ παρρησίᾳ, ἵνα οἱ ἐπὶ γῆς ἄνθρωποι φωτισθῶσιν. 20 mt 5, 22 Ῥακὰ καλεῖ τὸν κατάπτυστον· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ παρὰ Σύροις ὁ πτύε λος καλεῖται. 21 mt 5, 35 Ἡ γῆ ὑποπόδιον, ὅτι ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ τῆς ἁγιό τητος αὐτοῦ δεκτικὴ νῦν διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας. τὸ δὲ Ἱεροσόλυμα πόλις ἐστὶ τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως. τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς τὴν ὑπόληψιν τῶν Ἰου δαίων φησίν. 22 Mt 5, 40 Οὐκ εἶπε τῷ θέλοντί σοι λαβεῖν τὸ ἱμάτιον, δὸς καὶ τὸ ἕτερον, ἀλλὰ τῷ θέλοντί σοι κριθῆναι, δεικνύς, ὅτι τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἐναν τίους φιλονεικίαν μὴ φεύγειν προσήκει, 2 ὅταν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ταύτην ἡμῖν ἐπάγωσι, καὶ πάθη καὶ ζημίαν ὑπομένοντας ἡδέως, ὥστε τὴν εὐσέβειαν μὴ παριδεῖν. τοῦτο δὲ φυλακτέον ἂν πρὸς ἀρετὴν βλέπειν ἑλώμεθα. 23 mt 6, 11 Ὡς τρέφεται εἰς ζωὴν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὕτω καί φασί τινες τὸ ἐπ ιούσιον παρὰ τὸ ἐπιέναι καὶ ἐπέρχεσθαι, ἵν' ᾖ τοιοῦτον τὸ λεγόμενον· τὸν μὴ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος οἰκεῖον ἄρτον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μέλλοντος καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποδοθησόμενον ὑπό σου τοῖς ἀξίοις λαβεῖν ἤδη δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον καὶ «καθ' ἡμέραν». 24 mt 6, 22–23 Τινὲς δὲ τὸ ὁ λύχνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὀφθαλμὸς περὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου τῆς ἐκκλησίας εἰρῆσθαι ἔφασαν, ἀλλά μοι δοκοῦσιν οὐκ ἐπεσκέφθαι πᾶσαν τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἄνωθεν. ἤρξατο γὰρ «μὴ θησαυρίζετε», εἶτα παρενθεὶς τὸ ὁ λύχνος τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὸ «οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν»
About this text
Theodore of Heraclea on Matthew (catena fragments).
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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.