Cyril of Alexandria: Fragments on Matthew · §136

Matthew 12:34–35

When he says “treasure,” he points to the mass of what lies in the soul. And so that some may not say humans are wicked by nature, he showed this in the Pharisees’ case: that the same one person can sometimes become good and sometimes wicked, saying, “The good person speaks from the overflow of his heart,” and likewise the wicked.

Greek

Ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἄλλοις, οἳ καὶ πρὸ αὐτοῦ γεγόνασιν, γεννητός ἐστι γυναικός, οἱ δέ γε τὴν πίστιν προση κάμενοι γεννητοὶ μὲν οὐκέτι χρη ματίζουσιν γυναικῶν, ἀλλά, φησὶν ὁ σοφώτατος εὐαγγελιστής, "ὅσοι ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξου σίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι, οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρός, ἀλλ' ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν"· ἀνε γεννήθημεν γὰρ εἰς υἱοθεσίαν θεοῦ οὐκ ἐκ σπορᾶς φθαρτῆς, διὰ δὲ λόγου ζῶντος καὶ μένοντος. κρείτ τονες οὖν παρὰ πᾶν τὸ γεννητὸν γυναικὸς οἱ μὴ ἐκ σπορᾶς φθαρ τῆς, γεγεννημένοι δὲ 14 μᾶλλον ἐκ θεοῦ. Ὁ μὲν Ἰωάννης γεννητὸς ἦν γυναικός, οἱ δέ γε τὴν πίστιν προσ ηκάμενοι γεννητοὶ μὲν οὐκέτι χρη ματίζουσι γυναικῶν, "ἀλλ' ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν". ὅτε δὲ Χριστὸς ἀνε βίω σκυλεύσας τὸν ᾅδην, τότε τὸ τῆς υἱοθεσίας δίδοται πνεῦμα. ὁ δὲ μακάριος Ἰωάννης πρὸ τοῦ δοθῆναι τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπῆλθεν, ὥστε κἂν ἐλάττονες ὦμεν τῶν ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοσύνην κατωρθωκότων, ἀλλ' ἐν μείζοσι γεγόναμεν διὰ Χριστόν.

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

English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.