Matthew 13:15
Saying “lest they turn and I heal them” shows intensified stubbornness — yet it is also the speech of one drawing and stirring them. He shows that if they turn, he heals them. He speaks this way for their salvation. He could have said nothing at all and kept silent; yet he does everything not for his own glory, but for their salvation.
Greek
Ἔπρεπεν Ἰωάννῃ ὡς οἰκέτῃ διὰ τῆς ἄγαν σκληραγωγίας κατα νεκρῶσαι τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς πάθη, τῷ δὲ Χριστῷ ὡς ἐλευθέρῳ δυνάμει τῆς θεότητος ἐξουσιαστικῶς τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς νεκροῦν κινήματα καὶ τὸν ἔμφυτον τῆς σαρκὸς νόμον, οὐ μὴν δι' ἀσκητικῶν πόνων εἰς τοῦτο βοη θεῖσθαι. ὅμως Ἰωάννης "βάπτισμα κηρύσσων μετανοίας" τύπον ἑαυτὸν πάρεσχε τοῖς ὀφείλουσι πενθεῖν, ὁ δὲ κύριος "βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν κηρύσ σων" εἰκότως τὸ ἀνειμένον καὶ φαιδρὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐπεδείκνυτο, δι' οὗ τοῖς πιστοῖς ὑπέγραφεν τὴν ἀνέκφραστον χαρὰν καὶ τὴν ἄπονον ζωήν. αὐλὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἡδύτης, θρῆνος δὲ τὰ γεέννης ἐπώδυνα.
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)
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.