Matthew 17:15
If the moon could produce a passion in someone by its natural law, why does it not send this on all humans, just as it pours its light on all? Again it is clear that the moon was made for shining, not for begetting demons. And if this came from the moon’s natural working, then when the demon was crushed the moon too — the cause of the passion — ought to have been harmed. But that is not so. Demons, wanting to deceive humans, put the names of the elements around themselves so that the elements might be accused as wicked — which they are not. By nature <the> elements are good, serving only the laws given them and having no authority from choice.
Greek
Εὔχεται δὲ οὐχ ὡς δεόμενος, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀρχιερεὺς τὰς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας ποιούμενος. καὶ μετ' ὀλί γον· ἕως ἑσπέρας, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐ δεῖ ἁψικόρως ἔχειν περὶ τούτου, ἀλλ' ὑπομονὴν καὶ προθυμίαν. δι δάσκει δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὥστε ἐν ᾧ χρεία, ὀφείλομεν τὰ κοινωφελῆ λα λεῖν τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν καὶ μετὰ τὴν τοιαύτην διάλεξιν καὶ διδασκαλίαν ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν χωρεῖν. Προσεύχεται οὐχ ὡς δεόμε νός τινος ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀρχιερεὺς τὰς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας ποιούμενος, καίτοι καθ' ὃ νοεῖται καί ἐστι θεὸς φύσει αὐτὸς χορηγῶν τοῖς ἁγίοις τὰ αἰτήματα. εὔχεται δὲ ἕως ἑσπέρας, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐ χρὴ ἁψικόρως ἔχειν περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὑπομονὴν καὶ μακροθυμίαν ἐνδείκνυσθαι. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀνέβαινεν ἐκεῖσε καὶ προσ ηύχετο.
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.