Matthew 23:23
You exact tithes, he says, Pharisees — perhaps even of fine herbs — while leaving aside the commands whose transgression is greater. And what are those injunctions? Judgment — that is, judging what is right and blameless — and mercy — that is, genuineness toward God. For judgment and mercy and faith toward God are better than tithe and firstfruits. That is why through the prophet the God of all says: And now, Israel, “what does the Lord God seek from you but to do judgment and to love” and to seek “mercy, and to be ready to walk with the Lord your God”? For in being very ready to follow, what is saved into genuine faith is seen.
See the rebuke: you exact tithes, Pharisees — perhaps even of fine herbs — leaving aside the commands whose transgression is greater. And what are those commands? Judgment — judging rightly — and mercy and faith toward God; for these are better than tithe and firstfruits. That is why through the prophet the God of all says: And now, Israel, “what does the Lord God seek from you but to do judgment and to love” and to seek “mercy, and to be ready to walk with the Lord your God”?
Greek
Ἐρχόμενος λέγεται ὁ Χριστὸς ὡς ἄνωθεν ἐλθών, ὅτι θεὸς 28 ὢν φύσει καὶ υἱὸς τοῦ πατρὸς γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου ὁ κύριος καλούμενος. οὗτος οὖν ὡς φύσει θεὸς εὐλογημένος λέγεται, τοῦτ' ἔστιν δοξολογούμενος. ἐπεκάθητο μὲν οὖν τῷ πώλῳ Χριστός, εἵπετο δὲ ἡ τεκοῦσα. καὶ σημεῖον ἡμῖν ἀναγκαιοτάτου πράγ ματος τὸ δρώμενον ἦν· ἐπανεπαύσατο γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς τῷ νέῳ λαῷ τῷ εἰδωλολατροῦντί ποτε, ἕψεται δὲ κατὰ καιροὺς καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγή, καίτοιγε ἐν χρόνῳ τῷ κατὰ τὴν κλῆσιν τὸ πρεσβύτερον ἔχουσα· προεισκέκλητο γὰρ διὰ Μωσέως καὶ προφητῶν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ προσκέκρουκε τῷ σῴζοντι θεῷ, διὰ τοῦτο δικαίως τοῦ πώλου κατόπιν ἔρχεται μόλις καὶ γέγονεν εἰς οὐράν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν παρακολούθημα καὶ ὀπίσω τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ ἡ πρώτη γέγονεν ἐσχάτη. ἄθρει δέ, ὅπως εἰς ἐσχάτην ἀλογίαν ἀποκομισθεῖσαν ἔδειξε τὴν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν ὁ "νε φροὺς" εἰδὼς "καὶ καρδίας"· ὄνῳ γὰρ παρεικάζεται τῇ λίαν ἀλογωτάτῃ καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγὴ καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἡ πληθύς· οἱ μὲν γὰρ "λελατρευκότες τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα" θεόν, οἱ δὲ τὸν παιδαγωγὸν ἀτιμάζοντες νόμον ἔξω νοῦ καὶ φρενὸς γεγόνασιν ἀγαθῆς καὶ πρὸς πᾶν εἶδος φαυλότητος ἀπονενευκότες "παρασυνεβλήθησαν τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις καὶ ὡμοίωνται αὐτοῖς" κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ψάλλαντος φωνήν. ὄνος δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως ἀκαθαρσίας σύμβολον· ἀνίερον γὰρ τὸ ζῷον καὶ τὴν ἐκ νόμου κατάρρησιν ἔχον. τοιοῦτοι δὲ πάντες οἱ πλανώμενοι καὶ φιλαμαρτήμονες.
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.