Matthew 5:25–26
The quadrans means a fourth of the hin. In Hebrew speech it is two obols, which Luke clarifies by naming it a “lepton.”
So let us be freed from the enemy and avenger — that is, the devil — while we are still on this road, and from the passions of dishonor, which are our adversaries. No one else is our adversary unless we make ourselves so through these things, and unless conscience condemns us for despising its reminder.
Otherwise we will be handed over to God, the judge of all, convicted by conscience. He will hand us to the exactors — the punishing angels — and we will be charged penalties for every fault, small and great.
Greek
Ἀντὶ τῆς σαρκικῆς λατρείας εἰσήγαγεν ὁ κύριος τὴν "ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ"· καὶ τάχα ἅπερ οὐδὲ σαρκικῶς ἐποίουν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ταῦτα καὶ νῦν πνευματικῶς οἱ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ ποιοῦσιν. διό φησιν· ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἐκ τοῦ νόμου, ἕως ἂν πάντα γένηται. δηλονότι οὐ πάντα ἐποίησαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἢ κἂν ἐποίησαν, ἐπαύ σαντο τοῦ ποιεῖν μηκέτι συγχωρούμενοι ποιῆσαι αὐτά, πῇ μὲν διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν βασιλέων, πῇ δὲ καὶ τὸ καταλελύσθαι τὸν ναόν, ἐν ᾧ μόνῳ ἔδει τὰς θυσίας ἐπιτελεῖσθαι.
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.