Commentary on Matthew, Tomus XV
Three kinds of eunuchs — two false readings first§1
1On the difference among eunuchs. From there are eunuchs who were born so from the mother’s womb through let the one who can receive this receive it. Before the reading that seems true to us, we set out two false takes on the place and overturn them, so we may live better once we grasp the sense. Some, treating a third castration as bodily because the first two look bodily, rashly mutilated themselves from fear of God and drew shame even among outsiders to the faith. Others — not many — kept the first two bodily but took the third as cutting desire by the Word for the sake of the kingdom of the heavens, scorning the body’s insults once the Word had cut desire.
Greek · §1
Περὶ διαφορᾶς εὐνούχων. «Εἰσὶ γὰρ εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτως» ἕως τοῦ «Ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω.» Δύο ἐσομένας περὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον παρεκδοχὰς πρὸ τῆς φαινομένης ἡμῖν ἀληθοῦς εἰς τὸν τόπον διηγήσεως ἐκθέμενοι, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ὡς δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἀνατρέψαντες αὐτάς, ἵν’ ὅσον ἐπὶ τοῖς λεχθησομένοις πᾶν σφάλμα φυλαξάμενοι τὸ ἀληθὲς βούλημα χωρῶμεν, οὕτως ἥκωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον. Τινὲς μὲν γάρ, ὡς ἀκόλουθον τοῖς κατὰ τὸ σωματικὸν ὁρωμένοις δύο εὐνουχισμοῖς καὶ τὸν τρίτον σωματικὸν νομίσαντες, ἐτόλμησαν ἑαυτοὺς παρασχεῖν ὑπὸ φόβου μὲν τοῦ πρὸς Θεὸν ἀνεπιστημόνως δὲ εὐνουχισμῷ ὁμογενεῖ τοῖς δύο προτέροις, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ὑποβεβλήκασιν ὀνειδισμῷ τάχα δὲ καὶ αἰσχύνῃ οὐ παρὰ μόνοις τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις τῆς πίστεως. Ἕτεροι δὲ οὐ πολλοὶ τοὺς μὲν προτέρους δύο αὐτόθεν καὶ σωματικῶς ἐξειλήφασιν εἰρῆσθαι τῷ Σωτῆρι, τὸν δὲ τρίτον οὐκέτι κατὰ τὴν λέξιν ἀλλ’ εὐνουχισμὸν ἡγήσαντο τὸν ἀπὸ λόγου σημαίνεσθαι, ὅτε προθέσει τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας τῷ τμητικωτάτῳ λόγῳ ἐκτεμόντες τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν καταπεφρονήκασι τῶν ὕβρεων τοῦ σώματος.
Letter kills; sword parable warns literalists§2
2Friends of the bare Gospel letter, missing that Jesus spoke these things also in parables and by the Spirit, leveled the third castration with the first two as bodily. Where the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life elsewhere, say the same here: clinging to the letter on the first two killed those who took the third the same way. Need another New Testament case of a killing letter? Hear the Savior: when I sent you without purse and bag and sandals, did you lack? Now let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. The one who buys a murderous blade by a bad reading dies against Jesus’ will. Glory to Christ. Amen.
Greek · §2
Χρὴ δὲ εἰδέναι ὅτι οἱ μὲν πρότεροι τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ γενόμενοι φίλοι γράμματος, καὶ μὴ ἐπιστήσαντες ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα ἐν παραβολαῖς ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ πνεύματι εἴρηται, ἐξωμάλισαν ἀκολούθως τοῖς προτέροις δύο τὸν τρίτον· τῷ γὰρ σωματικῶς λελέχθαι τοὺς δύο ἕπεται καὶ τὸν τρίτον εἶναι σωματικόν. Οἱ δὲ δεύτεροι τῷ μὲν τρίτῳ ὑγιῶς ἐπιβεβλήκασι τὴν ἀπὸ λόγου ἐκτομὴν τοῦ παθητικοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς νομίσαντες δηλοῦσθαι, οὐκέτι δὲ τεθεωρήκασιν ὅτι ἁρμόζον ἦν καὶ τὰς προτέρας δύο ἀλληγορικῶς ἐκλαμβάνειν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ ἄλλοις τόποις λέγειν πάρεστι «Τὸ γράμμα ἀποκτείνει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ», τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐνθάδε φατέον· ἡ τηρηθεῖσα περὶ τῶν δύο εὐνουχισμῶν γραμμὴ ἀπέκτεινε τοὺς τὸν τρίτον ὡσαύτως νοήσαντας. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ ἐφ’ ἑτέρων παραδειγμάτων βούλεται δεῖξαι τὴν Καινὴν Διαθήκην γράμμα ἀποκτεῖνον ἔχουσαν, ἀκουέτω πῶς ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις φησίν· «Ὅτε ἀπέστειλα ὑμᾶς ἄτερ βαλλαντίου καὶ πήρας καὶ ὑποδημάτων, μή τινος ὑστερήσατε;» εἶτα «νῦν ὁ ἔχων βαλλάντιον ἀράτω ὁμοίως καὶ πήραν, καὶ ὁ μὴ ἔχων πωλησάτω τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀγορασάτω μάχαιραν.» Ὁ γὰρ μὴ νοήσας καὶ μάχαιραν φονικὴν ἀγοράσας ἀπολεῖται παρὰ τὴν βούλησιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ κακῶς τὸν λόγον ἐκλαβών. Δόξα Χριστῷ. Ἀμήν.
Three eunuchisms read spiritually, not by the knife§3
3On keeping the sequence of the three eunuchisms spiritual. Friends of the bare letter leveled the third with the first two as bodily; we who accept the tropology of the third say the same of the earlier two: tropically, eunuchs are those idle toward lust. The idle differ three ways — by nature (born so from the mother’s womb); by human persuasion; and by God’s Word, cutting desire for the kingdom of the heavens. Do not mutilate the body; self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.
Greek · §3
Περὶ τῶν τριῶν εὐνουχισμῶν πνευματικῶς. Οἱ μὲν πρότεροι τοῦ γράμματος φίλοι τὸν τρίτον σωματικῶς τοῖς δυσὶν ἐξωμάλισαν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῶν τριῶν εὐνουχισμῶν σῴζειν βουλόμενοι καὶ εὐδοκοῦντες τῇ τροπολογίᾳ τοῦ τρίτου, τοιαῦτα φήσομεν καὶ περὶ τῶν προτέρων δύο· εὐνοῦχοι τροπικῶς οἱ ἀργοὶ πρὸς ἀφροδίσια λεγοιντ’ ἄν. Διαφοραὶ δὲ τῶν πρὸς ταῦτα ἀργούντων τρεῖς· οἱ μὲν ἐκ κατασκευῆς τοιοῦτοι, περὶ ὧν· «Εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτως»· οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ ἀνθρωπίνων λόγων προτρεπόμενοι· οἱ δὲ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ προθέσει τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν ἐκτεμόντες. Οὐ χρὴ δὲ σωματικῶς ἀκρωτηριάζειν ἑαυτούς· καρπὸς γὰρ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ ἡ ἐγκράτεια.
Children offered; rich man; camel; vineyard wage§4
4Then little children were brought to him until he laid hands on them. Infants and nurslings in Christ are always offered to Jesus — I gave you milk to drink, not solid food. Then the rich young man asks about eternal life; — he went away grieving for his goods. A rich person will enter the kingdom of the heavens with difficulty — not impossible, but hard; it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye. Many who are first will be last, and the last first: the vineyard laborers called at different hours receive the same wage. Glory to Christ. Amen.
Greek · §4
«Τότε προσηνέχθησαν αὐτῷ παιδία» ἕως τοῦ ἐπιθεῖναι τὰς χεῖρας. Οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ νήπιοι καὶ θηλάζοντες ἀεὶ προσφέρονται τῷ Ἰησοῦ· «Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα.» Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ πλούσιος νεανίσκος ἐρωτᾷ περὶ ζωῆς αἰωνίου· «Εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε πώλησον…» λυπούμενος δὲ ἀπῆλθε διὰ τὰ χρήματα. «Δυσκόλως πλούσιος εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν»· οὐκ εἶπεν ἀδύνατον, ἀλλὰ δύσκολον· «Εὐκοπώτερον κάμηλον διὰ τρυπήματος ῥαφίδος.» Πολλοὶ δὲ ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι· ἡ παραβολὴ τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀμπελῶνι ἐργατῶν δηλοῖ τοὺς καθ’ ὥραν κληθέντας ἴσον τὸν μισθὸν λαμβάνοντας. Δόξα Χριστῷ. Ἀμήν.