Fragments on Matthew
Fragmenta in Matthaeum
Theodorus-Heracleensis on Matthew 1§1
1Blessed Matthew immediately, having had the purpose to teach all things from the prefaces, that Christ was shown according to the prophetic voices, providing the truth regarding the fulfilled promises and leaving not even one pretext of ignorance to the unbelieving ones, says, 'the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham' (Mt 1:1). Instead, it could have said: 'this one was proclaimed by the voices that came before, this one was sung of by the promises to the righteous.'
It is superfluous to seek this; what difference does it make whether we say this first or the other? For through either, the descendant was shown in the same way for both. The evangelist does not even say so; for he did not say Christ was the son of David and the son of Abraham, but rather that Christ was the descendant of David and Abraham, David of the same, signifying the same thing this way, but not saying this fully in the immediate word; for he says 'the son' clearly as not the one begotten, but the descendant. But someone might say to him that Matthew did not wish to trace the lineage from David up to Abraham; for why, if he wanted this, did he not generate him according to Luke? But he says this for the reasons we have stated. He was among those twelve through whom it happened that the lineage descends to Christ.
Because therefore it seemed to show something new in the transition, having said 'Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ' (Mt 1:16), he also promised to set forth the manner for us, according to which he is born, and says: 'Now the birth of Jesus Christ was thus'; instead of saying he was not similarly born to the others, but differently. And it is possible to understand the power of God; for indeed it is called 'spirit.'
Herod secretly wished to ask the magi, knowing not how the Jews might save him as a king in their own home (Mt 2:7).
Others say that these things disagree with what remains in Luke; for if, according to Luke, he went from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and from there to Nazareth, how is it that, according to Matthew, Joseph, having been registered in Bethlehem, was carried away to Egypt? For Luke, recording the time of the birth of our Savior, mentions the 'Augustan' reign and the 'census' according to it and the things happening at the birth of the Savior, but also says, 'when the days were fulfilled to circumcise him, they brought' the child 'to Jerusalem' and, having completed the customary things, they returned to 'Nazareth.'
But Matthew does not at all remember those things in Luke, but sets aside those things which were silent in the other; I say indeed those things concerning the Magi, who perhaps, having set out from their own land at the same time as Jesus was born, had not yet made such a long journey in a short time. But how much was this intervening time between the appearing of the star and the arrival of the Magi? The evangelist himself taught it, saying 'after two years' and 'according to the time which was determined by the Magi'; has not a two-year period already passed from the birth of the Lord until the arrival of the aforementioned?
So then those things in the sacred evangelists do not disagree, if Luke brings him up to Jerusalem with the parents on the eighth day of the birth and from there leads him to Nazareth, but Matthew records him again in Bethlehem after a two-year period having passed, and having departed from there to Egypt because of the king's plot. And it was likely not only a second time, but many times, for them to frequent that place for the sake of the memory of the extraordinary.
For since the time was not one for both, there is another way to reason. Luke says they were not able to stay in Bethlehem because of the multitude of those staying there on account of the pretext of the census, but Matthew says, 'having come into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and having fallen down, they worshiped him.' But
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The Ministry of John and the Birth of Christ§2
2They do not catch the child lying in a 'manger' just like the shepherds, but they see him inside in a 'house with his mother'. For because there was no 'place in the inn', he is placed in a 'manger'; here, after two years, he is found by the magi 'with his mother', the school being in Bethlehem, 'and having fallen down they worshiped him' (Mt 2:11).
The presence of Christ is the kingdom of heaven; for this grants us the participation of the Father and the ascent into the heavens and the unshakeable good for the saints in the coming age (Mt 3:2).
Joseph in the fifteenth book of Jewish history testifies that John the Baptist came to be and promised cleansing to those being baptized (Jos 15).
Do not neglect the virtue of the soul, even while being honored by the ancestors (Mt 3:7–9). It seemed that John, having fulfilled in Jesus the service of baptism, ended with him, to be handed over and to be shut up in prison; for after the baptizing of Jesus, we find nothing written about John or that after the temptation toward the devil immediately and at the same time with the baptism being cast out by the Spirit into the wilderness, as Mark wrote (Mt 4:12), Jesus, having heard that John was handed over, withdrew into Galilee. But also Luke, in the narrative concerning John baptizing, connects the things concerning his being shut up by Herod. And it is evident that according to the evangelist, this was the time for him to be shut up in prison; for it is written by him, 'And John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim. For John had not yet been cast into prison' (John 3:23). According to the four then evangelists, neither before baptizing Jesus did John encounter any obstacle while baptizing, nor did he baptize after these things, but it was necessary for John's things to end at the beginning of the gospel being administered by Jesus. Perhaps the guarding power left John, until he completed the administration of baptism in Jesus, to the trial in prison and to the beheading.
Regarding Matthew 5:5, some of the copies contain this beatitude third, and the sixth of these second. Regarding Matthew 5:6, another says that the reward for such a desire is promised to him: the enjoyment of those things to come. Regarding Matthew 5:12, from this, they will be provided the consolation from the fellowship of those who suffered badly before them, so that even from them it became possible for us to know that it is not possible to establish those who pursue virtue outside of the sorrowful ones.
Regarding Matthew 5:16, he does not say: 'let your light shine before God'; for even the light of lamps does not shine before the sun. Regarding Matthew 5:15–16, virtuous conduct is light. It is not necessary to speak the evangelical word in secret, but with boldness, so that the men upon the earth might be enlightened. Regarding Matthew 5:22, he calls the crushed man 'Raca'; for even among the Syrians the 'ptuelos' is so called.
Regarding Matthew 5:35, the earth is a footstool, because it is under authority, even if it is not currently receptive to his holiness because of the sins. And Jerusalem is the city of the great king. He says this regarding the perception of the Jews. Regarding Matthew 5:40, he did not say to the one wanting you to take the tunic, 'give also the other,' but to the one wanting you to be judged, demonstrating that it is proper not to flee from contention toward opponents when they bring this piety upon us, and undergoing both sufferings and loss gladly, so as not to neglect piety. We should look to guard this for the sake of virtue.
Regarding Matthew 6:11, just as a man is nourished for life, so some say that the 'epiousion' is that which is to come and to approach, so that the thing called 'bread not of the present age, but of the one to come and after these things to be set before you to receive from under you, give to us today and according to the day' is like this. Regarding Matthew 6:22–23, some said that the lamp of the body is the eye, according to the teacher of the church, but it seems to me that they did not examine the whole sequence of the things said from above. For he began with 'do not treasure,' then, having inserted the lamp of the body and 'no one is able to serve two masters.'
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The Purpose of Christ's Ministry§3
3He brought forward: 'You cannot serve God and mammon,' (Mt 6:24) showing throughout that his aim was to turn those listening away from the care regarding present things. For this one enjoys the kingdom of the heavens, whoever shows the belonging of the works, teaching and doing these things, which he himself also handed over to men while present (Mt 7:21).
Just as then, for a comparison with the perishing ones, the few were the ones being saved, so understand for me that the being-saved ones are many in comparison with the perishing few now (Mt 8:11–12). For if we do not defile ourselves regarding the bodies of the suffering, it was indeed fitting to do all things for the sake of those whose souls are badly disposed, so that he might be able to have these in the best state (Mt 9:12–13). And it was necessary for you, he says, to learn from the divine scripture, how pity for the neighbor is preferable to every sacrifice. Is it just to pity some of these, who, not having the souls most beautifully, need correction so that they might have them better? So for me too, he says, the aim of the presence is not that I might benefit men being righteous (for they would not even have needed such a thing, being righteous in manner), but that those lying badly in many sins might be transferred by a proper grace toward the better; for those who are strong, he says, have no need of a physician, but those who are doing badly.
See, he says, how great is the provision of the believing ones, whereas those teaching them what is fitting are not, so that I must endure so much labor from here to follow me (Mt 9:37–38). Calling them therefore reapers, showing that even the things having happened through the prophets happened through his own power and provision, and that before prophets and apostles he himself is Lord and Creator of all men, and upon his own seed, not upon another's, he sends and dispatches the disciples. You received free, give free (Mt 10:8).
Regarding those who devour the houses of the widows (Matthew 23:14), he warns against imitating the Pharisees, teaching a new way of introducing the pure and the disinterested, and showing the imitation in the thing itself; for just as those who received gifts from him for free, he commands to give for free. Therefore, do not be anxious to take neither gold nor silver nor bronze because of the way, he says, for need, but I want you to not even have a purse, so as to show to all by the form how much you have turned away from the desire of wealth.
Having armed them sufficiently against insults, but also having trained them bravely to bear the three sufferings, because the disposition of kinship was extremely prone to undermining the calculation, being sufficient (for who could easily avoid having enmity toward those most intimate?), he says well, 'do not think so' (Mt 10:34); for I want you to be so turned away from regarding physical kinship, that they might know even more that my preaching will cause much division among the kin; for those who having seen once that which is toward piety, I want to place all and the nearest as kinship in the second place.
How is it possible? (Mt 12:30), he says, for me to be joined with the demons thus clearly, while I am doing the opposite to them and they are all doing the opposite with skill? For I and all mine strive to lift up everyone to God, and you would want the assembly of the kin to do this, but they have strived to take away everyone. Because Beelzebub is evil, and the things happening from me have immeasurable goodness, the things from you are discordant (Mt 12:33); for neither can the evil one do anything good, nor the good one evil, just as even the trees do not bear fruits unlike themselves.
As if, having been persuaded by them through miracles (Mt 12:38) and thus having been given the law such a thing, they want to do the same, so that they might be changed in their mind, if they would do this. After the spreading of Christianity and when it already begins to appear throughout the inhabited world (Mt 13:24–30), heresies will be revealed, turning away.
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Deception and the Severity of Christ§4
4Some are deceiving the many by using the name of truth and of Christians; for this is the weed that grows among the wheat through corruption, bearing some appearance of the truth of the wheat. He says this will grieve, and the invisible powers will be favorable toward me as they wish, and will make invisible those who find them, namely those who remain in faith; but I will prevent this from happening through these strangers to the faith, lest the opponents, thinking that the Christians are being punished by the demons because of this being thought common to the designation, should dare to maltreat them because of the audacity, and because they teach everyone to stand away from idols, they should be alienated from piety, and as a result, the gathering of the pious should be diminished by the many fleeing from Christianity in ignorance of what is happening.
And what, when the servants having approached depart, does he answer them? He says to the one the reason for the arrangement, and to the other the reason for the forgiveness; for even when he reproduces the conversation of the parables, he gives the probable through the parables, so that they might seem to be perfect in the order of the narrative. Our task was to examine what he intends to signify through the parable.
40 Matthew 21:12 It is a more severe work being done not in the gentleness of speech, since he also drove out those who were trading and overturned the tables; and even according to the prophetic word he did nothing by violence, according to 'he will not fight nor cry out' and 'his voice will not be heard in the streets.' And John said that he 'made a scourge of cords'; and this is a sign of rebuke and severity. Therefore, this too must be counted among the symbols; for he did not strike anyone with a scourge, but it was a sign of the lash being brought upon those who use worldly things for the sake of God's things.
42 Matthew 22:16 They say that the Herodians are the soldiers of Herod or those demanding the taxes imposed on the Jews by the Romans.
For it is much better to cleanse the vessel of justice by the water, just as it was upon the men themselves (Mt 23:25). The righteous were bodily clean, those being cleansed by the waters, as David says, 'I will wash my hands in innocents' (Ps 26:6), so as to be in accordance with both the law and the Lord.
He calls the period from the ascension into the heavens until his own presence an 'abroad-going' (Mt 25:14–18), in which it seems for us to remain. The 'immediately' signifies the urgency, as it is necessary to work the things of God. The difference between five talents and two talents and one is that of ministry, so to speak—bishop, presbyter, deacon; for the amount of the talent shows more or less of the ministry. Therefore he rightly said to each according to his own power, so that it might happen that each is able to fulfill the ministry in proportion to what was entrusted to him; for he wishes to show that he also requires readiness from all, and he is rewarded similarly.
To show the doubling of what was given, he calls the displaying of what is proper with haste to be the cause of becoming a benefit to others (Mt 25:20–25), instead of which he says he will make him ruler over many as a fitting reward: 'for this is that I will make you ruler over many' (Mt 25:21). To condemn, he said it is the not displaying of what is due, but working the given grace as if it were vanished.
He named the resurrection the Kingdom of the Father (Mt 26:29), from which both the kingdom approached him and this fellowship approached the rest of mankind. And what is new, instead of the 'new'—being both incorruptible and not needing food? Even that must not be wondered at, how the Lord appears to be in agony according to the human nature (Mt 26:37), even though the disciples were rejoicing over those things which he had often suffered. Just as, being able to overcome death himself, he withdrew for the sake of the salvation of the world, so also, to struggle according to human nature, he continued struggling, persuading them not to think any passion to be something else, but truth, and especially being able to easily lead their understanding into that imminent resurrection.
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