Глава XIII

Matthew 13:1–2. On that day, Jesus left the house and sat down by the sea. And many crowds of people gathered to him, so that he entered the ship and sat down, and the whole crowd stood on the shore. 258 The people could neither enter the house of Jesus, nor be where the apostles heard the mysteries, therefore the good and merciful Lord leaves the house and sits down by the sea of this age, so that many crowds of people, who were not worthy to hear inside the house, would come to Him and listen to Him on the shore; It happened that He was sitting on a small ship, and the whole crowd was standing on the shore. Jesus is among the waves and is subjected to the blows of the sea, now from here, now from here; but He, in His greatness, is not in danger and commands to bring His ship closer to the shore. And the people stand on the shore with a firm foot in order to hear what is said, without being exposed to danger and temptations that they could not bear. Matthew 13:3. And he taught them many parables, saying The crowd does not have the same ability to judge, and each individual has a different will from others. That is why He speaks to them in parables, so that, according to the difference of will, the people can receive different instructions. And at the same time, it is necessary to note that He did not tell them everything in parables, but only “many.” For if He spoke everything in parables, the nations would be left without much benefit. He connects the completely clear with the incomprehensible, in order through the understandable to call them to what they do not understand. Matthew 13:4. [end of 3rd, beginning of 4th] Behold, a sower went out to sow; and when he sowed. He was inside the house, moved around in the house, and communicated the sacraments (sacramenta) to the apostles. So, in order to sow to the crowds, He who sows the word of God left His house. But this sower who sows is designated by the name of the Son of God and sows the word of the Father among the nations. At the same time, pay attention to the fact that this is the first parable combined with interpretation. Therefore, we need to refrain from interpreting where the Lord himself explains His words and answers the disciples’ question with an explanation of the inner meaning, and look for a greater or lesser meaning in comparison with what is clearly shown by Him. Matthew 13:5–8. [continuation of the 4th] Others fell along the road, and birds flew in and devoured them; some fell on rocky places where there was little soil, and soon sprang up because the soil was shallow. When the sun rose, it withered and, as if it had no root, withered away; some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked it; some fell on good soil and bore fruit: one a hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty. Valentine uses this parable to prove his heresy; he introduces the doctrine of three natures: spiritual; natural, or spiritual, and earthly, although here [in the parable] four are indicated: one is by the road, the other is rocky, the third is filled with thorns, and the fourth is fruitful soil. We leave the Lord's interpretation to the disciples for a little while, wanting to hear what is said in secret Matthew 13:9. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. He calls us to understand what is said every time we are convinced by these words. Matthew 13:10–11. And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered them: because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them. One must ask how His disciples approached Him when He was sitting on the ship 259. However, perhaps these words make it clear that they had long since left the ship with Him 260, and, standing there, asked for an explanation of the parable. Matthew 13:12. For whoever has, more will be given to him and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. To those who have, more is given, and from those who do not, what they have is taken away, not because of the justice of the court, but because this is done in relation to the apostles who have faith in Christ. And from the Jews who did not believe in the Son of God, even the good that they had by [their] nature is taken away. Indeed, those who do not have the head of wisdom cannot understand anything with proper wisdom. Matthew 13:13–14. I speak to them in parables because by looking they do not see, and by listening they do not hear and do not understand, so that the prophetic word of Isaiah is fulfilled over them saying, “By hearing you will hear [that is, you will clearly hear] and will not understand, and by seeing you will see [clearly will see], and you will not see.”261 This is said about those who stand on the shore and are separated from Jesus, and due to the noise of the waves do not clearly hear what is being said; and the prophetic word of Isaiah is fulfilled over them: “With your ears you will hear and not understand, and with your eyes you will look and not see” (Is. 6:9). This is prophesied about those crowds who stand on the shore and do not deserve to hear the word of the Lord. Therefore, we will approach Jesus together with the disciples and ask for an explanation of the parable, so as not to be found to have eyes and ears in vain. Matthew 13:15. For the heart of this people grew fat, and their ears were hard to hear. 262 He points out the reason why, when they look, they do not see and, when they listen, they do not hear: because the heart of this people has become fat [incrassatum] fattened, He says, and with their ears they heard with difficulty. And lest we somehow think that the thickening of the heart and the difficulty of listening is a consequence of nature, and not of free disposition (voluntatis), He adds responsibility for free action and says: And they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and lest they be converted, so that I may heal them. So, those who, having closed their eyes, do not want to see the truth, listen to the sermon in parables and riddles. Matthew 13:16. Blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears that hear. If we had not read above about the listeners called to understanding by the words of the Savior: “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:9), then we might think that now carnal eyes and ears should understand with pleasing eyes and ears. But it seems to me that blessed are those eyes and ears that can perceive the mysteries of Christ and which Jesus commanded to be raised on high so that they see the white fields (John 4:35), and blessed are those ears about which Isaiah says: “The Lord God has opened my ear” (Isaiah 50:5). Matthew 13:17–18. For verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear. Listen to the meaning of the parable of the sower. This passage seems to contradict what is said elsewhere: “Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day; and he saw and rejoiced” (John 8:56). But He did not say that all the prophets and righteous people wanted to see what you see, but only: many. Among many it could be that some saw and others did not see. However, even in this sense, the interpretation poses a danger, precisely in the fact that we seem to make some difference in our reasoning about the merits of the saints. Thus Abraham saw in divination, but did not see face to face; and now you have Him among you, as if you hold your Lord and ask Him at will, and eat food with Him. Matthew 13:19. [beginning] To everyone who hears the word about the Kingdom and does not understand, Premising this thought, He convinces us to listen with great diligence to what is said. Matthew 13:20–22. [continuation of the 19th, beginning of the 21st] The evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart - this is who is meant by what was sown along the way. And what is sown on rocky places means one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; but has no root in itself and is impermanent An evildoer comes and steals what is sown in his heart: this is what was sown along the way. And sown on stony soil, this is the person who hears the word and immediately accepts it with joy, but he has no root in himself, but is subject to the circumstances of the time. – The villain steals the good seed. At the same time, pay attention to the fact that it is sown in the heart, and that there is a difference in the spiritual soil of believers. When tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he is immediately tempted. Pay attention to the words: “immediately he is tempted.” From this it follows that there is some difference between one who is forced to renounce Christ by many torments and punishments, and, on the other hand, one who, under the influence of the first persecution, is immediately tempted and falls. Matthew 13:22. And he who is sown among the thorns is the one who listens to the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches suppress the word, and it becomes unfruitful 263 . It seems to me that what was literally said to Adam: “Among the thorns and thorns you will eat your bread” (Gen. 3:18). 264 in a mysterious sense means that everyone who gives himself up to worldly desires and temporary worries will eat heavenly bread and true meat among the thorns. In addition, He added beautiful (elegamter) words: “The deceitfulness of riches choke the word” (Matthew 13:22). Indeed, wealth is flattering: it promises one thing and does another. The possession of riches is deceptive, as they move here and there, and with an unsteady movement either leave those who had them, or fill those who did not have them. Therefore, the Lord says that the rich enter the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty, this is because wealth suppresses the word of God and weakens the power of virtues. Matthew 13:23. What is sown on good soil means one who hears the word and understands it, and who bears fruit, so that some bear fruit a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. Just as on bad soil there is a threefold difference [of the seed]: along the way, on stony and thorny soil, so on good soil the fruit is distinguished threefold: a hundred times, sixty times and thirty times. But in both the first and second, a change occurs not in the essence [of the seed], but in the will [of the soil]. The seed is perceived by the heart of both believers and unbelievers. “The evil one comes,” He says, “and snatches away what is sown in his heart”; but, according to His word, in both the second and third cases it is the one who hears the word [of God]. The interpretation of the good land also speaks of the one who hears the word. Thus, we must first hear, then understand, and after understanding produce fruit in the teaching and give fruit either a hundredfold, or sixtyfold, or thirtyfold, which we spoke about in more detail in the book against Jovinian, and now we present it briefly, attributing the hundredfold 266 fruit to virgins, the sixtyfold to widows, and the thirtyfold to a pure marriage, for marriage is worthy of honor, and the bed is not defiled (Heb. 13:4). 267 Some of our people attribute the hundredfold fruit to the martyrs; but if this is so, then sacred matrimonial unions are excluded from participating in the bearing of good fruit. Matthew 13:24–30. He proposed another parable to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; while the people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away; When the greenery sprang up and the fruit appeared, then the tares also appeared. Having come, the servants of the householder said to him: Master! did you not sow good seed in your field? where does the tares come from? He said to them, “The enemy of man has done this.” And the slaves said to him: Do you want us to go and choose them? But he said: no, so that when you choose the tares, you do not pull up the wheat along with them, leave both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares and bind them in sheaves to burn them, and put the wheat into my barn. This second parable with its accompanying interpretation is not proposed at the same time, but is explained after the insertion of other parables; for the parable is offered to the people here, and then, upon returning home, when the crowds of people were released, His disciples approached Him with the request: “Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field” (Matthew 13:36). So, we should not, carried away by our own desire, seek an explanation of the parable before it is explained by the Lord. Matthew 13:31. He told them another parable: The Lord was sitting on the ship 268, and the crowd stood on the shore: it was in the distance, and the disciples listened, standing closer. He also offered them another parable, like a rich householder who feeds his invited guests with various dishes, so that each one receives appropriate nutrition according to the properties of his belly. Therefore, about the previous parable [the evangelist] said not: “another,” but: “another,” for if he had designated it with the word, another, then we could not expect a third; but he said “other” so that many more would follow. Matthew 13:32. [end of 31st and 32nd]: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which, although smaller than all the seeds, when it grows, is larger than all the grains and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and take refuge in its branches. Let it not be painful to the reader that we present the parables in their entirety; because what is mysterious must be explained much more fully, so as not to introduce a greater meaning in comparison with what is being explained through excessive brevity. The Kingdom of Heaven is the preaching of the Gospel and the understanding of Scripture, leading to life, as well as what is said to the Jews: “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people bearing the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). So, this kind of kingdom is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. By the man who sows in his field, many understand the Savior, because He sows in the souls of believers. Others understand 269 the man himself who sows in his field, that is, in himself and in his heart. Who is he who sows, if not our spirit and feeling, which, receiving the seed of preaching and warming 270 sown with the moisture of faith, give it the strength to sprout in the field of its chest. The teaching of the Gospel is the shortest (minima) of all teachings. At first glance, it does not even seem to have the ability to inspire confidence in its truth, preaching that God is a man, that God is dead, and preaching about the temptation [for everyone] - the cross. Compare the teaching of this kind with the teachings (dogmatibus) of philosophers, with their books, with brilliant eloquence, with the sophistication of the style of their speeches, and you will see how much smaller than other seeds the sowing of the Gospel is. But when those teachings grow, they do not reveal anything touching, ardent, or vital in themselves; Only the sluggish, emaciated, weak boils in them and quickly produces grain and grass, which quickly dries up and disappears. And this preaching [that is, the preaching of the Gospel], which at first seems insignificant, when it is sown, whether in the soul of the believer, or in the whole world, does not turn into grass, but grows into a whole tree, so that the birds of the air, by which we must mean either the souls of believers, or the forces constantly occupied in the service of God, come and live in its branches. By the branches of the gospel tree growing from a mustard seed, it seems to me, we need to understand the difference in dogmas on which each of the above birds rests. Let us also take the wings of the dove (Ps. 54:7-9) 271 so that, rising on high, we can live on the branches of this tree and make nests for ourselves from teachings, and, running away from earthly things, hasten to heavenly things. Reading about the mustard seed, the smallest of all grains, and about what the disciples say in the Gospel: “Lord, increase our faith” (Luke 17:5), 272 as well as the Savior’s answer to them: “The Lord said: If you had faith the size of a mustard seed and said to this fig tree, “Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,” then it would have obeyed you” (Luke 17:6), many think that either the apostles asked for little faith, or the Lord was in doubt about their little faith, although, as is known, the Apostle Paul considered faith, compared to a grain of mustard, to be the greatest. Really, what is he saying? “If I have all the faith, so much so that I could move mountains, but do not have love, it will not profit me at all” (1 Cor. 13:2). 273 Thus, what according to the word of the Lord is accomplished by faith, like a mustard seed, according to the teaching of the Apostle, can only be accomplished by faith in its entirety. Matthew 13:33. He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened. People's bellies are different: some find pleasure in bitter food, others in sweet food, others in spicy food, and others in light food. Therefore, the Lord, as we said above, offers different parables, so that, according to the difference in diseases that affect the body, there are different means of healing. The woman named in the parable, who took the leaven and put it in three measures of flour until everything was leavened, is, in my opinion, either an apostolic sermon, or a Church gathered from various nations. She took the leaven, that is, the knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures, and hid it in three measures of flour, so that the spirit, soul and body, united as one, would not give in to disagreements 274 among themselves, but, united together with two or three, would receive from the Father what they asked for (Matthew 18:19). This place can be explained in another way. We read from Plato, and there is also the well-known teaching of philosophers, that in the human soul there are three strong movements (passiones): τό λογικόν, which we can translate with the word “reasonable” (rationabile); τό θυμικόν, which we call “full of anger”, or “angry” (irascibile); τό έπιθυμικόν, which is known among us under the word 275 “lustful”; and this philosopher thinks that the rational resides in our brain, anger in the bile, and desires in the liver. Thus, if we also accept the gospel leaven from the Holy Scriptures, which was mentioned above, then the three movements of the human soul will be reduced to one, so that in reason we will acquire prudence, in anger - hatred of vices, and in desire - striving for virtues. And all this will be through the Gospel teaching, which the Church gives us. I will also say about a third understanding of this passage by some, so that the curious reader can choose from many interpretations what he likes. By the above-mentioned woman they also understand the Church, which mixed belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with the three measures of the torment of a person’s faith. And when the mixture turned into one common leaven, then this leaven led us not to the threefold God, but to the knowledge of the one Divinity. Because three measures of flour, since each of them has not a different, but an identical nature, attracts thought to the unity of essence. It is true that pious meaning can contribute to the strength of the affirmation of doctrines, but one should not dwell on parables and riddles that admit of the possibility of doubtful understanding. By “satum” (measure) we mean the well-known measure, in the region of Palestine equal to one and a half quadrangles. Much more is said about this parable, but to set out everything in detail is not the subject of our present interpretations. Matthew 13:34. Jesus spoke all these things to the people in parables, and without a parable he did not speak to them. The parables are not spoken to the disciples, but to the people; and to this day crowds of people listen to the teaching in parables; and the disciples ask the Savior at home. Matthew 13:35. So what was spoken through the prophet was fulfilled, who says: I will open my mouth in parables and set forth the things that have been hidden since the foundation of the world. 276 In some collections (codicibus) of the Holy Books I read - and a diligent reader, perhaps, will discover the same thing in them - that in the place where we translated, and where in the common edition (Vulgata editio) there are the words: “So what was spoken was fulfilled through the prophet speaking,” it is written: “through Isaiah the prophet speaking” (Matthew 4:14; Matthew 8:17 ; Matthew 12:17 ). 277 Since we do not find this passage in Isaiah at all, I think that this addition was subsequently made by prudent men. Only it seems to me that initially it was written like this: “What is written by Asaph the prophet speaking,” because, after all, the Seventy-seventh Psalm, from which this testimony is taken, is inscribed with the name of the prophet Asaph. But the first copyist did not understand Asaph and, thinking that this was a mistake of the copyist, he invented the name of the prophet Isaiah, which is much better known. It should, therefore, be known that in the psalms, praise and sublime songs, not only David, but also other compilers whose names are inscribed should be called prophets - namely: Asaph, Eedit, Eman, 278 Israel, Eoan and the sons of Korah and others whom the Scripture mentions. And the words on behalf of the Lord: “I will open My mouth in parables and set forth the things hidden from the foundation of the world,” upon closer examination, should show that they describe the exodus of Israel from Egypt and narrate all the signs that are contained in the narrative of the Book of Exodus. From this we must understand that everything described there should be considered as a parable: it should not be understood only as a completely clear statement in the literal sense, but also as hidden secrets. Indeed, with these words the Savior promised that He would open His mouth in parables and set forth the hidden things from the creation of the world. Matthew 13:36. Then, dismissing the crowds of people, He entered the house and His disciples came to Him, saying: Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field. 279 Jesus dismissed the crowds of people and returned to the house so that His disciples could approach Him and secretly find out about what the people did not deserve to hear and could not hear. Matthew 13:37–42. He answered and said to them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age: the Son of Man will send His angels, and from His kingdom they will gather all who offend and those who practice iniquity, and will throw them into the fiery furnace; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. He clearly stated that the field is the world, the sower is the Son of Man, the good seed is the sons of the kingdom 280, the weed is the most wicked sons (pessimi); the sower of weeds is the devil; harvest - the end of the world; the reapers are angels. All temptations are considered to be weeds; the righteous are recognized as sons of the Kingdom. Thus, as I said above, we must have complete faith (accommodare fidem) in what is explained from the Lord. And what He kept silent about, leaving it to our understanding, we must present briefly. Under sleeping people understand 281 teachers of the Churches; by the servants of the father of the house (patrisfamilias) we must understand none other than the angels who continually (quotidie - daily) see the face of the Father (Matthew 18:10). 282 And the devil is called the enemy of people 283 because he has ceased to be God, and in the Ninth Psalm it is written about him: “Arise, O Lord, so that man may not become strong” (Ps. 9:20). 284 Therefore, let the head of the Church be vigilant, so that through his negligence the human enemy does not sow weeds, that is, heretical teachings. And the words: “So that when you gather weeds, you somehow do not tear up the wheat along with it,” give the sinner time to repent and convince us not to cut off our brother hastily, so that those who are now corrupted by harmful teachings can come to their senses tomorrow and begin defending the truth. But the further words: Leave both to grow [together] until the harvest seem to contradict the following commandment: “Remove evil from among you” (Is. 1:16); 285 and then the command: in no way enter into communication with those who are called brothers, but in reality are fornicators and adulterers. For if eradication is prohibited and if leniency must be shown until the time of harvest, then How is it possible to spew out those in our midst? There is a great similarity between wheat and that weed that we call “puppet”, 286 while it still has the appearance of grass and has not produced an ear, and to distinguish them from one another there are either no signs at all, or there are very difficult to notice signs. So, the Lord warns us not to rush to pronounce judgment when a matter arises in doubt, but to leave the final judgment to the Lord, so that when the day of judgment comes, He can cast out from the company of saints not only the one suspected of a crime, but the obvious culprit of it. And His words that the sheaves of weeds are given up to fire, but the wheat is gathered into the granary, clearly show that heretics and hypocrites in the faith must be burned by the fire of Gehenna; the saints, called wheat, are received into the granaries, that is, into the heavenly dwellings. Matthew 13:43. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their [or: their] Father. In real life, the light of the saints shines in the face of people, and after the end of the world, the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Matthew 13:44. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which, having found, a man hid, and out of joy over it he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. In difficulty from the frequent ambiguities in parables, we come up with brief interpretations, so that in fact it seems as if we are moving from one method of interpretation to another. The treasure named here, in which all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden, is either God the Word hidden in the flesh of Christ (Col. 2:3) or the treasury of Holy Scripture, in which lies the knowledge of Christ the Savior; and if anyone finds Him in it, he must despise all the benefits of this world in order to be able to prevail over Him whom He has revealed. And then the following: “Having found which a person hides,” 287 it is said not in the sense that a person does this out of envy, but in the fact that, out of fear of wanting to keep and afraid of losing, he hides in his heart the One Whom he preferred to his previous riches. Matthew 13:45–46. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for good pearls, who, having found one pearl of great price, went and sold everything he had and bought it. Here, in other words, the same thing is said [said] above. The good pearls that the merchant's attorney seeks are the law and the prophets. Listen, Marcion! Listen, Manichaeus! Good pearls are the law and the prophets, and the knowledge of the Old Testament (v. instrument!). But the most precious pearl is one: this is the knowledge of the Savior, the sacred act of His suffering and the mystery of His resurrection. When a merchant finds her - a man like the Apostle Paul - he begins to despise all the mysteries of the Old Testament law and the prophets and the previous precautions and regulations in which he lived innocently, as if some kind of uncleanness and garbage in order to gain Christ 288. But this does not mean that the acquisition of a new pearl serves to diminish the dignity of the previous pearls, but that in comparison with it, any other pearl is much less valuable. Matthew 13:47–50. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was lowered into the sea and caught fish of all kinds. When it was full, they pulled it out and, sitting by the shore, collected the good fish into vessels, and threw the bad fish out. So it will be at the end of the world: Angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and throw them into the fiery furnace, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 289 According to the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah, who says: “Behold, I will send a multitude of fishermen” (Jer. 16:16), that is, after Peter, Andrew and the sons of Zebedee - James and John heard: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), they weaved themselves a net 290 from the gospel teachings of the Old and New Testaments and They threw it into the sea of this world, and to this day it stretches in the depths of the waters, capturing in the salty and bitter abysses everything that falls into it, that is, both good and evil people, or the best and worst fish. When the end of the world comes - as He himself said a little lower - then the net will be pulled ashore, then the true judgment [or: sign] will be shown to separate some fish from others, and, as if in some safe haven from storms, the good ones will be placed in the vessels of a heavenly dwelling, and the evil ones will be engulfed by the fire of Gehenna to dry and burn them. Matthew 13:51. [verse 52, beginning]: Have you understood all this? They say to Him: Yes, Lord! He told them. Actually, this word is addressed to the apostles; they are told: “Have you understood all this?” The Lord does not want them, like all the people in general, to just listen, but for them to understand how they should be mentors. Matthew 13:52. [end]: Therefore, every scribe who has been taught the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master who brings out from his treasury new and old The apostles were instructed: they are the scribes and witnesses of the Savior, who inscribed His words and commandments on the fleshly tablets of their hearts; They are instructed in the sacred rites (sacramenta) of the Kingdom of Heaven and have many of the riches of the Lord, and they bring from the treasury of their teachings new and old, so that they can confirm what is preached from the Gospel with testimonies from the books of the law and the prophets. That is why the bride says in the book of Song of Songs: “My beloved brother, I have kept for you new and old” (Song. 7:14). 292 Matthew 13:53–54. And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished speaking these parables, He went away from there; and, going to the fatherland [or: land], He taught them in their synagogues, so that they were amazed and said: 293 After the parables that He spoke to the people, and which only the apostles understood, He moves to His fatherland to teach there more clearly and openly. Where did He get such wisdom and strength? The foolishness of the Nazarenes is amazing; they are amazed where Wisdom has wisdom and where Power has received powers [of miracles]. However, their delusion is easy to understand 294: they see in Him the son of a carpenter. Matthew 13:55–56. [beginning of 57th]: Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and are not his brothers Jacob, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And are not His sisters all before us? So where does all this come from? And they were offended concerning Him. 295 The error of the Jews is our salvation and the condemnation of 296 heretics: they see Jesus Christ as a man so much that they consider Him the son of a carpenter: “Is not this the son of a carpenter?” Is it any wonder that they are mistaken about their brothers when they are mistaken about their father? This passage is explained more fully in the above-mentioned book against Helvidius. Matthew 13:57. [end]: Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. It is almost natural that citizens always envy their fellow citizens, because they do not pay attention to the real affairs of a person; they remember his weak childhood, as if they themselves did not reach adulthood through the same degrees. Matthew 13:58. And He did not perform many miracles there 297 [literally: “did not reveal much power” fecit ibi virtutes multas] due to their unbelief. This does not mean that He “could not” detect many powers due to their unbelief, but that He, without performing many signs and wonders, condemned [his] unbelieving compatriots. This place can be understood differently, namely: that Jesus encounters contempt in His home and fatherland, that is, among the Jewish people. That is why He performed a few miracles there, so that they would not be completely unrequited. He performed a much greater number of signs daily through the apostles among the pagan nations, and not so much in physical healing as in spiritual salvation. In the translation: The Gospel of Matthew - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “When Jesus left the house that day, he sat down by the sea. And a great multitude gathered unto Him, so that He entered into a boat, and sat down; and all the people stood on the shore” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: in the boat - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: boats - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Therefore I speak to them in parables, that seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand; and the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled over them, which says: You will hear with your ears and not understand, and you will look with your eyes and not see - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “For the hearts of these people have become hardened and their ears are hard to hear - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: And “what was sown among thorns means the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: 18 - beginning of the 19th verse: “It will produce thorns and thistles for you; and you will eat the grass of the field; by the sweat of your brow you will eat bread” – ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: they are drowning out - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Let marriage be honorable for all and the bed undefiled” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: on a boat - ed. “And I said, “Who would give me wings like a dove? I would fly away and calm down; I would go far away and remain in the desert; I would hasten to hide from the whirlwind, from the storm.” “And the Apostles said to the Lord: Increase our faith” According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing” - ed. In the lane: disagreed - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Let it be fulfilled that was spoken through the prophet, who says: I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter what is hidden from the creation of the world.” (Ps. 77:2) According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “I will open my mouth in a parable and utter fortune-telling from ancient times” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Let what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who speaks, be fulfilled” - ed. According to the new transcription - Heman Ezrahit (Ps. 87) According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Then Jesus, having dismissed the people, entered the house. And coming to Him, His disciples said: Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: Kingdoms - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Their angels in heaven always see the face of My Heavenly Father” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Arise, Lord, let not man prevail” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation - “Remove your evil deeds from before My eyes; stop doing evil” – ed. “Let thistle grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley” (Job 31:40) – ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Which, having found, a man hid” - ed. Phil 3, 8. – According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Yes, and I count everything as loss for the sake of the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Him I have given up everything, and I count everything as rubbish, in order to gain Christ” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the sea and capturing fish of all kinds, which, when it was full, they pulled ashore and, sitting down, collected the good things into vessels, and threw the bad things out. So it will be at the end of the age: the Angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and throw them into the fiery furnace: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “net” – ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “All kinds of excellent fruits, new and old: I have saved this for you, my beloved!” – ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “And when Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there. And when he came to his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were amazed and said” - ed. In the lane: comprehend - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Is He not the son of carpenters? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers Jacob and Joses and Simon and Judas? and are not His sisters all among us? where did He get all this from?” – ed. In the translation: there is our salvation and condemnation - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “And he did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief - ed. You might be interested in: