The Nature of the Passover and Christ's Sympathy
Disciples, bearing wings as Solomon described. Regarding Matthew 24:27-28, a certain likeness and a parable and an example has been spoken; for just as, when a carcass and a dead body is found lying, eagles and other flesh-eating birds are suddenly lifted up from the unseen to be fed, being carried from those high places through the air, so also, he says, the presence of the Son of Man shall be. For his appearing again upon the earth according to the second and glorious presence to judge the inhabited world, and angels in host, wielding spears, shall be manifest, and all the saints, being moved, 'in an instant, in the blink of an eye' (1 Cor 15:52) according to the last trumpet, as the apostle says, just as certain birds, eagles, being swift in movement, shall appear from the unseen; most fittingly being likened to eagles because of thinking the high and heavenly things and being worthy to live the citizenship of the kingdom of heaven. But some have attempted to explain this spoken word in this way, saying that in the second presence of the Lord, all those who have lived justly and, like eagles, are high and heavenly in their mind, will be left behind the parable, and will be gathered to that place where the carcass became of Adam and the transgression of the commandment, through which he fell into sin.
Regarding Matthew 24:31, the Son of Man will send, saying, his angels, God showed the Son of Man; for angels are of God, and to send them is God's own. And that from the ends of the heavens to their ends teaches us the same to be both ends of earth and heaven, so that one must believe in Christ and not be deceived, as the smallest part of the earth is in the midst of the heaven exceeding it in infinite greatness.
Regarding Matthew 25:24, 'Hard,' he says, 'is your command, to seek obedience from men, to whom you did not make the hearing easy through the word. Therefore, fearing that I might become ineffective, I kept only what was for myself, and did not strive concerning others.' 'Hard,' he says, 'is your command, because you seek obedience from men, to whom you have not given the hearing through your word. And because of this, fearing to be ineffective...'
May I become only a person of my own nature, not being unhurried regarding others. Because you involve yourselves, the fault stands around you. The power of things is shown by the impression of the words, as if the righteous were saying these things and as if hearing what the nature of the matter possesses; for it is clear that they would not say these things then, nor would they seek them, when it has been dissolved by the one spoken of by Christ (Mt 25:34). But so often in the words of the scriptures, things lying in the matter are characterized.
But Mark and Luke did not say he had said, 'I will give the Passover,' as he says 'as another,' but 'Where is the lodging, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples' (Mt 26:17-18). These things are able to indicate the 'preparation of the Passover,' not the eating; for John indicates according to the day of the Passover, lest the Passover be eaten by the Jews, since, as we said, it was necessary according to the same day and hour that both the type of Passover and the truth be fulfilled. Nor was it yet intended for the man to indicate that the Passover is being prepared, but before the knowledge of it, it was necessary to be Passover, unless even this I noted by saying 'my time is near.'
And he also indicates in that supper that which he himself ate as the supper; for Luke says: 'When it became hour, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said to them: With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God' (Luke 22:14-18). For he did not say again 'I shall not eat it,' but 'I shall not eat,' indicating his sympathy toward the disciples, because he pitied them, as they were going to have the feast unobserved due to his departure; for this is the 'I desired to eat the Passover with you before I suffer,' bringing forth that they shall have sorrow, and he will prefer, over their cheerfulness, that which is profitable to both them and the whole world—not to eat the Passover, but to become himself a Passover, whose fulfillment is 'in the kingdom of God,' when it completely surpasses death; for this is what the word Passover indicates, signifying a surpassing.
The preparation of the Passover has indeed happened. And it is a supper, and not yet the eating of the Passover; for not even...
Greek
πτεροφυοῦντες μαθηταὶ καὶ κατὰ τὸν Σολομῶνα κατασκευάσαντες πτέρυγας. 126 Mt 24, 27®28 Καθ' ὁμοίωσίν τινα καὶ παραβολὴν εἴρηται καὶ παράδειγμα· ὥσπερ γάρ, ὅταν πτῶμα καὶ σῶμα νεκρὸν εὑρεθείη παρακείμενον, ἀπὸ τῶν ὑψηλο τάτων τόπων δι' ἀέρος φερόμενοι καὶ ἀετοὶ καὶ ἄλλοι σαρκοφάγοι ὀρνίθων ἐκ τοῦ ἀφανοῦς ἀδοκήτως ὑφίστανται τραφησόμενοι, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, φησίν, ἔσται καὶ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου · φαινο μένου γὰρ αὐτοῦ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ ἔνδοξον παρου σίαν ἐπὶ τῷ κρῖναι τὴν οἰκουμένην καὶ ἀγγέλων τάγματα δορυφοροῦντα φανήσεται καὶ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι διαναστάντες «ἐν ἀτόμῳ, ἐν ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ » κατὰ τὴν σάλπιγγα τὴν ἐσχάτην, ὥς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, καθάπερ ἀετοί τινες πτηνοὶ καὶ ὀξεῖς τὴν κίνησιν ἐκ τοῦ ἀφανοῦς θᾶττον ἐπιφανήσονται, μάλα εἰκότως ἀετοῖς παρεικασθέντες διὰ τὸ φρονεῖν τὰ ὑψηλὰ καὶ οὐράνια καὶ ἀξίως τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν πολιτεύεσθαι. τινὲς δὲ τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦτο οὕτως ἐπειράθησαν ἐπεξηγήσασθαι καὶ ἔφασαν ὡς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τῇ δευτέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου πάντες οἱ δικαίως πολιτευσάμενοι καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ἀετοὺς ὑψηλοὶ καὶ οὐράνιοι τῷ φρονήματι τὸν παρά δεισον ἀπολείψονται καὶ κατ' ἐκεῖνον συναχθήσονται τὸν τόπον, ὅπου τὸ πτῶμα γέγονε τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἡ παράβασις, δι' ἧς εἰς ἁμαρτίαν κατέπεσεν. 127 Mt 24, 31 Ἀποστελεῖ λέγων τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου θεὸν ἔδειξε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· θεοῦ γάρ εἰσιν ἄγγελοι, καὶ τὸ ἀποστέλλειν αὐτοὺς ἴδιον θεοῦ. τὸ δὲ ἀπ' ἄκρων οὐρανῶν ἕως ἄκρων αὐτῶν διδάσκει ἡμᾶς τὰ αὐτὰ εἶναι καὶ γῆς καὶ οὐρανοῦ ἄκρα, ὥστε Χριστῷ πιστεύειν δεῖ καὶ μὴ ἀπατᾶσθαι ὡς ἐλαχίστου μορίου τῆς γῆς οὔσης ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπείροις μεγέθεσιν ὑπερβάλλοντος αὐτήν. 128 Mt 25, 24 Σκληρόν , φησίν, τὸ ἐπίταγ μά σου συνεῖδον, τὸ ζητεῖν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ὑπακοήν, οἷς οὐκ ἐνε ποίησας διὰ τοῦ λόγου τὸ εὐήκοον. διὸ φοβηθεὶς μὴ ἄπρακτος γένω μαι τὸ κατ' ἐμαυτὸν ἐφύλαξα μόνον, τὸ δὲ περὶ ἑτέρους οὐκ ἐσπούδασα. Σκληρόν , φησίν, συνεῖδον τὸ ἐπίταγμά σου διὰ τὸ 16 ζητεῖν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπακοήν, οἷς οὐ δέδωκας διὰ τοῦ λόγου σου τὸ εὐ ήκοον. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φοβηθεὶς μὴ ἄπρακτος γένωμαι τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ ἐφύ λαξα μόνον μὴ ἐσπουδακὼς περὶ ἑτέρους. 129 Mt 25, 34®46 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὑμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἐμβάλλετε, τὸ ἔγκλημα εἰς ὑμᾶς περιίσταται. δηλοῖ δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν δύναμιν ἡ τῶν λόγων ὑπο τύπωσις ὡς ἐρούντων ταῦτα τῶν δικαίων καὶ ὡς ἀκουσομένων ἅπερ ἡ τοῦ πράγματος ἔχει φύσις· δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἐροῦσιν αὐτὰ τότε καὶ οὐ ζητήσουσιν, ὁπότε λέλυται ἐν τῷ εἰρημένῳ ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ· ἀλλ' οὕτω πολλάκις ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ῥήμασι χαρακτηρίζεται τὰ ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι κείμενα. 130 Mt 26, 17®18 Μᾶρκος δὲ καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς οὐκ εἶπον αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι, ὅτι ἔδομαι τὸ πάσχα ὡς ἕτερός φησιν, ἀλλὰ «ποῦ ἐστιν τὸ κατάλυμα, ὅπου τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν μου φάγω». δύναται δὲ ταῦτα τὴν «παρασκευὴν τοῦ πάσχα » δηλοῦν, οὐ τὴν βρῶσιν· ὁ γὰρ Ἰωάννης δηλοῖ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πάσχα ἡμέραν μήπω τὸ πάσχα βρωθὲν ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων, ἐπει δήπερ ὡς ἐλέγομεν ἐχρῆν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν καὶ ὥραν τό τε τυπι κὸν πάσχα καὶ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐπιτελεσθῆναι. οὐδέπω δὲ ἔμελλεν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ δηλοῦν, ὅτι παρασκευάζεται μὲν τὸ πάσχα , πρὸ δὲ τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ ἔδει πάσχα , εἰ μή τι καὶ τοῦτο ὑπεσήμηνεν εἰπὼν ὁ καιρός μου ἐγγύς ἐστιν . δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ <τῷ> δείπνῳ, ὅτι ὃ βέβρωκεν αὐτὸς τὸ δεῖπνον· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Λουκᾶς· «ὅτε ἐγένετο ὥρα, ἔπεσεν, καὶ οἱ ιβʹ ἀπόστολοι σὺν αὐτῷ. καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα τοῦτο τὸ πάσχα φαγεῖν μεθ' ὑμῶν πρὸ τοῦ με παθεῖν· λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν οὐ μὴ φάγω αὐτὸ ἕως οὗ πληρωθῇ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ »· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν οὐκέτι μὴ «φάγω αὐτό », ἀλλ' «οὐ μὴ φάγω » δηλῶν μὲν τὴν συμπάθειαν αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰς τοὺς μαθητάς, ὅτι ᾤκτιρεν αὐτοὺς μέλλοντας τὴν ἑορτὴν ἀνεόρταστον ἕξειν τῇ ἀπολείψει αὐτοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ «ἐπε θύμησα μεθ' ὑμῶν φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα πρὸ τοῦ με παθεῖν », ἐπιφέρων δέ, ὅτι λύπην ἕξουσιν καὶ προτιμήσει τῆς ἐκείνων εὐθυμίας τὸ καὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ παντὶ κόσμῳ συμφέρον τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα , ἀλλ' αὐτὸν πάσχα γενέσθαι, οὗ ἡ πλήρωσίς ἐστιν «ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ », ὅτε παντελῶς ὑπερβαίνει θάνατον· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ λέξις τοῦ πάσχα δηλοῖ ὑπέρβασιν σημαίνουσα. 131 Mt 26, Ἡ μὲν ἑτοιμασία γέγονε τοῦ πάσχα. δεῖπνον δέ ἐστιν καὶ οὔπω τοῦ πάσχα βρῶσις· οὐδὲ γὰρ
About this text
Apollinaris of Laodicea on Matthew (catena fragments).
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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