Matthew 21:23
If you knew the “God-breathed scriptures,” senseless Pharisee (Matthew 21:23), and the holy prophets’ voices, you would have remembered blessed David saying to Christ the Savior of all: “The Lord has sworn and will not repent: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) Tell me, then: which of the scribes or Pharisees has served God “according to the order of Melchizedek”? None at all. Even Abraham our forefather, root of Israel’s line, was blessed under Melchizedek’s priesthood. Melchizedek and his priesthood were a type of Christ the Savior of all, who has become our high priest, bringing near to God the Father all who have believed in him and perfecting them into sanctification through worship beyond the law.
Why then are you vexed, Pharisee? Do you accuse the Lawgiver, tell me, of loosing the law, and of not following his own commands? But God is wholly beyond the law. For the one who set the laws not chiefly for himself but for us transfers what was arranged, in due time, to whatever he chooses, and raises it to what is better. So there was a time for the things in types to cease and for the better to be shown. That is why he said somewhere through Isaiah’s voice, “The people’s ordinances will be abolished”; for they grew idle once the new command was shown, which the Son has spoken to us through himself.
Greek
Εἰ τὰς "θεοπνεύστους" ᾔδεις "γραφάς", ὦ ἀσύνετε Φαρισαῖε, καὶ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν φωνάς, ἐμνήσθης ἂν λέγοντος τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων σωτῆρα Χριστόν· "ὤμοσεν κύριος καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται· σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ". φράζε δὴ οὖν, τίς ἐκ τῶν γραμματέων ἢ Φαρισαίων λελειτούργηκε τῷ θεῷ "κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ"; ἢ πάντως οὐδείς. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ προ πάτωρ Ἀβραάμ, ἡ ῥίζα τῆς γενέσεως τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, ὑπὸ τῆς Μελχισεδὲκ ἱερωσύνης ηὐλόγηται· τύπος δὲ ἦν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ καὶ ἡ κατ' αὐτὸν ἱερωσύνη τοῦ πάντων σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ, ὃς γέγονεν ἡμῶν ἀρχ ιερεὺς προσάγων τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ πάντας τοὺς πεπιστευκότας εἰς αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς ὑπὲρ νόμον λατρείας τελειῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν. τί οὖν ἀσχάλλεις, ὦ Φαρισαῖε; ἐγκαλεῖς, εἰπέ μοι, τῷ νομοθέτῃ τοῦ νόμου τὴν λύσιν, καὶ ὅτι μὴ ταῖς ἰδίαις ἠκολούθησεν ἐντολαῖς; ἀλλὰ νόμου πάντως ἐπέκεινα θεός· ὁ γὰρ τοὺς νόμους οὐχ ἑαυτῷ μᾶλλον, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν ὁρισάμενος μεθ ίστησι κατὰ καιρὸν ἐφ' ὅπερ ἂν ἕλοιτο τὰ διατεταγμένα καὶ ἀναφέρει εἰς βελτίονα. ἦν οὖν καιρὸς τοῦ παύσασθαι τὰ ἐν τύποις, ἀναδειχθῆναι δὲ τὰ κρείττονα· διὸ ἔφη που διὰ φωνῆς Ἠσαίου· "ἀφανισθήσεται νόμιμα λαοῦ"· ἤργησε γὰρ τῆς νέας ἐντολῆς ἀναδεδειγμένης, ἣν δι' ἑαυτοῦ λελάληκεν ἡμῖν ὁ υἱός.
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)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.