Matthew 7:22–23
The word is against those who at the beginning believed rightly and carefully worked virtue — so as even to do signs, cast out demons, and prophesy — but later turned to baseness by willing choice and wicked eagerness.
When he says, “I never knew you,” (Matthew 7:22–23) he places the one who lived virtuously at the start but was condemned at the end on a level with those never known at all. God says he knows those he loves, and he loves those who believe in him wholly and do what is pleasing to him.
Greek
Ὁ λόγος κατὰ τῶν ἐν ἀρχῇ πιστευσάντων ὀρθῶς καὶ ἐπιμελῶς ἐργασαμένων τὴν ἀρετὴν ὡς καὶ σημεῖα ποιῆσαι καὶ δαιμόνια ἐκβαλεῖν καὶ προφητεῦσαι, ὕστερον δὲ τραπέντων εἰς φαυλότητα καὶ ἐξ ἑκουσίου προαιρέσεως καὶ μοχθηροῦ καὶ προθυμίας· εἰ γὰρ λέγει, ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνων ὑμᾶς οὐδέποτε, ἐν ἴσῳ τοῖς μηδ' ὅλως ἐγνωσμένοις τίθησιν τὸν ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἐναρέτως ζήσαντα, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ τέλει κατεγνωσμένον. γινώσκειν δὲ λέγει ὁ θεός, οὓς ἀγαπᾷ· ἀγαπᾷ δὲ τοὺς ὁλοτρόπως εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύον τας καὶ ποιοῦντας τὰ ἀρεστὰ αὐτῷ.
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.