Matthew 8:29
The divine nature of the Only-Begotten was burning down the demons with unspeakable fire, just as he was also doing other things invisibly — shutting the wilder demons into paths and taking down the devil’s tyranny.
“You have come before the time,” (Matthew 8:29) they say. They knew in the Word that Christ was also going to come and that he himself has them to judge. If they also said “before the time” as a slander on the timing of the incarnation, as if it had happened out of season, it is no wonder that, being wicked, they dare to say even this.
And yet, knowing they will be punished, they speak as if overlooking him: “What to us and to you?” For the Judge has an account with us from the time we transgressed his commandments.
Greek
Ἡ θεία τοῦ μονογενοῦς φύσις ἀφράστῳ πυρὶ κατέφλεγεν τοὺς δαίμονας ὥσπερ καὶ ἄλλα ἀφανῶς ἐποίει, τοὺς ἀγριωτέρους τῶν δαι μόνων εἰς ὁδοὺς ἐγκλείων καὶ τὴν τοῦ 10 διαβόλου καθελὼν τυραννίδα. ἦλθες, φασίν, πρὸ καιροῦ· ᾔδεσαν γὰρ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ, ὅτι καὶ ἔμελλεν ἥξειν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἔχει αὐτοὺς κρῖναι. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ πρὸ καιροῦ εἶπον ὡς διαβάλλοντες τὸν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως καιρὸν ὡς παρὰ καιρὸν γεγονυίας, οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν εἰ πονηροὶ ὄντες καὶ τοῦτο τολμῶσι λέγειν. καίτοι εἰδότες, ὅτι τιμωρηθήσονται, ὥστε ὑπερόπται λέγουσιν· τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί· ἔχει γὰρ λόγον μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ κριτής, ἀφ' οὗ παρέ βημεν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ.
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.