TRV
Jerome
Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 5,299 passages across 63 books
Commentary
Matthew 14:7
Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
(Verse 7.) So when he had promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask from him. But she being forewarned by her mother. I do not excuse Herod, that unwillingly and against his will he committed murder because of the oath, who perhaps swore to do this in order to prepare the machinery for a future killing. Otherwise, if he had said that he did it because of an oath, if he had asked for the death of his father or mother, would he not have done it? Therefore, since he was going to reject it in himself, he ought to have despised it and the prophet.
Matthew 14:8
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
(Verse 8.) 'Give me,' she says, 'here on a platter, the head of John the Baptist.' Herodias, fearing that Herod might someday come to his senses and become a friend to his brother Philip, and that their unlawful marriage would be dissolved, instructs her daughter to immediately request the head of John at the very banquet itself: a worthy reward for the dance, a worthy prize for the blood.
And the king was saddened. It is the custom of the Scriptures that the historian narrates the opinion of many, just as it was believed by all at that time. Just as Joseph was also called the father of Jesus by Mary herself, so now Herod is said to be saddened, because those reclining at the table thought so (Luke 2). For he was a deceiver of his own mind and a skilled murderer, showing sadness on his face when he had joy in his mind.
And the king was saddened. It is the custom of the Scriptures that the historian narrates the opinion of many, just as it was believed by all at that time. Just as Joseph was also called the father of Jesus by Mary herself, so now Herod is said to be saddened, because those reclining at the table thought so (Luke 2). For he was a deceiver of his own mind and a skilled murderer, showing sadness on his face when he had joy in his mind.
Matthew 14:9-10
And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
(Verse 9, 10) However, because of the oath and because of those who were reclining at the table with him, he commanded it to be given. And he sent and beheaded John in prison. The wickedness excuses the oath, so that under the pretext of piety he might become impious. But what he added: 'And because of those who were reclining at the table with him,' he wants them all to be partakers of his wickedness, so that they might be carried away in a luxurious and impure banquet of bloody feasts.
Matthew 14:11
And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
(Verse 11.) And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. We read in Roman history that Flamininus, a Roman general, agreed to have a certain accused of a capital crime be beheaded at a banquet because he was lying next to a prostitute who claimed to have never seen a decapitated man before. He was expelled from the Senate by the censors because he mixed food with blood during the feast, and he preferred the death of a guilty man to the enjoyment of another person, so that lust and murder were mixed together. How wicked Herod and Herodias and the girl who danced demand the prophet's head as the price of blood, so that she may have power over the tongue that condemned unlawful marriages. This happened exactly as written; but we still see to this day, the Jews having lost Christ, who is the head of the prophets, in the person of John the Baptist. And his disciples came and took his body and buried it. Josephus reports in a certain town of Arabia that John was beheaded. And what follows: His disciples came and took the body, both of him…
(Verse 11.) And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. We read in Roman history that Flamininus, a Roman general, agreed to have a certain accused of a capital crime be beheaded at a banquet because he was lying next to a prostitute who claimed to have never seen a decapitated man before. He was expelled from the Senate by the censors because he mixed food with blood during the feast, and he preferred the death of a guilty man to the enjoyment of another person, so that lust and murder were mixed together. How wicked Herod and Herodias and the girl who danced demand the prophet's head as the price of blood, so that she may have power over the tongue that condemned unlawful marriages. This happened exactly as written; but we still see to this day, the Jews having lost Christ, who is the head of the prophets, in the person of John the Baptist.
And his disciples came and took his body and buried it. Josephus reports in a certain town of Arabia that John was beheaded. And what follows: His disciples came and took the body, both of him (John) and of the Savior, we can understand.
And his disciples came and took his body and buried it. Josephus reports in a certain town of Arabia that John was beheaded. And what follows: His disciples came and took the body, both of him (John) and of the Savior, we can understand.
Matthew 14:12
And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
Josephus relates that in a certain town of Arabia John’s head had been cut off.As to the words that follow, “and his disciples came and took the body,” we presume these people are the disciples of both John and the Savior.
Matthew 14:13-14
· 3 passages
When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
He did not retire into the desert through fear of death, as some suppose, but in mercy to His enemies, that they might not add murder to murder; putting off His death till the day of His passion; on which day the lamb is to be slain as the sacrament, and the posts of them that believe to be sprinkled with the blood. Or, He retired to leave us an example to shun that rashness which leads men to surrender themselves voluntarily, because not all persevere with like constancy under torture with the which they offered themselves to it. For this reason He says in another place, When they shall persecute you in one city, flee ye to another. Whence the Evangelist says not 'fled,' but elegantly, departed thence, (or, 'withdrew,') showing that He shunned rather than feared persecution. Or for another reason He might have withdrawn into a desert place on hearing of John's death, namely, to prove the faith of the believers. They followed on foot, not riding, or in carriages, but with the toil of their own legs, to show the ardour of their mind. It is to be observed moreover, that when the Lord…
He did not retire into the desert through fear of death, as some suppose, but in mercy to His enemies, that they might not add murder to murder; putting off His death till the day of His passion; on which day the lamb is to be slain as the sacrament, and the posts of them that believe to be sprinkled with the blood. Or, He retired to leave us an example to shun that rashness which leads men to surrender themselves voluntarily, because not all persevere with like constancy under torture with the which they offered themselves to it. For this reason He says in another place, When they shall persecute you in one city, flee ye to another. Whence the Evangelist says not 'fled,' but elegantly, departed thence, (or, 'withdrew,') showing that He shunned rather than feared persecution. Or for another reason He might have withdrawn into a desert place on hearing of John's death, namely, to prove the faith of the believers.
They followed on foot, not riding, or in carriages, but with the toil of their own legs, to show the ardour of their mind.
It is to be observed moreover, that when the Lord came into the desert, great crowds followed Him; for before He went into the wilderness of the Gentiles, He was worshipped by only one people. They leave their cities, that is, their former conversation, and various dogmas. That Jesus went out, shows that the multitudes had the will to go, but not the strength to attain, therefore the Saviour departs out of His place and goes to meet them.
They followed on foot, not riding, or in carriages, but with the toil of their own legs, to show the ardour of their mind.
It is to be observed moreover, that when the Lord came into the desert, great crowds followed Him; for before He went into the wilderness of the Gentiles, He was worshipped by only one people. They leave their cities, that is, their former conversation, and various dogmas. That Jesus went out, shows that the multitudes had the will to go, but not the strength to attain, therefore the Saviour departs out of His place and goes to meet them.
(Verse 13) And they came and told Jesus. When Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. They announced to the Savior the death of John the Baptist, and when he heard this, he withdrew to a deserted place. Not, as some think, out of fear of death, but sparing his enemies, lest they join one murder with another. Or deferring his own death to the day of his Passover, on which he was to be sacrificed as the Lamb (Exodus 12), and the doorposts of believers to be sprinkled with blood. Or perhaps He withdrew to give us an example of avoiding unnecessary danger, because not all have the same perseverance in enduring torments as they do in offering themselves to be tortured. For this reason, He also gives the command in another place: 'When they persecute you in this city, flee to another' (Mt. X, 23). The evangelist also elegantly does not say, 'He fled to a deserted place,' but 'He withdrew,' in order to avoid the persecutors rather than fearing them. Another interpretation: After the Jews and the king of the Jews cut off the head of the prophets and…
(Verse 13) And they came and told Jesus. When Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. They announced to the Savior the death of John the Baptist, and when he heard this, he withdrew to a deserted place. Not, as some think, out of fear of death, but sparing his enemies, lest they join one murder with another. Or deferring his own death to the day of his Passover, on which he was to be sacrificed as the Lamb (Exodus 12), and the doorposts of believers to be sprinkled with blood. Or perhaps He withdrew to give us an example of avoiding unnecessary danger, because not all have the same perseverance in enduring torments as they do in offering themselves to be tortured. For this reason, He also gives the command in another place: 'When they persecute you in this city, flee to another' (Mt. X, 23). The evangelist also elegantly does not say, 'He fled to a deserted place,' but 'He withdrew,' in order to avoid the persecutors rather than fearing them. Another interpretation: After the Jews and the king of the Jews cut off the head of the prophets and silenced the voice and speech of prophecy among them, Jesus moves to the desert, a place that the Church had not had before.
And when the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the cities. It is possible that, for another reason, upon hearing of the death of John, they withdrew to a deserted place to confirm the faith of the believer. Finally, the crowds followed him on foot, not on pack animals, not in various vehicles, but by their own physical effort, to show their fervor of the mind. If we were to explain the reasons behind each word, we would exceed the brevity of the stated task. However, it must be said in passing that after the Lord came into the desert, many crowds followed him. For before he came into the solitude of the nations, he was worshiped by only one people.
And when the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the cities. It is possible that, for another reason, upon hearing of the death of John, they withdrew to a deserted place to confirm the faith of the believer. Finally, the crowds followed him on foot, not on pack animals, not in various vehicles, but by their own physical effort, to show their fervor of the mind. If we were to explain the reasons behind each word, we would exceed the brevity of the stated task. However, it must be said in passing that after the Lord came into the desert, many crowds followed him. For before he came into the solitude of the nations, he was worshiped by only one people.
They announced the death of the Baptist to the Savior. When Jesus heard this, he withdrew to a lonely place apart, but not, as some people think, for fear of death. He withdrew to spare his enemies from compounding one murder with another or to defer his death to the day of Passover on which a lamb is ritually offered up and doorposts are sprinkled with the blood of the faithful. Or else he withdrew in order to give us an example of avoiding the foolhardiness of those who betrayed him, because not everyone perseveres amid torments with the same constancy they had when they offered themselves to be tortured. For this reason in another place he gave this admonition: “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. It was also fitting that the Evangelist did not say “he fled to a lonely place” but “he withdrew,” so that he avoided his persecutors rather than feared them.
Matthew 14:14
And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
(Verse 14.) And going out, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, and he cured their sick. In the Gospel message, the spirit is always joined with the letters, and whatever seems cold at first glance, if you touch it, it becomes warm. The Lord was in a deserted place; the crowds followed him, leaving their cities, that is, their former ways of life and the varieties of teachings. But Jesus going out signifies that the crowds indeed had the will to go, but they did not have the strength to arrive: therefore, the Savior goes out from his place and goes to meet them, just as he had met the repentant son in another parable (Luke 15). And seeing the crowd, he has pity on them and cares for their illnesses, so that full faith immediately obtains the reward.
Matthew 14:15
· 2 passages
And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
(Verse 15.) And when evening had come, his disciples approached him, saying: This place is deserted, and the hour has already passed. Send away the crowds so that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food. All things are full of mysteries. He departed from Judea and came to a deserted place. The crowds followed him, leaving their cities behind. Jesus went out to them, had compassion on the crowds, and cured their sick. And he did this not in the morning, not as the day was growing, not at noon, but in the evening, when the sun of justice had set.
It is to be observed moreover, that when the Lord came into the desert, great crowds followed Him; for before He went into the wilderness of the Gentiles, He was worshipped by only one people. They leave their cities, that is, their former conversation, and various dogmas. That Jesus went out, shows that the multitudes had the will to go, but not the strength to attain, therefore the Saviour departs out of His place and goes to meet them. Wherein He calls the Apostles to breaking of bread, that the greatness of the miracle might be more evident by their testimony that they had none. While the Lord breaks there is a sowing of food; for had the loaves been whole and not broken into fragments, and thus divided into a manifold harvest, they could not have fed so great a multitude. The multitude receives the food from the Lord through the Apostles; as it follows, And he gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. Each of the Apostles fills his basket of the fragments left by his Saviour, that these fragments might witness that they were true loaves that were m…
It is to be observed moreover, that when the Lord came into the desert, great crowds followed Him; for before He went into the wilderness of the Gentiles, He was worshipped by only one people. They leave their cities, that is, their former conversation, and various dogmas. That Jesus went out, shows that the multitudes had the will to go, but not the strength to attain, therefore the Saviour departs out of His place and goes to meet them.
Wherein He calls the Apostles to breaking of bread, that the greatness of the miracle might be more evident by their testimony that they had none.
While the Lord breaks there is a sowing of food; for had the loaves been whole and not broken into fragments, and thus divided into a manifold harvest, they could not have fed so great a multitude. The multitude receives the food from the Lord through the Apostles; as it follows, And he gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
Each of the Apostles fills his basket of the fragments left by his Saviour, that these fragments might witness that they were true loaves that were multiplied.
To the number of loaves, five, the number of the men that ate is apportioned, five thousand; And the number of them that had eaten was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
But all these things are full of mysteries; the Lord does these things not in the morning, nor at noon, but in the evening, when the Sun of righteousness was set.
Or, they are bid to lie down on the grass, and that, according to another Evangelist, by fifties and by hundreds, that after they have trampled upon their flesh, and have subjugated the pleasures of the world as dried grass under them, then by the presencea of the number fifty, they ascend to the eminent perfection of a hundred. He looks up to heaven to teach us that our eyes are to be directed thither. The Law with the Prophets is broken, and in the midst of them are brought forward mysteries., that whereas they partook not of it whole, when broken into pieces it may be food for the multitude of the Gentiles.
There partook five thousand who had reached maturity; for women and children, the weaker sex, and the tender age, were unworthy of number; thus in the book of Numbers, slaves, women, children, and an undistinguished crowd, are passed over unnumbered.
Wherein He calls the Apostles to breaking of bread, that the greatness of the miracle might be more evident by their testimony that they had none.
While the Lord breaks there is a sowing of food; for had the loaves been whole and not broken into fragments, and thus divided into a manifold harvest, they could not have fed so great a multitude. The multitude receives the food from the Lord through the Apostles; as it follows, And he gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
Each of the Apostles fills his basket of the fragments left by his Saviour, that these fragments might witness that they were true loaves that were multiplied.
To the number of loaves, five, the number of the men that ate is apportioned, five thousand; And the number of them that had eaten was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
But all these things are full of mysteries; the Lord does these things not in the morning, nor at noon, but in the evening, when the Sun of righteousness was set.
Or, they are bid to lie down on the grass, and that, according to another Evangelist, by fifties and by hundreds, that after they have trampled upon their flesh, and have subjugated the pleasures of the world as dried grass under them, then by the presencea of the number fifty, they ascend to the eminent perfection of a hundred. He looks up to heaven to teach us that our eyes are to be directed thither. The Law with the Prophets is broken, and in the midst of them are brought forward mysteries., that whereas they partook not of it whole, when broken into pieces it may be food for the multitude of the Gentiles.
There partook five thousand who had reached maturity; for women and children, the weaker sex, and the tender age, were unworthy of number; thus in the book of Numbers, slaves, women, children, and an undistinguished crowd, are passed over unnumbered.
Matthew 14:16
But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
(Verse 16.) But Jesus said to them: They have no need to go. They have no need to seek different foods, and buy for themselves unknown breads, when they have heavenly bread with them.
On that day he commanded you to eat. He challenged the apostles to break the bread, so that, in them testifying that he did not have it, the greatness of the sign may become more known.
On that day he commanded you to eat. He challenged the apostles to break the bread, so that, in them testifying that he did not have it, the greatness of the sign may become more known.
Matthew 14:17
And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
(Verse 17) They replied to him: We have here only five loaves and two fish. In another Gospel, we read: There is a certain boy here who has five loaves (John 6:9) ; which seems to me to signify Moses: But two fish, either we understand both Testaments, or because the even number is referred to the Law. Therefore, the apostles before the passion of the Savior and the radiance of the shining Gospel had only five loaves and two little fish, which were moving in salty waters and in the waves of the sea.
Matthew 14:18
He said, Bring them hither to me.
(Verse 18) He said to them: Bring them to me here. Listen, Marcion, listen, Manichaee, Jesus orders five loaves and two fish to be brought to him, so that he may sanctify and multiply them.
Matthew 14:19
· 2 passages
And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
(Verse 19.) And when he had commanded the multitude to recline upon the hay. The sense is clearly evident according to the letter: let us reveal the sacraments of spiritual interpretation. They are commanded to recline upon the hay, and according to another Evangelist (Luke 9), upon the ground, by fifties or hundreds, so that after they have trampled upon their flesh and all its desires, and subjected all the pleasures of this world to themselves like dry hay, then by the number fifty they may ascend through penitence to the summit of perfection represented by the number one hundred. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples. He looked up to heaven, teaching that our eyes should be directed there. He took the five loaves and the two fish in his hands, and he broke them and gave them to the disciples. With the Lord breaking them, the food became a source of abundance. For if they had remained whole and not been torn into fragments, nor divided into a plentiful harvest, they would not have been ab…
(Verse 19.) And when he had commanded the multitude to recline upon the hay. The sense is clearly evident according to the letter: let us reveal the sacraments of spiritual interpretation. They are commanded to recline upon the hay, and according to another Evangelist (Luke 9), upon the ground, by fifties or hundreds, so that after they have trampled upon their flesh and all its desires, and subjected all the pleasures of this world to themselves like dry hay, then by the number fifty they may ascend through penitence to the summit of perfection represented by the number one hundred.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples. He looked up to heaven, teaching that our eyes should be directed there. He took the five loaves and the two fish in his hands, and he broke them and gave them to the disciples. With the Lord breaking them, the food became a source of abundance. For if they had remained whole and not been torn into fragments, nor divided into a plentiful harvest, they would not have been able to feed such a great multitude of crowds, children, and women. Therefore, the law is broken with the prophets, and it is torn into pieces and its mysteries are brought forth in the midst, so that what was whole and permanent in its original state may be divided into parts and nourish the multitude of nations.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples. He looked up to heaven, teaching that our eyes should be directed there. He took the five loaves and the two fish in his hands, and he broke them and gave them to the disciples. With the Lord breaking them, the food became a source of abundance. For if they had remained whole and not been torn into fragments, nor divided into a plentiful harvest, they would not have been able to feed such a great multitude of crowds, children, and women. Therefore, the law is broken with the prophets, and it is torn into pieces and its mysteries are brought forth in the midst, so that what was whole and permanent in its original state may be divided into parts and nourish the multitude of nations.
They are ordered to sit down on the grass and, according to another Evangelist, to recline in groups of hundreds and of fifties. In this way from the repentance of the fifty, they ascended toward the perfect summit of one hundred.17He looked up to heaven that he might teach them to keep their eyes focused there. He then took in hand five loaves of bread and two fish; he broke the loaves and gave the food to the disciples. By the breaking of the bread, he makes it into a seedbed of food—for if the bread had been left intact and not pulled apart and broken into pieces, they would have been unable to feed the great crowds of men, women and children. The law with the prophets are therefore pulled apart and broken into pieces. Mysteries are made manifest, so that what did not feed the multitude of people in its original whole and unbroken state now feeds them in its divided state.
Matthew 14:20
And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
(Verse 20.) However, the disciples gave to the crowds. And all ate, and were satisfied. The crowds received food from the Lord through the apostles.
And they took up the remnants of the twelve baskets full of fragments. Each of the apostles fills his own basket with the remains of the Savior, so that he may either have something to give food to the Gentiles afterwards, or teach from the remnants that the loaves were truly multiplied. And at the same time, consider how in the desert and in such a vast solitude loaves are not found, except only five and two fish, and yet twelve baskets are easily found.
And they took up the remnants of the twelve baskets full of fragments. Each of the apostles fills his own basket with the remains of the Savior, so that he may either have something to give food to the Gentiles afterwards, or teach from the remnants that the loaves were truly multiplied. And at the same time, consider how in the desert and in such a vast solitude loaves are not found, except only five and two fish, and yet twelve baskets are easily found.
Matthew 14:21
And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
(Verse 21) Now the number of those who ate was five thousand men, besides women and children. According to the number of five loaves and the multitude of five thousand men who ate, it had not yet reached the seven-fold number according to another account, of whom there are four thousand who eat, close to the number of the Gospels. But those who ate were five thousand men who had grown into full maturity, and they followed him of whom Zacharias says: Behold the man, his name is the Rising Sun. But women and children, being of the weaker sex and younger age, are considered unworthy of being counted. Therefore, in the Book of Numbers, whenever priests, Levites, armies, or fighting crowds are described, slaves, women, children, and the common people are omitted from the count.
Matthew 14:22-33
· 2 passages
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
These words show that they left the Lord unwillingly, not desiring through their love for their teacher to be separated from Him even for a moment. That He withdraws to pray alone, you should refer not to Him who fed five thousand on five loaves, but to Him who on hearing of the death of John withdrew into the desert; not that we would separate the Lord's person into two parts, but that His actions are divided between the God and the man. Rightly had the Apostles departed from the Lord as unwilling, and slow to leave Him, lest they should suffer shipwreck whilst He was not with them. For it follows, Now when it was evening he was there alone; that is, in the mountain; but the boat was in the middle of the sea tossed with the waves; for the wind was contrary. While the Lord tarries in the top of the mountain, straightway a wind arises contrary to them, and stirs up the sea, and the disciples are in imminent peril of shipwreck, which continues till Jesus comes. The military guards and watches are divided into portions of three hours each. When then he says that the Lord came to the…
These words show that they left the Lord unwillingly, not desiring through their love for their teacher to be separated from Him even for a moment.
That He withdraws to pray alone, you should refer not to Him who fed five thousand on five loaves, but to Him who on hearing of the death of John withdrew into the desert; not that we would separate the Lord's person into two parts, but that His actions are divided between the God and the man.
Rightly had the Apostles departed from the Lord as unwilling, and slow to leave Him, lest they should suffer shipwreck whilst He was not with them. For it follows, Now when it was evening he was there alone; that is, in the mountain; but the boat was in the middle of the sea tossed with the waves; for the wind was contrary.
While the Lord tarries in the top of the mountain, straightway a wind arises contrary to them, and stirs up the sea, and the disciples are in imminent peril of shipwreck, which continues till Jesus comes.
The military guards and watches are divided into portions of three hours each. When then he says that the Lord came to them in the fourth watch, this shows that they had been in danger the whole night.
A confused noise and uncertain sound is the mark of great fear. But if, according to Marcion and Manichæus, our Lord was not born of a virgin, but was seen in a phantasm, how is it that the Apostles now fear that they have seen a phantasm (or vision)?
Whereas He says, It is I, without saying who, either they might be able to understand Him speaking through the darkness of night; or they might know that it was He who had spoken to Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, He that is has sent me unto you. (Exod. 3:14.) On every occasion Peter is found to be the one of the most ardent faith. And with the same zeal as ever, so now, while the others are silent, he believes that by the will of his Master he will be able to do that which by nature he cannot do; whence it follows, Peter answered and said unto him, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the water. As much as to say, Do thou command, and straightway it will become solid; and that body which is in itself heavy will become light.
Let those who think that the Lord's body was not real, because He walked upon the yielding waters as a light æthereal substance, answer here how Peter walked, whom they by no means deny to be man.
Moreover he is left to temptation for a short season, that his faith may be increased, and that he may understand that he is saved not by his ability to ask, but by the power of the Lord. For faith burned at his heart, but human frailty drew him into the deep.
If then upon this single miracle of stilling the sea, a thing which often happens by accident after even great tempests, the sailors and pilots confessed them to be truly the Son of God, how does Arrius preach in the Church itself that He is a creature?
Also He ascends into the mountain alone because the multitude cannot follow Him aloft, until He has instructed it by the shore of the sea.
That He withdraws to pray alone, you should refer not to Him who fed five thousand on five loaves, but to Him who on hearing of the death of John withdrew into the desert; not that we would separate the Lord's person into two parts, but that His actions are divided between the God and the man.
Rightly had the Apostles departed from the Lord as unwilling, and slow to leave Him, lest they should suffer shipwreck whilst He was not with them. For it follows, Now when it was evening he was there alone; that is, in the mountain; but the boat was in the middle of the sea tossed with the waves; for the wind was contrary.
While the Lord tarries in the top of the mountain, straightway a wind arises contrary to them, and stirs up the sea, and the disciples are in imminent peril of shipwreck, which continues till Jesus comes.
The military guards and watches are divided into portions of three hours each. When then he says that the Lord came to them in the fourth watch, this shows that they had been in danger the whole night.
A confused noise and uncertain sound is the mark of great fear. But if, according to Marcion and Manichæus, our Lord was not born of a virgin, but was seen in a phantasm, how is it that the Apostles now fear that they have seen a phantasm (or vision)?
Whereas He says, It is I, without saying who, either they might be able to understand Him speaking through the darkness of night; or they might know that it was He who had spoken to Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, He that is has sent me unto you. (Exod. 3:14.) On every occasion Peter is found to be the one of the most ardent faith. And with the same zeal as ever, so now, while the others are silent, he believes that by the will of his Master he will be able to do that which by nature he cannot do; whence it follows, Peter answered and said unto him, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the water. As much as to say, Do thou command, and straightway it will become solid; and that body which is in itself heavy will become light.
Let those who think that the Lord's body was not real, because He walked upon the yielding waters as a light æthereal substance, answer here how Peter walked, whom they by no means deny to be man.
Moreover he is left to temptation for a short season, that his faith may be increased, and that he may understand that he is saved not by his ability to ask, but by the power of the Lord. For faith burned at his heart, but human frailty drew him into the deep.
If then upon this single miracle of stilling the sea, a thing which often happens by accident after even great tempests, the sailors and pilots confessed them to be truly the Son of God, how does Arrius preach in the Church itself that He is a creature?
Also He ascends into the mountain alone because the multitude cannot follow Him aloft, until He has instructed it by the shore of the sea.
(Verse 22.) And immediately Jesus compelled his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him across the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. He instructed the disciples to cross over and compelled them to get into the boat, which shows by his words that they unwillingly left the Lord, as they did not want to be separated from him even for a moment.