Matthew 17:27
Though able to bring forth the stater from the earth, he did not do that, but made the sign from the sea, to teach us a mystery full of contemplation. For we were fishes drawn up from life’s bitter turmoils as from a sea through the apostolic hooks, having in our mouths Christ the royal stater, given as ransom for two — for our soul and body, or for two peoples, Jews and gentiles — likewise ransoming poor and rich, since the old law also unreservedly demanded the drachma’s tax equally from rich and poor.
The Savior could have brought forth the stater from the earth, but he did not; he worked the sign from the sea to show us a mystery full of contemplation. For we are the fishes caught from life’s turmoils through the apostolic teachings, and we have in our mouths the stater — that is, Christ.
Greek
Ῥηθέντος τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἔργον οὐ χρονίζει· θεὸς γὰρ ὁ λέγων καὶ τὸ ῥῆμα ἐνεργοῦν καὶ ἡ δύναμις πανταχοῦ.
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)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.