Matthew 24:36
It is the Savior Christ’s custom to do something like this with his holy disciples especially: if they inquire into things that have a reputation for love of learning yet are free of higher searching, he grants the account and tries to make it exact with fine care. But if they want to learn over-again things beyond the measure that fits them, he checks them quietly and strongly persuades them to choose busying themselves with what is more fitting, and to do in those things what will make them conspicuous, having the brightest radiance from good works before God. So when they somehow chose to ask and learn things beyond a household slave’s measure, he persuades them to be quiet with necessary reasonings that put them to shame: that the Father has not revealed it even to angels, nor makes it known to the Son himself — if one were a bare human on earth like them and did not have it by nature to be God.
It was the Savior Christ’s custom to do something like this with his holy disciples especially: if they inquired into things that had a reputation for love of learning yet were free of higher searching, he would grant the account and try to make it exact with fine care. But if they wanted to learn over-again things beyond the measure that fits them, he would wrap the matter quietly and strongly persuade them to choose busying themselves with what is more fitting. So since the disciples wanted to learn things beyond them, he usefully pretends not to know insofar as he is human, and says that not even the holy angels in heaven know, so that they may not be grieved as if not trusted with what is moderate. And see how he persuades them to be quiet with his own reasonings and puts them to shame: that the Father has not revealed it even to angels, nor was it made known to the Son himself (Matthew 24:36).
Greek
Ἔθος τῷ σωτῆρι Χριστῷ τοι οῦτόν τι δρᾶν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις μά λιστα μαθηταῖς, εἰ μὲν διαπυνθά νοιντό τι τῶν ὅσα ἐστὶ φιλομαθείας μὲν ἔχοντα δόξαν ὑψηλοτέρας γε μὴν ἐρεύνης ἀπηλλαγμένα, χαρί ζεσθαι 34 τὴν ἀφήγησιν καὶ ἐξακρι βοῦν ὅτι μάλιστα πειρᾶσθαι λεπτῶς. εἰ δὲ δή τι βούλοιντο τῶν ἐπέκεινα μέτρου τοῦ κατὰ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς πε ριττῶς ἀναμαθεῖν, καταστέλλειν ἡσυχῆ καὶ μεταπείθειν εὖ μάλα πολυπραγμονεῖν ἑλέσθαι τὰ πρε πωδέστερα καὶ δρᾶν ἐπὶ τούτων τὰ δι' ὧν ἂν γένοιντο διαφανεῖς καὶ ἐκπρεπεστάτην ἔχοντες τὴν ἐξ ἔργων ἀγαθῶν φαιδρότητα παρὰ θεῷ. ἑλο μένους τοιγαροῦν οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως τὰ ὑπὲρ μέτρον οἰκετικὸν ἐρέσθαι τε καὶ μαθεῖν, ἠρεμεῖν ἀναπείθει λογισμοῖς ἀναγκαίοις ἐκδυσωπῶν, ὅτι μηδὲ ἀγγέλοις ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ πατὴρ μηδ' αὐτῷ τῷ υἱῷ καθί στησιν γνώριμον, εἴπερ τις εἴη ψι λὸς καὶ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ οὐκ ἔχων φύσει τὸ εἶναι θεός. Ἔθος ἦν τῷ σωτῆρι Χριστῷ τοιοῦτόν τι δρᾶν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις μά λιστα μαθηταῖς, εἰ διαπυνθάνοιντό τι τῶν ὅσα ἦν φιλομαθείας μὲν ἔχοντα δόξαν, ὑψηλοτέρας γε μὴν ἐρεύνης ἀπηλλαγμένα, χαρίζεσθαι τὴν ἀφήγησιν καὶ ἐξακριβοῦν ὅτι μάλιστα πειρᾶσθαι λεπτῶς. εἰ δὲ δή τι βούλοιντο τῶν ἐπέκεινα μέ τρου τοῦ κατὰ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς περιτ τῶς ἀναμαθεῖν, περιστέλλειν ἡσυχῆ καὶ μεταπείθειν εὖ μάλα πολυπραγ μονεῖν ἑλέσθαι τὰ πρεπωδέστερα. ἐπειδὴ οὖν τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτοὺς ἤθελον μανθάνειν οἱ μαθηταί, σκήπτεται χρησίμως τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι καθὸ ἄν θρωπος καί φησι μηδὲ αὐτοὺς εἰδέναι τοὺς κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἁγίους ἀγγέλους, ἵνα μὴ λυπῶνται ὡς μὴ θαρρηθέντες τὸ μέτριον. καὶ ὅρα πῶς ἠρεμεῖν ἀναπείθει λογι σμοῖς οἰκείοις καὶ ἐκδυσωπεῖ, ὅτι μηδὲ ἀγγέλοις ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ πατὴρ μηδὲ αὐτῷ τῷ υἱῷ καθίστατο γνώ ριμον.
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.