Matthew 4:17
In some copies “repent” is not present. If the Savior says the same things as John, one God sent them both. Perhaps John, as one preparing a people made ready for God, first says “repent,” while Jesus, receiving what was already prepared and no longer needing repentance, does not say “repent.”
He is not heralding against the law and the prophets. John having finished the old, he begins to herald the new, himself becoming its beginning. That is why “he began” is not written of John — for John was an end. One heralds in the desert, the other among the people.
The kingdom of the heavens is not in a place but in a disposition, for it is within us. See also: John heralds a kingdom of heavens that is near, while Christ is the king who will hand it over to God and Father.
Greek
Εἰς φιλοδοξίας πάθος θέλων ἑλκύσαι ὁ σατανᾶς τὸν Χριστὸν οὐκ εἶπεν αὐτῷ φάγε, ἀλλὰ ποίησον σημεῖον. τοῦτο δ' ἐποίει, οὐχ ἵνα ὠφε ληθῇ, ἀλλ' ἵνα, ὅπερ εἶπον, εἰς κενοδοξίαν ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν· ὅπερ εἰδὼς ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ. τούτῳ τῷ σκοπῷ καὶ τοῖς Φαρισαίοις θέλουσιν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ σημεῖον ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἐπένευσεν· οὐ γὰρ ἀνενδοιάστῳ καρδίᾳ προσῄεσαν αὐτῷ ὡς θεῷ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄνθρωπον ἐπείραζον. ἔστω οὖν οὗτος ἄπτωτος τοῖς ἁγίοις κανὼν πρὸς ἀπίστους ἢ πειράζοντας τὸ μὴ φιλοδοξεῖν ἐπ' οὐδενὶ χρησίμῳ.
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.