19.
Since, as we said in what went before, the one who prays must first be established — how disposed and in what condition — and only then pray, let us see, before the prayer that lies in Matthew, the words spoken about it by our Savior, which run thus: 'When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Amen, I say to you: they have received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and shut thy door, and pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who sees in secret shall repay thee. And when you pray, do not babble as the heathen do; for they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard. Be not like them, then; for your Father knows what need you have before you ask him. Pray, then, like this.'
In many places, then, our Savior is seen pressing against ambition as a passion that destroys; which he has done here also, turning men away from performing a hypocrite's work at the season of prayer. For it is a hypocrite's work to want to preen oneself before men for piety or for fellowship. But we must remember the 'How can you believe, who receive glory from men, and seek not the glory that comes from the only God?' — and despise all glory from men, even if it is thought to come of the good — and seek the sovereign and true glory, the glory from the only God, who becomingly glorifies, beyond the worth of the glorified, the one worthy of glory. Even what was thought good and praiseworthy is polluted when deemed to be done — when we do it 'that we may be glorified by men' or 'that we may be seen by men.' That is why no recompense from God follows upon it. For every word of Jesus is unlying — and, if one must force the saying, becomes more unlying still when spoken with his customary oath. He says of those who do good for show to win human glory, or who pray 'in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets' 'that they may be seen by men,' the same thing: 'Amen, I say to you: they have received their reward.' For as the rich man in Luke 'received his good things' in his human 'life' — and, having drawn them off, has no more room to receive them after this present life — so he who draws off 'his reward' for himself, whether in giving to someone or in prayers, as one who sowed 'not to the Spirit' but 'to the flesh,' shall 'reap corruption' indeed, but shall not 'reap eternal life.' He sows 'to the flesh' who, 'in the synagogues and in the streets, that' he may be glorified 'by men,' gives 'alms' with a trumpet 'before' himself, or who, loving 'to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that,' having been seen 'by men,' he may be reputed by the onlookers to be some pious and holy man.
But everyone who walks the broad and roomy way that leads away 'to destruction' — which has nothing straight or direct, but is all crooked and cornered (for it is rent by 'corners,' in which 'men' who, dying because they have fallen from divinity, 'glorify and bless' those reputed among them to be impious in the streets) — and many there always are who appear in prayer to be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, getting drunk on prayer in the midst of banquets and beside wine, truly 'standing on the corners of the streets' and praying. For everyone who lives for pleasure, loving the roomy way, has fallen out of the narrow and straitened way of Jesus Christ, which has not even a chance bend, and is nowhere at all cornered.
Greek (GCS)
Ἐπεὶ δὲ, αἷς ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέροις εἰρήχαμεν, πρῶτον δεῖ καταστῆναί πῶς καὶ διατεϑῆναι τὸν προσευχόμενον εἶϑ᾽ οὕτως εὔξασϑαι, ἴδωμεν “πρὸ τῆς ἐγκειμένης προσευχῆς παρὰ τῷ Ματϑαίῳ ὅ τοὺς περὶ αὐτῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ ᾽ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀπηγγελμένους (Aöyows), οἵ- τινες οὕτως ἔχουσιν" ὅταν προσεύχησϑε, οὐχ ἔσεσϑε ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποχριταί" ori φιλοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες προσεύχεσϑαι, ὅπως φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνϑρώ- ποις. ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισϑὸν αὐτῶν. σὺ δὲ ὅταν προσεύχῃ, εἴσελϑε εἰς τὸ ταμεῖόν σου καὶ κλείσας τὴν ϑύραν σου πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ ὃ | πατήρ σου ὃ βλέπων σε ἐν τῷ χρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι. προσευχόμενοι δὲ μὴ βατ- τολογήσητε ὥσπερ οἱ ἐϑνικοί" δοχοῦσε γὰρ ὅτε ἐν τῇ πολυλογίᾳ αὐτῶν εἰσακουσϑήσονται. μὴ οὖν ὁμοιωθϑῆτε αὐτοῖς" οἷδε γὰρ ὃ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε πρὸ τοῦ ὑμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν. οὕτως ον προσεύχεσϑε ὑμεῖς." ὔ 2. πολλαχοῦ τοίνυν φαίνεταε ὃ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἐνιστάμενος αἷς πρὸς ὀλέϑριον πάϑος τὴν φιλοδοξίαν᾽ ὅπερ καὶ ἐνϑάδε πεποίηκεν, ἀποτρέπων κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς ὑποχριτῶν ἔργον ἐπιτελεῖν" 80 ὑποχριτῶν γὰρ ἔργον ἐστὶ τὸ τοῖς ἀνϑρώποις ἐναβρύνεσϑαι ἐπ᾽ 1 αὐτοῦ) αὑτοῦ Lond. | 2 ἐνδέχηται Lond. | 3 ἀποταχτιχῶς [von ἀποτάττω = anordnen) T Ausgg., ἀποτατιχῶς [von ἀποτείνω) lesen Bent. u. Del. (1227 Anm. 6) wohl wegen des folgenden ἐν ἀποτατιχῷ λόγῳ (2.5); ἐπιταχτικῶς Angl. (bei Del. 1 919b) ohne Grund | 5 ἀποτατιχῷ) ἀποτακτιχῷ Ox.Lond., ἐπιτακτιχῷ Angl. (a. a. 0.) | 7 τὸ] τὰ liest Angl. (a. ἃ. Ὁ.) wegen des folgenden τῶν εἰρημένων πά- Acı | τῶν < Lond. | 10 μήποτε λανϑάνῃ Del. μήποτε λανϑάνοι Ox.Lond. μή" λα" [so] ΤΊ 1 (λόγους) füge ich mit den Ausgg. ein | 19 u. 24 αὐτῶν] αὑτῶν Lond. | 81 τῷ] ϑεῷ oder τῷ ϑεῷ [so Wet. im Text, f(ortasse) τὸ am Rand] vermutet Angl. (bei Del. I 9208) | χοινωνικῷ [abgekürzt geschrieben] T χοινωνεῖν Ausgg. δύνασϑε πιστεῦσαι ὑμεῖς, δόξαν παρὰ ᾿ἀνϑρώπων λαβόντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῖ μόνου ϑεοῦ οὐ ζητεῖτε; ““ πάσης τῆς παρὰ ἀνϑρώποις δόξης, κἂν ἐπὶ τῷ καλῷ γίνεσϑαι. νομίζηται, “χαταφρονεῖν καὶ ζητεῖν τὴν κυρίαν δόξαν καὶ ἀληϑῆ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ μόνου τὸν τῆς δόξης ἄξιον πρεπόντως ἑαυτῷ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ δοξαζομένου δοξάζοντος. καὶ αὐτὸ 00» τὸ νομισϑὲν ἂν καλὸν εἶναι | καὶ ἐπαινε- τὸν μολύνεται νομιζόμενον γίνεσϑαι, ὅτε, ὅπως“ δοξασϑῶμεν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων“ ἢ ,ὕπως“ φανῶμεν , τοῖς ἀνϑρώποις," ποιοῦμεν αὐτό" διόπερ οὐδεμία ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀπὸ ϑεοῦ ἀμοιβὴ ἡμῖν ἕπεται. ἀψευδὴς γὰρ πᾶς 6 τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λόγος καὶ, εἰ δεῖ βιαζόμενον εἰπεῖν, ἀψευδέστερος γίνεται, ἐπὰν μετὰ τοῦ συνήϑους αὐτοῦ ὅρχου λέγη- ται. φησὶ δὲ περὶ τῶν de ἀνθρωπίνην δόξαν εὖ τὸν πέλας do- χούντων ποιεῖν ἢ ,ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλα- τειῶν"“ προσευχομένων, „OR@G φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνϑρώποις," τὸ αὐτό; ηἀμὴν. λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσι, τὸν μισϑὸν αὐτῶν." ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀπέσχεν ὁ κατὰ Aovxav πλούσιος „Ta ayada“ „ev en“ ἑαυτοῦ ἀνϑρωπίνῃ „Lo,“ διὰ τὸ ἀπεσχηκχέναι ταῦτα οὐκέτι χωρῶν τυχεῖν αὐτῶν μετὰ τὸν ἐνεστηκότα Blov' οὕτως ὃ ἀπέχων ἑαυτοῦ ,τὸν μισϑὸν," εἴ τε δώσει τινὶ ἢ ἐν εὐχαῖς, ἅτε μὴ σπείρας ,εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα“ ἀλλὰ „eis τὴν σάρκα,“ „Heolocı“ μὲν τὴν οφϑορὰν,“ οὐ ,,(ϑερίσει““ δὲ τὴν ,,αἰώνιον ζωήν.“ „es τὴν σάρκα“ δὲ σπείρει 6 „ev ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ταῖς ῥύμαις, ὅπως“ δοξασϑῇ „und τῶν ἀνϑρώπων," ποιῶν »ἐλεημοσύνην" μετὰ σαλπισμοῦ τοῦ »ἔμπροσϑεν“ ἑαυτοῦ, ῇ ὁ φιλῶν „ev ταῖς συνα- γωγαῖς xal ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν“ ἑστὼς »προσεύχεσϑαι, ὅπως" φανεὶς »τοῖς ἀνϑρώποις"“ εὐσεβής τις χαὶ ὅσιος εἶναι παρὰ τοῖς ἑωρακχόσι νομισϑῆ. 3. ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶς ὁ τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον ὁδεύων ὁδὸν, τὴν ἀπάγουσαν ἐπὶ ,ωτὴν ἀπώλειαν,“ οὐδὲν ὀρϑὸν καὶ εὐϑὲς ἔχουσαν ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν σχολιὰν τυγχάνουσαν καὶ γεγωνιωμένην (κέχλασται γὰρ 10 am Rand σῇ öo« von 1. Ἡ. T|11 αὐτοῦ TAusgg. αὐτῷ schreiben Bent,, Del. (1 228 Anm, ec) u. Angl. (bei Del. I 9208) | 18 ἢ] καὶ oder χαὶ (röv) ver- mutet Angl. (a. a. Ὁ.) ohne Grund | 15 ἀπέσχεν)] ἀποσχὼν liest Angl. (a. a. O.) nicht glücklich | 17 διὰ τὸ] διά (te) τὸ liest Bent. (bei Del. I 228 Anm. ἃ) un- richtig | οὐκέτι T οὐχ ἔστι Ausgg. | 18 εἴ τι δώσει TLond. εἴτε δώσει Ox. Del, εἴτ᾽ ἐν δόσει lesen Bent. Del. (I 228 Anm, f) Angl. (a. a. Ὁ.) ohne Grund | 28 σαλ- πισμοῦ τοῦ] σαλπισμοῦ του Bent. (bei Del. I 228 Anm.g)| ἢ] xal Angl. (a. a. O.), vgl. oben Z. 13 | 27 bis 8. 343 2. 12 am Rand 07 ταῦτα von I.H. T. ἐχὶ πλεῖστον ἡ εὐϑεῖα), ἐν αὐτῇ ἕστηχεν οὐ καλῶς, „ev ταῖς | γω- 229 γνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν προσευχόμενος, διὰ τῆς φιληδονίας οὐχὶ ἐν μιᾷ ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πλείοσι γινόμενος πλατείαις" ἐν αἷς οἱ „os ἀνϑρωποί" ἀποϑνήσχοντες διὰ τὸ τῆς ϑεότητος ἀποπεπτωχέναι τυγχάνουσι 5 δοξάζοντες καὶ μακαρίζοντες τοὺς ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἀσεβεῖν αὐτοῖς γενομισμένους. πολλοὶ δὲ ἀεὶ οἱ φαινόμενοι ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσϑαι υφιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόϑεοι,“ ἐν μέσοις τοῖς συμποσίοις καὶ παρὰ ταῖς μέϑαις ἐμπαροινοῦντες τῇ προσευχῇ, ἀληϑῶς „ev ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες" καὶ προσευχόμενοι" πᾶς γὰρ ὁ κατὰ τὴν 10 ἡδονὴν βιοὺς, τὸ εὐρύχωρον ἀγαπήσας ἐχπέπτωκε τῆς στενῆς xal τεϑλιμμένης δόοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐχούσης