Commentarius In Evangelium Secundum Marcum [Incertus]

COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK.

PREFACE.

Every learned scribe in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings forth from his treasure things new and old. But I am like the poor widow, casting two small coins into the treasury, for my poor disciples, and for the poor who hope for poor nourishment from a poor man: I send these crumbs from the table of the rich, which the little dogs eagerly beg for along with the Syrophoenician woman. Furthermore, being anxious, having no gold or silver or precious stones at all—that is, I shall offer hyacinthine skins from heavenly things, not earthly—if I can, I shall endeavor, with God's help, to explain the natures, that is, from the history of Mark the Evangelist, or by the mystical understanding, as my predecessors handed down. Him, therefore, those treating the Evangelists pass over untouched, as I think, because he narrates almost the same things as Matthew, although they are distinguished in certain testimonies of their own; so that the wing of one touches the wing of the other animal, and the same wheel follows the same path, and with faces turned toward one another, the holy animals behold each other. In the first canon, Mark accompanies Matthew, Luke, and John. In the second, with Matthew and Luke. In the fourth, with Matthew and John. In the sixth canon, as it were by that bar, two rings, Matthew is always joined, and Mark: that is, in forty-seven chapters. In the eighth canon he accompanies Luke, that is, in thirteen chapters. In his own, however, which...

I set out to explain it as best I can, and it proceeds in eighteen chapters specifically; all of these together make two hundred and thirty-five chapters. Mark the Evangelist of God, disciple of Peter, of the tribe of Levi and a priest, wrote this Gospel in Italy. He who, taking the beginning of the Gospel from the voices of the prophets, commending John the forerunner of Christ by the testimony of Malachi, that is, of the angel, and designating the Word made flesh by the voice of Isaiah, established the beginning of the evangelical preaching: and he found that word of the voice which he had lost in the consonants, that is, in the genealogies of God and of man. Hence he begins to preach wholly from the perfection of Christ's age; nor does he labor over the nativity of the infant, who speaks of the perfection of the Son of God. But also, setting forth the fast of the legal number, the repulse of the devil, and the ministry of the angels, he comprehends great things in brief. He was the first bishop of Alexandria; it was his concern in each particular to know, and to set forth in himself the sayings of the Gospel, and to recognize in himself the discipline of the law, and to understand the divine nature in the flesh of the Lord. He who sows after Matthew; who roars like a lion; who flies like an eagle; who speaks like a man; who sacrifices like a priest; who waters like a river; who blossoms like a field; who seethes like wine: for Christ, of whom he speaks, is a man by being born, a calf by dying, a lion by rising, an eagle by ascending.

There are four qualities from which the holy Gospels are composed: precepts, commandments, testimonies, and examples. In the precepts is justice; in the commandments, love; in the testimonies, faith; in the examples, perfection. As these are the precepts: Then Jesus commanded his twelve disciples: Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and the rest; that is, to turn away from evil. But these are the commandments, by which it is said: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; that is, to do good and to fulfill love. Testimonies are those which stand in the mouth of two or three witnesses. As is that: John bears testimony of me, but I have a testimony greater than John. The Father himself, who remains in me, bears testimony of me. And the very works which I do bear testimony of me; and I bear testimony to the truth. But examples are those by which they imitate Jesus, saying: Learn from me, for I am meek, and the rest. And: Be perfect, that is, merciful, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. And elsewhere: For I have given you an example, that you also should do so. The verses of the Psalmist sing in harmony with these four qualities, saying: The commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes. History especially contains the precepts. And elsewhere: Your commandment is exceedingly broad. Because he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the whole law. Likewise: I have understood your testimonies, for it is not for all to understand testimonies. Whence elsewhere he says: The testimony of the Lord is faithful.

Because it needs the testimony of the mind's faith rather than of the flesh's eyes. Fourth: the judgments of God are true, justified in themselves—that is, so that they may be justified examples of our own judgments, just as we have found them in the judgments of God. Hence the same one, seeing this elsewhere, says: For I feared your judgments. For in whatever judgment we judge, it will be judged concerning us. In these four qualities are fear, faith, hope, charity. For we begin with fear, we preserve by faith what we have begun, we are raised up by hope, we are perfected by charity. For the end of the commandment is charity. These are the four months which Christ foretold before the harvest, saying: Are there not four months until the harvest? So that we too, through the precepts of God and the commandments, testimonies, and examples, may reap with joy ripe fruits after the judgment, we who have scattered in tears of fear the seeds of repentance in the earth: bearing our sheaves of charity, let us reap with joy in heaven.

CHAPTER ONE.

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I send my angel before your face, who will prepare your way before you. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths. For the Gospel is that through which the redemption of the faithful and the blessedness of the saints comes, because the four are one and the one is four: the four Gospels are shown to consist of many powers. For what is stronger than to save souls, which could have perished through the vices of their errors? According to what the prophet, long since stirred by the Holy Spirit, laid bare in the sixty-seventh psalm: The Lord will give the word to those who evangelize with many powers. The order of that verse is such as is fittingly inserted into this work. The Lord will give many powers to the apostles, who were preaching his word with venerable confession, when it was granted to them to heal the crowds of the sick. In Greek and in Latin it is proclaimed as good announcement, which properly pertains to the kingdom of God and the remission of sins. Hence it is said: Repent, and believe the Gospel, and the kingdom of heaven will draw near—of Jesus Christ, that is, of the Savior anointed, in Hebrew JESUA. In Greek, in Latin, Savior. MESSIAH in Hebrew, in Greek, anointed in Latin. The same is called both king and priest, since Christ is born of the line of David the king, and is foretold by the voices of prophets of the Levitical line. Hence it follows: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, and the rest.

John is the voice; concerning this voice the Lord Jesus cried out to the Jews that among those born of women none was greater than he. But a cry is customarily made to the deaf who are far off, or with indignation—which it is certain happened to the Jewish people, since salvation is far from sinners, and they heavily stopped their ears like deaf asps, and deserved to hear from Christ indignation and wrath and tribulation. But the voice and the cry are made in the desert, because they were deserted by the Spirit of God, like a house empty and swept; deserted by the prophet, the king, and the priest. Hence John and Jesus seek what was lost in the desert. Where the devil conquered, there he is conquered; where man fell, there he rises. Behold, I send my angel. The voice through Malachi sounds to the Father concerning the Son, who is the face of the Father, whereby he is known. But angel means messenger, who foretells concerning Christ. He comes after me who was made before me; who will prepare your way. The way of the Lord, by which he enters to men, is repentance, through which God descends to us and we ascend to him. Hence angels are remembered as ascending and descending to the Son of Man. Prepare the way of the Lord: that is, repent, and preach. Hence it is spoken before the sabbath, that is, repentance before the rest to come. For from here the beginning of the preaching of John and of Christ arises. Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand: because on the seventh day God rested from all his works.

For we must delete seven vices through repentance, as it were evil kinds, so that, resting afterward, we may possess the desirable land. Make straight his paths. These paths we have curved, turning aside to the right and to the left. Now God commands us, walking in the king's highway, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and ourselves as our neighbors. For he who loves iniquity hates his own soul. For he who loves himself and does not love his neighbor turns aside to the right. And he who, hating himself, loves his neighbor, turns aside to the left. For many do good, but do not correct well, as was Eli. And many correct well, but do not act, as were the scribes and Pharisees who sat upon the chair of Moses. Hence the mouth of the turtle-dove in the law is commanded to be turned back to its little wings, lest the mouth be separated from the work, and lest our work be seen by the mouth by day. But the paths follow after the way, because the moral commandments, according to Mark, are explained after repentance. The way is prepared through faith, and baptism, and repentance. Straight paths are made through austere signs, a garment of haircloth, and belts of skin, and food of locusts, and drink of wild honey, and a most humble voice. Hence it follows:

John was in the desert, baptizing and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the region of Judea went out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. John is interpreted as “grace of God.” The narrative begins from grace. Hence it follows: Baptizing; for through baptism grace is given, by which sins are freely forgiven. Hence it is said: What you have received freely, give freely. And the Apostle says: By grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; for it is the gift of God, lest anyone should boast. And preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. What is consummated through the bridegroom is begun through the friend of the bridegroom. Hence catechumens, that is, the instructed, begin through the priest and are anointed with chrism by the bishop. But now the bride is led in through the friend of the bridegroom; and so Rebecca is led to the boy Isaac, veiled in a white cloak. And all the region of Judea went out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Confession, and beauty in his sight, that is, in the sight of the bridegroom. Hence the bride leaps down from the camel when the Church now humbles herself, having seen the true Isaac, Jesus Christ, at whose birth God made Sarah laugh; as it is said to Mary, who is called princess with God: Blessed are you among women. But the Jordan is interpreted as “descent of another,” where sins are washed away.

For the ark, after crossing the Jordan, passed through foreign marble into an alien land, and with one part flowing down into the sea, the other part, swelling, is raised up in the form of a mountain. So we, once alienated from God through pride, humbled through the symbol of baptism, are raised on high; because whoever humbles himself will be exalted. But the part that flows into the sea is made bitter; since the ark of God, that is, the body of Christ, did not benefit the unclean, but changed them for the worse. It follows.

And John was clothed in camel's hair, and with a leathern girdle about his loins: and he ate locusts and wild honey: and he was preaching, saying. The clothing of the prophet, and his food and drink, signify the whole austere life of those who preach: and that the future nations are to be joined to the grace of God, which is John, both within and without. By the camel's hairs, the rich of the nations: and by the leathern girdle, the poor dead to the world; by the jagged locusts, the wise of this world: who, leaving the dry stubble to the Jews, drag the mystic grains with their legs, and inhabit the leaps in the heat of faith; and by wild honey, the faithful, prepared by fires breathed from the uncultivated forest and plunging into them, are signified. All these things are taken from the grace of the Gospel: in which there is no distinction of Jew and Greek.

One stronger than I comes after me. Who is stronger than the grace by which sins are washed away? Surely it is he who forgives sins seven times and seventy-seven times. Grace indeed comes first, but he forgave once through baptism. Mercy, however, toward the wretched from Adam even to Christ, through seventy-seven generations, and reaches even to one hundred forty-four thousand.

The latchet of whose sandals I am not worthy, stooping down, to loose. Grace alone, stooping down in baptism, is not worthy to loose the latchet of his sandals, that is, the mystery of the incarnation of God. For the heel is the outermost part of the body. For at the end the incarnate Savior is present for righteousness. Hence it is well said through the prophet: I will stretch out my sandal over Idumea; because unless the knowledge of the spirit be joined, no one through the grace of remission investigates the mystery of the incarnation of Christ—how the Word was made flesh; whence the flesh of Christ, whence the soul, whence the spirit takes its beginning, so that he becomes true man in all things without sin, and true God in true God without beginning, the same Son of man who is in heaven; and how, like a bridegroom coming forth from his chamber, that is, from the virginal womb, he leaves it closed. Hence, when the true bridegroom came, the house of the unshod is called the house of John, who says: He who has the bride is the bridegroom. Hence the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. To whom it is sung in the Song of Songs: My bride, my friend, my nearest, my beloved, my dove.

The bride in the patriarchs, the friend in the prophets, the nearest in Joseph and Mary, the beloved in John the Baptist, the dove in Christ and the apostles, to whom it is said: Be wise as serpents, and simple as doves. It follows:

I have baptized you in water: but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit. But the river of God is always full, always equal: of which it is said: The rush of the river gladdens the city of God. What is the difference between water and the Holy Spirit, who was borne over the waters? Water is the ministry of man: but the Spirit is the ministry of God. Whence it is written: The Spirit of God was borne over the waters. Over, he says, not beneath. Just as the soul is more excellent than the body which it rules, so the spirit is more eminent than the soul. But the Spirit remained upon him: this is the anointing of Christ according to the flesh, of which it is said: Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness before your companions. Oil cannot be under water: so the creator cannot be under the creature. Oil rises from the bitterness of the root, and for the nourishment of light, and for the remedies of wounds, and for the refreshment of the hungry, it grows at the top. Whence comes the anointing of the body of Christ?

from the bitterness of the passion, and came to the glory of the resurrection: whence the Apostle admonishes us, saying: Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, and the rest, even to death, even the death of the cross: for which cause also God hath exalted him, and hath given him a name, which is above every name: because the Lord Jesus is in the glory of God the Father.

And it came to pass in those days; Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee: and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And immediately ascending from the water he saw the heavens opened, and the spirit as a dove descending, and remaining in him. And a voice was made from the heavens: Thou art my beloved son, in thee I am well pleased: and immediately the spirit drove him into the desert: and he was there in the desert forty days, and forty nights: and he was tempted by Satan. And he was with the beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

Mark the evangelist, longing like a deer for the fountains of waters, takes leaps over level and steep places, and crops only the summits of the meadows, and bears palms on the peak; and like a honey-flowing bee, he tastes in brief the flowers of the field, whose fragrance is likened to that of the true Isaac. Hence he recounts that Jesus, coming from Nazareth of Galilee to baptism in the Jordan, was received by John; and that he straightway ascended from the water, and saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit descending as a dove, and remaining in him; and that a voice was made from the heavens of the Father, that he was well pleased in his beloved Son; and that the Spirit drove him into the desert, and that he was tempted by Satan for forty days and nights with the beasts, and that he remained with angels ministering. This order is to be followed by us morally according to the example of Christ, as we hasten to the fellowship of angels, which Jesus first showed by deed before he taught by word. Thus we, drawn from the rolling world by the fragrance of the flower of purity, with the pendulous will of youth, run after the bridegroom; and through the sacraments of baptism we are washed from the two fountains of love, of God and of neighbor, by the grace of remission, and ascending in hope we behold the heavenly secrets with the pure eyes of the heart. Then we receive the Holy Spirit, with a contrite and humbled spirit, descending with a simple heart upon the meek, and remaining with charity that never falls away; and the voice of the Lord from the heavens is directed to us as beloved of God: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

And then the Father is well pleased in us together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, when we are made one spirit with God. Hence the Son intercedes with the Father for us, saying: Holy Father, keep in your name those whom you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. Then the Spirit drives us out into the wilderness, to be tempted by Satan for the number of forty days, so that endurance may produce in us a testing, and testing hope, and hope truly love; since our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and the rest. And then the beasts will be at peace with us, when in the ark of our soul we grow gentle, the clean together with the unclean animals, and we lie down with the lions as Daniel did; since the Spirit is not against flesh and blood, nor does the flesh lust against the Spirit. After these things the angels, ministers who see the face of our Father in heaven, are always sent to us, to give answers and consolations to our hearts and to those who keep watch, saying: Your prayer has been heard. And, Do not be afraid, you who seek Jesus of Nazareth. And, Those whom I love I rebuke and chastise; and, To the one who conquers I will give to eat from the tree that is in the paradise of my God. It follows:

But after John was handed over, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying: Because it is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has drawn near. After we have received grace for grace, carnal things are cut off, spiritual things are brought to life: the shadow ceasing, the truth is present. John in prison, the law in Judea, Jesus in Galilee: salvation among the Gentiles, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poverty succeeds the earthly kingdom: to the poverty of Christians the eternal kingdom is granted. Hence the Lord says: My kingdom is not of this world. For every earthly honor is compared to the foam of water on a slender surface, or to smoke, or to a dream. It follows:

Repent, and believe the Gospel. And passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea. For they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them: Come after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And immediately, leaving their nets, they followed him. And going on a little from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, and they themselves mending their nets in the boat: and immediately he called them. And leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, they followed him. For unless you believe, you will not understand. The sweetness of the fruit compensates for the bitterness of the root: the hope of gain delights amid the perils of the sea: the hope of health softens the pain of medicine. Whoever desires the kernel breaks the nut.

He does penance who wishes to cling to the eternal good. They can worthily proclaim the heralds of Christ who have merited to reach the palm of indulgence. After these things, four fishermen are called as sent ones: Simon and Andrew, James and John, having left behind their nets, their father, and the boat with the hired men. By this four-horse team we are carried to the heavens, like Elijah; from these four corners the first Church is built; by these four Hebrew letters, that is, the Tetragrammaton, the name of the Lord is made known to us. By a similar example it is commanded us that we hear the voice of the Lord calling, and forget the people of vices, and the house of paternal tradition, which is foolishness to God; and the spider's web, in which the empty air held us, all but fallen, like gnats; abhorring the ship of our former way of life; for Adam, who is our progenitor according to the flesh, is covered with dead skins. And now, having laid aside the old man with his deeds, following the new man, we are covered with the skins of Solomon, in which the bride glories that she has been made beautiful. Simon means obedient; Andrew, manly; James, supplanting; John, grace, in Latin. By these four names we are joined to the army of the Lord: by obedience, that we may be heard; by manliness, that we may fight; by supplanting, that we may persevere; by grace, that we may be preserved. For unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

These four are called the cardinal virtues: because through prudence we obey; through justice we act manfully; through temperance we tread upon the serpent; through fortitude we merit the grace of God. Occupied with the cares of the brethren, I have not been able, as I wished, to expound Mark the evangelist; but imitating him, I touch summarily upon his own particular points: and like Ruth, the kinswoman of Christ, I gather the ears of grain and the clusters of grapes left by the reapers for the bereaved Naomi. But would that through this my poverty I might come to the feasts of Boaz, making a praiseworthy theft! Mark sets forth the sayings of the Gospel in himself, not arranging them in themselves; not following the order of history, he preserves the order of the mysteries. Hence on the sabbaths he narrates the first virtue, saying:

And they enter into Capernaum: and immediately on the sabbaths he entered into the synagogue and taught them: and they were astonished at his doctrine. He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Hast thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying: Be silent, and come out of the man. And the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And all were amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying: What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority he commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him.

And the report of him went out immediately into the whole region of Galilee: And straightway going out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever, and immediately they tell him about her. And coming to her, he lifted her up, having taken her by the hand, and immediately the fever left her: and she ministered to them. Now when evening had come, when the sun had set, they were bringing to him all who were sick and those who had demons. Capernaum is interpreted as the house of consolation; but the sabbath, rest. The man with the unclean spirit is the human race, in which uncleanness reigned from Adam even to Moses. For those who sinned without the Law perished without the Law: he who knows the holy one of God is commanded to be silent: while indeed knowing God, they did not glorify him as God, but served the creature rather than the creator; the spirit tearing the man, went out from him. When salvation draws near, temptation draws near. Pharaoh, dismissed by Israel, pursues Israel: the devil, held in check, rises up into offenses. Peter's mother-in-law, sick with fever, is cleansed by the second virtue, and, taken by the hand, is healed. The fever signifies intemperance: from which we, the children of the synagogue, are healed by the hand of discipline and the lifting up of desire, and we minister to him who at evening turns aside from us, having been rolled about.

And the whole city was gathered together at the door, and he healed many who were troubled with various diseases. And he cast out many demons, and he did not permit them to speak, because they knew him. And rising very early in the morning, he went out and departed to a desert place, and there he was praying. And Simon and those who were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said to him, "Everyone is seeking you." And he said to them, "Let us go into the neighboring villages and towns, that I may preach there also; for this is why I have come." And he was preaching in their synagogues, and in all Galilee, and casting out demons. And a leper came to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down, he said, "If you will, you can make me clean." But Jesus, having compassion on him, stretched out his hand and, touching him, said to him, "I will it; be made clean." And when he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was made clean. And he strictly charged him, and immediately sent him out, and says to him, "See that you tell no one, but go, show yourself to the chief priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." But he, going out, began to preach and to spread the word abroad. The door of the kingdom, morally speaking, is repentance with faith, which works salvation for various diseases. For various are the vices with which the city of the world languishes. Hence the leper is cleansed by a third virtue: beseeching with knee bowed the will of the Lord, who does not will the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live.

Our leprosy is the sin of the first man, which began from the head, when he desired the kingdoms of the world. For the root of all evils is covetousness. Hence Gehazi, having pursued avarice, is covered with leprosy; which, when shown to the priest according to the order of Melchizedek, is cleansed by an offering, saying: Give alms, and behold, all things are clean to you. What follows is from Mark himself.

So that he could no longer enter openly into the city, but was outside in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere. Certainly Jesus was not made manifest to all who devote themselves to broad and easy praises and to their own pleasures, but to those who go out with Peter; and in deserted places, which the Lord chose for praying and refreshing the people, who forsake the delights of the world and leave all that they possess, so that they may say: The Lord is my portion. But the glory of the Lord is made manifest to those who come together from everywhere, that is, through level and steep places, whom nothing can separate from the love of Christ.

CHAPTER II.

And again he entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in the house, and many gathered, so that it could not hold them, not even at the door, and he spoke the word to them. And they came to him bringing a paralytic, who was carried by four men; and when they could not bring him to him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was; and opening it up, they lowered the pallet on which the paralytic lay. But when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic: Son, your sins are forgiven you. Now some of the scribes were there, sitting and thinking in their hearts: What is this man saying? He blasphemes. Who can forgive sins except God alone? And Jesus, immediately knowing in his spirit that they were thinking this within themselves, says to them: Why do you think these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say: Rise, take up your pallet, and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic: I say to you, Rise, take up your pallet, and go to your house. And immediately he rose, and taking up the pallet, he went away from there in the sight of all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying: We have never seen anything like this. And he went out again to the sea, and the whole crowd came to him, and he taught them. And as he was passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him: Follow me. And rising, he followed him.

And it came to pass, when he was reclining at table in that man's house, that many tax collectors and sinners were reclining together with Jesus and his disciples. For there were many who were following him. And the scribes and Pharisees, seeing that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples: Why does your master eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Hearing this, Jesus said to them: Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting, and they come and say to him: Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them: Surely the children of the bridechamber cannot fast as long as the bridegroom is with them? For as long a time as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. No one sews a patch of new cloth onto an old garment, otherwise the new piece takes away from the old, and the tear becomes greater. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the wine bursts the wineskins, and the wine is poured out, and the wineskins perish. But new wine ought to be put into new wineskins. And it came to pass again, when the Lord was walking through the fields on the sabbath, that his disciples began to go ahead and pluck ears of grain. But the Pharisees were saying to him: Behold, what are your disciples doing on the sabbath, which is not lawful?

And he said to them: Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered into the house of God under Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful to eat except for the priests? and he gave it also to those who were with him. And he said to them: The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore the son of man is lord even of the sabbath. Then, by the fourth mighty work, four men come carrying a paralytic on a bed; these, hindered by the crowd, uncover the roof. Through their faith the paralytic's sins are forgiven; he carries the bed on which he was carried, and goes to his own house in the sight of all. Now paralysis is a type of the body: in which the sluggish man lies in the softness of the flesh, having a desire for health; by the sloth of the body, and by double-minded thoughts, as if weakened in his members, he stumbles; him four men carry—the virtues we mentioned above—up to the tiles of divinity and wisdom, laid open in the house of Christ's flesh. To him, in place of a gift, it is said: carry the flesh that was carrying you, so that through another way he may return rather into his own region. After this, Levi the tax collector, son of Alphaeus. Levi is interpreted as "added" or "joined": who, leaving the tax office of worldly affairs, follows only the word that says: Whoever has not renounced all that he possesses cannot be my disciple.

CHAPTER III.

And he entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand, and they were watching him, whether he would heal on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand: Rise up in the midst. And he says to them: Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil: to save a soul, or to destroy it? But they were silent. And looking around at them with anger, grieved at the blindness of their heart, he says to the man: Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored. But the Pharisees, going out, immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. But Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd from Galilee and Judea followed him, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan: and those around Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing what he was doing, came to him. And he told his disciples that a small boat should attend him because of the crowd, lest they press upon him. For he was healing many, so that they rushed upon him, that they might touch him, as many as had afflictions. And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him. And they cried out, saying: You are the Son of God. And he sternly warned them not to make him known. In the fifth power, there was a man having a withered hand, to whom it is said, Stretch out your hand: which signifies the avaricious, who, unwilling to give, wish to receive: to plunder, and not to bestow.

To whom it is said that they should stretch out their hands, that is, let him who was stealing steal no more, but rather labor, working with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with the needy.

And going up into the mountain, he called to himself those whom he himself willed, and they came to him. And he made that there should be twelve with him, and that he might send them out to preach. And he gave them power to cure sicknesses and to cast out demons. And he imposed on Simon the name Peter; and on James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he imposed on them the names Boanerges, which is, sons of thunder; and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. It is the custom of divine Scripture to speak allegorically, and when it says one thing, to wish another to be understood. You will frequently find this set down in the Gospels; but it is necessary for us so to apply the loftier things to our senses that we nevertheless discern all things according to the truth of history. For Christ alone is spiritually the mountain: a mountain indeed briefly praised by us, but abundant in the quality of heavenly things, from which living waters flow down; milk is prepared for the salvation of little ones; spiritual richness is recognized, and whatever is believed to be supremely good has been established in the grace of this mountain, who is the mountain of mountains, and of the saints, whom daily he invites to himself from present troubles.

They are rightly and in word called to the mountain, those who are lofty, so that the place may match their lofty merits, so that the twelve might be with him. The Lord loved the beauty of Jacob, and when the Most High divided the nations and separated the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel, so that they themselves may be upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, to whom power was given, which the Son received from the Father according to the flesh, so that the works which he himself did, they also may do, and may do greater works than these. And he gave Simon the name Peter. Through obedience he ascended to knowledge: for to him who has, it shall be given, and he shall abound. And James, who has supplanted all the desires of the flesh, and John, who received by grace what others hold through labor; and he gave them the name Boanerges, which is, sons of thunder. The sublime merit of these three is worthy on the mountain to hear the thunder of the Father, through the cloud, concerning the Son who thunders: This is my beloved Son, so that through the cloud of the flesh they too might scatter the fire of the word like lightning into the rain upon the earth, since God has made lightnings into rain, so that mercy may extinguish what judgment burns. Whence the prophet says: Mercy and judgment will I sing to you, O Lord. And Andrew, who by manly form does violence to his own perdition, so that he may always have the answer of death in himself, and his soul may always be in his hands. And Philip, who is the mouth of the lamp, who can illuminate with his mouth what he has conceived in his heart.

To him the Lord gave the opening of an enlightened mouth. We know that this manner of speaking is peculiar to the divine Scriptures, when the names of the Hebrews are set down for some mystery of meaning, which the Evangelist now, earnestly desiring it from the person of God, inserts. And Bartholomew, who is the son of the one suspending the waters. And who is the son of the one suspending the waters, except he who said: And I will command my clouds that they rain no rain upon it? But the name of son of God is acquired through peace and love of the enemy. For blessed are the peacemakers, for they are sons of God; and love your enemies, that you may be sons of God, and the rest. And Matthew, who is the one given, to whom it is granted by the Lord that he not only obtain remission of sins, but be enrolled in the number of the apostles: so that the lion and the ox may eat together, and the wolf may feed with the lamb. And Thomas, who is the abyss. For many who know the deep things of God do not at all bring them forth, as Paul says: I know a man, and the rest, up to the things which it is not lawful for men to speak. And James the son of Alphaeus, that is, of the learned or of the thousandth, from whose side a thousand fall, and ten thousand at his right hand. The other James, whose struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness. And Thaddaeus, who is the little heart, that is, the cultivator of the heart, who keeps his heart with all vigilance. For God is seen by purity of heart, as through clean glass the expressed form is shown. And Simon the Canaanite, who is also the Zealot.

Simon is interpreted as "one who sets aside sadness." For blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. He fulfills a threefold mourning who seeks the consolation that is to come. He bewails his own sins with David and Mary; he weeps with those who weep with Paul; and he weeps greatly with John, who said: And I wept greatly, because no one was found worthy to open the book and loose its seals. But he is called Zealot whom zeal for the house of God consumes, like Phinehas the priest, so that the shaking may cease. And Judas Iscariot, who handed him over: he who does not blot out his sin through repentance, nor is it blotted out through memory. Hence it is said of him: And let the sin of his mother not be blotted out. Let them be ever against the Lord. Judas is interpreted as "confessing" or "glorious." But Iscariot means "memory of death." There are many confessors in the Church who are proud and glorious, the first of whom are Simon Magus, and Arius, and the rest of the heretics, whose mortal memory is therefore celebrated in the Church, so that they may be avoided. These are the twelve distinctions of the apostles and preachers, who, three by three and four by four, keep watch around the tabernacle of the Lord, and carry the holy words of the Lord on the shoulders of their own works, so that they may carry the one tabernacle through many dwellings to the land of promise; the example of one of these humbles them to fear, so that he may preserve the angels of that fall of Lucifer, so that the wise man may not glory in his wisdom, but whoever glories, let him glory in the Lord.

And they come to the house, and again the crowd gathers, so that they could not even eat bread; and when his people heard of it, they went out to seize him. For they were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the prince of demons he casts out demons." And having summoned them, he said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand; and if Satan has risen up against himself, he is divided, and he will not be able to stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house. Amen I say to you, that all sins and blasphemies with which they have blasphemed will be forgiven the sons of men." Here Mark properly relates that Jesus came with his disciples to the house, and he records that again the crowds gathered, so that they could not eat bread. And he notes that the disciples thought he had turned into a frenzy, because the scribes who had come from Jerusalem were saying, "He has Beelzebub." As the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are the ways of the Lord exalted above our ways. For to this end he came, which he hears and suffers, who says to us: "Blessed shall you be when men have cursed you," and the rest, up to "your reward in heaven." The house to which they come is the primitive Church.

The crowds that prevent the eating of bread are sins and vices, because he who eats unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. Hence the Lord is turned to fury when he says: Unless you have eaten the flesh of the son of man, and the rest up to, you will not have life in you.

But whoever has blasphemed against the holy spirit has no remission forever, but will be guilty of eternal offense, since they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." For he does not deserve to repent so as to be received, who, understanding Christ, was saying that he is the prince of demons; for he is never released from prison who has not paid the last farthing of the word before the end of life. For the denarius of eternal life is founded on four parts: that what you believe in your heart, you confess with your mouth; and what you confess, you fulfill in deed; and what you have fulfilled, you do not cease to teach. For whoever has done and taught, this one will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

And his mother and brothers come, and standing outside they sent to him calling him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they say to him: Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you. And answering them he says: Who is my mother, and my brothers? And looking around at those who were sitting in a circle around him, he said: Behold my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God, this one is my brother, and my sister, and my mother. So that we may know that we are his brothers and mother, if we have fulfilled the will of his Father: so that we may be his co-heirs, he who distinguishes not by sexes but by deeds.

CHAPTER IV.

And again he began to teach by the sea, and a great crowd gathered to him, so that ascending into a boat he sat in the sea, and all the crowd was on the land around the sea, and he taught them many things in parables, and said to them in his teaching: Listen. Behold, the sower goes out to sow. And while he sows, some fell along the way: and the birds of the sky came and ate it. But other fell upon rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and it sprang up at once, because it had no depth of earth: and when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered. And other fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it gave no fruit. And other fell into good earth, and gave fruit springing up and growing: and it brought forth one thirtyfold, and one sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold.

And he said: Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, those twelve who were with him questioned him about the parable. And he said to them: To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables: so that seeing they may see and not see, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at some time they be converted and their sins be forgiven them. And he said to them: Do you not know this parable, and how will you know all parables? The one who sows, sows the word. And these are the ones along the way, where the word is sown, and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these likewise are the ones sown on rocky ground: who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but are temporary: then, when tribulation and persecution arise because of the word, immediately they are scandalized. And there are others who are sown among thorns. These are the ones who hear the word: and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes without fruit. And these are the ones sown on good ground: who hear the word, and receive it, and bear fruit, one thirtyfold, one sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold. So that the place of teaching may indicate that the hearers were bitter and unstable.

And therefore he speaks to them in parables, so that they might seek what they did not understand, and through the apostles, whom they held in contempt, might learn the mystery of the kingdom, which they themselves did not possess. That this bitter sea is to be understood is already well known from frequent reading: for it is bitter to the taste, and restless with the waves of vices. But they could have been rescued by the Lord himself, who changes bitter things into sweetness, turns sorrow into joy, and hateful sicknesses into health. A parable is a comparison of things that differ in nature, made under another likeness, after the manner of his providence, so that those who could not grasp heavenly things might be able to perceive them through earthly likenesses. By the Greek word it is called a similitude, when that which we wish to be understood we judge by certain comparisons; for thus we call someone iron, when we wish him to be understood as hard and strong; and swift, when we compare him to the wind or to birds. What is contained in the thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold fruit—that is, in the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel—is that the mystery of the kingdom was shown on the mountain in the mouth of three witnesses, that is, of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.

And he said to them: Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? Is it not to be put on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest, nor has anything been made secret that will not come into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. And he said to them: Take heed what you hear. With the measure you have measured, it will be measured back to you, and more will be added to you. For to the one who has, it will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. The lamp is the word concerning the three seeds. The bushel that covers it is the hearing of the disobedient. The lampstand is the apostles, whom the hidden and secret word of the Lord enlightened. The parable is of the two kinds of seed. But it comes into the open when it is treated by the Lord. And he said: With the measure you have measured, it will be measured back to you. For according to the measure of faith, the understanding of the mysteries is apportioned to each one; and more will be added, for to the one who knows, virtues also will be added. For to the one who has, it will be given: that is, the one who has faith will have virtue; and the one who has the work of the word will have the understanding of the mystery. And on the other hand, the one who does not have faith fails in virtue, and the one who does not have the work of the word lacks its understanding. And the one who does not understand has already lost his hearing, as if he had not heard.

And he said: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow while he knows not. For the earth of itself brings forth fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And this parable, following upon those previously spoken, Mark took up in its proper sense. We know that the divine Scriptures show heavenly mysteries for the most part through earthly likenesses, just as the whole body of the Gospels consists. The kingdom of God is the Church, which is ruled by God and itself rules men, and treads down the opposing powers and vices, as the centurion who has soldiers under him. The man casting seed is the Son of Man; the seed is the word of life; the earth is human hearts. The man's sleeping is the death of the Savior. He rises night and day. After the sleep of Christ, the sowing of believers, through adversities and prosperities, germinated more and more in faith and grew in works, while he knows not. This is a figurative expression, and it is sown in the divine Scriptures by a most frequent custom, that is, he made us not to know who will bring forth fruit in the end, when he says: He who perseveres to the end, he shall be saved. For the earth of itself brings forth fruit, while God awaits our will, saying: If you wish to come to life, keep the commandments. First the blade, that is, fear. For the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Then the ear, that is, tearful repentance. Then the full fruit in the ear, that is, love.

For the fullness of the law is love.

And when it has brought forth fruit from itself, he immediately sends the sickle, for the harvest is at hand. And he said: To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or with what parable shall we compare it? Like a grain of mustard seed, which when it has been sown in the earth is smaller than all the seeds that are in the earth; and when it has been sown, it rises up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and makes great branches, so that the birds of heaven can dwell under its shade. And with many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear; but without a parable he did not speak to them. The sickle is death, or judgment, which cuts down all things; for the harvest is at hand, that is, the consummation of the age, in which the righteous shall rejoice, who have sown in tears. That the seed is again likened to the grain of mustard seed, which is smallest in fear but great in love, which is greater than all herbs, because God is love. And, All flesh is grass. And, Let him who is weak eat herbs. And it bears branches of mercy and compassion, under whose shade the poor of Christ, who are the animals of heaven, delight to dwell.

But privately he was explaining everything to his disciples. And he said to them on that day, when evening had come: Let us cross over to the other side. And leaving the crowd, they take him along, just as he was, in the boat; and other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and it was casting waves into the boat, so that the boat was being filled. For they were worthy to hear the mysteries in the innermost sanctuary of wisdom—those who, with the tumults of evil thoughts put away, remained in the solitude of the virtues. For wisdom is in the time of leisure. Then they come to the sea, and are troubled by the waves.

And he himself was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion; and they wake him and say to him: Master, does it not concern you that we are perishing? And he rebuked the wind and said to the sea: Be silent, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm, and he said to them: Why are you fearful? Do you not yet have faith? And they feared with a great fear and said to one another: Who, do you think, is this, that the wind and the sea obey him? The stern, with dead hides, holds the living and keeps out the waves, and is made firm with wood—that is, by the cross and death of the Lord, the Church is saved. The cushion is the body of the Lord, to which the divinity is inclined as a head. The stern is the beginning of the Church, in which the Lord sleeps with bodily death; for he who keeps Israel will never sleep. He rebukes the wind and the sea, so that it be silent, of whom it is said: You rule over the power of the sea, and the rest.

Venus and the sea, demons and persecutors: to these he says, "Be silent," when he restrains the edicts of wicked kings, as he wills; for it is not in man to direct his steps. The great calm is the peace of the Church after tribulation, or contemplation after the active life.

CHAPTER V.

And they came across the strait of the sea into the region of the Gerasenes. And as he was coming out of the boat, immediately there met him from the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling in the tombs. And no one could any longer bind him even with chains: for often, bound with fetters and chains, he had burst the chains and broken the fetters in pieces, and no one could tame him. And always, day and night, he was in the tombs and in the mountains, crying out and cutting himself with stones. But seeing Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him, and crying out with a loud voice he said: What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the most high God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me: for he was saying to him: Come out, unclean spirit, from the man. And he was asking him: What is your name? By the sixth power he is healed, who had his dwelling in the tombs: neither bound with chains nor with fetters. For no one could tame him. In the mountains and in the tombs he was crying out and cutting himself with stones. This is the most desperate people of the Gentiles, whom the Apostle enumerates: proud, arrogant, unclean, bloodthirsty, idolatrous, shameful, bound neither by the law of nature, nor by God's, nor by human fear.

And he says to him: My name is Legion, because we are many. And he was begging him earnestly not to send him out of the region. Now there was there, around the mountain, a great herd of pigs feeding. And the spirits begged him, saying: Send us into the pigs, so that we may enter into them. And Jesus granted it to them at once. And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the pigs, and with great violence the herd was cast headlong into the sea, about two thousand, and they were drowned in the sea. But those who were feeding them fled and reported it in the city and in the fields. And they went out to see what had happened; and they come to Jesus, and they see him who had been tormented by the demon sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how it had happened to him who had the demon, and about the pigs. And they began to beg him to depart from their borders. And as he was getting into the boat, he who had been tormented by the demon began to beg him to be with him. But Jesus did not permit him, but said to him: Go to your home to your own people, and announce to them how great things the Lord has done for you, and has had mercy on you. And he went away and began to preach in the Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed.

And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered to him, and he was by the sea. And there came one of the synagogue rulers named Jairus, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and begged him earnestly, saying: My daughter is at the point of death; come, lay your hand upon her, that she may be saved and live. And he went with him, and a great crowd followed him and pressed upon him. And a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, and had endured much from many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and had gained nothing, but was rather getting worse—when she heard of Jesus. Legion, that is, ten thousand, which fall at the right hand of the Father, which is Christ. To which demon the herd of pigs is entrusted: for which nothing is useful except that together in the abyss, that is, in hell, without regard for mercy it be suffocated, by the onset of untimely death: from whom many flee, who were feeding them. For when a fool is scourged, the wise man becomes more prudent. And they ask Jesus to depart from their borders: as Peter says: Depart from me, Lord, for I am unclean: lest they touch the ark of God, as Uzzah did. The man who was healed is sent to his own house, and takes root in the Decapolis: while now under the Roman rule, the Jews are converted, who hang only on the letter of the Decalogue. After these things Jairus the synagogue ruler comes, because when the fullness of the Gentiles has entered, then all Israel will be saved.

Jairus is interpreted as either "enlightening" or "enlightened," that is, the Jewish people, with the shadow of the letter laid aside, illustrated and enlightened by the Spirit: falling at the feet of the Word, that is, humbling himself at the incarnation of Jesus, he asks on behalf of his daughter. He who lives for himself makes others stumble. Abraham and Moses and Samuel ask on behalf of a dead people, and Jesus follows their prayers. By the seventh virtue the dead woman is raised. But on the way the woman with the flow of blood touches the fringe of his garment from behind: she who had spent all her substance on physicians and profited nothing, wasted and lost, is healed. On the seventh day God rested from all his works. When the dead woman is raised within, and the half-living woman with the crowds. The flow of blood signifies barrenness; whence it is said to the Church of the Gentiles: Rejoice, O barren woman, who do not bear.

She came in the crowd behind him and touched his garment. For she was saying: If I touch even his garment, I shall be saved. And at once the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. And immediately Jesus, knowing in himself the power that had gone out from him, turning to the crowd said: Who touched my garments? And his disciples said to him: You see the crowd pressing upon you, and you say, Who touched me? And he looked around to see her who had done this. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.

But he said to her: Daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction. While he was still speaking, they come to the ruler of the synagogue, saying: Your daughter is dead; why trouble the master any further? But Jesus, having heard the word that was spoken, says to the ruler of the synagogue: Do not fear, only believe. And he did not allow anyone to accompany him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and he saw the commotion, and people weeping and wailing greatly, and having entered he says to them: Why are you troubled and weeping? The girl is not dead, but sleeps. And they mocked him. But he, having put them all out, takes the father and mother of the girl, and those who were with him, and they enter where the girl was lying, and taking the girl's hand, he says to her: Talitha cumi, which is interpreted, girl, I say to you, arise. And immediately the girl rose and walked. She was twelve years old, and they were astonished with great astonishment. And he strictly charged them that no one should know it, and he said that something should be given her to eat. That is, after the resurrection. He touches the fringe, as it were the cymbals and pomegranates that hang from the outermost edges of the high priest's tunic. The cymbal signifies confession; the pomegranate, the willingness for martyrdom and the brightness of virtues, or unity. To the girl it is said: Talitha cumi, that is, girl, arise. To the ruler of the synagogue it is said: Your daughter is dead. But Jesus said: She is not dead, but sleeps.

Both are true: she is dead to you, she sleeps to me. The girl was twelve years old, and the woman who had suffered was twelve years in years. The sins of unbelievers appear at the beginning of the faith of believers. Hence it is said: Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

CHAPTER VI

And going out from there, he went to his own country: and his disciples followed him. And when the sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard were amazed at his doctrine, saying: Where do all these things come from for this man? And what is this wisdom that has been given to him, and such mighty works as are performed through his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joseph and Jude and Simon? Are not his sisters also here with us? And they were scandalized in him. And Jesus was saying to them. Then, going into his own country, Jesus is called the son of the carpenter. And this mystically: but of the carpenter who fashioned the dawn and the sun, that is, the first Church and the one that follows: in whose figure, the woman and the girl are healed.

Because a prophet is without honor in three places: in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kin. And he could not do any mighty work there, except that he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. And he marveled because of their unbelief, and he went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. And he called the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and he gave them power over unclean spirits. And he commanded them that they should take nothing for the way except a staff only: not a bag, not bread, nor money in their belt, but to be shod with sandals, and not to be clothed in two tunics. And he said to them: Into whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave from there. And whoever will not receive you, nor hear you: going out from there, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. And going out, they preached that people should repent: and they cast out many demons, and they anointed many sick people with oil and they were healed. The lowliness of origin is often compared, as it is, Who is the son of Jesse? But the Lord looks upon the humble, and knows the lofty from afar. Then the twelve apostles are sent, and power is given them to teach the commandments: but let the word be accompanied at the same time by deed: and while invisible promises shine forth, let visible powers gleam: and when they anointed the sick with oil, they strengthened the weakness of faith by power.

And King Herod heard of it (for his name had become known), and he said: "John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works are at work in him." But others were saying, "He is Elijah"; and others were saying, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets." It is not right for a lamp to be hidden under a bushel.

When Herod heard this, he said: "The John whom I beheaded, this man has risen from the dead." For Herod himself had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison, on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. For John was saying to Herod: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." But Herodias was plotting against him, and wanted to kill him, and could not. For Herod feared John, knowing him to be a just and holy man, and he kept him safe; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And when an opportune day came, Herod made a supper for his birthday for the chief men, and the tribunes, and the leading men of Galilee. And when his daughter, the daughter of Herodias, had come in and danced and pleased Herod, and those reclining at table with him, the king said to the girl: "Ask of me whatever you wish, and I will give it to you." And he swore to her: "Whatever you ask, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." And when she had gone out, she said to her mother: "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." And when she had come in at once with haste to the king, she asked, saying: "I wish that you give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.

And the king was grieved because of the oath, and because of those reclining with him he was unwilling to grieve her; but having sent an executioner, he commanded that his head be brought on a platter, and he gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his body and placed it in a tomb. Through irony Herod the seducer speaks plainly. The head of the law, which is Christ, is cut off from his own body, that is, from the Jewish people, and is given to the Gentile girl, that is, to the Roman Church; and the girl gives it to her mother, the adulteress, that is, to the Synagogue, which will believe at the end. The body of John is buried, the head is placed on a platter, the letter is covered in the ground, the spirit is honored and received at the altar.

And the apostles, gathering to Jesus, reported to him all that they had done and taught. To the place from which the rivers go out, they return. Those who are sent always give thanks to God for what they have received.

And he said to them: Come apart into a desert place.

And this is properly Mark's. He leads apart those whom he chose, so that living among the wicked they might not be drawn toward wicked things: like Lot in Sodom, and Job in the land of Uz, and Obadiah in the house of Ahab.

And he rests a little. For there were many who were coming and going. And they did not even have space to eat. And going up into the ship, they went away into a desert place apart. And many saw them going, and recognized them, and on foot from all the cities they ran together there, and arrived before them. And going out, Jesus saw the great crowd, and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when the hour was now late, his disciples came to him, saying: This place is desert; and the hour has now passed; send them away, so that going into the nearby villages and towns, they may buy for themselves food to eat. And answering, he said to them: Give them something to eat yourselves. And they said to him: Going, shall we buy bread for two hundred denarii, and give it to them to eat? And he said to them: How many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they had learned, they say: Five, and two fish. And he commanded them to make all recline in groups upon the green grass. And they reclined in companies by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, looking up to heaven he blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave to his disciples, so that they might set them before them.

And he divided the two fish among them all, and they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up the remnants of the fragments, twelve baskets full, and of the fish. And those who ate were five thousand men. And immediately he compelled his disciples to go up into the boat, that they might go before him across the strait to Bethsaida, while he himself dismissed the crowd. And when he had dismissed them, he went into the mountain to pray. And when it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he alone on the land: and seeing them laboring at the oars, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking upon the sea, and he wished to pass by them. But they, when they saw him walking upon the sea, thought it was a phantom: and they cried out. For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he spoke with them, and said to them: Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid. And he went up to them into the boat, and the wind ceased. And they were all the more amazed within themselves. For they did not understand about the loaves: for their heart was blinded. And when they had crossed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to shore. And when they had come out of the boat, immediately they recognized him: and running through that whole region, they began to carry about in beds those who were sick, wherever they heard he was, and wherever he entered into villages, or into towns, or cities, they laid the sick in the streets, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment.

Like birds in the branches of the mustard plant: here the saints have a brief rest, but long labor. But afterward it is said to them that they should rest from their labors. For there were many who came and laughed: they had no room to eat in Noah's ark; and the animals that were inside strained toward the outside, and those that were outside burst in. So indeed it happens in the Church: Judas departed, the thief entered. As long as one departs from the faith, there is no rest for the Church without sorrow. Rachel weeping for her children would not be comforted. This is not the banquet where new wine is drunk. When will the new song be sung in the new heaven and on the new earth by new men? When this mortal has put on immortality, with five loaves and two fish, five thousand men will be fed at the evening of life; and twelve baskets, filled by the eighth power, are gathered from the fragments, when twelve sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Who are the fragments? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: when will the remnant of Israel be saved? When we shall see face to face what we read written of Christ in the law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms. Hence, after the fourth watch of the night, Jesus calms the swelling of the sea, walking upon it, and says: Be of good cheer, I am he; for we shall see him as he is. Then the wind ceased, and the storm, with Jesus sitting and reigning in the ship, which is the universal Church. It follows:

And as many as touched him were made whole. When shall pain and groaning flee?

CHAPTER VII.

And there come together to him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes coming from Jerusalem. And when they had seen some of his disciples eating bread with common hands, that is, not washed, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews, unless they wash their hands often, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders. And coming from the market, unless they are baptized, they do not eat. And there are many other things which have been handed down to them to observe: the baptisms of cups, and of pitchers, and of bronze vessels, and of beds. And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with common hands? But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men. For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men: the baptisms of pitchers, and of cups, and many other things like these you do. And he said to them: Well do you make void the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother: and whoever curses father or mother, let him die the death.

But you say: If a man shall say to his father or mother, Corban, that is, whatever gift is from me shall profit you, and you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother, making void the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many similar things of this kind. And calling the crowd to him again, he said to them: Hear all of you and understand: nothing that enters a man from outside can defile him; but the things that proceed from a man, these are what defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. And when he had entered the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them: Are you also thus without understanding? Do you not understand that everything entering a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his belly, and goes out into the privy, purging all foods? But he said that the things which come out of a man, these defile a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed: adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickednesses, deceit, shamelessness, the evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile a man. And rising from there, he went into the region of Tyre and Sidon, and entering a house, he wished no one to know, and he could not be hidden. For a woman, as soon as she heard of him, whose daughter had an unclean spirit, came in and fell at his feet.

For she was a Gentile woman, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her: Let the children first be filled. For it is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs. But she answered and says to him: Yes, Lord, for the little dogs eat under the table from the crumbs of the children. And he said to her: Because of this word, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter. And when she had gone home, she found the girl lying on the bed, and the demon had gone out. The superfluous barking of the Pharisees he blunts with the pitchfork of reason, that is, with the rebuke of Moses and Isaiah, so that we may overcome opposing heresies by the words of Scripture. They saw the disciples eating with unwashed hands, which signifies the future communion of the Gentiles. Pharisaic cleanliness and baptism are sterile. The unwashed apostolic communion extends its branches even to the sea, which is greater than the fault. But the Pharisaic tradition concerning tables and pure vessels is not to be handled but cut off and scraped away. For often by the traditions of men the commandments of God give way. After this sign, the Syrophoenician woman, whose daughter had an unclean spirit, entering in fell down at his feet. For she was a Gentile woman: she asks for her daughter, who is our mother, the Roman Church; and the nation of the West, born demonic, is barbaric, whose faith made a sheep out of a dog: she desires to take the spiritual crumb of understanding, not the broken bread of the letter.

The faithful, prudent, and humble person deserves what he asks for.

And again, going out from the borders of Tyre, he came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, amid the middle territories of the Decapolis. And here Mark properly narrates the tenth mighty work. Tyre is interpreted as distress, signifying Judea, to which the Lord says: The bed is too narrow, the blanket is too short, it cannot cover both—so that he may transfer himself to other nations. Sidon, however, is interpreted as hunting, which is our wild and untamed nation; and he came to the Sea of Galilee, which is fruitful inconstancy; amid the middle territories of the Decapolis, which is interpreted as the commandments of the Decalogue. The Savior is led by the apostles to save the nations; he who, when the young man asked him what he should do, answered: You know the commandments.

And they bring to him a deaf and mute man. The human race is enumerated through many members, as if one man consumed by various plagues: in the first-formed man it is blinded, when it sees; it becomes deaf, when it hears; while it smells, its nose is stopped; it falls mute, when it speaks; it becomes maimed, when it stretches out its hand; it is made incurable, when it rises up; it becomes dropsical, when it lusts; it becomes lame, when it walks; it is overspread with leprosy, when it is laid bare; it is filled with a demon, when it desires divinity; it dies a death, when it boldly excuses what it disobediently committed.

And they besought him to lay his hand upon him. Many righteous men and patriarchs desired and longed that the Lord would be incarnate.

Taking him aside from the crowd, he put his fingers into his ears. He is always led aside from turbulent thoughts, disordered actions, and uncomposed speech, who deserves to be healed. The fingers that are put into his ears are the words of the Spirit, of whom it is said: This is the finger of God. And, The works of thy fingers are the heavens.

And spitting, he touched his tongue. The spittle from the flesh of the Lord is divine wisdom, which loosens the bond of the lips of the human race, so that it may say: I believe in God the Father almighty, etc.

And looking up to heaven, he groaned. That is, he taught us to groan and to lift up the treasure of our heart to heaven, because by the groaning of intimate compunction the frivolous joy of the flesh is purged away, as it is said: I groaned from the groaning of my heart, etc.

And he said to him: Ephphatha, that is, be opened. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

And immediately his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke rightly. His ears are opened to hymns, canticles, and psalms; his tongue is loosed, that it may bring forth a good word, which neither threats nor blows can restrain, as the Apostle Paul says: I am bound, but the word of God is not bound in me.

And he charged them that they should tell no one. He taught that one must not glory in virtues, but in the cross and in humiliation.

But the more he charged them, the more abundantly they proclaimed it, and the more they marveled, saying: He has done all things well, and he has made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak. A city set on a mountain, seen from every side, cannot be hidden; humility always goes before glory.

CHAPTER VIII.

In those days, when again there was a great crowd, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples and said to them: I have compassion on the crowd, because behold, for three days now they have stayed with me, and they have nothing to eat; and if I send them away fasting to their home, they will faint on the way. For some of them have come from far off. And his disciples answered him: From where will anyone be able to satisfy these people with loaves here in the wilderness? And he asked them: How many loaves do you have? They said: Seven. And he commanded the crowd to recline on the ground.

And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And they set them before the crowd, and they had a few small fish, and he blessed them also and ordered them to be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over from the fragments, seven baskets. Now those who had eaten were about four thousand, and he sent them away. And immediately, going up into the boat with his disciples, he came into the parts of Dalmanutha, and the Pharisees came out and began to question with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him. And groaning in spirit, he said: Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen I say to you, if a sign shall be given to this generation. And sending them away, going up again into the boat, he went across the strait. And they forgot to take bread, and they had no more than one loaf with them in the boat. And he charged them, saying: See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying: It is because we have no bread. When Jesus knew this, he said to them: Why do you reason that you have no bread? Do you not yet know, nor understand? Do you still have your heart blinded? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? Nor do you remember, when I broke five loaves among five thousand, and how many baskets full of fragments you took up? They say to him: Twelve. When also seven loaves among four thousand, how many baskets of fragments did you take up? And they say to him: Seven.

And he said to them: How is it that you still do not understand? And they come to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man to him. By the eleventh mighty work, seven loaves are broken for four thousand fasting people, and a few small fish are blessed; and from the fragments seven baskets are filled and taken up. The seven loaves are the gifts of the sevenfold Holy Spirit. The four thousand are the new Testament with the four seasons. The seven baskets are the first seven Churches. The fragments of the loaves are the mystical understandings of the first week. The blessed small fish are the books of the new Testament: since the Lord, rising again, asks for a piece of broiled fish, and offers the fish placed over the coals to the disciples at the catching of fish. After these things they come to Bethsaida, which is interpreted as the house of the valley, which is what other than the world, which is a valley of tears? By the twelfth mighty work they bring a blind man who does not see, neither before nor behind, that is, who was, who is, who will be.

And they were asking him to touch him. And the hand of the blind man was taken. Who is it that is touched, except the one who is pricked with compunction? And he took hold of the hand of the blind man, so that he might make lamentation over the blindness of his own heart, weeping, as Jeremiah did over the overthrow of the city of God: that is, of his own soul.

He led him outside the village, and spitting into his eyes, with his hands laid upon him, he asked him whether he saw anything. That is, the neighborhood of evils. For evil conversations corrupt good morals. And spitting into his eyes, so that he might see the will of the Lord through the breath of the Holy Spirit; with his hands laid upon him, he was asking him whether he saw anything. Through the works of the Lord he sees his majesty. For by the greatness of the creature the Creator is recognized.

And looking up, he said: I see men walking like trees. Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes, and he began to see; and he was restored, so that he saw all things clearly; and he sent him to his own house, saying: Go to your house. That is, esteeming all men as superior to himself, judging himself unworthy, like David, to be called a man, and a dead dog, and a single flea. Again he placed his hands upon his eyes, so that he might see all things clearly, that is, through visible works he might understand invisible things, and the things which the eye has not seen; and that with the eye of a clean heart he might behold the clear state of his own soul after the rust of sin. For blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. And he sent him to his own house, so that he might see in himself what he had not seen before.

For a man despairing of salvation does not think that he can altogether attain what is easily accomplished by one who has been enlightened through hope. And he says to him:

And if you enter into a village, tell no one. And Jesus went out with his disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he was asking his disciples, saying to them: Whom do men say that I am? They answered him, saying: John the Baptist; others Elijah; others indeed as one of the prophets. Then he said to them: But whom do you say that I am? Peter answering, said to him: You are the Christ. And he charged them that they should tell no one about him. That is, always tell your blindness to your neighbors, not your virtue; as Paul says: Who was formerly a blasphemer, and a persecutor of the Church of God.

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and by the chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again, and he spoke the word openly. And Peter taking him, began to rebuke him. But he turning and seeing his disciples, charged Peter, saying: Get behind me, Satan, because you do not savor the things that are of God, but the things that are of men. And having called together the crowd with his disciples, he said to them: If anyone wishes to follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his soul will lose it: but whoever loses his soul for my sake and the Gospel, will save it.

For what will it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Just as a helmsman, foreseeing a storm in calm weather, wishes his sailors to be ready. Hence the Lord says: If anyone wishes to follow after me, let him deny himself—that is, let one be made other than the other. After the confirmation of the cross, the glory of the resurrection is shown. Thence follows the thirteenth virtue.

CHAPTER IX.

And he said to them: Amen I say to you, that there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God coming in power. And after six days, Jesus took Peter, and James, and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves, and he was transfigured before them. And his garments became shining and exceedingly white as snow, such as a fuller cannot make white upon the earth. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were speaking with Jesus. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Rabbi, it is good for us to be here, and let us make three tabernacles here: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. For he did not know what he was saying. For they were terrified with fear. And a cloud came overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying: This is my most beloved Son; hear him.

And immediately looking around, they saw no one anymore but Jesus alone with them. And as they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to tell anyone what they had seen, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. After six days he was transfigured on a high mountain before his disciples, so that those who had seen with their own eyes the glory of the future resurrection might not fear the reproaches of the cross.

And they kept the word to themselves, questioning what it meant, "when he has risen from the dead." And they asked him, saying: Why then do the Pharisees and scribes say that Elijah must come first? And he answering said to them: When Elijah comes, he will first restore all things, and how it is written of the Son of Man that he must suffer many things and be despised. But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him. This is proper to Mark, that is, when death has been swallowed up in victory, they will not be in their own memory, and they will not ascend upon the heart: when the Lord has taken away the filth of the daughter of Zion, taking away every tear from every face of the saints.

And coming to his disciples, he saw a great crowd around them, and scribes disputing with them. And immediately all the people, seeing Jesus, were astonished, and they were afraid, and running up they greeted him. There is no rest for man under the sun. Envy always kills the little ones; lightning strikes the great mountains. Some come together to the Church saying so with faith; others envying with pride. And the people, seeing him, were astonished, and they were afraid. There is no fear in love. For fear belongs to servants, to be astonished belongs to fools.

And he asked them: What are you disputing among yourselves? And one of the crowd answering, said: Teacher, I have brought my son to you, having a mute spirit: who wherever it seizes him, dashes him down, and he foams, and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. And I told your disciples to cast him out, and they could not. And he answering them, said: O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? Bring him to me. And they brought him. And when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and dashed to the ground, he rolled about foaming. And he asked his father: How long is it since this happened to him? What the Lord knows, he asks, so that confession may give birth to salvation: and the murmuring of our heart may be loosed by pious words, as it is written: Declare your iniquities first, that you may be justified. Afterwards, by the fourteenth power, one of the crowd brings a son having an unclean spirit, and the rest.

The one whom the disciples could not cure, the Savior cured. The unbelief of both hindered the healing. The spirit tore at him as he foamed, and gnashed, and withered. The sinner foams with envy and folly; he gnashes with anger; he withers with sloth. The spirit tears at him as he draws near to salvation, which is the beloved food that it desires to drag into its belly, through terrors and losses, as it did in Job. Jesus asks the time.

But as it says: Here is signified the Gentile people, for whom from birth the useless worship of idols grew up, so that they foolishly sacrificed their sons to their own demons. Hence it follows:

From infancy, and often it cast him into fire and waters, to destroy him. But if you can, help us, having compassion on us. For some among the Gentiles worshiped fire, others water.

But Jesus said to him: If you can believe. Here he indicates the freedom of the will.

All things are possible to one who believes. And immediately the father of the boy cried out with tears and said: I believe, Lord, help my unbelief. What are these "all things" except those that are asked for in the name of Jesus, that is, of salvation, with tears? The father of the boy said: I believe, Lord, help my unbelief. Our belief, like a tongue that is weak, does not stand firm unless it rests upon the strength of God's help. Faith with tears obtains the prayers it desires, as it is written: Let it be done to you according to your faith.

And when Jesus saw the crowd running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it. Then Mark relates in his own manner. The might of the Lord is his power.

Deaf and mute spirit, I command you. God imputes to the spirit what the devil brings about in the man: since that one would never hear or speak, because the sinner has heard and speaks from deep within.

Come out of him, and enter into him no more. And crying out, and greatly tearing at him, he came out of him. Coming out from the man, he never returns, if the man has kept his heart closed with the keys of humility and love, and has held the door shut. Whence the prophet says: Be to me a protecting God and a fortified place, that you may save me.

And he became as if dead: so that many said that he was dead. But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him up, and he rose. For to the healed it is said, you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Whence the weakness of Christians is not death, but a likeness of death.

And when they had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately: Why could we not cast it out? And he said to them: This kind can go out by nothing except by prayer and fasting. And departing from there, they passed through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know. But he was teaching his disciples and saying to them that the Son of Man will be handed over into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and having been killed, on the third day he will rise. But they did not understand the word, and they were afraid to question him. Foolishness belongs to the luxury of the flesh, and it is healed by fasting and prayer. Anger and sloth are driven out by prayer. The medicine for each wound must be applied to it. What is applied to the heel does not heal the eye. By fasting the passions of the body, and by prayer the plagues of the mind, are to be healed.

And they came to Capharnaum. Capharnaum means daughter of consolation. The interpretation agrees with the preceding sentence, in which he says: And having been killed, on the third day he will rise. The grain of wheat dies so that it may be gathered more abundantly; if it does not die, it remains alone.

When they were at home, he asked them: What were you discussing on the way? But they were silent. For on the way they had argued among themselves which of them was the greatest. And sitting down, he called the twelve and said to them: If anyone wishes to be first, he will be the last of all and the servant of all. And taking a child, he set him in their midst. And when he had embraced him, he said to them: Whoever receives one of such children in my name receives me, and whoever receives me does not receive me but the one who sent me. John answered him, saying: Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, who does not follow us, and we forbade him. But Jesus said: Do not forbid him. For no one who works a mighty deed in my name can quickly speak evil of me. For whoever is not against you is for you. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ's: amen I say to you, he will not lose his reward. And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he were cast into the sea. And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. For on the way they were discussing preeminence: a similar discussion in that place. For preeminence, as it is entered, so is it abandoned: and as long as it is held, it slips away: and it is uncertain in which dwelling, that is, on which day, it ends. Hence he says: Whoever wishes to be first, let him be a child, a servant.

It is good for you to enter into life maimed, that is, without the high position you covet.

Than to go into Gehenna with two hands, into the unquenchable fire. The two hands are high position and pride. Cut off pride, holding to a humble position.

Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is good for you to enter into eternal life lame, than to be cast with two feet into the Gehenna of unquenchable fire: where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is good for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to be cast with two eyes into the Gehenna of fire: where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. The worm is the late conscience. The fire is unending punishment. Whence it is said through the prophet: Walk in the light of your fire, and in the flames which you have kindled for yourselves.

For everything will be salted with fire. This is wonderfully said: for what is seasoned with salt keeps off the decay of the worm. But that which—that is, flesh sprinkled with salt—consumes each thing: this was done according to the law in the sacrifices, which were burned on the altar. Whence in every victim and sacrifice, salt was commanded to be offered. Salt is the sweetness of wisdom; and fire is the grace of the Holy Spirit. Every fire will be salted, because every elect one is seasoned with wisdom, so that he may be made a worthy victim for the altars of God. Whence he rightly adds:

And every victim will be salted with salt. For he is truly a victim of the Lord who, by cleansing body and soul from vices, consecrates himself to God through the love of the Holy Spirit; nor is he sprinkled with salt, but consumed by fire: when not only the contagion of sin is driven out, but also the delight of the present life is taken away, and with the whole mind he sighs for the conversation of the future. Whence, our conversation is in heaven. And, I beseech you by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies, etc. The altar of God is the heart of the good: the victims and sacrifices are the good works of the faithful. In all sacrifices there is salt, because no good work is without wisdom. Fire consumes the sacrifices on the altar: with which he himself baptized us in the Holy Spirit and fire. Fire regards tribulations: this refers to the passage above, where the scandalous members were commanded to be torn out: because this also is to be salted with fire, to be exercised by temptations, to deny those dear to us and our neighbors for the love of Christ. For every victim will be salted.

The human race is the Lord's victim, which here is salted by the principle of wisdom: while the corruption of the blood is consumed by the guarding against decay, that is, the mother of worms, and there it is examined by the purifying fire.

Salt is good. But if the salt has become insipid, with what will you season it? The insipid salt is the one who loves preeminence, who does not dare to rebuke and to confess, lest he be cast out of the synagogue: loving the glory of men more than the glory of God.

Have salt in yourselves, and have peace among you. Let the love of neighbor temper the saltiness of correction, and let the salt of righteousness season the love of neighbor. And again in the house his disciples were questioning him about the same thing. And this is fittingly so: in repeated knowledge of the word he produces not distaste but hunger and thirst: as it is in Wisdom: Those who eat me will still hunger, and those who drink me will still thirst. The honeyed eloquence of wisdom, once tasted more attentively, yields a manifold flavor. When the Lord rains down manna to eat under the sun, melting like wax, he renders words softened, as it is written: The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. It endures toward fire: as, Bread, strengthening the heart of man. Toward hardships, as it is: If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

CHAPTER X.

And rising from there he came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan: and again the crowds gathered to him: and as he was accustomed, he taught them again. And the Pharisees came and asked him: whether it is lawful for a man to put away his wife, testing him. But he answered and said to them: What did Moses command you? They said: Moses permitted to write a bill of divorce, and to put her away. And Jesus answering said to them: Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept: But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined, let not man put asunder. The Pharisees asked him: whether it is lawful for a man to put away his wife, testing him. Likewise after some things:

And in the house his disciples again asked him about the same matter. And he said to them: Whoever shall put away his wife and marry another, commits adultery against her. And if a wife shall put away her husband and be married to another, she commits adultery. And they were bringing little children to him that he might touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them. When Jesus saw them, he was displeased, and said to them: Suffer the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Amen I say to you, whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter into it.

And embracing them, and laying his hands upon them, he blessed them. And when he had gone out onto the road, a certain man ran up and, kneeling before him, begged him, saying: Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may receive eternal life? But Jesus said to him: Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother. But he answered and said to him: Teacher, I have observed all these things from my youth. But Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and said to him: One thing is lacking to you: go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. But he, saddened at the word, went away grieving. For he had many possessions. And Jesus, looking around, said to his disciples: How difficult it is for those who have money to enter into the kingdom of God! But the disciples were astonished at his words. And Jesus, answering again, said to them: Little children, how difficult it is for those who trust in money to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. But they were astonished all the more, saying to one another: And who can be saved? And Jesus, looking upon them, said: With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God. And Peter began to say to him: Behold, we have left all things, and have followed you.

Jesus answered and said: Amen I say to you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands for my sake and for the Gospel, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time: houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life. But many who are first shall be last, and the last first. And they were on the way going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went before them: and they were astonished, and those following were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what things were to come. For behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered to the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders: and they shall condemn him to death: and shall deliver him to the Gentiles, and they shall mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him: and on the third day he shall rise again. And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come to him, saying: Master, we wish that whatever we ask, you would do for us. But he said to them: What do you wish that I should do for you? And they said: Grant us that one may sit at your right hand, and the other at your left, in your glory. But Jesus said to them: You do not know what you ask: can you drink the cup that I drink: or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? But they said to him: We can. But Jesus said to them: I.

The cup indeed that I drink, you shall drink: and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you shall be baptized: but to sit at my right hand, or at my left, is not mine to give to you, but to those for whom it is prepared. And the ten hearing it began to be indignant at James and John. But Jesus, calling them, said to them: You know that those who seem to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their princes have power over them. But it is not so among you: but whoever wishes to become greater shall be your minister, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be the servant of all. For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his soul as a redemption for many. That is, concerning the state of marriage: as the following chapter indicates. And he says to them: Whoever shall put away his wife, and the rest. But what Mark says: His disciples again questioned him: it was not the disciples who questioned him first, but the Pharisees. But the second questioning was spoken again by others, that is, by the apostles, concerning the same matter about which the Pharisees questioned him.

And they come to Jericho. Jericho is interpreted as moon, or anathema: which fits the passion that is now approaching. For the weakness of Christ's flesh is the new moon of the heavenly Jerusalem. Hence, leaving Jericho behind, they draw near to Jerusalem, that is, to the vision of peace.

And as he was setting out from Jericho with his disciples and a very great crowd, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, a blind man, was sitting by the way, begging. By the fifteenth virtue the blind man is enlightened. The blindness brought about from bread for the Jews will be illuminated at the end, when he sends to them the prophet Elijah. Begging by the way: he who preserves the Scripture but does not fulfill it, begging by the way, is hungry.

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say: Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Through the merits of the patriarchs, the Jewish people is enlightened. To him the merciful and compassionate Lord is present: enlightening the blind, raising up the broken, loving the poor, guarding the strangers.

And many were rebuking him to be silent. But he cried out all the more: Son of David, have mercy on me. Sins and demons restrain the cry of the poor man, whom the Lord heard. But he cried out all the more. As the battle grows heavy, the hands must be lifted up with a cry to the stone of help, that is, to Jesus the Nazarene.

And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called: And they call the blind man, saying to him: Be of good cheer; rise, he calls you. How fitting is the order of salvation: first we hear, then we cry out, afterward we are called, and after that we rise. We hear through the prophets, we cry out through faith, we are called through the apostles, we rise through repentance, we are stripped through baptism, we are questioned through the will. Whence it follows:

And he, casting away his garment, leaped up and came to him. And Jesus answering, said to him. To leap up naked from the old man is spoken of: as a young stag leaping upon the hills, leaping upon the mountains: laying aside sloth, beholding the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles in the heights, he stretches himself toward things above.

What do you want me to do for you? Jesus, considering his ready willingness, rewards it with the fulfillment of his desire. Hence he also says elsewhere: Whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive.

But the blind man said to him: Rabboni, that I may see. He asks one thing of the Lord: this he seeks, that he may see the will of the Lord; and thence, seeing, may visit his temple. Hence it follows:

But Jesus said to him: Go, your faith has made you whole. And at once he saw, and followed him on the way. On the way the blind man was begging, which says: I am the way, the truth, and the life. This is the narrow way, which leads to the steep places of Jerusalem and Bethany, to the Mount of Olives, which is the mount of light and consolation.

CHAPTER XI.

And when they were approaching Jerusalem and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Which is the vision of peace: in which abides fixed and immovable felicity: which, according to the apostle, is the mother of all believers, and of those living well in Christ.

He sends two of his disciples and says to them: Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately upon entering there you will find a colt tied, on which no man has yet sat: loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, What are you doing? say, Because the Lord needs it, and he will immediately send it here. And going away, they found the colt tied before the gate outside at the crossroads, and they loose it. Two are called and two are sent, the disciples of Christ: since charity does not consist with one, whence it is said, Woe to the solitary, and the rest. Two lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Two carry the cluster of grapes from the holy land: so that those set in charge may always join work and knowledge: and two bring forth the commandments from the two tablets, and are washed and wash in the two fountains, and carry the ark of the Lord on two poles: and between the two cherubim they know God, singing psalms in spirit and mind. They lead the colt tied and untamed: which they loose and tame, which is the Gentile people, lying before the gate of faith, with the bonds of their sins: standing at the crossroads, doubting between life and death in the freedom of choice.

And some of those standing there said to them: Why are you loosing the colt? And they said to them just as Jesus had commanded them, and they let them go. And they led the colt to Jesus. As if they were saying, who can forgive sins?

And they lay their garments upon it, that is, they bring the first robe of immortality through the sacraments of baptism.

And he sat upon it, that is, he began to reign in it; so that sin may not reign in wanton flesh, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

But many spread their garments in the way. Who are the feet, except those who carry, and the outermost whom the apostle appointed for judgment? Who themselves also, even if they are not below, in which the Lord sat: nevertheless with the soldiers they are instructed by John.

But others were cutting branches from the trees, and strewing them in the way: and those who went before and those who followed were crying out, saying: Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes, Hosanna in the highest. This pertains more to praying and to the sacrament than to necessity. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: narrow in the roots, broad in the flowers and fruits: since they are the good odor of Christ: and they strew the way of the commandments of God by proclaiming the report. Those who went before are the prophets, and those who followed are the apostles: so that the deep calls unto the deep, that is, the law calls the other law.

Osanna, that is, save: saying in the highest and the lowest, that the righteous may be built up, for the fall of the angels, and that earthly and subterranean beings may be saved by him, the blessed one conquering and coming in the name of the Lord, that is, of his Father, since the Son received the name from the Father, and the Father from the Son.

And he entered Jerusalem into the temple, and having looked around at everything, when it was already evening, the hour, he went out into Bethany with the twelve. And on another day, when they were going out from Bethany, he was hungry. And when he had seen from afar a fig tree having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find something on it. And when he had come to it, he found nothing but leaves. For it was not the time of figs. And answering, he said to it: May no one ever again eat fruit from you in eternity. And his disciples were hearing it. And they come to Jerusalem. And when he had entered the temple, he began to cast out those selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those selling doves. And he did not permit anyone to carry a vessel through the temple, and he was teaching, saying to them: Is it not written: that my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a cave of robbers. When they heard this, the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. Jesus enters the temple: in the evening he went out into Bethany with the twelve, in the morning he came to Judea, and visits us in the evening of the world.

The Lord, hungry for the salvation of men, saw from afar a fig tree adorned with leaves but not with fruits—that is, the synagogue clothed in the commandments of men and swept with superstitions—to which he denies fruit forever. Then, entering the temple, he cast out those who sold and those who bought, and overturned the tables and the seats—that is, those who sell honor and buy rank. For it is written: My house shall be called a house of prayer, according to Isaiah. But you have made it a den of robbers, according to Jeremiah.

And when evening had come, he went out of the city. And when they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree made dry from the roots. And this is fittingly so. Leaving darkness behind him, as the sun he went out from the city in the hearts of the Jews to another city, which is well-disposed and obedient. Returning in the morning, they saw the fig tree dry. The sun sets, the sun rises: the light taken away from the scribes shines in the apostles. The fig tree dry from the roots is the synagogue, from Cain and from the others, from whom all the blood is required from Abel to Zechariah.

And Peter remembered and said to him: Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which you cursed has withered. And Jesus answering said to them: Have faith in God. Peter recognizes the root as dry and cut off, to which succeeds the beautiful, fruitful olive tree, called by the Lord. Whence it follows.

Amen I say to you, that whoever shall say to this mountain. That is, to Christ, who is the mountain growing from the stone cut out without hands.

To be taken up and cast into the sea, and has not hesitated in his heart, but has believed that whatever he shall say shall come to pass, it shall be done for him. Therefore I say to you: all things whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive, and they shall come to pass for you. This was done when the apostles said: We turn to the Gentiles, because you judged yourselves unworthy to hear the word of God. It follows:

And when you stand to pray, forgive if you have anything against anyone: that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father, who is in heaven, forgive you your sins. Mark, in his own manner, comprehends the seven verses of the Lord's Prayer in one prayer. For he to whom all things have been forgiven, what more will he ask, except that he may persevere in that which he has obtained?

And they come again to Jerusalem. And as they were walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders come to him and say to him: By what authority do you do these things, and who gave you this authority, that you should do these things? But Jesus answering said to them: I also will ask you one word, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer me. But they reasoned among themselves, saying: If we say, From heaven, he will say: Why then did you not believe him? If we say, From men, we fear the people, for all held John to be truly a prophet. And answering they say to Jesus: We do not know. By the lamp of envy they are darkened, as it is said: I have prepared a lamp for my Christ, I will clothe his enemies with confusion.

And Jesus answering said to them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. Here God is overthrown along with the perverse man.

CHAPTER XII.

And he began to speak to them in parables: A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit, and built a tower, and leased it to farmers, and went away to a foreign land. And he sent a servant to the farmers in due time, that he might receive from the farmers some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant to them: and they wounded that one on the head, and treated him with insults. And again he sent another, and they killed that one: and many others, beating some, but killing others. Therefore, still having one beloved son, he also sent him to them last, saying: for they will reverence my son. But the tenants said to one another: This is the heir, come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours. And seizing him, they killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. Nor have you read this scripture: The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner: this was done by the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes. And they sought to seize him, and they feared the crowd. For they knew that he had spoken this parable against them. And leaving him, they went away. And they send to him some of the Pharisees and Herodians, that they might catch him in his word. Those coming say to him. O man, God is called father by human affection. The vineyard is the house of Israel. The hedge is the guard of angels.

The pit is the law; the tower, the temple; the farmers, the priests. God's going away is the freedom of our will. The servants sent are the prophets. The fruit of the vineyard is obedience. Of the prophets, some were beaten, some wounded, some killed. The most beloved and last son is the Only-Begotten. They will reverence my son. This is said ironically. And they cast him out of the vineyard, that is, out of the people, saying: Because you are a Samaritan, and you have a demon. The vineyard is given to others, that is, to those coming from the East and the West, and the South, and the North, and reclining with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God. This is the rejected stone, which the corner bears, joining at the pure supper the lamb with the bread: the old passing away, the new beginning the Testament. This one performs wonders in our eyes: like the topaz. Then they question him with honeyed words: and they surrounded him like bees, carrying honey in their mouth, a sting on their back, saying:

Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not care for anyone, for you do not look at the face of men, but you teach the way of God in truth: is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or shall we not give it? But he, knowing their cunning, said to them: Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius so that I may see it. And they brought it to him, and he said to them: Whose image is this, and whose inscription? They said to him: Caesar's. And Jesus answering said to them: Render therefore the things that are Caesar's to Caesar, and the things that are God's to God. And they marveled at him. And there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, and they questioned him, saying: Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up seed for his brother. There were therefore seven brothers, and the first took a wife and died leaving no seed; and the second took her and died, and neither did he leave seed; and the third likewise. And the seven likewise took her, and left no seed. Last of all, the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, when they have risen, whose wife will she be among them? For seven had her as wife. And Jesus answering said to them: Are you not therefore mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they have risen from the dead, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, but are like the angels in the heavens.

Evil thoughts are indeed plunged into the depths of the earth, because they come forth from them, and are rolled back again into the same filth. This happened evidently to the Jews, when they blasphemed and busied themselves with the blood of the innocent Christ. He answered them, who had the image of Caesar, that the coin stamped with Caesar should be paid to Caesar, but that they themselves should willingly render themselves to God. The light of the face of God has been stamped upon us, not that of Caesar. And there come to him the Sadducees, and the rest. We shall dispute about this question elsewhere; here we have no concern for another's error. But that men will be like the angels of God, that is, no one dies there, no one is born there, neither infant nor old man. The barren woman who leaves no seed from seven brothers and dies last: what else does this signify but the Jewish synagogue, left behind and, as it were, dead to the sevenfold spirit, which filled the seven patriarchs? They did not leave to her a seed of Abraham, which is Jesus Christ. For although a child was born to them, he was given to us Gentiles. This woman was dead to Christ, and she will be joined in the resurrection to none of the seven patriarchs. For by the number seven the whole company of the perfect is signified, as in turn it is said through Isaiah: Seven women shall take hold of one man, that is, seven Churches, which the one Lord loves, reproves, and chastises, and they worship him with one faith. These are the seven baskets full of fragments of the loaves. The loaves are the words of the Holy Spirit; the baskets, however, are the Churches.

The loaves that Jesus blessed and broke, and his disciples distributed to the crowd: when on the seventh day he blessed all his works, resting in them. Hence, when light was made on the first day, which is of wisdom; and the firmament on the second, which is of understanding; and the dry land on the third, which is of counsel; and the lights kindled on the fourth, which are the virtues; and the birds and fishes made on the fifth, which are of knowledge; and the living soul on the sixth, that is, man made in the image of God, which is of piety; on the seventh day by the spirit of the fear of the Lord, which remains holy forever and ever and fills the whole world, the holy Church is filled, having neither spot nor wrinkle. But why is the Church, sevenfold, that is, perfect, filled with fear? Because the righteous man is scarcely saved, who prays: And enter not into judgment with your servant, O Lord: for in your sight shall no living being be justified. Hence the psalmist sang of these seven qualities of the spirit, recalling in it what our negligence has brought forth: what diligence has sought: what divine providence has conferred: what the enemy's instigation has defrauded: what slippery forgetfulness has withdrawn: what human frailty has brought in: what improvident ignorance has deceived. All these seven affections we find expressed in the Psalms, as is that first one: He conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity. The second: I prevented in maturity, and cried out. The third: You have made known to me the uncertain and hidden things of your wisdom.

Fourth: My enemies surrounded my soul. Fifth: I was given over to oblivion like a dead man, from the heart. Sixth: For my loins were filled with illusions. Seventh: Do not remember the sins of my youth and my ignorances, O Lord. These affections the sevenfold spirit cleanses and enlightens, so that seven lamps burning from the south may drive out the northern darkness in the tabernacle of the Lord. The spirit of wisdom drives out negligence in the slothful. The spirit of understanding seeks diligence in a rational manner. The spirit of counsel prudently discovers divine providence. The spirit of strength boldly beats back provocations. The spirit of knowledge does not allow slippery forgetfulness to remain whole for long. The spirit of piety mercifully indulges human frailty. The spirit of the fear of God fervently boils away and fully fills up improvident ignorance. Wisdom builds a house; understanding finds the helm; counsel makes good distinctions; strength possesses the soul in patience; by knowledge the riches of faith and salvation are acquired. By piety the prosperity of the present life and of the future consists. By fear humility is preserved, and every sin is driven out. Because the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.

But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, at the bush, how God said to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Therefore you greatly err. In this is your likeness: in that the fire was burning, yet did not consume his thorns. So my word inflames you, yet did not take up your thorns, which sprouted under the curse, saying: the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. By naming God three times, he intimated the Trinity. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. By repeating one God, he signifies one substance. But they live who were claiming the portion they had chosen; but they are dead who have lost what they claimed.

And one of the scribes came near, who had heard them disputing; and seeing that he had answered them well, he asked him which was the first of all the commandments. But Jesus answered him: that the first of all the commandments is: Hear, Israel, the Lord your God, God is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole mind, and with your whole strength. This is the first commandment. But the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these. What is this question of the problem, which is common to all who are skilled in the law, except that different commandments are ordained in Exodus, and Leviticus, and Deuteronomy?

Hence he brought in not one but two commandments; for from these two breasts raised above the bride's chest, our infancy is nourished.

And the scribe said to him: Well, master, you have spoken in truth, that God is one, and there is no other besides him. And that he should be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength: and to love one's neighbor as oneself is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. But Jesus, seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: You are not far from the kingdom of God. And no one any longer dared to question him. And Jesus answering, said, teaching in the temple: How do the scribes say that Christ is the son of David? For David himself said in the Holy Spirit: The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand: until I place your enemies as a footstool for your feet? David himself, therefore, called him Lord, and how is he his son? And the great crowd heard him gladly. And he said to them in his teaching: Beware of the scribes, who wish to walk in long robes, and to be greeted in the marketplace, and to sit in the first seats in the synagogues, and at the first places at dinners, who devour the houses of widows under the pretense of lengthy prayer: these will receive a longer judgment. Why is he not far, who came cunningly? For ignorance is farther from the kingdom of God than knowledge. Hence above he said to the Sadducees: You err, he says, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.

And Jesus was teaching them in the temple, that is, he speaks openly to them about himself, so that they may be without excuse: and so that the fire may burn up the dry examples of the scribes and Pharisees, who wish to walk about in long robes.

And Jesus sitting opposite the treasury, that is, the guard of riches.

He was watching how the crowd was casting bronze into the treasury: and many rich people were casting in much. But when one poor widow had come, she put in two small coins, which is a quadrans. And calling his disciples together, he said to them: Amen I say to you, that this poor widow has put in more than all who put into the treasury. For all put in from what abounded to them; but she, from her want, put in all that she had, her whole living. Who are the rich, except those who bring forth from the treasury of their heart new and old things? which are the uncertain and hidden things of the wisdom of both Testaments. But who is the poor little widow, except I and those like me: who give what I can, and desire what I cannot explain to you? Not how much (as you have heard), but from how much God considers. Anyone can offer a quadrans. This is the cake of bread in Leviticus, which is the ready will. Why is it called a quadrans? Because it consists of three things: thought, word, and deed. What he says, she put in her whole living. For the whole pleasure of the body consists in living. Whence it is said: The whole labor of man is in his mouth.

CHAPTER XIII

And as he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him: Master, look at what great stones and what great structures! And Jesus answering said to him: You see all these great buildings: not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately: Tell us, when will these things be, and when will all these things begin to be accomplished? And Jesus answering began to say to them: Take heed that no one seduce you. For many will come in my name saying that I am he, and they will seduce many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be afraid: for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves. For they will deliver you up in councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. And the Gospel must first be preached to all nations. And when they lead you away delivering you up, do not think beforehand what you are to speak: but whatever is given to you in that hour, that speak. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother to death, and father his son, and children will rise up against their parents and put them to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake.

But the one who has endured to the end, this one will be saved. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not; let the one who reads understand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let the one on the roof not go down into the house, nor enter in, to take anything from his house. And let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his garment. But woe to those who are pregnant, and to those nursing in those days. But pray that it not happen in winter. For those days of tribulation will be such as have not been from the beginning of creation, which God created, until now, nor will they be. And unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he has shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you: Behold, here is Christ, behold, there, do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise, and will give signs and wonders, to seduce (if it can be done) even the elect. But you, see, behold, I have foretold all things to you. But in those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars of heaven will be falling, and the powers that are in the heavens will be moved. And then they will see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send his angels, and he will gather his elect from the four winds, from the highest part of the earth to the highest part of heaven.

From the fig tree learn the parable: when its branch is already tender and the leaves have come forth, you know that summer is near. So too, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the doors. Amen I say to you, that this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. He enumerates for the disciples the disaster of the last time, that is, the destruction of the temple, together with its people and its letter. Concerning which not one stone will be left upon another, that is, the testimonies of the prophets upon those against whom the Jews turned them back, as it is in the Apostle, in Ezra, in Zerubbabel, in the Maccabees. The things he enumerates are all to be hoped for rather than treated. False Christs and false prophets, nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom: earthquakes, the beating of preachers: the preaching of the Gospel to the ends of the earth, so that before the judgment the Church may cry out: From the ends of the earth I cried to you, O Lord. Members of the household rising against members of the household, the abomination in the temple, flight to the mountains, so that he who has ascended to the heights may not descend to the depths. Pray that your flight not be in winter or on the sabbath, that is, that the fruits of your work not be ended with the boundary of time. For in winter the fruit is ended, but on the sabbath, time. Great tribulation, and days shortened because of the elect: lest the malice of this time change their understanding! As it is said of Noah.

After this the sun will be darkened to cold hearts as in winter, and the moon will not shine in the serene calm of dissensions, and the stars will be falling in their brightness, when the seed of Abraham, to which the stars were likened, has almost failed; and the powers that are in the heavens will be moved to the wrath of vengeance, when they are sent by the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power, who first descended like rain upon Gideon's fleece, with humility. And he will gather the elect from the four winds, like wheat winnowed from the threshing floor of the whole earth. The parable of the fig tree is this prophecy. The leaves that have come forth are the words of the present; but the summer that is near is the day of judgment, in which each tree will make manifest what it had within, whether dry for burning or green for planting in Eden with the tree of life, whose leaves are for the salvation of the nations, that is, the words by which it is said: Come, you blessed of my Father, and the rest. It follows:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father. Watch. What is it that he says, "neither the Son"? Concerning whom it is said: The Father is greater than I, that is, his body placed on earth, which is the Church.

Watch and pray: for you do not know when the time is, he says. Like a man who, setting out on a journey, left his house and gave his servants authority, each for his own work: and he commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the lord of the house may come: in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. Watching is the work of the mind, before the death of the body. The man setting out on a journey is the body of Christ, lifted up to heaven: leaving his house, which is the Church. Giving his servants authority, each for his own work, that is, the eight talents, according to Matthew, or the ten minas, according to Luke. And he commands the doorkeeper to watch, that is, the one who preaches, to whom it is said: If you do not announce to the wicked man his wickedness, I will require his blood at your hand. Watch therefore, and the rest. In the evening, or at midnight, when the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain: lest he find you sleeping. For he who sleeps attends not to real bodies but to phantasms, and awake he is empty concerning the things he had seen. So undoubtedly those things are, which the love of the world snatches away in life, and abandons after life, because they dreamed them as certain.

It follows: "But what I say to you, I say to all: Watch." This either concludes the discourse, so that the common precept of all may be heard by the first ones for the last.

CHAPTER XIV.

Now the Passover and the unleavened bread were after two days. Now let us sprinkle our book with blood, and the thresholds of our houses, and let us put the scarlet cord around the house of our prayer, and the scarlet in our hand, so that we may bind Sarah, so that we may be able to tell of the red cow slain in the valley. Passover is interpreted as "passage"; but Phase is "sacrifice." In the sacrifice of the lamb and the passage of the people through the sea, or through Egypt, the passion of Christ is prefigured, and the redemption of the people from hell, when he visits us after two days, that is, in the most full age of Christ, perfected, so that not even then in any dark part, we may eat the flesh of the unspotted lamb, who takes away the sins of the world: in one house, which is the one chosen catholic Church of his mother: shod with charity, and armed with virtue, saying: For indeed Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might seize him by deceit and kill him; but they said: Not on the feast day, lest perhaps a tumult arise among the people. And when he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, and was reclining at table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of precious spikenard ointment, and breaking the alabaster jar, she poured it over his head. From the princes iniquity went forth in Babylon. For when the head has been slain, the whole body is made feeble. Hence the wretched do what the heads devise. They avoid the feast day, which suits them. For it is not a festivity for those who have lost life and mercy. Jesus came to Bethany. The stag, like the harts, always returns to its own roof, that is, the Son obedient to the Father even unto death, asks obedience from us. Simon the leper signifies the unbelieving world first, and afterward the faithful. The woman with the alabaster jar signifies the faith of the Church, which says: My nard has given forth its fragrance. Nard is called pistica, that is, mystical and precious. The house filled with the odor is heaven and earth. The broken alabaster jar is carnal desire, which is broken at the head, from which the whole body is joined together. While he reclines, that is, humbles himself, so that the faith of the sinful woman might touch him; she who from the feet ascends to the head, and from the head descends to the feet, through the same, that is, to Christ and to his members. But some were indignant within themselves and said: Why has this waste of ointment been made?

For that ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they were murmuring against her. But Jesus said: Let her alone; why are you troubling her? By synecdoche, one is spoken of for many, and many for one. Saying among themselves: Why this waste of ointment? The lost man has come to perdition from salvation, and in the fruitful fig tree he obtains the snare of death. The ointment could have been sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor. Under the pretext of avarice, the mystery of faith is spoken. For our faith is bought for three hundred denarii, that is, by the ten senses tripled through body and soul and spirit, so that we also, like Gideon, taking up the number of three hundred men, may destroy the camps of the Philistines, the poor in spirit, with our pitchers broken and with trumpets and lamps, and like Abraham with three hundred men, divide the spoils at evening. It follows:

She has done a good work in me; for you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish, you can do them good; but me you will not always have. What she had, this she did. Whoever believes God, may he strive for him in the work of righteousness. For it is one thing to believe him, another to believe in him, that is, to cast yourself wholly into him. What she had, this she did. Let us not hope from elsewhere for what we have in ourselves.

She has beforehand anointed my body for burial. Amen I say to you, wherever this Gospel has been preached in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests, that he might betray him to them. And when they heard it, they rejoiced: and they promised to give him money. And he sought how he might betray him conveniently. And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they were sacrificing the passover, his disciples say to him: Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the passover? And he sends two of his disciples, and says to them: Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him: and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house: The teacher says: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the passover with my disciples? And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished; and there prepare for us. And his disciples went, and came into the city, and found as he had said to them, and prepared the passover, That is, before he should come who would shut out. Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve. One in number, not one in merit: one in name, not one in godhead: one in body, not one in spirit. Whence the bridegroom sings to the bride: You have wounded my heart, my sister, my bride, in one of your eyes, and in one lock of hair of your neck. The eye and the lock of hair are the virtue of wisdom: since it is said to Judas along with the others: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom: and I have given you power, and the rest.