- ANF09. The Gospel of Peter, The Diatessaron of Tatian, The Apocalypse of Peter, the Vision of Paul, The Apocalypse of the Virgin and Sedrach, The Testament of Abraham, The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, The Narrative of Zosimus, The Apology of Aristides, The Epistles of Clement (complete text), Origen’s Commentary on John, Books 1–10, and Commentary on Matthew, Books 1, 2, and 10

Section XVI.

[1] ¹¹⁴²

¹¹⁴² Matt. xii. 38.
Then answered certain of the scribes and Pharisees, that they might tempt him, [2] and said, Teacher, we desire to see a sign from thee. ¹¹⁴³

¹¹⁴³ Matt. xii. 39.
He answered and said, This evil and adulterous generation¹¹⁴⁴

¹¹⁴⁴ See § 1, 49, note.
seeketh a sign; and it shall not be given a sign, [3] except the sign of Jonah the prophet. ¹¹⁴⁵

¹¹⁴⁵ Luke xi. 30.
And as Jonah was a sign to the inhabitants [4] of Nineveh, so shall the Son of man also be to this generation. ¹¹⁴⁶

¹¹⁴⁶ Matt. xii. 40.
And as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man [5] be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. ¹¹⁴⁷

¹¹⁴⁷ Luke xi. 31.
The queen of the south shall rise in the judgement with the people of this generation, and condemn¹¹⁴⁸

¹¹⁴⁸ See note to § 10, 13.
them: for she came from the ends of the earth that she might hear the wisdom of Solomon; [6] [Arabic, p. 62] and behold, here is a better than Solomon. ¹¹⁴⁹

¹¹⁴⁹ Matt. xii. 41.
The men of Nineveh shall stand in the judgement with this generation, and condemn it: for they repented at [7] the preaching of Jonah; and behold, here is a greater than Jonah. ¹¹⁵⁰

¹¹⁵⁰ Luke xi. 24.
The unclean spirit, when he goeth out of the man, departeth, and goeth about through places wherein are no waters, that he may find rest for himself; and when he findeth it not, he [8] saith, I will return to my house whence I came out. ¹¹⁵¹

¹¹⁵¹ Luke xi. 25.
And if he come and find it [9] adorned and set in order, ¹¹⁵²

¹¹⁵² Luke xi. 26.
then he goeth, and associateth with himself seven other spirits worse than himself; and they enter and dwell in it: and the end of that man [10] shall be worse than his beginning. ¹¹⁵³

¹¹⁵³ Matt. xii. 45b.
Thus shall it be unto this evil generation.

[11] ¹¹⁵⁴

¹¹⁵⁴ Luke xi. 27.
And while he was saying that, a woman from the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts that nursed [12] thee. ¹¹⁵⁵

¹¹⁵⁵ Luke xi. 28.
But he said unto her, Blessed is he that heareth the word of God, and keepeth it.

[13] ¹¹⁵⁶

¹¹⁵⁶ Matt. xii. 46a; Luke viii. 19a.
And while he was speaking unto the multitude, there came unto him his mother [14] and his brethren, and sought to speak with him; ¹¹⁵⁷

¹¹⁵⁷ Matt. xii. 46c; Luke viii. 19b.
and they were not able, because of [15] the multitude; and they stood without and sent, calling him unto them. ¹¹⁵⁸

¹¹⁵⁸ Mark iii. 31; Matt. xii. 47.
A man said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing without, and seek to [16] speak with thee. ¹¹⁵⁹

¹¹⁵⁹ Matt. xii. 48.
But he answered unto him that spake unto him, Who is my [17] mother? and who are my brethren? ¹¹⁶⁰

¹¹⁶⁰ Matt. xxii. 49.
And he beckoned with his hand, stretching it out towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother! and behold, my brethren! [18] ¹¹⁶¹

¹¹⁶¹ Matt. xii. 50.
And every man that shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.

[19] ¹¹⁶²

¹¹⁶² Luke viii. 1.
And after that, Jesus was going about in the cities and in the villages, and proclaiming [Arabic, p. 63] and preaching the kingdom of God, and his¹¹⁶³

¹¹⁶³ The Arabic printed text gives no sense. A simple change in the diacritical points of one letter gives the reading of the Syriac versions, which is adopted here.
twelve with him, [20] ¹¹⁶⁴

¹¹⁶⁴ Luke viii. 2.
and the women which had been healed of diseases and of evil spirits, Mary [21] that was called Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven devils, ¹¹⁶⁵

¹¹⁶⁵ Luke viii. 3.
and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who were ministering to them of their substance.

[22] ¹¹⁶⁶

¹¹⁶⁶ Matt. xiii. 1.
And after that, Jesus went out of the house, and sat on the sea shore. ¹¹⁶⁷

¹¹⁶⁷ Matt. xiii. 2.
And there [23] gathered unto him great multitudes. And when the press of the people was great upon him, he went up and sat in the boat; and all the multitude was standing on the [24] shore of the sea. ¹¹⁶⁸

¹¹⁶⁸ Matt. xiii. 3.
And he spake to them much in parables, and said, The sower [25] went forth to sow: and when he sowed, ¹¹⁶⁹

¹¹⁶⁹ Matt. xiii. 4a; Luke viii. 5b.
some fell on the beaten highway; and it was [26] trodden upon, and the birds ate it. ¹¹⁷⁰

¹¹⁷⁰ Matt. xiii. 5.
And other fell on the rocks: and some, where there was not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because it had no depth in [27] the earth: ¹¹⁷¹

¹¹⁷¹ Matt. xiii. 6.
and when the sun rose, it withered; and because it had no root, it dried [28] up. ¹¹⁷²

¹¹⁷² Luke viii. 7; Mark iv. 7b.
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it; [29] and it yielded no fruit. ¹¹⁷³

¹¹⁷³ Luke viii. 8a; Mark iv. 8b.
And other fell into excellent and good¹¹⁷⁴

¹¹⁷⁴ cf. Peshitta (against Cur. and Sin.).
ground; and it came up, and grew, and brought forth fruit, some thirty, and some sixty, and some [30] a hundred. ¹¹⁷⁵

¹¹⁷⁵ Luke viii. 8c.
And when he said that, he cried, He that hath ears that hear, let him [31] hear. ¹¹⁷⁶

¹¹⁷⁶ Mark iv. 10; with additions from Matt. xiii. 10, and Luke viii. 9.
And when they were alone, his disciples came, and asked him, and said unto [32] him, What is this parable? and why spakest thou unto them in parables? ¹¹⁷⁷

¹¹⁷⁷ Mark iv. 11; Matt. xiii. 11.
He [Arabic, p. 64] answered and said unto them, Unto you is given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God; but it is not given unto them that are [33] without. ¹¹⁷⁸

¹¹⁷⁸ Matt. xiii. 12.
He that hath shall be given unto, and there shall be added; and he that [34] hath not, that which he hath shall be taken from him also. ¹¹⁷⁹

¹¹⁷⁹ Matt. xiii. 13.
For this cause therefore I speak unto them in parables; because they see, and see not; and hear, and hear [35] not, nor understand. ¹¹⁸⁰

¹¹⁸⁰ Matt. xiii. 14.
And in them is being fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, who said,

Hearing they shall hear, and shall not understand;

And seeing they shall see, and shall not perceive:

[36] ¹¹⁸¹

¹¹⁸¹ Matt. xiii. 15.
The heart of this people is waxed gross,

And their hearing with their ears is become heavy,

And they have closed their eyes;

Lest they should see with their eyes,

And hear with their ears,

And understand with their hearts,

And should return,

And I should heal them.

[37, 38] ¹¹⁸²

¹¹⁸² Matt. xiii. 16.
But ye, blessed are your eyes, which see; and your ears, which hear. ¹¹⁸³

¹¹⁸³ Luke x. 23b.
Blessed [39] are the eyes which see what ye see. ¹¹⁸⁴

¹¹⁸⁴ Matt. xiii. 17.
Verily I say unto you, Many of the prophets and the righteous longed to see what ye see, and saw not; and to hear what ye [40] hear, and heard not. ¹¹⁸⁵

¹¹⁸⁵ Mark iv. 13b.
When ye know not this parable, how shall ye know all parables? [41, 42] ¹¹⁸⁶

¹¹⁸⁶ Matt. xiii. 18.
Hear ye the parable of the sower. ¹¹⁸⁷

¹¹⁸⁷ Mark iv. 14.
The sower which sowed, sowed the word [43] of God. ¹¹⁸⁸

¹¹⁸⁸ Matt. xiii. 19.
Every one who heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, the evil one cometh and snatcheth away the word that hath been sown in his [44] heart: and this is that which was sown on the middle of the highway. ¹¹⁸⁹

¹¹⁸⁹ Matt. xiii. 20.
But that which was sown on the rocks is he that heareth the word, and straightway receiveth [45, 46] [Arabic, p. 65] it with joy; ¹¹⁹⁰

¹¹⁹⁰ Matt. xiii. 21a.
only, it hath no root in his soul, but his belief in it is for a time; ¹¹⁹¹

¹¹⁹¹ Luke viii. 13b; Matt. xiii. 21c.
and whenever there is distress or persecution because of a¹¹⁹²

¹¹⁹² See above, § 1, 40, note 2.
word, he [47] stumbleth¹¹⁹³

¹¹⁹³ Or, is seduced (cf. § 25, 17, note).
quickly. ¹¹⁹⁴

¹¹⁹⁴ Matt. xiii. 22a.
And that which was sown among the thorns is he that heareth the word; ¹¹⁹⁵

¹¹⁹⁵ Mark iv. 19b.
and the care of this world, and the error of riches, and the rest of the [48] other lusts enter, and choke the word, and it becometh without fruit. ¹¹⁹⁶

¹¹⁹⁶ Luke viii. 15.
And that which was sown in good ground is he that heareth my word in a pure and good heart, and understandeth it, and holdeth to it, and bringeth forth fruit with patience, ¹¹⁹⁷

¹¹⁹⁷ Matt. xiii. 23b.
and produceth either a hundredfold or sixtyfold or thirty.

[49] ¹¹⁹⁸

¹¹⁹⁸ Mark iv. 26.
And he said, So is the kingdom of God, like a man who casteth seed into the [50] earth, and sleepeth and riseth by night and day, ¹¹⁹⁹

¹¹⁹⁹ Mark iv. 27.
and the seed groweth and cometh [51] up, whence¹²⁰⁰

¹²⁰⁰ Or, while.
he knoweth not. ¹²⁰¹

¹²⁰¹ Mark iv. 28.
And the earth bringeth it to the fruit; and first it [52] will be blade, and after it ear, and at last perfect wheat in the ear: ¹²⁰²

¹²⁰² Mark iv. 29.
and whenever the fruit ripeneth,¹²⁰³

¹²⁰³ Lit. fatteneth, as in Peshitta.
he bringeth immediately the sickle, for the harvest hath come.
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