Lecture 2 — Curses of the Pharisees

^23:13^ But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those who are going in, you do not suffer to enter. [n. 1858]

^23:14^ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers. For this you will receive the greater judgment. [n. 1859]

^23:15^ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you go round about the sea and the land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, you make him the child of hell twofold more than yourselves. [n. 1861]

^23:16^ Woe to you blind guides, who say: whoever will swear by the temple, it is nothing; but he who will swear by the gold of the temple, is a debtor. [n. 1863]

^23:17^ You foolish and blind; for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? [n. 1865]

^23:18^ And whoever will swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever will swear by the gift that is upon it, is a debtor. [n. 1866]

^23:19^ You blind; for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? [n. 1867]

^23:20^ He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things that are upon it: [n. 1867]

^23:21^ And whoever will swear by temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it. [n. 1867]

^23:22^ And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who is seated there. [n. 1867]

^23:23^ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law: judgment, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone. [n. 1869]

^23:24^ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. [n. 1873]

^23:25^ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are full of rapine and uncleanness. [n. 1874]

^23:26^ You blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside may become clean. [n. 1877]

^23:27^ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like whitened sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful to men, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness. [n. 1878]

^23:28^ So you also outwardly indeed appear just to men; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. [n. 1880]

^23:29^ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; who build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just, [n. 1881]

^23:30^ and say: if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. [n. 1884]

^23:31^ Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets. [n. 1886]

^23:32^ Fill up then the measure of your fathers. [n. 1887]

^23:33^ You serpents, generation of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of hell? [n. 1889]

1856. After he had instructed the disciples and the crowds about the caution which they should have regarding the teaching of the Jews, here he turns his words toward the scribes, by rebuking them.

First, he rebukes them about the pretense of religion, while they were irreligious;

second, about the pretense of purity, while they were impure;

third, about the pretense of piety, while they were impious. The second is at woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup. The third, at woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; who build the sepulchres of the prophets.

In those things which pertain to religion, some things are owed by the priests to the people, and some things the other way around.

First, therefore, he sets out their malice in those which are owed by the priests;

second, in those which are owed by the people, at woe to you blind guides, who say: whoever will swear by the temple.

A priest owes one thing to the subject already converted, and another thing to the unconverted. To the unconverted he owes that he convert him; to the converted he owes teaching; for the lips of the priest will keep knowledge (Mal 2:7). Likewise, he owes intercession; for every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God (Heb 5:1). And these men did evil things in both; hence

first, he accuses them of the first;

second, of the second, at woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you devour the houses of widows.

1857. In all these reproaches he points to himself as the Son of him who gave the old law. In Deuteronomy, there are curses given to those who would not persevere in the law, and after that are given blessings (Deut 26, 28). But since he had come to unbind the curses of the law, first there were blessings given above, at blessed are the poor in spirit (Matt 5:3). But near the end of his teaching he gives a curse. So they reproach badly who reproach the old law because curses are contained in it, for just as it is in the old law, so it is in the new. For just as in the law only those who transgressed were cursed, so also here; my son, do not reject the correction of the Lord (Prov 3:11).

1858. But why does he say, you shut the kingdom of heaven against men? The beatitude of eternal life is called the kingdom of heaven; above, unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:20). Likewise, Sacred Scripture is called a kingdom; above, the kingdom of God will be taken from you (Matt 21:43), i.e., the understanding of Sacred Scripture. To either kingdom, Christ is the door; I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he will be saved: and he will go in, and go out, and will find pastures (John 10:9). What therefore is shutting the kingdom except that these men were shutting it through bad teaching and a bad life? Only that which is opened can be shut. The teachings about Christ were open, but these men were shutting them, because they made them obscure. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped (Isa 35:5). When the Lord was working this miracle, this Scripture was opened, but they were shutting it, saying, he casts out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils (Luke 11:15). Likewise, they were shutting the kingdom through a bad life, when by bad example they led men into sinning; blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence (Ps 1:1). He properly sits in the chair of pestilence who accepts the duty of teaching and corrupts the people through a bad life. A judge also destroys a man by an unjust judgment, yet he hands down an unjust judgment to no end. For the power of binding and loosing is given for building up, not for pulling down. Hence it can be said to him, but woe to you . . . because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men. Likewise, anyone who impedes entrance into the kingdom undoubtedly acts badly; hence there follows, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those who are going in, you do not suffer to enter, i.e., others to be converted. Hence, but you have departed out of the way, and have caused many to stumble at the law (Mal 2:8).

1859. Woe to you . . . because you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers. This is the second woe, in which pretense is touched upon as regards prayer.

And first, he accuses them of voraciousness, when he says, you devour the houses of widows, because whatever they did, they turned the whole thing to gluttony, such that Maccabees applies to them: the temple was full of the riot and revellings of the gentiles (2 Macc 6:4).

The houses of widows, i.e., widows’ supplies. But why the houses of widows more than others? The reason is that they aimed more at seducing women, because men are wiser and more discerning, nor are they deceived as quickly. Likewise, women have an affection more prone to generous giving; but as it becomes women professing godliness, with good works (1 Tim 2:10).

Likewise, the houses of widows, because a woman who has a man has him as head and counselor, so that way she is not deceived. Likewise, a married woman does not have her house at her own disposal, but a widow does; so she is more able to give than a married woman, and so they made more profit among them than among the others, since there was more to be given to them. Hence the Psalm befits them well: they have slain the widow and the stranger (Ps 93:6).

And this in prayer. Praying long prayers, owing to the pretense of sanctity: and thus they were turning prayer to profit, and profit to glory.

1860. Hence they could be reproached for gluttony, for plundering, and because they pretended sanctity; and so there follows, for this you will receive the greater judgment, i.e., you sin more. And why? Because if someone pillages using the devil’s weapons, he sins; if using God’s weapons, he sins doubly, because he sins against God and against his neighbor. Or greater, because you take from them what you should have given. Or greater, as is said, and that servant who knew the will of his lord, and did not prepare himself, and did not according to his will, will be beaten with many stripes (Luke 12:47).

1861. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you go round about the sea and the land to make one proselyte. And this is explained in two ways, according as it is referred to the time after Christ or to the time before Christ.

If to the time after, in this way he speaks of future things as present things. For he foresaw that the Jews would be scattered through the whole world, and that they would convert others to their law, and would turn aside from Christ those whom they could. And for this reason it says, you go round about the sea and the land. Those are called proselytes who are converted to their faith from the gentiles or from Christians; and since he foresaw that they would convert some from Christians to their own faith, he says this. And he says, one, because only a very few were converted. So they enter that curse which is found in Hosea, I found Israel like grapes in the desert (Hos 9:10). And when he is made a Jew you make him the child of hell twofold more than yourselves: for he is first a gentile and then a Jew, and then he has a double sin, namely that of the gentiles and that of the Jews, for since he is a Jew, he becomes a partaker in the killing of Christ; but if he is a Christian and then a Jew, he is made worse twice over, for he dishonors the gift of the Holy Spirit, which he had received in the sacraments. Likewise, he becomes a partaker in the sins of the Jews; you are of your father the devil (John 8:44).

1862. It can also be referred to the time before Christ, because before Christ they were converting some men to their faith. And this is clear, because any man loves himself more than another; therefore if they converted others for the sake of saving a soul, all the more should they have taken care for the salvation of their own, but they did not take care. But they did this whole thing for profit, because they wanted to increase the offerings; hence their teaching was futile. And when he is made, you make him the child of hell twofold more than yourselves; for first he was converted to Judaism and then was scandalized, and thus afterward was converted again. Hence, for it had been better for them not to have known the way of justice, than after they have known it, to turn back (2 Pet 2:21). Similarly, in another way. Before he was a Jew he refrained from evil things, at least for the sake of the praise of men, but not afterwards: hence, for when the gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature those things that are of the law; these not having the law are a law to themselves (Rom 2:14). Hence they took example from the evil.

1863. Woe to you, blind guides. In this he shows how they are pretenders of sanctity in those things which are owed to prelates:

first, concerning offerings;

second, concerning the tithe, at woe to you . . . you tithe mint.

Observe: first, he sets out their tradition; second, he convicts them with three arguments.

The first part, where the tradition is set out with an argument, has two parts. The second is at and whoever will swear by the altar.

These men turned the whole of religion to profit, to draw men in to make offerings. There was much gold placed in the temple: hence they said that if someone swore by the temple, he owed nothing; but whoever swore by the gold obligated himself to as much as he swore.

Likewise there was a second tradition, for there was an altar there and many things were offered on the altar. Hence they said that whoever swore by the altar paid nothing, but whoever swore by the offering, bound himself to the fulfillment of the offering. And why? That they might profit by the penalties, and that they might elevate the offerings by sanctity, and that men might be urged on to offering more.

And first, he sets out the first part; second, the second.

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he sets forth the tradition;

second, a refutation, at you foolish and blind.

1864. He says therefore, woe to you, blind guides. The same thing is said above, they are blind, and leaders of the blind (Matt 15:14); his watchmen are all blind (Isa 56:10). Who say: whoever will swear by the temple, it is nothing, because it is impossible that this man build another temple; but he who will swear by the gold of the temple, i.e., by gold, is a debtor, namely of that gold.

1865. Next he sets out a refutation: you foolish and blind; for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? It is agreed that what is in the temple is holy by reason of the temple, hence someone who steals something in the temple commits a sacrilege: hence it is greater to swear by the temple than by the gold. Chrysostom: against certain men who say that to swear by God is nothing. Hence those who swear by God believe that they swear nothing; but when they swear by the holy Gospel of God, they think it a great thing. Hence it can be said to them: which is greater, God or the Gospel? It is agreed that God is greater. And this is true simply speaking; it is otherwise when some circumstance is added, which aggravates the sin. For he who swears by the holy Gospel of God swears with a certain deliberation and solemnity, and so sins more seriously.

1866. Hence he sets out the second part of the tradition: and whoever will swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever will swear by the gift that is upon it, is a debtor.

1867. Next he sets out a condemnation: you blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? For the gift is only made holy by the altar.

He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things that are upon it. Here he sets out another argument. The temple contains the gold, and not the other way around: similarly, the altar contains the gift, and not the other way around. Hence he who swears by the temple, swears by the gold which is in the temple; and he who swears on the altar, swears by that which is on it.

And there follows another argument: and whoever will swear by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it. These men said, whoever will swear by the temple, it is nothing. But he wishes to show that he who swears by the temple, swears by God, because he only swears by the temple as it is sanctified, and it is only sanctified by God. Therefore he who swears by the temple, swears by God.

Then another argument is set out: and he who swears by heaven, only swears by it because it is the throne of God, and because God’s power is manifested there; hence, and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who is seated there. The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven (Ps 10:5). And this is introduced by way of likeness.

1868. But mystically, according to Origen, he mentions the temple, the gold, and the altar, which things signify the contemplative and the glorious life. The contemplative is signified by the gold, which signifies the subtle thought-out sense of Scripture itself: for however reasonable it may seem, it is nothing unless it is in the temple, i.e., unless it is confirmed in Sacred Scripture. The altar signifies the heart, which should have in it the fire of devotion; this is the perpetual fire which will never go out on the altar (Lev 6:13). The offerings signify services and offerings which cannot do any good unless they proceed from a holy heart, or from a holy altar; above, if your eye be sound, your whole body will be lightsome (Matt 6:22). The glorious life is signified by the throne: God is there, who exceeds the universe.

Or, by the altar and the temple we understand Christ: for he called himself the temple; destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:19). Likewise, he is called the altar; we have an altar, whereof they have no power to eat who serve the tabernacle (Heb 13:10). Hence whatever good we do, unless it is sanctified in this temple, i.e., Christ, it does no good; hence the whole thing is contemptible unless it is referred to Christ.

1869. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin. Here he reproaches them about the tithe; and he does three things:

first, their custom is set out;

second, he introduces a teaching;

third, he sets out a certain likeness.

The second is at these things you ought to have done; the third, at blind guides, who strain out a gnat.

1870. Hence he says, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, and he adds, hypocrites, because their principal intention was pretense, because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin. It can either be understood as you give tithes or as you who weigh tithes; many were priests and Levites, to whom it pertained to weigh the tithes which were owed to them (Num 18:21: Deut 14:22), so they were most diligent at weighing, even down to the least things, like cummin and anise.

And have left the weightier things of the law: judgment, and mercy, and faith. For some things were owed to the priests for their sake, as the tithes from which they were to live; but to some things they were bound for God’s sake, as to render judgment and mercy; hence the Lord requires these things of them, namely judgment and mercy: mercy and judgment I will sing to you, O Lord (Ps 100:1). Likewise, he wills faith for the sake of his own glory. Hence they took no care for those things to which they were bound for God’s sake, so he says, and have left the weightier things of the law: judgment, and mercy, and faith.

But they cared well for the tithe, to which they were bound for their own sakes, in accordance with, for all seek the things that are their own; not the things that are Jesus Christ’s (Phil 2:21). To the contrary is charity, which seeks not her own (1 Cor 13:5), but what is Jesus Christ’s.

Similarly it can be said, woe to you who give tithes, because you give of the least things, of mint, and cummin, and suchlike, and you do this to appear religious; but you take no care of interior things, for you love neither mercy, nor judgment, nor faith; above, **and if you knew what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would never have condemned the innocent **(Matt 12:7).

Origen says that mint and cummin and so on can be taken to mean certain things which pertain to the honor of religion. Hence mercy, judgment, and faith are like food, while the others are least, like spices. Hence, just as they put greater stress on their spice in preparing food than on the food, so also these men put a greater stress on the knee being bent before them than on those things which pertain to God.

1871. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone. Since he had said, woe to you . . . because you tithe, someone could say that the Lord forbade the giving of tithes; for this reason he speaks to the contrary, when he says, these things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone, as though to say, you do not sin in these things, but in omitting those things to which you are more bound. So, these things you ought to have done, i.e., to exact the tithes, and not to leave those, namely judgment, justice, and faith, undone.

1872. But here there is a question about the tithe. The Lord seems to lay down the necessity of paying tithes; hence in the whole New Testament it is not mentioned so expressly as here. But is this gotten from a precept of the law? No: for the law contains some things pertaining to morality, some ceremonial things, and some judicial things. Those things pertaining to morality should be kept for all time, and by all; the ceremonial things should be kept by certain men, and at certain times, such as circumcision, and these were only in figure; likewise certain judicial things, such as if someone steals a sheep, he shall repay fourfold. So one may ask about the tithe whether tithes are a moral precept. And it seems not, because the things pertaining to morality are from the natural law. But only that which natural reason suggests is from the natural law. But reason does not suggest giving a tenth more than a ninth or an eleventh, etc. Therefore it is not of the natural law. Likewise, if the tithes were ceremonial, then those who pay them sin.

To this question those who were before us have said that some things are purely moral, some purely ceremonial, and some have something of the moral and something of the ceremonial. You shall not kill is purely moral. Similarly, the Lord your God you shall adore. If you say, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you shall offer a lamb, this is purely ceremonial. But if it is said: mind that you keep holy the Sabbath day, it has something natural, or moral, and something ceremonial. The moral, namely what natural reason suggests, that one have a certain time for which he is free, or in which he is free, for praying to God. But that it is the Sabbath day, or the Lord’s day, is judicial. Hence they say that the commandment about tithes is partially ceremonial, partially moral. For they are for the support of the poor and of those who are free for the service of God, or for preaching: for it is fitting that he who serves a community live from the community, and this is from the natural law; but that it is a tenth part, this is ceremonial.

But are tithes binding now? I say that the determination pertains to any ruler who has the power of establishing law; hence it is in the power of the Church to establish either a tenth, or a ninth, or so on. Hence they are binding, not because they are from the natural law, but by the Church’s establishing it.

1873. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. In this part he sets out a likeness; hence he says, who strain out a gnat. He who strains out, swallows with difficulty. Hence he wishes to say that they put great care into little things, and little in great things. Or by a gnat are understood the smallest sins, and by a camel large ones, hence they put a great stress on little sins; and this is why he says, and swallow a camel.

1874. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish. Above, the Lord reproached the Pharisees for pretense, because they pretended exteriorly what they did not have in the heart, but turned it to profit; here he reproaches them for the pretense of purity which they showed exteriorly.

And this first as regards the appetite for temporal goods, or as regards carnal sins; second, as regards spiritual things.

And first, he treats of the first; second, of the second, at woe to you . . . because you are like whitened sepulchres.

Concerning the first, he does two things:

first, he discloses their pretense;

second, he sets forward sacred teaching, at you blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside.

1875. He says therefore, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup. Note that this can be understood in two ways. One way, that it is a proper locution; and he wishes to touch upon the custom of the Pharisees, who put great diligence into exterior cleaning, as it is said above that they preserved cleanliness of jugs and vases; hence, woe to you, who impose a great solicitude about cleaning vases, but not hearts. Hence there follows, but within, i.e., in the heart, you are full of rapine and uncleanness.

Jerome would have it be a figurative locution, hence he would have it be understood of every cleanliness which is outwardly shown. Food is served in a dish, and drink in a cup. Moreover, a man is called a dish, and the food in which God delights are the good works which he does; my food is to do the will of him who sent me (John 4:34). It is agreed that the use of a cup and a dish is not in the exterior surface, but the interior. Therefore, that man cleans the cup exteriorly who exteriorly equips his body.

1876. And you are such men: but within you are full of rapine and uncleanness. And he sets out two things, rapine and uncleanness, because there are two kinds of sins: carnal sins, which are accomplished in the enjoyment of the flesh, such as gluttony and luxury; and others which are accomplished in the enjoyment of the spirit, such as pride and greed. For greed stands with carnal sin as regards its object; as regards its accomplishment, since it is accomplished in the enjoyment of the mind, namely in the desire of money, it stands with the spiritual.

Hence he reproaches greed when he says, rapine. Now, it is rapine in the proper sense when another’s property is taken; thus the greedy man in the proper sense withholds another’s property: hence it is opposed to justice. The spoil of the poor is in your house (Isa 3:14) Likewise, full of . . . uncleanness as regards gluttony and luxury. A soul is rendered impure through passion, and no passion so suppresses reason as gluttony and luxury; but fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you, as becomes saints (Eph 5:3).

1877. Then he leads back to healthy teaching: you blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the dish. The whole of exterior purity is from interior purity, as is said above, if your eye be sound, your whole body will be lightsome (Matt 6:22). So he teaches that one must clean the heart, and in this way the whole will be clean. Hence he says, you blind Pharisee. Their own malice blinded them (Wis 2:21). Clean what is interior, because whatever comes about exteriorly, provided that it come from a good will, the whole thing will be good; with all watchfulness keep your heart (Prov 4:23).

Similarly, it can be explained as about a man’s word: hence that which is interior can be taken as the understanding of Sacred Scripture; with the bread of life and understanding, she will feed him (Sir 15:3). The bread of wisdom is the word of life. Hence some wish to decorate the exterior word, and take no care for thought. And these men clean what is outside.

1878. Woe to you . . . because you are like whitened sepulchres. Here he accuses them as regards spiritual sins. And

first, he sets out a likeness;

second, he explains.

1879. A sepulcher is where a dead body rests. The dead bodies of the saints are the temple of God, in which God dwells; for the temple of God is holy, which you are (1 Cor 3:17). The body is the dwelling place of the soul, and the soul is God’s throne: so as the body is the dwelling place of the soul, so the soul is the dwelling place of God; the Lord is in his holy temple (Ps 10:5). But a sinner’s body is a sepulcher, because it contains something dead, since the soul dies through sin. For this reason, the bad are called a sepulchre; their throat is an open sepulchre (Ps 13:3).

Inside a sepulcher there is a dead body; there is sometimes an image outside of such a size, which seems in appearance to live; you have the name of being alive: and you are dead (Rev 3:1). And so he says, which outwardly appear beautiful to men owing to the outward decoration put on it, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness, i.e., every rottenness and every uncleanness.

1880. After this, he explains: so you also outwardly indeed appear just to men, i.e., men judge you to be just, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. He encompasses the fleshly sins, greed and gluttony, as was said above, under which vainglory is contained; for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God (John 12:43). Likewise under iniquity all spiritual sins are contained.

1881. Then when he says, woe to you . . . who build the sepulchres of the prophets, he accuses them of the pretense of piety; and he does two things:

first, he sets out their pretense;

second, their cruelty, at therefore you are witnesses against yourselves.

They also pretended in two ways, by deeds and by words. Hence

first, he refutes them concerning deeds;

second, concerning words. The second is at and say: if we had been in the days of our fathers.

1882. He says therefore, woe to you . . . who build the sepulchres of the prophets.

But why is this? Did they act badly? Do we not act well, when we place the bodies of the saints in silver and gold cases?

Some say that they are not reproached for the deed, but for their intention, because their intention was bad. For they acted so that the memory of their fathers’ wickedness would be brought back to men’s memory: hence it was customary that when something new happened, something would be made to its memory. Hence they wanted their parents’ boldness, since they were bold to kill the prophets, to be in everyone’s memory.

But this explanation does not agree with the text. So one should say otherwise, that they are not blamed for this, but because they only did this to show signs of piety exteriorly, as it is said above that they tithed mint and cumin.

1883. Likewise, they adorn the monuments of the just. They adorned the sepulchers, and yet they had a mind to kill for the sake of pretense. It is similar, Chrysostom says, in our times, that if someone were to do many good things, decorate sepulchers, have a generous hand, and so on, if he built in stones, and intended vainglory, and did not walk in the ways of the Lord, it would be no use to him.

1884. Likewise, they showed piety in word: and say: if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. It is common that all are harsh judges of the deeds of others: hence if we see someone sinning, we judge it to be a great sin, while we lessen our own sin. For this reason, these children knew their fathers’ malice, but not their own; above, first cast the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see to cast out the mote out of your brother’s eye (Matt 7:5).

1885. Then he sets out their cruelty. And first, in general; second, in particular.

And he sets out a temporal punishment, at **behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes **(Matt 23:34).

Concerning the first,

first, he describes the origin;

second, the imitation of evil;

third, he threatens punishment.

1886. He says, therefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets.

But what evil was it for them, since it was not in their power? So it seems that it should not have been ascribed to them.

Observe: sometimes a child does not imitate the sins of his father, and sometimes he does imitate the father’s malice. If he does not follow in the father’s malice, it is not ascribed to him. Sometimes it happens that he has a good father and a bad mother, or the other way around, and he follows the goodness of the father or of the mother. But if both are bad, it almost always happens that he imitates their malice. And the reason is that the children of the evil grow accustomed to evil from the beginning; and they cling more strongly to that to which they become accustomed in youth, and so they are more prone to evil. Likewise, evil parents do not correct their children when they see them do something evil; for which reason their sin is increased, such that the sins of the parents overflow into the children. I am the Lord your God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children (Exod 20:5). For this reason he says, that you are the sons of those, you who have their malice; their children wicked (Wis 3:12).

1887. Hence you are children through imitation; and this is what follows: fill up then the measure of your fathers. It is not imperative, but declarative: fill up, i.e., you will fill up, as though he spoke as a man, i.e., you will kill me. That which you do, do quickly (John 13:27). Or it can be permissive, i.e., you will not be impeded by me, that is, sometimes you have wanted it but I have not permitted it; for the rest, I will not impede it. So, fill up then the measure of your fathers.

1888. But why does he say, fill up? One should see that everything which comes to pass, comes to pass by the certain judgment of God. But in that judgment of God, the penalty is not paid right away, until it is entirely enlarged and comes to a peak: hence as regards God’s judgment their guilt was not yet filled up. Hence they killed the prophets, and their guilt is not yet filled up, but in me it will be completed. So, fill up then the measure of your fathers. In measure against measure, when it will be cast off, you will judge it (Isa 27:8). Or fill up: your fathers sinned, but you, fill it up. One fills up the measure of his fathers when he arrives at as much as his fathers. So, your fathers killed the prophets, and you, fill up their measure.

Or it can be said that those men sinned by killing the servants, but these by killing the Son; hence they fulfilled the wickedness of the fathers. But the Lord offered himself willingly, and did not set himself against their deeds. Likewise, he does not blame them for their own sin, but only for the sins of their fathers, since it belongs to the Good Shepherd to consider as his own the injury of those who are his.

1889. Then he adds, concerning the punishment, you serpents, generation of vipers. And it seems that he speaks fittingly enough about the guilt. The serpent is a poisonous animal, and kills with its venom: just so, these men are called serpents, because they killed the prophets. It is also said of the viper that it dies in giving birth, so the fetus gnaws up the inner organs of the mother. In the same way, since these men were bad, they disparaged their fathers. Hence, since you are such, how will you flee from the judgment of hell? According to the judgment of men you escape, but according to God’s judgment, how will you escape? Hence one must have a clean heart. Flee then from the face of the sword, for the sword is the revenger of iniquities: and know that there is judgment (Job 19:29).