Lecture 4
Lectio 4
Christ’s mother and brethren
Mater et fratres Christi
12:46 As he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold his mother and his brethren stood outside, seeking to speak to him. [n. 1068]
12:46 Adhuc eo loquente ad turbas, ecce mater eius, et fratres stabant foris, quaerentes loqui ei. [n. 1068]
12:47 And one said unto him: Behold, your mother and your brethren stand outside, seeking you. [n. 1070]
12:47 Dixit autem ei quidam: ecce mater tua, et fratres tui foris stant quaerentes te. [n. 1070]
12:48 But answering the one who told him, he said: who is my mother, and who are my brethren? [n. 1071]
12:48 At ipse respondens dicenti sibi, ait: quae est mater mea, et qui sunt fratres mei? [n. 1071]
12:49 And stretching forth his hand towards his disciples, he said: behold my mother and my brethren. [n. 1075]
12:49 Et extendens manum in discipulos suos, dixit: ecce mater mea, et fratres mei. [n. 1075]
12:50 For whoever will do the will of my Father, who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. [n. 1075]
12:50 Quicumque enim fecerit voluntatem Patris mei, qui in caelis est, ipse meus frater, soror, et mater est. [n. 1075]
1067. In the preceding part, the Lord refuted his adversaries; now he commends the disciples who believe, using the presence of his mother and brothers.
1067. In parte praecedente Dominus confutavit adversarios; nunc commendat discipulos credentes etc. praesentia assumpta matris et fratrum.
First, their presence is set down;
Primo ponitur praesentia;
second, the announcement;
secundo denuntiatio;
third, the commendation of the disciples.
tertio discipulorum commendatio.
1068. It says then, as he was yet speaking.
1068. Dicit ergo adhuc eo loquente.
But here there is a literal question: why is that in Luke where the same words which were said are set down, the words which follow are not set down, but this is added next, and it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: blessed is the womb that bore you (Luke 11:27). And so there seems to be a contrariety.
Sed hic est quaestio litteralis, quare Lc. c. VIII, 19, ubi ponuntur eadem verba quae dicta sunt, non ponuntur verba quae sequuntur, sed subditur: factum est autem cum loqueretur, extollens vocem quaedam mulier et cetera. Et ita videtur esse contrarietas.
Augustine resolves it, saying that without doubt it was said as Matthew describes, that as he was yet speaking, i.e., while he was telling the story. But it could be that it happened as Luke says, and as this Evangelist says. And it could be that Luke anticipated, or referred to the order of his own memory.
Solvit Augustinus: quod absque dubio ita dictum est, ut Matthaeus narrat, quod adhuc eo loquente, idest dum esset in narratione et cetera. Sed potest esse quod contigerit quod Lucas dicit, et quod iste: et potest esse, quod Lucas praeoccupet, vel ad ordinem suae memoriae referat.
1069. Behold his mother and his brethren stood outside. About the mother, there can be no doubt but that it was she who was spoken of in chapter one; but there can be a question about the brothers.
1069. Ecce mater eius, et fratres stabant foris et cetera. De matre nulla dubitatio quin sit illa, de qua dictum est I cap.; de fratribus autem potest esse quaestio.
And because mention is made of the brothers, it is an occasion of the heresy that when the Virgin had begotten Jesus, Joseph knew Mary and begot sons of her; which is a heresy, because she remained a virgin inviolate after the birth. There has also been the opinion that these were Joseph’s sons by another wife. But this amounts to nothing, because we believe that just as the mother of Jesus was a virgin, so was Joseph, because he entrusted a virgin to a virgin; and as it was in the end, so also in the beginning.
Et quia fit mentio de fratribus, ideo est occasio haeresis, quod cum Virgo genuisset Iesum, Ioseph cognovit Mariam et genuit inde filios; quod haereticum est, quia post partum virgo inviolata permansit. Fuit etiam opinio, quod isti essent filii Ioseph de alia uxore. Sed hoc nihil est, quia credimus, quod sicut mater Iesu fuit virgo, sic Ioseph, quia virgini virginem commendavit: et sicut in fine, sic etiam et in principio.
So who are these brothers? Jerome said that men are called brothers in many ways. For some are brothers by nature, as above, and Jacob begot Judas and his brethren (Matt 1:2). Sometimes brothers are those who are of one race: you will set him whom the Lord your God will choose out of the number of your brethren (Deut 17:15). Sometimes by religion, as all Christians, as below (Matt 23:8). And in this way the custom grew up that men of the same religion are called brothers. Sometimes, men of one kinship, as in, that you will save my father and mother, my brethren and sisters (Jos 2:13). Sometimes all men, who are from one Father, namely God; have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then does every one of us despise his brother, violating the covenant of our fathers? (Mal 2:10).
Qui sunt ergo isti fratres? Hieronymus dixit quod fratres dicuntur multis modis. Aliqui enim fratres natura, sicut supra I: Iacob genuit Iudam et fratres eius. Aliquando fratres qui sunt unius gentis: Deut. XVII, 15: non poteris constituere regem, qui non sit frater tuus. Aliquando religione, ut omnes Christiani, ut infra XXIII, 8. Et in hoc inolevit consuetudo quod homines eiusdem religionis dicuntur fratres. Aliquando homines de una parentela, ut Iosue II, 12, detisque mihi signum ut salvetis patrem meum, et matrem, et fratres. Aliquando omnes homines, qui ab uno Patre, scilicet Deo; Mal. II, 10: numquid non est Pater unus omnium? Numquid non Deus unus creavit nos? Quare ergo unusquisque despicit fratrem suum?
These men are not called the Lord’s brothers in any of those ways; therefore they are called brothers in one way, because they are related by blood. Hence Abraham said to Lot, we are brethren (Gen 13:8), although Lot was Abraham’s nephew. These men were brothers in this way, because they were children of his mother’s sister.
Nullo istorum modorum dicuntur hic fratres Domini; ideo uno modo dicuntur fratres, quia consanguinei. Unde Gen. XIII, 8 dixit Abraham ad Lot, fratres enim sumus, quamvis Lot nepos esset Abraham. Sic isti fratres erant, quia consobrini erant.
1070. Next, the announcement of their presence: and one said unto him: behold your mother and your brethren stand outside, seeking you. Why he said this, and why it was necessary, is explained in Luke, because the multitude was so great that they could not enter (Luke 8:19).
1070. Consequenter ponitur denuntiatio poenitentiae eorum dixit autem ei quidam: ecce mater tua et fratres tui foris stant quaerentes te. Quare hoc dixerit, et qua necessitate, exponitur in Luca VIII, 19 quia tanta erat multitudo, quod non poterant intrare.
Mystically, the mother signifies the synagogue; hence, go forth, daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon in the diadem, with which his mother crowned him (Song 3:11). And your brethren, i.e., the Jews, who stand outside abandoning the Christ; my brethren have passed by me (Job 6:15). They seek, but they do not find, as it says, but Israel, by following after the law of justice, is not come unto the law of justice (Rom 9:31).
Mystice per matrem significatur synagoga; unde Cant. III, 11: egredimini, et videte Regem Salomonem in diademate quo coronavit illum mater sua. Et fratres, idest Iudaei, qui foris stant derelinquentes Christum; Iob VI, v. 15: fratres mei dereliquerunt me. Quaerunt, sed non inveniunt, ut habetur ad Rom. c. IX, 31: Israel sectando legem iustitiae, in legem iustitiae non pervenit.
1071. But answering the one who told him. Christ’s response is set down; and he does two things:
1071. At ille respondens et cetera. Ponitur responsio Christi: et duo facit.
first, he refutes the one questioning;
Primo confutat interrogantem;
second, he commends the disciples, at and stretching forth his hand.
secundo commendat discipulos, ibi et extendens manum et cetera.
1072. Now, he himself says, who is my mother, and who are my brethren? From this passage, some have denied that Christ assumed true flesh, but said that he assumed phantastical flesh. Hence they explained it: this is not my mother, nor are these my brothers. Which is contrary to the Apostle: God sent his Son, made of a woman (Gal 4:4). Likewise, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh (Rom 1:3). Likewise, the Lord acknowledged her on the cross: woman, behold your son (John 19:26).
1072. Dicit autem ipse quae est mater mea et qui sunt fratres mei? Ex isto loco quidam negaverunt Christum sumpsisse carnem vere, sed phantastice. Unde exponebant: non est haec mater mea, neque hi fratres mei. Quod est contra Apostolum ad Gal. IV, 4: misit Deus Filium suum factum ex muliere et cetera. Item ad Rom. I, 3: qui factus est ex semine David secundum carnem. Item Dominus eam recognovit in cruce: mulier, ecce filius tuus, ut habetur Io. XIX, 26.
1073. Chrysostom. Why did the Lord say, who is my mother, and who are my brethren? And he says two things, of which one is sound, the other not. For he says that the mother and brothers suffered something human, because when they saw Christ preaching, and the crowd following, they had a feeling of exaltation. So they wanted, as it were, to have a certain glory. So the Lord wanted to show that he did not derive what he was doing from what he had taken from his mother, but from the Father.
1073. Chrysostomus. Quare inquit Dominus: quae est mater mea, et qui sunt fratres mei? Et dicit duo; quorum unum est sanum, aliud non. Dicit enim quod mater et fratres aliquid humanum passi sunt, quia videntes Christum praedicantem, et turbam sequentem, elationem habuerunt; ideo volebant quasi quamdam gloriam habere; ideo Dominus voluit ostendere, quod illud quod faciebat, non habebat ex eo quod assumpserat ex matre, sed ex Patre.
This position is partly sound, for as regards the brothers it is sound, for so it is said, for neither did his brethren believe in him (John 7:5). But it is not sound as regards the Lord’s mother, because it is believed that she never sinned, neither mortally, nor venially; for of her it is said, you are all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in you (Song 4:7). And Augustine: when we treat of sin, I wish to make absolutely no mention of her.
Haec positio partim sana est: nam quantum ad fratres sana est, quia sic habetur Io. c. VII, 5: neque enim fratres eius credebant in eum. Sed de matre Domini non sana est, quia creditur quod numquam peccavit, nec mortaliter, nec venialiter: de ea namque dicitur Cant. IV, 7: tota pulchra es, amica mea, et macula non est in te. Et Augustinus: cum de peccato agitur, nullam prorsus volo de ea fieri mentionem.
1074. So Jerome resolves it another way, saying that the one who announced their presence had announced it treacherously, for he wished to test whether he would so strive after spiritual things that he would not take care of temporal things. So he responds to the disposition. Hence, he would not have loved his mother more unless she had had more spirituality. Hence, he says, who is my mother? He does not deny that she is his mother, but means to forbid inordinate affection. Hence above, he who loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me (Matt 10:37).
1074. Solvit ergo aliter Hieronymus, quod iste qui denuntiavit, insidiose denuntiaverat: volebat enim explorare, an ita intenderet spiritualibus, quod non curaret de temporalibus. Ideo affectui respondet. Unde nec matrem plus dilexisset, nisi plus spiritualitatis habuisset. Unde dicit quae est mater mea? Non eam matrem esse negat, sed intendit prohibere inordinatum affectum. Unde supra X, 37: qui amat patrem aut matrem plusquam me non est me dignus.
1075. Next, the commendation of the disciples is set down. And first, he commends the disciples; second, all believers universally.
1075. Consequenter ponitur commendatio discipulorum. Et primo commendat discipulos; secundo universaliter omnes credentes.
It says then, and stretching forth his hand towards his disciples, he said: behold my mother, as though to say, I love these more than the affection of my mother or brothers; for the affection of the Holy Spirit is to be preferred.
Dicit ergo et extendens manum in discipulos dicit: ecce mater mea; quasi dicat: plus diligo istos quam affectus matris meae vel fratres; praeponendus enim est affectus Spiritus Sancti.
And he did not only extend his hand to those men, but to all. Hence it says, for whoever will do the will of my Father, who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. For he had a heavenly generation and a temporal one; hence he set the heavenly one before the temporal. For those who do the will of my Father, they will hold fast to him according to a heavenly generation. Hence, if you are the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham (John 8:39). For he himself came that he might do his will (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38).
Et non solum extendit ad istos, sed ad omnes. Unde dicitur quicumque fecerit voluntatem Patris mei qui in caelis est, ipse meus frater, soror et mater est. Habebat enim generationem caelestem et temporalem: unde praeponit caelestem temporali. Illi enim qui faciunt voluntatem Patris mei, illi attinent ei secundum generationem caelestem; unde Io. VIII, 39: si filii Abrahae estis, opera Abrahae facite. Ipse enim venit ut faceret voluntatem eius, ut habetur Io. IV, 34: V, 30 et VI, 38.
He says brother as regards the stronger, and sister as regards the weaker.
Frater dicit quantum ad firmiores, et soror quantum ad debiliores.
1076. But why does he say, and mother? One should say that any one of the faithful who does the Father’s will, namely the one who simply obeys, that one is a brother, because he is similar to him who fulfilled the Father’s will. But he who not only does the Father’s will, but converts others, begets Christ in others, and so becomes a mother. Just as vice versa, he who incites others to evil kills Christ in others. The Apostle: my little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ is formed in you (Gal 4:19).
1076. Sed quid est quod dicit et mater est? Dicendum quod quilibet fidelis, qui facit voluntatem Patris, scilicet qui simpliciter obedit, ille frater est, quia similis est ei, qui voluntatem Patris implevit. Qui autem non solum facit, sed alios convertit, generat Christum in aliis, et sic fit mater. Sicut e contra occidit Christum in aliis, qui provocat eos ad malum. Apostolus ad Gal. IV, v. 19: filioli mei, quos iterum parturio, donec formetur Christus in vobis.