St Matthew Chapter XXIV : Verses 15-28
Contents
- Matt. xxiv. 15-28. Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
- Notes on the text.
Matt. xxiv. 15-28
 |
| Behold I have told it to you, beforehand. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
Cum ergo videritis abominationem desolationis, quae dicta est a Daniele propheta, stantem in loco sancto, qui legit, intelligat :
16 Then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains:
tunc qui in Judæa sunt, fugiant ad montes :
17 And he that is on the housetop, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house:
et qui in tecto, non descendat tollere aliquid de domo sua :
18 And he that is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat.
et qui in agro, non revertatur tollere tunicam suam.
19 And woe to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days.
Væ autem praegnantibus et nutrientibus in illis diebus!
20 But pray that your flight be not in the winter, or on the sabbath.
Orate autem ut non fiat fuga vestra in hieme, vel sabbato :
21 For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be.
erit enim tunc tribulatio magna, qualis non fuit ab initio mundi usque modo, neque fiet.
22 And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened.
Et nisi breviati fuissent dies illi, non fieret salva omnis caro : sed propter electos breviabuntur dies illi.
23 Then if any man shall say to you: Lo here is Christ, or there, do not believe him.
Tunc si quis vobis dixerit : Ecce hic est Christus, aut illic : nolite credere.
24 For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect.
Surgent enim pseudochristi, et pseudoprophetæ : et dabunt signa magna, et prodigia, ita ut in errorem inducantur ( si fieri potest) etiam electi.
25 Behold I have told it to you, beforehand.
Ecce prædixi vobis.
26 If therefore they shall say to you: Behold he is in the desert, go ye not out: Behold he is in the closets, believe it not.
Si ergo dixerint vobis : Ecce in deserto est, nolite exire; Ecce in penetralibus, nolite credere.
27 For as lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth even into the west: so shall the coming of the Son of man be.
Sicut enim fulgur exit ab oriente, et paret usque in occidentem : ita erit et adventus Filii hominis.
28 Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together.
Ubicumque fuerit corpus, illic congregabuntur et aquilæ
Notes
15. When therefore you shall see. This must be understood to mean, “ when you shall see the signs that shall be the precursors of the abomination.” Jesus now replies vaguely to His disciples’ question, When shall these things be ? by pointing out certain “ signs.”
abomination of desolation. This is a reference to Dan. ix. 27 : The victim and the sacrifice shall fail; and there shall he in the temple the abomination of desolation; and the desolation shall continue even to the consummation and to the end. Most commentators agree that these words apply —
(а) To the Roman eagles, which were set up on the very site of the Temple.
(b) To the horrible immoralities, murders, and sacrileges perpetrated by the Zealots (see Zealots, Bk. 11.),
St Luke really connects the abomination of desolation with the armies of Rome, since he says. And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed about with an army ; then know that the desolation thereof is at hand (xxi. 20).
he that readeth, let him understand. Some writers consider these words as inserted parenthetically by the Evangelist, others take them as the words of Christ, exhorting His disciples to meditate on the prophecy of Daniel. Our Lord often introduced such parenthetical clauses, e.g. He that hath ears to hear, etc., and again in this chapter, verse 24 (if possible).
16. Then. When they see the predicted signs,
they that are in Judea. Eusebius relates that the Christians received supernatural warnings when they were to flee, and that St Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem, with many Christians, fled to the territories of King Agrippa, particularly to Pella beyond the Jordan. This warning probably refers to the time when Gallus besieged the city in Oct, A.D. 69, since, when Titus encompassed it, there was no means of escape. It may refer, however, to the time when the Christians should hear that Titus’ army was near at hand, and the abomination was likely to be set up in the holy city. St Luke develops this counsel further : Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains : and those who are in the midst thereof depart out ; and those who are in the countries, not enter into it (xxi. 21). The horrors of the siege of Jerusalem were greatly increased by the thousands who fled into the city for refuge before it was blockaded.
to the mountains. Where the numerous caves would afford them shelter.
17. not come down to take, etc. Those on the tops of the houses could escape by passing over the roofs, but as each housetop was marked off by a fence, this would have impeded their flight ; they could descend by the exterior staircase. They were not to flee laden with goods, but to leave all, as men whose lives were at stake.
18. he that is in the field. The labourer would put off his “abba” or outer cloak while working in the fields. This he was to leave behind and escape as he was. Both verses 17 and 18 express the extreme haste of the flight.
19. wo to them that, etc. These tribulations would be terrible for women and children, because the former could not escape so quickly from the dangers, and also because, whereas in most wars the women and children are protected, in the destruction of Jerusalem they would be treated most barbarously. Our Lord may also be referring to the awful famine that was experienced at the time of the siege, when mothers devoured their own children.
20. not in the winter. When the streams inundated the land, and would thus hinder their flight, while the cold of winter would add to their sufferings. The first siege of Jerusalem, under Gallus, was in October, in a fine season. This siege was raised, and the Romans effectually renewed their attack the following April. Hence these things happened not in the winter.
or on the sabbath. Probably on account of the prohibition to go further than 2000 cubits on the Sabbath-day.
Though the Jewish converts were not bound by this law, still in the earliest ages of Christianity it was necessary to make some concession to Jewish customs and prejudices, and things which were lawful were not always expedient for Christians. The law concerning a “ Sabbath-day’s journey ” did not hold good when life was at stake, but the more rigid Jews refused to accept this relaxation of the traditional precept.
Note. — Verses 21-28. This passage has excited much controversy, and commentators are not at all agreed as to the meaning. Three opinions are put forward —
(a) It refers, like the preceding six verses, to the destruction of Jerusalem.
(b) It refers exclusively to the end of the world.
(c) It concerns both, inasmuch as the destruction of Jerusalem and its awful tribulations are typical of the greater tribulations which must precede the last day. Therefore these verses have a double signification.
21. great tribulation, such as, etc. Josephus uses almost these very words. “ The misfortunes of all men from the beginning of the world, if they be compared to those of the Jews, are not so terrible as theirs were .... nor did any age ever produce a generation more fruitful in wickedness from the beginning of the world .... nor did it on any account so much deserve condemnation, as by producing such a generation of men as were the occasion of this its overthrow.”
St Luke gives the development of this passage : For there shall he great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword: and shall he led away captives into all nations: and Jerusalem shall he trodden down by the gentiles : till the times of the nations he fulfilled.
22. had been shortened. These words are generally understood to refer to the number of the days, though a few interpret this to mean that the days should be diminished in length.
no flesh should he saved. Two meanings are assigned to these words. Some writers understand them to refer to the total extermination of the Jews, unless the Lord had shortened the days : others apply the words no flesh to all men, and conclude that if God had not determined to shorten the duration of the tribulations which must precede the last judgment, even the elect would not be able to persevere.
for the sake of the elect. For the sake of those who love and serve God. The elect has been variously interpreted —
(1) The Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity.
(2) Those Jews who should be converted to Christianity after the fall of Jerusalem.
(3) Those descendants of the Jews who should embrace Christianity.
(4) The whole body of the Church militant that shall live to witness Christ’s Second Coming.
those days shall he shortened, — i.e. writers see the fulfilment of these words (as applied to Jerusalem) in the fact that —
(1) The Zealots by their folly hastened the downfall of the doomed city, since they burnt the provisions which would have enabled them to withstand the siege.
(2) They killed those who could have ably conducted the defence of the city.
(3) They abandoned their impregnable towers.
(4) They consumed their energies in intestine feuds and wars.
(5) The Romans for their part “ shortened ” the days of the siege by their rapid movements and energetic measures. Thus Titus enclosed the city by a wall live miles in length and built thirteen fortified garrisons in the brief space of three days. The final siege did not last quite five months.
Note. — Those writers who see in verse 22 only a reference to the last day argue that the events mentioned above merely hastened the doom of the unfortunate Jews, and that the “elect” (the Christians) were not thereby relieved, since they fled to the mountains and were not in Jerusalem during those days of bloodshed, and that the “converted Jews” could not, by the smallness of their numbers, be considered to constitute the elect.
23. Then, — i.e. this refers to the time which was to intervene between the destruction of Jerusalem and the consummation of the age, the former event being the type, and the latter the antitype. The parallelism between the two events is given as follows in the Cambridge Greek Testament : —
The Fall of Jerusalem (ver. 5-22). The Second Advent (ver. 23-31).
(1) False Christs and false prophets (ver. 5-11). (1) False Christs and false prophets (ver. 23, 24).
(2) Persecution and apostasy (ver, 9, 10-12). (2) Danger even to the elect (ver. 24).
(3) Wars, famine, pestilence '(ver. 6, 7). (3) Distress of nations (ver. 29).
(4) Great tribulation (ver. 21). (4) The sun and the moon darkened (ver. 29).
(5) The abomination of desola¬ tion (ver. 15). (5) The sign of the Son of man (ver. 30).
(6) The escape of the Christians (ver. 16-18). (6) The salvation of the elect (ver. 31).
Lo, here is Christ, etc. These impostors will endeavour to seduce men from their allegiance to Christ, and the final assault will be made when antichrist comes at the end of time, of whom St Paul says his coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders (2 Thes. ii. 9).
Note. — Catholics are not allowed to believe in those predictions which determine the time and place of Christ's second coming. As regards the time, we have our Lord’s words that of that day or hour no man knoweth : as regards the place, we know that it will not be in any particular country, but universal : as a snare shall it come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth (St Luke xxi. 35).
24. insomuch as to deceive, etc. In prophetic vision St John saw that All that dwell uponthe earth adored him (i.e. antichrist) whose names are not written in the book of life (Apoc. xiii. 8). The elect, i.e. the faithful children of the Church, are preserved from error, as long as they remain in the One Fold and obey their chief Pastor and other spiritual superiors.
25. Behold I have told, etc. As the disciples were prepared for these tribulations, their faith would not waver. By His timely warnings, Jesus had marked out their line of conduct in the hour of danger and consoled them by His promises. The apostles, except St John (who was not in Judea then), did not live to see the destruction of Jerusalem, and the words take you heed were written for those who should witness the beginnings of sorrows that were to fall upon the doomed city and for those who shall live till the end of the world.
26. he is in the desert. “ Christ speaks of two opposite places, the desert, and the closet, the most secret and private part of the house, to shew that in whatever manner, in whatever garb, in whatever place, another Christ may come, they are not to believe him” (Maldonatus, vol, ii. p. 283).
in the closets. Better, “secret chambers” (ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις).
27. For as lightning cometh. As the lightning flashes forth unexpectedly and is seen by all, so Christ will manifest Himself at His second coming when men least expect Him, and then every eye shall see Him in the splendour of His Majesty. Men and angels announced His first coming, but at His second Advent no forerunners will be needed.
28. Wheresoever the body, etc. Three meanings have been suggested : —
1. Wheresoever corrupted humanity shall live, there shall the angels of heaven be employed in separating the just from the sinners.
2. Wheresoever the glorious body of the Son of man shall appear at His Second Coming, there shall the eagles, i.e. the just souls, gather around Him and cling unto His standard (Origen, SS. Ambrose, Hilary, Jerome).
3. Wheresoever the body of the Son of man shall be under the Eucharistic species, there shall the eagles, i.e. the holy souls of the Church, gather to nourish their souls by it (St Ambrose).
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
No comments:
Post a Comment