Commentary on Matthew

Description

When the writing of Latin biblical commentaries was still in its infancy, a young bishop from Poitiers, in Gaul, penned a passage-by-passage exposition on the Gospel of Matthew. It is the first of its kind to have survived almost completely intact. Published now for the first time in English translation, Hilary's commentary offers a close look at Latin theology and exegesis before the Nicene Creed was considered the sole standard of orthodoxy. Likely the earliest of Hilary's writings, this commentary has none of the polemic against the "Arians" that figured so prominently in most of his later works. Nonetheless, there exists in this text an oft-stated concern with those who interpreted the Incarnation as grounds for construing Christ as only a man rather than professing Christ as God and man. Other noteworthy features of the commentary include Hilary's interest in the relation between Law and Gospel and his articulation of a Pauline-based view of justification by faith. In his view, the importance of the Law before the Gospel was indisputable and necessary. For Jews, it was considered the way of redemption. With the advent of Christ, it became an eschatological guide directing all future believers into the grace that comes by faith. Hilary's emphasis on God's righteousness conferred on a helpless race represents a far more pronounced application of Paul's thought than in any previous Latin writer. ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR: D. H. Williams is professor of patristics and historical theology at Baylor University. His publications include books and articles on early Christian thought and literature, as well as studies that seek to integrate the ancient Christian legacy with contemporary theology. He is the editor of The Church's Bible: Commentary on Matthew. Acknowledgments vii Abbreviations ix Select Bibliography xi INTRODUCTION Introduction 3 COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW Chapter One 41 Chapter Two 48 Chapter Three 54 Chapter Four 59 Chapter Five 74 Chapter Six 85 Chapter Seven 90 Chapter Eight 97 Chapter Nine 103 Chapter Ten 110 Chapter Eleven 129 Chapter Twelve 138 Chapter Thirteen 153 Chapter Fourteen 158 Chapter Fifteen 170 Chapter Sixteen 177 vi Contents Chapter Seventeen 185 Chapter Eighteen 193 Chapter Nineteen 200 Chapter Twenty 208 Chapter Twenty-One 218 Chapter Twenty-Two 229 Chapter Twenty-Three 234 Chapter Twenty-Four 240 Chapter Twenty-Five 248 Chapter Twenty-Six 254 Chapter Twenty-Seven 259 Chapter Twenty-Eight 267 Chapter Twenty-Nine 268 Chapter Thirty 270 Chapter Thirty-One 273 Chapter Thirty-Two 282 Chapter Thirty-Three 287 APPENDICES and Indices Appendix I 297 Appendix II 298 General Index 302 Index of Holy Scripture 309