Fathers

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What the Fathers say

Luke 4:18

Eastern Fathers

John Chrysostom

The word captivity has many meanings. There is a good captivity, which St. Paul speaks of when he says, Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5.) There is a bad captivity also, of which it is said, Leading captive silly women laden with sins. (2 Tim. 3:6.) There is a captivity present to the senses, that is by our bodily enemies. But the worst captivity is that of the mind, of which he here speaks. …

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Basil of Caesarea

Or, He came to heal the broken hearted, i. e. to afford a remedy to those that have their heart broken by Satan through sin, because beyond all other things sin lays prostrate the human heart.

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Athanasius of Alexandria

He says this to explain to us the cause of the revelation made to the world, and of His taking upon Him the human nature. For as the Son, though He is the giver of the Spirit, does not refuse to confess as man that by the Spirit He casts out devils, so, inasmuch as He was made man, He does not refuse to say, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Western Saints

Ambrose of Milan

You see the Trinity coeternal and perfect. The Scripture speaks of Jesus as perfect God and perfect man. It speaks of the Father, and the Holy Spirit, who was shown to be a cooperator, when in a bodily form as a dove He descended upon Christ.

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Bede

He is sent also to preach the Gospel to the poor, saying, Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Or, because it is written, A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise. (Ps. 51:17.) He says therefore, that He is sent to heal the broken hearted, as it is written, Who heals the broken hearted. (Ps. 147:3.) It follows, And to preach deliverance to the captives. Or, to set at liberty them that are bruised; i. e. to relieve those who had been heavy laden with the intolerable burden of the Law.

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Bonaventure

1. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach release to the captives and opening to those who are shut up. As we consider some text that might introduce us into the Gospel of blessed Luke, none seems more fitting than that which blessed Luke himself reports Christ the Lord to have taken up at the beginning of his preaching, namely the proposed text, which is written in Luke chapter four and is taken from Isaiah …

Commentary on Luke, Prooemium ↗