Loading…
VRSZ
This sets the art on your cards and whose commentary you read on each verse. You can change it later in settings.
Translation
Loading…
What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
"Thou art not yet forty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?" So that we conclude that Christ was nearly forty.
Cyril of Alexandria
Utterly without understanding is the Jews' speech, and big with much absurdity, and one may wonder (and with much reason) at their proceeding to so great lack of understanding, as to be utterly unable to conceive as they ought. For though our Saviour Christ had devised full many turns of speech, over and over going through the same words and manifoldly indicating therein His own Eternity, they think no whit more than they see with the eyes of the body, but as though utterly distraught and the whole power of their mind deranged, they …
Theophylact of Ohrid
The Jews, being unable to rise to the meaning of His words, instead of asking and learning about which day He speaks of that Abraham saw, mock Him even more, as though He were saying something senseless. "You are not yet fifty years old," they say, "and You have seen Abraham?" They said this, thinking that the Lord was close to fifty years old, when in fact He was about thirty-three years old. Why did they not say "You are not yet forty years old," but "fifty"? It would be superfluous even to ask about this. …
Western Saints
Gregory the Dialogist
For Abraham saw the day of the Lord when, as a figure of the supreme Trinity, he received three angels as guests; and having received them, he spoke to the three as if to one, because although there is a number of Trinity in the persons, there is a unity of divinity in nature. But the carnal minds of the listeners do not raise their eyes above the flesh, while they consider only the age of His flesh, saying: "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"
Thomas Aquinas
Then (v 57), he shows how the Jews ridiculed Christ's words: first, we have their ridicule, in an attempt to belittle what Christ said; secondly, Christ clarifies what he said in order to counteract this ridicule (v 58). Because Christ had said that Abraham rejoiced that he was to see his day, the Jews, having a carnal mind and considering only his physical age, ridiculed him and said, you are not yet fifty years old. …
Bonaventure
"The Jews therefore said to him." Here, thirdly, as the Jews marveled, he showed his eternity. They marveled at what he said, that Abraham had seen his day; whence they say: "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?" As if to say: this is altogether impossible. And it should be noted that they do not say: Abraham saw you, but you Abraham, as though always esteeming Abraham as greater. Chrysostom puts forty, because according to their estimation the Lord was approaching his fortieth year. …
Translation