Fragments on Matthew

Fragmenta in Matthaeum · Ὠριγένους εἰς τὸ κατὰ Ματθαῖον εὐαγγέλιον

Staged: the pieces at Matt 1:18, 7:6, 7:10, 8:11, 11:12, 12:14-15, 13:44. Not staged: pieces after Matt 13 (Migne prints only Latin there).

1.18The fragment distinguishes Christ's “genesis” (Matt 1:1) from his “birth” (Matt 1:18) and explains what he took from each.
7.6Asking, seeking, and knocking are read as prayer, learning the way of virtue, and works, by which the hidden sense of Scripture is opened.
7.10The bread and fish of Matt 7:9–11 are read as kinds of knowledge, and the “good gifts” are identified with the Holy Spirit of Luke 11:13.
8.11The “many” of Matt 8:11 who come from the nations are reconciled with the “few” who find the narrow road.
11.12“The least in the kingdom of heaven” of Matt 11:11 is read as Christ himself, lesser in his hearers' eyes but greater than John.
12.14Only those who go out from Jesus plot to destroy him, and whoever does so is a “son of destruction.”
12.15Jesus' withdrawal and his order to keep his healings quiet (Matt 12:15–16) show restraint and humility, not fear.
13.44The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl, and the net (Matt 13:44–50) are read as Christ hidden in the Scriptures and the gathering of the nations.

About this work

Author: Origen
Attribution: disputed · Excerpts attributed to Origen in catenae on Matthew, printed by Migne; the originals are lost and some may be wrongly assigned. Only the Greek pieces with a readable chapter and verse heading are staged; the Latin text printed beside them is not.
Standing: Not honoured as a saint or in a church calendar by the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant traditions. Deposed by Demetrius of Alexandria (ca. 231) but kept as teacher by the churches of Caesarea and Jerusalem; condemned only long after his death.
Date: ca. 220-254 (approximate) · Date of the original works, which are lost; the excerpts come from later catenae.
Written at: Caesarea, Palestine (probable)
Language: Greek
Genre: commentary
Reference system: chapter.verse of Matthew as headed by Migne (a second piece on the same verse takes a letter)
SBL abbreviation: Frag. Matt.Not yet checked
Clavis: CPG 1450 (not yet checked)
Text from: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 17 (Paris, 1857) (Printed edition in the public domain; Internet Archive OCR of a public-domain scan)