Iterum assumpsit eum diabolus in montem excelsum valde, usque, et gloriam eorum. Mystice mons iste superbiam diaboli significat, qua ipse deceptus est et alios decipere gestit, et ostendit ei omnia regna mundi. Non ergo ei amplificare poterat visum, aut ignotum aliquid ostendere, sed vanitatem pompae mundanae, quam ipse quasi speciosam diligebat, et ideo in amorem Christo venire desiderabat. Aliter, ostendit ei omnia regna mundi, id est, homines huius saeculi, quorum alii propter fornicationem, alii propter avaritiam decepti, a diabolo reguntur in mundo. Et dixit illi: Haec omnia tibi dabo, si procidens adoraveris me. Antiquus hostis contra primum hominem tribus tentationibus se erexit, id est, gula, vana gloria et avaritia, iisdem vitiis secundum vincere tentavit; gula cum dixerat: Dic, ut lapides isti panes fiant; vana gloria, cum dixit: Mitte te deorsum; avaritia, quando dixit: Haec omnia dabo tibi, si procidens adoraveris me; sed eo modo a secundo victus excessit quo se primum vicisse gloriabatur. Tunc dicit ei Iesus: Vade, Satanas. Subauditur in aeternam damnationem. Si autem secundum aliud exemplar quis voluerit legere, Vade retro, Satanas, potest ita sentire, quod retro anteriora tempora respiciat, quibus sibi reum diabolus tenebat mundum; quasi Dominus diceret: Attende retro, quando decepisti primum hominem, et posteros eius per varios idolorum cultus deludebas, et sufficiat tibi usque huc: nunc autem non solum me subvertere non valebis, sed a potestate quam te habere plaudebas per me proiiceris. Sanctus Beda, In Matthaei Evangelium Expositio, Cap IV |
'Again the devil took him up to an extremely high mountain...and the glory of them.'1 Spiritually the mountain signifies the pride of the devil, by which he himself is deceived, and he brings others here to deceive them, and he shows to Him all the kingdoms of the world. He was not able to reveal to Him something unseen, or to show something unknown, but only the vanity of mundane pomp, the sight of which he himself loved, and so he desired it to induce the love of Christ. In another way he showed to him all the kingdoms of the world, that is, the men of this age, some of whom on account of fornication, some on account of avarice, are deceived and are ruled in the world by the devil. 'And he said to him, I will give you all this if you will fall down and worship me.' The old enemy set three temptations against the first man, that is, gluttony, vainglory and avarice, and with these same vices he tried again to conquer. Gluttony when he said, 'Speak, that these stones become bread.' Vainglory when he said, 'Throw yourself down' Avarice, when he said, 'All this I will give you if you fall down and worship me.' But in this second attempt he was defeated and he who gloried to have conquered the first was driven away. Then Jesus said to him, 'Begone, Satan' Here understand eternal damnation. If however according to another sense someone wished to read it as, 'Get behind me, Satan,' it is possible to understand it in that way, so that behind is before in respect of time when the devil took to himself the erring world; as if the Lord had said: 'Look behind, to when you deceived the first man and after that when you deluded him by various cults of idols, and let that suffice for you. Now you are not only unable to overthrow me, but by a power which you rejoiced to have you are thrown down by me.' Saint Bede,Commentary on Matthew, Chap 4 |
1. Mt 4.8
No comments:
Post a Comment