Questions And Teaching

Et mittunt ad eum quosdam ex Pharisaeis et Herodianis ut eum caperent in verbo. Qui venientes dicunt ei: magister, scimus quia verax es, et non curas quemquam: nec enim vides in faciem hominum, sed in veritate viam Dei doces. Licet dari tributum Caesari, an non dabimus? Qui venientes dicunt ei ecce dolosa et palpans adulatio Magistrum profitentur, ut dicit Chrysotstomus, cuius nolunt esse discipuli quia causam criminis vel falsiatis quancunque conarentur imponere sibi non potuerunt. Quis ex vobis arguet me de peccato? Deus fidelis et absque ulla iniquitate iustus et rectus. Iusti sunt omnes sermones mei, et non est in eis pravum quid atque perverum ut a veritate devies. Non est tibi cura de aliquo visione personatum acceptionis in qua multi decipiuntur attendentes exteriora, quae parent et humana sunt et multos decipiunt. Nolite in personarum acceptione fidem habere Domini nostri Iesu Christi gloriae. Non est personarum acceptio apud Deum: sed in omni gente, qui timet Deum et operatur iustitiam, acceptus est illi triplici: vitae, doctinae et iudicii. Hoc est, doces: et non est tibi cura de aliquo. Non enim accipis personam hominis a populo libero qui decimas et primitias soluit et vota offerens et sacrificia: et soli Deo se per legem subiecit censum, istis rationibus. Ecce quaestio dolo plena: ut si dicat, quod sensus dandus est, contra libertatem populi et privilegium cultus divini loqui videatur in conspectu Pharisaeorum: qui plus caeteris pro culta legis et libertate populi loquebantur. Si autem diceret, quod non licet, a militibus Herodis, qui principatum sub Caesare habuerunt ac accusabilis teneatur.Dolose egit in conspectu eius, ut inveniatur iniquitas eius ad odium. Verba oris eius iniquitas et dolus. Sanctus Albertus Magnus Commentarium in Marcum, Cap XII Source: Volumen 9, pdf p 392

And they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians that they might snare Him with a word. Coming to Him they said, 'Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and you have no care for anyone, nor do you look on the face of a man, but in truth you teach the way of God. Is it permitted to give tribute to Caesar, or should we not? 1 They who come and speak to Him, behold, they are cunning and probing, though they profess praise for His teaching, so that Chrysostom says that they were unwilling to be pupils; because of evil and falsehood whenever they tried to take it on themselves were unable. 'Who from among you shall dispute with Me on account of sin?' 2 'God is faithful and free from any iniquity, just and right.' 3 'Righteous are all my words, and there is no depravity or perversion in them that you would wander from the truth.' 4 There is no care to you for anyone in the sight of the reception of persons, in which many are deceived, attending to exterior things, things which appear and are human and deceive many. Do not on account of respect of persons hold the faith in Jesus Christ Our Lord of glory. 5 There is no respect for persons with God. But in every people, who fear God and act righteously 6 it is taken up in a threefold manner: life, teaching and judgement. That is, you teach, you have no care for anyone. You have no respect for the person of a man, he who from a free people has given a tenth and first fruit, and offers vows and sacrifices, and it is to God alone through the Law he has subjected himself to the tax. Behold the question is full of cunning, for if He had said that it should be given, He would seem to speak against the freedom of the people and the privilege of the Divine worship in the eyes of the Pharisees, who more than any others spoke up for the keeping of the Law and the freedom of the people. Then if He had said that it was not permitted, he would be held accusable by the soldiers of Herod, he who had his princedom by Caesar . 'He acted cunningly in his own sight, that his iniquity might be found out and hated. The words of his mouth were iniquitous and deceitful.' 7 Saint Albert The Great, Commentary On The Gospel of St Mark, Chap 12 1 Mk 12.13-14 2 Jn 8.46 3 Deut 32.4 4 Prov 8.8-9 5 James 2.1 6 Acts 10.34-25 7 Ps 35.2-3