9 See on ver. 36, pp. 488 sqq.
10 Mr. Field observes that St. Chrys. repeatedly cites Ecclus. xvi. 3, thus; and that while the Greek is simply, "or one is better than a thousand," the Syriac seems to have read o#ti krei/sswn ei9j poiw=n qe/lhma, &c. So the English version has "for one that is just."
11 1 The sentence is left incomplete: The common editions add, "much more does God."
1 Mr. Field's text omits 'Abraa\m, and has deca/menoj for a0nadeca/menoj.
2 ta\ tou= Qeou=, the acts and words of God.
3 logisa/menoj. The cognate word logismo\j is used throughout for our "reasoning," "calculation."
4 ou0k o!nta e0xari/sato, i.e. Isaac. See Rom. iv. 17, "Before God, in whom he believed, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were" (ta\ mh\ o!nta w9j o!nta); and for the next clause, see ib. ver. 19, "He considered not his own body, now dead, nor yet the deadness of Sarah's womb": to which, so to say, life was restored.
5 [See St. Cyr. Alex. Glaph. 87.]
8 e0n u9podei/gmati, see c. ix. 9, 23.
9 e0n ai0ni/gmati, where one thing is said, and another covertly meant: as the expression is used 1 Cor. xiii. 12, of our present knowledge of the Blessedness of Heaven.
12 This reading, adopted by Mr. Field, is found only in one ms. followed by Savile and the later editions: the other authorities, including Mutianus' version, have, "Seest thou that thou hast not been injured, but injurest?" Perhaps this may be the true reading, St Chrys. in these words turning his address to those who are suffering worldly wrong: and saying that if they patiently endure, they are not the sufferers, but inflict suffering on their oppressors, though the expression a0dikeij is very strong.
13 or, "respects [another], respects," &c.
15 kai\ a!rton ai0tw=n, fhsi/. There is great variation in the mss. of this passage: and possibly the true reading is lost. St. Chrys. partly quotes Ecclus. xxxi. 22 of the Septuagint (xxxiv. 22 of our Version), "He that taketh away his living slayeth his neighbor, and he that defraudeth the hireling of his hire is a blood-shedder." As the text stands we must suppose that he is alluding to sayings which had become proverbial, and that his hearers would supply the words, "is a murderer"; or "is the same."
18 It will be observed that the word pisto\j, "believer," means "one who believes and is baptized": as opposed to the unbaptized, even though they believed and were so religious as to devote themselves to an ascetic life. Also, that at this time there were those who had given themselves up to an ascetic life and still deferred their Baptism, see St. Greg. Naz. Hom. xl. 18. In the later form of the text, this clause has been altered to "So that a Catechumen, even though he be a Monk, is not a brother."
1 or, "bowed himself, made obeisance."
2 That is, Jacob obtained the blessing from Isaac, but did not himself receive the good things bestowed by the blessing. Therefore the good things to come were not those of this world. This is a reply to the second, the alternative, interpretation suggested.
3 a0pw/nanto. This is the reading of the best mss. and the oldest translation. There seems no reason to adopt the later reading a0pw/nato, "he did not enjoy."
4 proseku/nhsen, as Gen. xlvii. 31. The same word also is used in the LXX. in Gen. xxxvii. 7, 9, 10, of Joseph's dreams, where our version has "made obeisance" and "bow down ourselves."