Historical chapter commentary
Verse 3. Whatever we offer to the Almighty with a good intention is acceptable to him; for he regards not the gift, but the heart of the giver. Ven. Bede.—God does not appreciate the smallness of the gift, but the greatness of the affection with which it is offered. Saint John Chrysostom hom. i. ad Hebræos.
Verse 6. It was by the divine dispensation of Providence that this city and temple were destroyed; for had the ancient rites and sacrifices continued, some that were but weak in their faith, might have been filled with astonishment at the sight of these different modes of worship, existing at the same time, and thus have been lead astray from the path of truth. Ven. Bede.
Verse 7. Master, when shall these things be? and so forth See the annotations, Matthew 24:3. Witham.
Verse 8. In my name. They shall not say that they belong to me, or that I sent them: but they shall take to themselves my name, that is Christ, or Messias, which title is incommunicable to any but myself. In effect, in less than two centuries, there appeared many false Christs and impostors, who pretended to be the one that was to come, the desired of nations. Calmet.—Perhaps this prophecy is yet to be more expressly fulfilled before the dissolution of the world. Many pious and learned Christians suppose this passage to refer to the time of Antichrist. A.
Verse 11. Terrors from heaven. Josephus, in his history of this war, in which Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, (lib. vii, chapter 12) relates, at length, many of the prodigies which were the forerunners of the dreadful end of this unfortunate city. During a whole year a meteor, like a flaming sword, was seen impending over the city. There were likewise seen in the air, appearances of chariots and numerous armies, which pressed one upon another. On the night of Pentecost, the priests, after a confused noise, heard distinctly these words, “Let us go hence;” which are supposed to have been spoken by the angels, who had hitherto guarded and protected the holy city, but now were taking their leave of it. Josephus was in the Roman camp, before the city, during the siege, and an eye-witness of what passed on the occasion. A.
Verse 12. This verse is spoken to the apostles alone; and was verified, by most of them having been martyred and put to death, before the destruction of Jerusalem. Calmet.
Verse 15. I will give, and so forth In some parts it is said, that Christ himself will speak by the mouths of his disciples, as in this passage of Saint Luke; in other places, as S. Matt. Calmet. 16 that the Father will speak; and S. Matt. Calmet. 10 that the Spirit of the Father will speak. In these different texts there is no contradiction, but a most perfect harmony. What one of the divine Persons says, all three say; for the voice of the Trinity is only one. Saint Ambrose.
Verse 18. A hair of your head, and so forth A hair shall not perish from the head of the disciples of Christ; because not only their most heroic actions, and their public confessions of his name, but even their passing thoughts shall be crowned with adequate rewards. Ven. Bede.
Verse 19. In your patience, and so forth We then truly possess our souls, when we live in all things perfect, and from the citadel of virtue command and control all the motions of the mind and heart. Saint Gregory Mag. Moral. v. chapter 13.
Verse 22. Days of vengeance, and so forth These are truly the days of vengeance; days, that will arise to punish this people for having spilt the blood of the Lord. Ven. Bede.
Verse 24. Whoever reads Josephus’s history of the calamities which befell Jerusalem before its destruction, will find none of these terrible menaces unfulfilled. Seventy thousand were carried away captives in this war. After the soldiers were weary of killing, Titus ordered the finest of the young men to be kept to adorn his triumph. The number of captive Jews was so great in Rome, as to make the heathen poet, Rutilius Numantianus, who lived about the year 410, complain of it as a great burden to the empire.
Atque utinam nunquam Judea subacta fuisset
Pompeii bellis, imperioque Titi;
Latius excisæ pestis contagia serpunt
Victoresque suos natio victa premit.
—Trodden down, and so forth After Jerusalem had been taken and destroyed by the Romans, another city was built from its ruins, called Ælia, after the name of the emperor Ælius Adrian. This was inhabited by pagans and some Christians for the Jews were forbidden even to come near it, for more than two or three centuries. Tertullian informs us, that they even bought, at a great price, permission to see it at a distance, and drop a tear over the ashes of their ancient and ill-fated country. Thus was Jerusalem trodden under foot, till the time of the nations was accomplished; that is, till Christianity, in every nation, had triumphed over the persecution of paganism. Calmet.—Till the times of the nations be fulfilled. According to the common exposition of this, and some other places, the Jews from the time of the destruction of their temple and city, under Titus Vespasian; and especially from their utter destruction under the emperor Adrian, in punishment of their obstinate blindness, shall remain dispersed through the world under miseries and oppressions, till the gospel hath been preached to all nations; then, not long before the end of the world, the Jews shall be converted, and acknowledge Jesus to be their true Messias. See Romans 11:25. Witham.
Verse 26. The powers of heaven, and so forth Some explain this of the angels, who shall be terrified and tremble at the sight of so many calamities. Others understand it of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, stars, and so forth which shall in some sort, likewise, be confused in the general dissolution. The prophets often make use of such expressions, when speaking of the fall of monarchies, or the ruin of nations. The heavens shall be astonished and moved, and so forth Ezekiel 32:7. Joel 3:15. Calmet.
Verse 27. The Jews shall not see him corporally, but at the last judgment. Then, says the Scripture, (Zach. 12:10) They shall see him whom they pierced with nails. But in the ruin of Jerusalem, all who will compare his predictions with the event, can evidently see that this was the day of his coming, so plainly marked in his words. Every body could see that this was evidently the hand of God that punished them. Calmet.
Verse 37. In the mount that is called Olivet. In this last week, Christ, after preaching in the day-time in the temple, when constantly in the evenings to pray in the garden of Gethsemani, as Judas knew very well. See Calmet. 22 verse 39. Witham.
literally, “two lepta.” 2 lepta was about 1% of a day’s wages for an agricultural laborer.
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