13. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them; and seeking to seize him they feared the crowds, since they held him [to be] a prophet ^[182]. When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, the first of which was “A certain man had two sons” ^[183], and the next, “There was a landowning man who planted a vineyard” ^[184], they knew that he was speaking about them: with regard to the first parable, what he said about the second son, “‘I will, Lord’, but he did not go” ^[185], and with regard to the next [parable] that, since in accordance with the things recorded it was said against the first group of tenants who were sinning, <Jesus said,> “the kingdom of God will be taken from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruit” ^[186]. And knowing that he was speaking about them, they sought to seize him and to do to him whatever they could then; but they were unable, since they were not of the sort to stand up to the opinion of the crowds who held Jesus [to be] a prophet. And these people desired to seize the Word treacherously, so that having seized him they might destroy him, [but] they would not at that time seize <nor even kill> him, [because] the crowds supposed him [to be] some sort of prophet of God, [and thus the crowds] restrained those who desired to seize him and to plot against him.

After these things one must observe that there are differences among those who are seeking to seize Jesus. For it is one thing for the chief priests and the Pharisees to seek to seize him, and another thing when the bride in the Song of Songs ^[187] [tries] with difficulty at one point to find him “in the markets and in the open places,” after <she> sought for him and arose and went about in the city. Then a little later she eluded those guarding and surrounding “the city,” and when she found him she seized him, then she says: “I seized him and I would not let him go, until they brought him unto the house of my mother and unto the inner chamber of her who conceived me”. But this <same> bride who at the beginning of the Song of Songs says “I seized him […]^[29] for the house of my mother and unto the inner chamber of her who conceived me” ^[188], towards the end of the same book, as though pursuing him another time and about to seize him in a better way than the first time, says, “I said, I will ascend in the palm tree, I will seize his heights” ^[189]. ^But in order that you might understand the chief priests and Pharisees who are seeking to seize him and yet do not seize him, you should observe that when it comes to words that are other than the word of Christ to seize is as it were to grasp^[31] <and to divide> the meaning^[32] (of those who are opining on whatever [subject]) and with deliberation^[33] to overthrow it and (as the Scripture terms it) to come to terms [with it] ^[190]. *** For just as he who is wise according to the gospel, who as a “spiritual person” judges “all things, but” is judged “by no one” ^[191], judges and tests and reproves other words whether of the sages of the world, or of those who seem to be eminent in heresies, but the mind of Christ in him is not condemned nor apprehended nor seized by those who intend to overthrow it: “for who knows the mind of the Lord, who will instruct him?” ^[192].^^[34] [So] also it is clear that, since someone who is about to instruct the mind of someone, he must first know him and after this he will instruct; but “who” will know “the mind of the Lord, who will instruct him”? For he will be caught by him and he will yield to him. These are the things that I would offer in regard to [the passage], And seeking to seize him they feared the crowds, since they held him [to be] a prophet.

14. While indeed the crowds may speak well of Jesus, [in that] they perceive something true about him, yet they by no means understand his greatness. For Jesus was indeed a prophet, as is evident to the one who understands, “A prophet from your brothers the Lord your God will raise up for you like me; Him shall you hear in all things such as” this prophet “will speak” ^[193]. He “who does not listen to this prophet will be utterly destroyed” ^[194]. Yet his supremacy was not that he was a prophet but in the fact that he is Son of God, firstborn “of all creation” and image “of the invisible God,” in whom “all things in heaven and on earth were created, whether visible or invisible,” etc. ^[195]. And even more so, his supremacy comes from the fact that he himself is Wisdom who says, “God acquired me a beginning of his ways for his works” ^[196][36], before making anything, and “before the age he founded me in the beginning, before making the earth,” etc. ^[197]. Because these crowds were thinking this way^[37] about him and were prepared to fight on his behalf against those would fight [against him], the chief priests and the Pharisees feared [the crowd] and were unable to seize him, despite conspiring with the intention to seize Jesus. Here therefore it is written: since they held him [to be] a prophet; and by this you should conclude that the crowds, even though according to the text they held him [to be] a prophet, which while holding him to be something he indeed was^[38] yet in so doing they held him to be much less than he actually is, they had not come either to the knowledge “in part” of those who know him “in part” ^[198] nor were they clear concerning his <dignity>.

Now I say this concerning those who hold a true way of thinking concerning him. For we must not consider that they are “for” him^[39] who think false things concerning him with the notion of glorifying him, such as those who conflate the understanding of Father and Son, supposing the Father and the Son to be one in subject [τῇ ὑποστάσει ἕνα], distinguishing the one subject [τὸ ἓν ὑποκείμενον]^[40] with concept alone and with names <alone>.^[41] Indeed those from the heretical sects who by an imagination of thinking great things concerning him speak “unrighteousness unto the height” ^[199] and say wicked things about the Creator are not “for” him, for they are not “with” him and therefore are “against” him, for he says, “the one who is not with me is against me” ^[200]. Thus if those who do not think in a true way about the Son might gather in the name of Jesus, they scatter rather than gather. For the Savior says, “The one who does not gather with me scatters” ^[201]. But you should also attend that it is not simply said, “The one who does not gather scatters,” but with the precise addition of “with me,” for it is necessary that he who gathers does so with Him. You will understand [what it means for] one to gather with him should you inquire into [the passage], “when you are gathered, along with my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus to deliver over such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh” ^[202], for “when you are gathered, along with my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus” indicates the one who is gathering with him. You would not say that “when you are gathered in the power of the Lord Jesus” agrees with those who either gather together in a wicked manner of life or are gathered with a wicked or impious manner of thinking concerning God or his Christ.

[We have said] these things on account of the crowds who are said to have held him [to be] a prophet, and are “for” him yet are entertaining opinions about Jesus that are much inferior to his [actual] dignity. Were you to inquire about this passage [in Matthew] in connection with the narrative of Luke that covers the same matters in (I think) a clearer way, you would confirm the things we have just said. The [narrative] says, “And he was teaching daily in the temple, and the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people were seeking to destroy him, yet they were finding no way to do anything, for the whole people was spellbound as they listened to him”^{[42] [203]}. For in this passage it is indicated that those who are unlawful leaders of the Jewish crowds^[43] (who are named chief priests) and the scribes (who are hostile to Jesus) and the elders of the people are seeking Jesus to destroy him and to erase his name from among men along with the faith concerning him. But they were finding no way to do what they wanted to accomplish, since the whole people had previously received and believed on him and were devoted in their love for Jesus and were spellbound as they listened to his teaching and his discourse (τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ). One should also observe that up to this point there is a certain figural pattern (τίνα τρόπον), with those who perform the service of God as his chief priests, and the divine Scripture as scribes, and the leadership as elders of the people seeking to condemn him, <and> they are seeking to destroy Jesus and to erase his reputation, doing all this as though in lockstep with the counsel of their ancestors, except they find no way to do anything, such that they might drive away from him the people that are devoted to Jesus and might expunge him from their mind.

Perhaps indeed all those who hold that sort of opinion concerning the deity and who rule as elder in a way foreign to the teaching of Jesus concerning it, desire to destroy Jesus, but they are not able, since the whole crowd is spellbound when they hear him. But also those who attend to any writings whatever whose wisdom is from whatever time and because of this are called figuratively scribes, they desire to destroy Jesus from humanity, yet they find nothing they can do to bring this about. And all the elders, <the> learned men [λόγιοι] of the Greeks and barbarians <that are foreign> to the teaching of Jesus, desire to destroy Jesus, but they are unable to prevail over the whole people of Jesus, which is spellbound to the Teacher when they hear him and perceive together his teaching. Mark also suggests similar things, when he says, “And the chief priests and the scribes heard, and they sought how they might destroy him, for they were afraid of him because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching” ^[204].^[44] For the whole people of Christ is astonished “at his teaching,” and the aforementioned chief priests and scribes are not able to do anything when they seek to destroy Jesus from humanity and to diffuse the astonishment of his whole people.