Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 22:23-33

"On that day there came to him Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection: and they asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first married and deceased, and having no seed left his wife unto his brother; in like manner the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And after them all, the woman died. In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. But Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not [the God] of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching." — Matthew 22:23-33 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: After the disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians were refuted, the Sadducees came forward next, when the defeat of those before them should have held them back. But arrogance is shameless, stubborn, and willing to attempt the impossible. So the Evangelist, wondering at their folly, makes this observation: "The same day the Sadducees came to him."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: As soon as the Pharisees were gone, the Sadducees came, perhaps with a similar intent, for there was a rivalry among them over who would be the first to seize Him. Or, if they could not overcome Him by argument, they hoped that by their persistence they might at least wear down His mind.

St. Jerome: There were two sects among the Jews: the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees claimed a righteousness based on traditions and observances, which is why the people called them "separate." The Sadducees (a word interpreted as "righteous") also presented themselves as something they were not. While the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the body and soul and acknowledged both angels and spirits, the Sadducees, according to the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 23:8)ⁱ, denied all of these, as it is also said here: who say that there is no resurrection.

Origen of Alexandria: They not only denied the resurrection of the body but also took away the immortality of the soul.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: For the Devil, finding himself unable to completely crush the religion of God, introduced the sect of the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection of the dead. This undermined the entire purpose of a righteous life, for who would endure a daily struggle against himself unless he looked to the hope of the resurrection?

St. Gregory the Great: But there are those who, observing that the spirit is released from the body, that the flesh turns to decay, that the decay is reduced to dust, and that the dust dissolves back into the elements until it is unseen by human eyes, despair of the possibility of a resurrection. As they look upon the dry bones, they doubt that they can be clothed with flesh and be brought to life again. ¹

St. Augustine of Hippo: But the earthy matter from which human flesh is made does not perish in the sight of God. No matter into what dust or ashes it is reduced, into what gases or vapors it is dispersed, or into what other bodies it is incorporated—even if it dissolves into the elements or becomes food for animals or other people—it is in a moment of time restored to the human soul that first gave it life, so that it became a man, lived, and grew. ²

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But the Sadducees thought they had discovered a most convincing argument in support of their error.

St. John Chrysostom: Because death seemed a pure evil to the Jews, who did everything for the sake of this present life, Moses ordered that the wife of a man who died without sons should be given to his brother. This was so that a son might be born to the dead man through his brother, ensuring his name would not perish, which was some consolation for death. ³

No one other than a brother or close relative was commanded to take the wife of the deceased. Otherwise, the child born would not have been considered the son of the dead man. This was also because a stranger would have no interest in establishing the household of the deceased, unlike a brother, who was obligated by kinship to do so.

St. Jerome: Since they disbelieved the resurrection of the body and supposed that the soul perished with it, they invented a fable to show the foolishness of believing in a resurrection. They put forward this base story to overthrow the truth of the resurrection, concluding with the question, "In the resurrection, whose wife shall she be?" It is possible, however, that such a case could have actually occurred among their people.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Mystically, these seven brothers represent the wicked, who could not produce the fruit of righteousness on the earth through all the seven ages of the world during which this earth exists. For afterward, this earth will also pass away, and through it all seven brothers passed, remaining unfruitful. ⁴

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Wisely, He first convicts them of folly for not reading the Scriptures, and afterward of ignorance for not knowing God. For diligence in reading produces knowledge of God, while ignorance is the offspring of neglect.

St. Jerome: They err, therefore, because they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

Origen of Alexandria: He says there are two things they do not know: the Scriptures and the power of God, through which the resurrection and the new life within it are brought about.

Alternatively, by "the power of God," which the Lord here convicts the Sadducees of not knowing, He means Himself, who was the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:24)ⁱ. They did not know Him because they did not know the Scriptures that spoke of Him; for that reason, they also did not believe in the resurrection, which He would bring about. But it is asked, when the Savior says, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures," does He mean that the text, "they neither marry nor are given in marriage," is found somewhere in Scripture, even though it is not read in the Old Testament? We would say that while these exact words are not found, the truth is mysteriously implied in the moral sense of Scripture. The Law, which is "a shadow of the good things to come," whenever it speaks of husbands and wives, speaks primarily of spiritual marriage.

Nor do I find it stated anywhere in Scripture that the saints, after their departure, shall be like the angels of God, unless one understands this also to be inferred morally. This might be implied where it is said, "And you shall go to your fathers" (Genesis 15:15), and "he was gathered to his people" (Genesis 25:8). Alternatively, one might say that He blamed them for not reading the other Scriptures that are outside the Law, and for this reason they erred.

Another commentator says that they did not know the Scriptures of the Mosaic Law because they did not discern their divine meaning.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Or, when He says, "In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage," He was referring to His statement, "You do not know the power of God." But when He continued, "I am the God of Abraham..." and so on, He was referring to His statement, "You do not know the Scriptures."

This is how we ought to act: for cavilers, we should first present the authority of Scripture on any question and then show the grounds of reason. But for those who ask out of ignorance, we should first show the reason and then the authority. For cavilers must be refuted, while inquirers must be taught. To these men, then, who asked their question in ignorance, He first shows the reason, saying, "In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage."

St. Jerome: In these words, the Latin language cannot follow the Greek idiom, for the Latin word "nubere" is properly said only of the woman. We must, however, understand "marry" as referring to men and "to be given in marriage" as referring to women.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: In this life, we are born in order to die, and we marry so that birth may replenish what death consumes. Therefore, where the law of death is removed, the reason for birth is also removed.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: It would have been enough to refute the Sadducees' opinion about sensual enjoyment by showing that where the function ceases, the empty physical pleasure that accompanies it also ceases. But He adds, "but are like the angels of God in heaven."

St. John Chrysostom: This is a fitting reply to their question. Their reason for concluding there would be no resurrection was their assumption that their condition after rising would be the same. He removes this reason, therefore, by showing that their condition will be different.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: It should be noted that when He spoke of fasting, almsgiving, and other spiritual virtues, He did not use the comparison to angels, but only here where He speaks of the cessation of marriage. For just as all acts of the flesh are primal, especially the act of lust, so all virtues are angelic, especially chastity, through which our nature is connected to the other virtues.

St. Jerome: The addition, "but are like the angels of God in heaven," is an assurance that our way of life in heaven will be spiritual.

Pseudo-Dionysius: For then, when we are incorruptible and immortal, we will be filled with the purest contemplations by the visible presence of God Himself. We will share the gift of light to the understanding in our impassible and immaterial soul, in the same manner as the exalted souls in heaven. For this reason, it is said that we shall be equal to the angels. ⁵

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The same objection that the Sadducees offer here regarding marriage is renewed by many who ask in what form the female sex will rise again. But whatever the authority of Scripture leads us to think concerning the angels, we must suppose it will be the same for women in the resurrection of our human race.

St. Augustine of Hippo: To me, those who do not doubt that both sexes will rise again seem to think most correctly. For there will be no lust, which is the cause of shame; before they sinned, they were naked. That nature which they had then will be preserved, free from both conception and childbirth. ⁶

The woman's physical members will not be adapted to their former use but will be shaped for a new beauty—one by which the beholder is not lured to lust, which will not exist then. Instead, God's wisdom and mercy will be praised, which brought into being what did not exist and delivered from corruption what had been made.

St. Jerome: For no one could say of a stone, a tree, or other inanimate objects that they will not marry or be given in marriage. This can be said only of those who have the capacity for marriage but who, in that future state, will not marry.

Rabanus Maurus: He spoke these things concerning the conditions of the resurrection in answer to their inquiry, but concerning the resurrection itself, He replies fittingly against their unbelief.

St. John Chrysostom: And because they had brought up Moses in their question, He refutes them using Moses, adding, "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read..."

St. Jerome: In proof of the resurrection, there were many clearer passages He could have cited, among them that of Isaiah, "The dead shall be raised; they that are in the tombs shall rise again" (Isaiah 26:19, Septuagint), and in another place, "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake" (Daniel 12:2).

The question is therefore raised why the Lord chose this testimony, which seems ambiguous and not directly related to the truth of the resurrection, and then, as if He had proved His point, adds, "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

We have said above that the Sadducees acknowledged neither angels, nor spirits, nor the resurrection of the body, and also taught the death of the soul. They accepted only the five books of Moses, rejecting the Prophets. It would have been foolish, therefore, to present testimonies whose authority they did not admit. To prove the immortality of souls, He brings forward an example from Moses, "I am the God of Abraham..." and so on, and then immediately adds, "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Once it was established that souls continue to exist after death—since God could not be the God of those who did not exist anywhere—the resurrection of bodies, which had done good or evil together with their souls, could then be fittingly introduced.

St. John Chrysostom: How then is it said in another place, "Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14:8)? What is said here differs from that. The dead are the Lord's—that is, those who are to live again, not those who have disappeared forever and will not rise again.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: It should be further considered that this was said to Moses at a time when those holy Patriarchs had already gone to their rest. Therefore, those of whom He was the God must have existed, for they could possess nothing if they did not exist. In the nature of things, that which possesses something must itself exist. So those who have a God must themselves be alive, since God is eternal, and it is not possible that what is dead could possess what is eternal. How then can it be affirmed that those of whom Eternity itself has spoken do not exist now and will not exist hereafter?

Origen of Alexandria: Moreover, God is He who says, "I am that I am" (Exodus 3:14), so it is impossible that He should be called the God of those who do not exist. Notice that He did not say, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," but rather, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." In another place, however, He said, "The God of the Hebrews has sent me to you" (Exodus 7:16).

Those who are most perfect before God, in comparison with other people, possess God entirely. For this reason, He is not said to be their God in common, but the God of each one individually. For example, when we say, "That farm is theirs," we show that each of them does not own all of it. But when we say, "That farm is his," we mean that he owns all of it. So when it says, "The God of the Hebrews," this shows their imperfection, as each of them has only a small portion in God. But it says, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," because each one of them possessed God entirely. And it is to the great honor of the Patriarchs that they lived for God.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We may also fittingly refute the Manichaeans with this same passage by which the Sadducees were refuted, for they too, though in a different way, deny the resurrection. ⁷

God is therefore called in particular "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" because these three men express all the ways of producing the sons of God. For God most often produces a good son from a good preacher and a bad son from a bad preacher. This is signified in Abraham, who from a free woman had a believing son and from a bondwoman an unbelieving son. Sometimes, however, God produces both good and bad sons from a good preacher, which is signified in Isaac, who from the same free woman fathered one good and one bad son. And sometimes He produces good sons from both good and bad preachers, which is signified in Jacob, who fathered good sons from both free women and bondwomen. ⁸

Pseudo-Chrysostom: See how the assault of the Jews against Christ becomes weaker. Their first challenge was in a threatening tone—"By what authority do you do these things?"—which required spiritual firmness to oppose. Their second was with deceit, which required wisdom to meet. This last challenge was with ignorant presumption, which is easier to handle than the others.

For he who thinks he knows something when he knows nothing is easily conquered by one who has understanding. Thus, an enemy's attacks are intense at first, but if one endures them with a courageous spirit, he will find they become weaker.

And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

Remigius of Auxerre: Not the Sadducees but the crowds were astonished. This happens daily in the Church: when the adversaries of the Church are overcome by divine inspiration, the multitude of the faithful rejoices.

1. Mor. xiv. 55
2. Enchir., 88
3. non occ.
4. Quaest. Ev., i, 32
5. de Divin., Nom. i
6. City of God, book 22, ch. 17
7. cont. Faust., xvi. 24
8. in Joan. Tr., xi, 8