Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 24

Origen of Alexandria: After He had foretold all that would come upon Jerusalem, Christ “went out of the temple”—He who, while He was in it, had upheld the temple so that it would not fall. In the same way, each person, being the temple of God because of the Spirit of God dwelling in them, is the cause of their own desertion, so that Christ departs from them.

It is worth noting how they “show Him the buildings of the temple,” as if He had never seen them. We reply that when Christ foretold the destruction that would come upon the temple, His disciples were amazed at the thought that such magnificent buildings would be utterly ruined. Therefore, they show the buildings to Him to move Him to pity, so that He would not do what He had threatened.

And because human nature is wonderfully made, being the temple of God, the disciples and the other saints, confessing God’s wonderful work in forming humanity, intercede before Christ, asking that He not forsake the human race for their sins.

Rabanus Maurus: The historical sense is clear: in the forty-second year after the Lord's passion, the city and temple were overthrown under the Roman Emperors Vespasian and Titus.

Remigius of Auxerre: So it was ordained by God that as soon as the light of grace was revealed, the temple with its ceremonies would be taken out of the way. This was so that no one weak in the faith, seeing all the things instituted by the Lord and hallowed by the Prophets still remaining, might be gradually drawn away from the purity of faith to a carnal Judaism.

St. John Chrysostom: What does He mean by this, that one stone shalt not be left upon another? It could mean its utter overthrow, or it could refer to the place where it stood, for its parts were broken up down to its very foundations. But I would add that after the fate it suffered, even the most critical person would be satisfied that its very fragments have perished.¹

St. Jerome: Figuratively, when the Lord departed from the temple, the entire edifice of the Law and the structure of the Commandments were so overthrown that none of them could be fulfilled by the Jews. With the Head taken away, all the parts were at war among themselves.

Origen of Alexandria: Likewise, any person who becomes a temple by taking the word of God into themselves, if after sinning they still retain some traces of faith and religion, their temple is partly destroyed and partly standing. But the one who, after sinning, has no regard for themselves is gradually alienated until they have completely forsaken the living God. In this way, not one stone of God's commandments is left upon another that they have not thrown down.

Remigius of Auxerre: The Lord, continuing His walk, arrives at the Mount of Olives, having foretold along the way the destruction of the temple to those disciples who had shown and commended its buildings. When they reached the mountain, they came to Him, asking Him more about this.

St. John Chrysostom: They asked Him in private, because the matters they were going to ask Him about were of great importance. They wished to know the day of His coming out of the vehement desire they had to see His glory.

St. Jerome: They ask Him three things. First, the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? Second, the time of Christ's coming, saying, And what will be the sign of your coming? Third, the time of the consummation of this world, saying, and of the end of the world?

St. John Chrysostom: Luke speaks of one inquiry—the one concerning Jerusalem—as if the disciples supposed that Christ's coming would be at that time, and that the end of the world would occur when Jerusalem was destroyed.

Mark, however, does not state that all of them asked about the destruction of Jerusalem, but only Peter, James, John, and Andrew, as they were more bold and spoke more freely with Christ.

Origen of Alexandria: I think the Mount of Olives is a mystery representing the Church drawn from the Gentiles.

Remigius of Auxerre: For the Mount of Olives has no unfruitful trees, but only olives, which supply light to dispel darkness, give rest to the weary, and bring health to the sick. And sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, the Lord speaks about its destruction and the destruction of the Jewish nation. By His very choice of location, He shows that by remaining in the Church, He condemns the pride of the wicked.

Origen of Alexandria: For the husbandman dwelling on the Mount of Olives is the Word of God established in the Church—that is, Christ, who forever grafts the branches of the wild olive onto the good olive tree of the Fathers. Those who are confident before Christ seek to learn the sign of His coming and of the consummation of this world.

The coming of the Word into the soul is of two kinds. The first is that preaching about Christ which seems foolish, when we proclaim that Christ was born and crucified. The second is its coming into spiritually mature people, about which it is said, We speak wisdom among those who are perfect (1 Corinthians 2:6).

To this second coming is added the end of the world for the spiritually mature person, to whom the world is crucified.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Because the disciples' questions are threefold, they are separated by different times and meanings. The question concerning the destruction of the city is answered first and is then confirmed by true doctrine, so that no deceiver might prevail over the ignorant.

St. John Chrysostom: His first answer is not about the destruction of Jerusalem, nor about His second coming, but about the evils that they would immediately encounter.

St. Jerome: One of those of whom He speaks was Simon of Samaria, who, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, claimed to be the "Great Power." He left these things written in his works,ⁱ among others: "I am the Word of God, I am the Almighty, I am all things of God."

The Apostle John also says in his Epistle, You have heard that Antichrist will come; even now there are many Antichrists (1 John 2:18).

I suppose all heresiarchs to be Antichrists, who, under the name of Christ, teach things that are contrary to Christ. It is no wonder that we see some led astray by such teachers, when the Lord has said, and will deceive many.

Origen of Alexandria: Those who are deceived are many, because wide is the gate that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in through it (Matthew 7:13). This one thing is enough to detect the Antichrists and deceivers: they will say, I am Christ, which Christ Himself is nowhere recorded as having said. For the works of God, the word which He taught, and His power were enough to create the belief that He is the Christ.

For every discourse that claims to interpret Scripture faithfully but does not contain the truth, is Antichrist. For the truth is Christ; whatever pretends to be the truth is Antichrist.

Likewise, all true virtue is Christ; whatever only pretends to be virtue is Antichrist. For Christ truly has in Himself all manner of good for the edification of people, but the devil has forged resemblances of these things to deceive the saints.

Therefore, we need God's help, so that nothing may deceive us—neither a persuasive word nor a display of power. It is a bad thing to find someone erring in their course of life, but I consider it much worse not to think according to the truest rule of Scripture.

St. Augustine of Hippo: To this inquiry from the disciples, the Lord answers by declaring all things that were to come to pass from that time forward. He speaks of events relating to the destruction of Jerusalem, which had prompted their inquiry; to His coming through the Church, in which He does not cease to come until the end of time (for He is acknowledged as coming among His own as new members are daily born to Him); and to the end itself, when He will appear to judge the living and the dead.¹

When He describes the signs that will accompany these three events, we must carefully consider which signs belong to which events, lest we mistakenly apply to one what belongs to another.

St. John Chrysostom: Here He speaks of the battles that would be fought at Jerusalem when He says, Ye shall hear wars, and rumours of wars.

Origen of Alexandria: To hear the shouts raised in battle is to hear wars; to hear rumours of wars is to hear accounts of wars waged far away.

St. John Chrysostom: And because this might alarm the disciples, He continues, See that ye be not troubled. Since they supposed that the end of the world would immediately follow the war in which Jerusalem would be destroyed, He corrects their suspicions about this, saying, These things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

St. Jerome: That is, do not think that the day of judgment is at hand, but that it is reserved for another time. The sign of this is plainly stated in what follows: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Rabanus Maurusⁱ: Alternatively, this is a warning to the Apostles not to flee from Jerusalem and Judea in terror of these things when they began to come upon them. This is because the end was not immediate; the desolation of the province and the destruction of the city and temple would not come until the fortieth year. And we know that the most grievous woes, which spread over the whole province, came to pass to the very letter.

St. John Chrysostom: And to show that He also would fight against the Jews, He tells them not only of wars but also of calamities inflicted by Providence: And there shall be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes in divers places.

Rabanus Maurus: Nation shall rise against nation shows the restlessness of human minds; pestilences, the affliction of their bodies; famines, the barrenness of the soil; and earthquakes in divers places, wrath from heaven above.

St. John Chrysostom: And these things will not happen according to the natural order previously established among humanity, but will come from the wrath of heaven. Therefore, He did not say only that they would come, or that they would come suddenly, but adds significantly, These all are the beginnings of troubles—that is, of the troubles for the Jewish people.

Origen of Alexandria: Alternatively, just as the body sickens before a person’s death, so it must be that before the consummation of this world, the earth will be shaken with frequent earthquakes, as if paralyzed. The air will acquire a deadly quality and become pestilential, and the vital energy of the soil will fail, causing its fruits to wither. As a consequence of this scarcity, people are stirred up to robbery and war. But because war and strife sometimes arise from greed or the desire for power and empty glory, a yet deeper cause can be assigned to the conflicts that will happen before the end of the world.

For just as Christ's coming brought peace to various nations through His divine power, so on the other hand, it will be that when iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, and God and His Christ will desert them. Wars will arise again when actions that cause them are not hindered by holiness. Hostile powers, when they are not restrained by the saints and by Christ, will work unchecked in human hearts, stirring up nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

But if, as some maintain, famine and pestilence come from the angels of Satan, these will then gather might from opposing powers when the salt of the earth and the light of the world—Christ's disciples—are no longer present, destroying the things that the malice of demons hatches.

Often in Israel, famines and pestilences were caused by sin and were removed by the prayers of the saints.ⁱ

It is well said, In divers places, for God will not destroy the entire human race at once. Instead, by judging them in portions, He gives them an opportunity for repentance.

But if these evils are not stopped at their commencement, they will progress to worse things, as it follows: These all are the beginnings of sorrows. This refers to sorrows common to the whole world and those that are to come upon the wicked, who will be tormented with the sharpest pains.

St. Jerome: Figuratively, kingdom rising against kingdom, the pestilence of discourse that spreads like a plague, the hunger for hearing the word of God, the commotion throughout the earth, and the separation from the true faith can be understood as referring to the heretics. By fighting among themselves, they give victory to the Church.

Origen of Alexandria: This must come to pass before we can see the perfection of the wisdom that is in Christ. But the end we seek will not be yet, for a peaceful end is far from such people.

St. Jerome: These all are the beginnings of sorrows is better understood as the pains of labor—the conception, as it were, of the coming of Antichrist, and not the birth itself.

Rabanus Maurus: The Lord shows for what reason so many evils are to be brought upon Jerusalem and the whole Jewish province when He adds, "Then shall they deliver you up, etc."

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, when the disciples heard these things spoken about Jerusalem, they might have supposed that they would be beyond the reach of harm. They might have thought they were hearing about the sufferings of others, while they themselves would experience only prosperous times.

Therefore, He announces the grievous things that would befall them, making them fearful for themselves.

First, He had told them to be on guard against the deceptions of false teachers; now He foretells the violence of tyrants. He appropriately introduces their own woes at this point, as they will receive consolation from the shared calamities. And He offered them not only this comfort, but also that of the cause for which they would suffer, showing that it was for His name's sake: "And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake."

Origen of Alexandria: But how could the people of Christ be hated by nations dwelling in the remotest parts of the earth? One might say, perhaps, that in this passage "all" is used hyperbolically for "many."

However, what He says, "Then shall they deliver you," presents a difficulty, for Christians were delivered to tribulation even before these events. To this, it may be answered that at that future time, Christians will be delivered to tribulation more than ever before.

People in any misfortune love to examine the origin of their troubles and to talk about them. Consequently, when the worship of the gods is nearly deserted because of the multitude of Christians, it will be said that this is the cause of the wars, famines, and pestilences. They will also claim that Christians are the cause of earthquakes, which will lead to the persecution of the churches.

St. John Chrysostom: Having named two sources of opposition—from seducers and from enemies—He adds a third, from false brethren: "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." See how Paul laments these same things: "Without were fightings, within were fears" (2 Corinthians 7:5), and in another place, "In perils among false brethren" (2 Corinthians 11:26). Of these, he says, "Such are false Apostles, deceitful workers" (2 Corinthians 11:13).

Remigius of Auxerre: As the capture of Jerusalem approached, many rose up who called themselves Christians and deceived many. Paul calls such people "false brethren," and John calls them "Antichrists."

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Such was Nicolaus, one of the seven deacons, who led many astray with his deceptions. And Simon Magus, who, armed with demonic works and words, perverted many with false miracles.

St. John Chrysostom: He adds what is still more cruel: that such false prophets will find no relief in love, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold."

Remigius of Auxerre: This refers to true love toward God and our neighbor. The more one surrenders to iniquity, the more the flame of love in his heart will be extinguished.

St. Jerome: Observe, He says, "the love of many," not "of all," for in the Apostles and those like them, love would continue, as Paul says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:35).

Remigius of Auxerre: "Whoever shall endure to the end," that is, to the end of his life; for whoever perseveres to the end of his life in the confession of Christ's name and in love, he shall be saved.

St. John Chrysostom: Then, so that they would not ask, "How then shall we live among so many evils?" He promises not only that they would live, but that they would teach everywhere: "And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world."

Remigius of Auxerre: For the Lord knew that the disciples' hearts would be saddened by the destruction of Jerusalem and the overthrow of their nation, and He therefore comforts them with the promise that more Gentiles would believe than Jews would perish.

St. John Chrysostom: To show that the Gospel was preached everywhere before the taking of Jerusalem, listen to what Paul says: "Their sound has gone out into all the earth" (Romans 10:18). Consider also that Paul himself traveled from Jerusalem to Spain. If one man had so large a province, think how much all of them must have done.

This is why, when writing to certain people, he says of the Gospel, "It is bearing fruit and growing in every creature under heaven" (Colossians 1:6). This is the strongest proof of Christ's power: that in thirty years or a little more, the word of the Gospel filled the ends of the world.

Though the Gospel was preached everywhere, not all believed, which is why He adds, "for a witness to all nations." This serves as an accusation against those who do not believe, for those who have believed bear witness against those who did not believe, condemning them.

And Jerusalem fell at a fitting time, namely, after the Gospel had been preached throughout the world, as it follows, "And then the consummation shall come"—that is, the end of Jerusalem. For those who saw Christ's power shining forth everywhere and spreading over the whole world in a short time—what mercy did they deserve when they still continued in their ingratitude?

Remigius of Auxerre: The whole passage, however, could be referred to the end of the world. For then "many will be offended" and depart from the faith when they see the numbers and wealth of the wicked and the miracles of the Antichrist, and they will persecute their brethren. And the Antichrist will send "false prophets, who will deceive many; iniquity will abound," because the number of the wicked will be increased; and "love will grow cold," because the number of the good will diminish.

St. Jerome: And the sign of the Lord's second coming is that the Gospel will be preached in all the world, so that all may be without excuse.

Origen of Alexandria: And the saying, "You shall be hated by all men for my name's sake," might be applied to that time in this way: while at present all nations have conspired together against the Christians, when the things foretold by Christ have come to pass, there will be persecutions not just in some places, as before, but everywhere against the people of God.

St. Augustine of Hippo: However, we have no certain evidence to prove that this preaching of "the Gospel of the kingdom in all the world" was accomplished by the Apostles. There are countless barbarous nations in Africa among whom the Gospel is not yet preached, as we can easily learn from the prisoners who are brought from there. ¹

But it cannot be said that these nations have no part in God's promise. For God promised with an oath to the seed of Abraham not only the Romans, but all nations.

But in whatever nation a church is not yet established, it is necessary that one should be—not that all the people should believe. For how else could the scripture, "You shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake," be fulfilled, unless in all nations there are both those who hate and those who are hated?

Therefore, that preaching was not accomplished by the Apostles, as there were still nations among whom it had not yet begun to be fulfilled. The Apostle's words, "Their sound has gone out into all the world," though expressed in the past tense, are meant to apply to something future that is not yet completed. ⁱ

Similarly, the Prophet whose words he quotes said that the Gospel bore fruit and grew in the whole world, showing by this to what extent its growth would reach. If, then, we do not know when the whole world will be filled with the Gospel, we undoubtedly do not know when the end will be; but it will not be before that time.

Origen of Alexandria: When every nation has heard the preaching of the Gospel, then the end of the world will come. For even now, there are many nations—not only of barbarians, but of our own people as well—who have not yet heard the word of Christianity.

Glossa Ordinariaⁱ: But it is possible to maintain both interpretations of the passage, if we are willing to understand this diffusion of Gospel preaching in a twofold sense. If we understand it as the fruit produced by the preaching and the foundation of a church of believers in Christ in every nation, as Augustine expounds it in the passage quoted above, then it is a sign that ought to precede the end of the world, and which did not precede the destruction of Jerusalem. But if we understand it as the fame of their preaching, then it was accomplished before the destruction of Jerusalem, when Christ's disciples had been dispersed over the four quarters of the earth. ²

This is why St. Jerome says, "I do not suppose that there remained any nation that did not know the name of Christ; for where a preacher had never been, some idea of the faith must have been communicated by neighboring nations."ⁱ

Morally, he who sees that glorious second coming of the Word of God into his soul must necessarily suffer assaults from opposing influences, in proportion to his spiritual progress. And Christ in him must be hated by all—not only by the nations in a literal sense, but by the "nations" of spiritual vices.

In such inquiries, there will be few who reach the truth with any fullness; the greater part will be offended and fall away from it. They will betray and accuse one another because of their doctrinal disagreements, which will give rise to mutual hatred.

Also, there will be many who set forth unsound words concerning things to come, interpreting the Prophets in a way they should not. These are the false prophets who will deceive many and who will cause the fervor of love, which once existed in the simplicity of the faith, to grow cold.

But he who can remain firm in the apostolic tradition will be saved. And the Gospel, being preached to the minds of all, will be a testimony to all "nations"—that is, to all the unbelieving thoughts of the soul.

St. John Chrysostom: Just as He had previously hinted obscurely at the end of Jerusalem, He now gives a more direct announcement of it, citing a prophecy that would cause them to believe it.

St. Jerome: The phrase, Let the reader understand, is meant to call us to a mystical understanding of the passage. What we read in Daniel is this: And in the midst of the week the sacrifice and the offering will be taken away, and in the temple will be the abomination of desolations until the end of time, and a final end will be brought upon the desolate (Daniel 9:27, Septuagint).

St. Augustine of Hippo: Luke, in order to show that the abomination of desolation foretold by Daniel referred to the time of the siege of Jerusalem, repeats these words of our Lord: When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near (Luke 21:20).¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: For this reason, I think that by the abomination of desolation, He means the army by which the holy city of Jerusalem was desolated.

St. Jerome: Alternatively, it may be understood as referring to the statue of Caesar, which Pilate set up in the temple, or of the equestrian statue of Hadrian, which stood until the present time in the very Holy of Holies. For, according to the Old Testament, an idol is called an “abomination.” The phrase “of desolation” is added because the idol was set up in the desolated and deserted temple.

St. John Chrysostom: Or it is called this because the one who desolated the city and the temple placed his statue there. He says, When you see, because these things were to happen while some of them were still alive. In this, we should admire Christ's power and the courage of the disciples, who preached throughout those times when everything Jewish was under attack.

The Apostles, being Jews, introduced new laws in opposition to Roman authority. The Romans conquered countless thousands of Jews but could not overcome twelve unarmed, unprotected men.ⁱ

But because the Jews had often recovered from very desperate circumstances, as in the times of Sennacherib and Antiochus, He commanded His disciples to flee so that no one would expect such an event now, saying, Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Remigius of Auxerre: And we know this was done when the fall of Jerusalem drew near. For on the approach of the Roman army, all the Christians in the province—warned miraculously from heaven, as church history tells us—withdrew, crossed the Jordan, and went to...ⁱ

St. John Chrysostom: Then, to show how inevitable the evils that would come upon the Jews were, and how immense their calamity was, He adds, And let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. For it was better to be saved and lose one’s possessions than to retrieve a garment and perish. He says the same of the one who is in the field, for if those in the city are fleeing from it, there is little need for those outside to return to it.

It is easy to despise money, and not hard to find other clothing, but how can one avoid the constraints of nature? How can a pregnant woman be quick enough to flee, or how can a nursing mother abandon the child she has brought forth?

Therefore, Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days. To the first, this is because they are burdened and cannot flee easily, carrying the weight of the womb. To the second, it is because they are held back by compassion for their children and cannot save the infants they are nursing along with themselves.

Origen of Alexandria: Or it is because that will not be a time for showing pity, neither to those who are pregnant, nor to those who are nursing, nor to their infants. And, speaking to Jews who thought they could not travel more than a Sabbath day's journey on the Sabbath, He adds, But pray that your flight is not in the winter or on the Sabbath.

St. Jerome: This is because in the first case, the severe cold prevents you from fleeing to the deserts and hiding in mountains and wilds. In the second, you must either transgress the Law if you wish to flee, or face instant death if you stay.

St. John Chrysostom: Note how this speech is directed against the Jews. For when these things were done by Vespasian, the Apostles could neither observe the Sabbath nor flee, since most of them were already dead, and those who survived were living in distant countries. And He adds a reason why they should pray for this: For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever will be.

St. Augustine of Hippo: In Luke, it is read this way: There will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations (Luke 21:23).²

And so Josephus,ⁱ who wrote the Jewish History, relates evils so great happening to this people that they seem hardly credible. For this reason, it was not said unreasonably that such tribulation had never been from the beginning of creation, nor ever will be. For although there will be such, or perhaps greater, tribulation in the time of the Antichrist, yet for the Jews—to whom we must understand this refers—such a thing will never happen again. For if they are the first and foremost to receive the Antichrist, they will then inflict tribulation rather than suffer it.

St. John Chrysostom: I ask the Jews: from where did such grievous wrath from heaven come upon them, more woeful than all that had come upon them before? Plainly, it was because of the desperate crime [τολμημα] and the denial of the Cross. But He shows that they deserved an even heavier punishment than they received when He adds, And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. This means that if the siege by the Romans were to continue longer, all the Jews would perish. For by “all flesh,” He means the entire Jewish nation, those inside and those outside Judea, for the Romans were at war not only with those in Judea but with the whole race wherever they were dispersed.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Indeed, it seems to me that some people not inappropriately understand “these days” to mean the evils themselves, just as “evil days” are spoken of in other places in divine Scripture—not that the days themselves are evil, but the things that are done on them. They are said to be shortened because they are felt less, as God gives us endurance, so that even though they are grievous, they feel short.

St. John Chrysostom: But so that the Jews would not say that these evils came because of the preaching and the disciples of Christ, He shows them that if it had not been for His disciples, they would have perished completely. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For we should not doubt that when Jerusalem was overthrown, there were among that people God's elect who had believed from among the circumcised, or who would come to believe. They were elect before the foundation of the world, and for their sake those days would be shortened and their evils made endurable.

There are some who suppose that the days will be shortened by a more rapid motion of the sun, just as the day was made longer at the prayer of Joshua. [?]

St. Jerome: They do not remember what is written: The day continues according to your ordinances (Psalm 119:91). We must understand this to mean the days are shortened not in duration, but in number, so that the faith of believers is not shaken by prolonged affliction.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For let us not suppose that the computation of Daniel's weeks was interfered with by this shortening of the days. We should not think they were not already complete at that time, but had to be completed later at the end of all things. For Luke testifies most plainly that Daniel's prophecy was fulfilled at the time Jerusalem was overthrown.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in this: John wrote nothing about all this, so that he would not seem to be writing a history after the event, for he lived for some time after the capture of Jerusalem. But those who died before it and saw none of it—they are the ones who write about it, so that the power of prophecy might shine forth clearly.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, the Lord gives a sign of His future coming when He says, When you see the abomination. For the Prophet spoke this about the times of the Antichrist, and he calls “abomination” that which comes against God and claims for itself the honor of God. It is “the abomination of desolation” because it will desolate the earth with wars and slaughter.

It is accepted by the Jews and set up in the holy place, so that where God had been invoked by the prayers of the saints, in that very same place—accepted by unbelievers—it might be adored with the worship due to God. And because this error will be unique to the Jews—that having rejected the truth, they would adopt a lie—He warns them to leave Judea and flee to the mountains, so that no pollution or infection might be gathered by mixing with a people who would believe in the Antichrist.

What He says, Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house, is understood this way: The roof is the highest part of the house, the summit and perfection of the whole building. Therefore, the one who stands on the top of his house—that is, in the perfection of his heart, lifted up in the regeneration of a new spirit—ought not to come down to the lower desire for worldly things.

Neither let him who is in the field return back to take his coat; that is, one who has attained obedience to the command should not return to his former cares, to take upon himself again the coat of his former sins in which he was once clothed.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For in tribulations, we must beware of coming down from spiritual heights and yielding to the carnal life, or of failing and looking back after we have made some forward progress.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: What is said, Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing, is not to be taken literally as a warning to pregnant women. Rather, it is a description of souls burdened with the weight of sin, who can escape the storm of wrath that is in store for them neither in the house nor in the field.

Woe also to those who are being nursed—that is, the weak souls who are being brought to the knowledge of God as if by milk. It will be woe to them because they are too burdened to flee and too inexperienced to resist the Antichrist, having neither escaped sin nor partaken of the food of true bread.

Pseudo-Augustine: Or, “Those who are pregnant” are those who covet what belongs to others; “those who are nursing” are those who have already forcibly taken what they coveted. To them there will be “woe” on the day of judgment. Pray that your flight is not in the winter or on the Sabbath day; that is, ³

St. Augustine of Hippo: that no one be found on that day in either joy or sorrow for temporal things.⁴

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, that we not be caught in the frost of sins or in the ceasing of good works because of the severity of the affliction. Nevertheless, for the sake of God's elect, those days will be shortened, so that the reduction of the time may lessen the force of the calamities.

Origen of Alexandria: Mystically, in the holy place of the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, the Antichrist—that is, the false word—has often stood. Let those who see this flee from the Judea of the letter to the high mountains of truth. Whoever has gone up to the housetop of the word and is standing on its summit, let him not come down from there as if to fetch anything out of his house.

And if he is in the field where the treasure is hidden and returns from there to his house, he will run into the temptation of a false word. This is especially true if he has stripped off his old garment—that is, the old man—and has returned to take it up again.

Then the soul, as if pregnant with the word but not yet having given birth, is subject to woe, for it miscarries what it had conceived and loses the hope that is in the acts of truth. The same is true if the word has been brought forth perfect and whole, but has not yet attained sufficient growth.

Let those who flee to the mountains pray that their flight is not in the winter or on the Sabbath day. For in the serenity of a settled spirit they can reach the way of salvation, but if winter overtakes them, they fall among those from whom they would flee. And there are some who rest from evil works but do not do good works. Therefore, let your flight not be on such a Sabbath when a person rests from good works, for no one is easily overcome in times of peril from false doctrines unless he is lacking in good works.

But what sorer affliction is there than to see our brothers deceived and to feel oneself shaken and terrified? Those “days” mean the precepts and dogmas of truth, and all interpretations coming from science falsely so called (1 Timothy 6:20) are additions to those days, which God shortens by means of those whom He wills.