• The cleansing confirmed Christ's divine authority over both the old covenant (the physical Temple) and the wills of men. His power was not just physical, but spiritual, and the Resurrection was cited as the ultimate, decisive sign that validated His claim.

• The marketplace represented the corruption of the Church and the soul. The sellers symbolized those who turn spiritual gifts (doves), ministry (oxen), or pious works (sheep) into a commodity for personal gain, honor, or human recompense, especially condemning the sin of simony (selling spiritual office).

• The physical Temple was merely a figure of the true Temple: the Body of Christ (perfected humanity) and, by extension, the Church.

To Jerusalem

Alcuin of York establishes the context of this passage in the Gospel timeline.

• The Gospels record two separate journeys where Christ cleansed the Temple:

  1. The first year of ministry, described here in John 2, which took place before John the Baptist was imprisoned.

  2. Second journey (the year of His Passion): The more familiar cleansing that took place just before His crucifixion.

• Christ sets an example of obedience to Divine commands, going to Jerusalem for the Passover.

  1. If the Son of God, despite His divinity, "fulfilled the injunctions of His own law, by keeping the festivals, like the rest," He sets a profound example.

  2. This calls servants (believers) to prepare for and celebrate festivals with "holy zeal."

Origen provides a mystical (allegorical) interpretation of Jesus's actions and movements.

• The journey from the Wedding at Cana to Capernaum is as a progression in the spiritual life:

  1. Cana is the starting point, signifying the joy and initial grace of union with Christ. 

  2. Capernaum, meaning the land of consolation, the destination, where Jesus goes to "console" those who have received His discipline.

• Consolation is a grace, but it is a stepping stone. Deeper spiritual enlightenment requires moving beyond that initial state.

Alcuin of York offers an alternative mystical interpretation for the city of Capernaum.

• Capernaum can be interpreted as "a most beautiful village."

• In this light, Capernaum signifies "the world," to which the "Word of the Father came down."

St. Bede the Venerable provides a direct allegorical interpretation of the time Jesus spent in Capernaum.

• Jesus continued there "only a few days." This signifies that Jesus "lived with men in this world only a short time" during His earthly ministry.

Origen offers a further mystical and allegorical interpretation of the journey to Jerusalem.

• Jerusalem is not just a physical place, but a spiritual state, the "city of the great King":

  1. None of those who "remain on earth" (remain focused on earthly things) ascend or enter this spiritual city.

  2. Only the soul that possesses "a certain natural loftiness" and "clear insight into things invisible" is worthy to be an inhabitant of this heavenly Jerusalem.

• Jesus alone perfectly fulfills the conditions to ascend to the city.

  1. The perfection of Christ's ascent is mystically extended to those joined to Him.

At The Temple

St. Bede the Venerable focuses on the practical example Christ set by prioritizing the Temple.

• Upon arriving in Jerusalem: He "immediately entered the temple to pray." This serves as a direct example for believers. "Wheresoever we go, our first visit should be to the house of God to pray."

• Christ found "those that sold oxen and sheep, and doves, and the changers of money-changers seated there." Though necessary, these activities corrupted the sacred space of prayer by turning it into a marketplace.

St. Augustine addresses the reasoning behind the sacrificial system in the Old Testament.

• The system of animal sacrifice was "prescribed to the people, in condescension to their carnal minds."

  1. The main objective was not the sacrifices themselves, but to "prevent them from turning aside to idols."

  2. By channeling their natural impulse to worship through sacrifice toward the true God, He preserves them from the far greater sin of pagan worship.

St. Bede the Venerable explains the practical necessity that led to the Temple commerce and then details the corrupt abuse.

• Pilgrims traveling from afar were unable to bring their sacrificial animals with them, so they brought money instead.

• The issue lay in the profit motive. The religious leaders orchestrated a system where they could sell the animals, buy them back after they were offered, and sell them again, resulting in "great profits." The money changers were part of this system, providing change for the inflated transactions.

• Christ disapproved of any worldly business in His house, particularly one that was so "questionable a kind." This is why He drove them all out.

St. Augustine highlights the powerful, almost paradoxical action of Christ.

• Christ, "who was to be scourged by them," took on the role of the "scourger" first. This inversion of roles underscores Christ's authority over those who would later condemn Him.

• By making a "scourge of small cords" and driving "them all out of the temple," Christ demonstrated His divine authority to judge and purify His Father's house.

Theophylact highlights the thoroughness and completeness of Christ's act of cleansing and judgment in the Temple.

• Christ didn't just cast out those who bought and sold; He also removed the sheep and the oxen.

• He further disrupted the corrupt business by pouring out the changers' money and overthrowing the tables (which were essentially the coffers or desks where the money was handled).

Origen addresses the apparent paradox of Christ using a physical whip.

• It would seem strange that the Son of God uses a whip. The true explanation lies in the divine power of Jesus:

  1. Jesus had the power to "extinguish the wrath of His enemies however innumerable, and quiet the tumult of their minds."

  2. This act exhibits greater power than even the miracle of turning water into wine. In the miracle of wine, the subject matter was inanimate (water). In the cleansing of the Temple, "the minds of so many thousands of men are overcome."

St. Augustine addresses a key critical point about the Gospels: the number of times Jesus cleansed the Temple.

• Augustine confirms that the cleansing of the Temple was done on "two several occasions."

  1. The first cleansing is the one mentioned by John (John 2:13-22), occurring at the beginning of Christ's ministry.

  2. The last cleansing is mentioned by the other three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), occurring near the end of Christ's ministry, just before His Passion.

Origen addresses the difference in the Synoptic versus Johannine accounts.

• John says Jesus drove out the sellers. Matthew says Jesus drove out the sellers and buyers.

  1. Driving out the crowd, especially if the "number of buyers was much greater than of the sellers," was a feat "beyond the power of the carpenter's Son."

  2. The only way Christ could have successfully accomplished this against a massive crowd was by His divine power, through which He "put all things under Him." This act is considered a miracle of authority over the wills of men.

St. Bede the Venerable interprets the cleansing of the Temple as a crucial passage that explicitly demonstrates both the human and divine natures of Christ.

• The ordinary human action of His family relationship: "His mother accompanied Him to Capernaum." Christ, in His humanity, was subject to familial ties and traveled.

• By calling the Temple "My Father's house," Christ asserts His unique, filial relationship with God and His divine right to judge and cleanse the sacred space.

St. John Chrysostom explains why the Jews' reaction to Christ's divine claim was initially subdued in this early incident.

• Jews' lack of immediate anger when Jesus called the Temple "My Father's house":

  1. They "are not angry, for they think He means it in a common sense." As in God being the Father of all people, or of the nation of Israel.

  2. Their rage only occurred "afterwards when He spoke more openly, and showed that He meant equality" with God, as seen in later disputes.

• Christ's words in John (the first cleansing) with those in Matthew (the second cleansing):

  1. In John, Christ says "My Father's house a marketplace." It was "at the beginning of His miracles," so His answer is "milder and more indulgent."

  2. In Matthew, Christ says "a den of thieves." This occurred "before His Passion," near the end of His ministry, justifying the use of "severer language."

St. Augustine interprets the cleansing of the Temple as a symbolic act against the commercialization of religious duty.

• The Temple, at the time of the cleansing, "was still a figure only," meaning it was a symbol or foreshadowing of Christ's body and the Church. He condemned the corruption of ritual duty for profit.

• If selling necessary sacrificial items corrupted the house of God, how much worse would other sins be?

  1. "What if He had found men drunken? If the house of God ought not to be a house of merchandise, ought it to be a house of drunkenness?"

  2. While the market defiled the house of prayer with business, drunkenness defiles it with bodily vice and spiritual disorder. If Christ used a scourge for commerce, He would surely condemn sins of gluttony and intoxication even more severely.

St. John Chrysostom explains the purpose of Christ's violence in cleansing the Temple.

• Christ used this forceful action to preemptively address future accusations:

  1. As a preemptive defense as He was "about to heal on the Sabbath day" and perform other acts that the Jews considered "transgressions of the Law."

  2. By exposing Himself to peril to defend the "decency of the house," He gave them to understand that He "did not despise the Lord of that house."

  3. To further show His unity with God, He did not call it "the Holy house" but "My Father's house," asserting His unique filial relationship and right to judge.

• The disciples immediately connected Christ's passionate action to Psalm 69:9: "The zeal of Your house has eaten me up." This memory confirmed to them that Christ was acting out of divine, consuming devotion.

St. Bede the Venerable focuses on the recognition of divine motivation by the disciples.

• The disciples witnessed Christ's action and saw His "most fervent zeal." 

• They understood that this consuming zeal was for His "Father's house," meaning it was motivated by pure, divine devotion to God. This zeal empowered Christ to drive the "ungodly" from the Temple.

Alcuin of York provides a definition of zeal when understood as a positive spiritual attribute.

• Zeal, in a good sense, is a "certain fervor of the Spirit." This fervor is what "stirs up" the mind to the "defense of the truth."

• This spiritual movement occurs when "all human fears [are] forgotten," indicating a courageous and divinely inspired commitment to righteousness over personal safety or worldly concern.

St. Augustine interprets the meaning of being "eaten up with zeal" not as a sustained, active desire for correction and holiness.

• True, consuming zeal as having two components:

  1. The zealous person actively "desires to correct all that he sees wrong there" (in God's house).

  2. If correction is impossible, the person "endures and mourns" the wrongdoing, refusing to become indifferent.

• If you are meticulous about preventing things from going wrong in your own house, should you be indifferent in the house of God, "where salvation is offered?"

• Believers should take corrective action appropriate to their relationships and station:

  1. Friend: "admonish him gently."

  2. Wife: "coerce her severely" (meaning firmly, with loving discipline).

  3. Maid-servant: "even compel her with stripes" (reflecting the social norms and master-servant relationships of his time, which mandate firm, authoritative correction).

Alcuin of York interprets the Temple cleansing mystically as a warning about the spiritual conduct required within the Church today.

• Mystically, God "enters His Church spiritually every day, and marks each one’s behavior there." The Church is now the true Temple of God.

• Believers must be careful not to indulge in behaviors that corrupt this spiritual space, such as "stories, or jokes, or hatreds, or lusts."

• The fear is that Christ will "on a sudden He come and scourge us, and drive us out of His Church," meaning the loss of fellowship, grace, or ultimately, salvation.

Origen offers a deep mystical and allegorical interpretation of the Temple cleansing.

• Even the most spiritually privileged ("dweller in Jerusalem" or the "richly endowed") can incur guilt and lose their capacity for grace if they do not repent.

• The objects found in the Temple represent the duties and corruptions of the Church's ministry and inner spiritual life:

  1. Oxen - Ministers reserved for the "plough" (labor of the Gospel/ministry). They are sold when their ministry is performed for profit, becoming "unfit for the kingdom of God."

  2. Sheep - The faithful flock/congregation, or material assets from which the minister has the "material of ornament." They are sold when the minister prefers "unrighteous mammon" (worldly gain) over the care of the flock.

  3. Doves - Those called "doves" (simple, non-venomous Christians, "without all gall or bitterness"). They are sold when the minister abandons their watchful care for miserable gain.

  4. Tables (Money) - The "tables set up in the minds of the covetous" (the internal accounting of greed). Overthrown as the covetous thoughts and mercenary spirit are driven out.

• The total destruction of the marketplace is a mystical intimation that the Old Covenant was coming to an end:

  1. Removal of Offerings - By driving away the sheep, oxen, and doves (the most common Jewish sacrifices), Christ declared that the "sacred oblation" was no longer to be performed in a "material" manner.

  2. Overthrowing the Coins - The material coins, which "in a figure only, not in truth, bore the Divine stamp," (symbolizing the letter of the Law) were cast out.

  3. Breaking the Dispensation - Christ's forceful action was a declaration that the Old "dispensation was to be broken up and destroyed," and the "kingdom translated to the believing from among the Gentiles."

Corruption in the Temple

St. Augustine offers a profound allegorical interpretation of the sellers in the Temple.

• Those who "sell in the Church" are those who:

  1. "Seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ." Their motivation is selfish gain rather than spiritual devotion.

  2. Think they may sell earthly things (like their time or services) when they "will not be bought" (i.e., refuse to be corrupted by bribes).

• The most grievous example of this selling is symbolized by those who "sell doves," (the sin of simony).

  1. The Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove at Christ's baptism, hence the dove represents the Holy Spirit.

  2. The ultimate seller of the dove is exemplified by Simon Magus (Acts 8:18-24), who "wished to buy the Spirit, that he might sell Him."

  3. The dove (the Holy Spirit) is not sold, but is given of free grace (gratia); hence, it is called grace. To attempt to buy or sell spiritual power is to fundamentally misunderstand and corrupt the nature of God's gift.

St. Bede the Venerable elaborates on St. Augustine's allegorical interpretation of "sellers of doves."

• "Sellers of doves" are those who, having received the "free grace of the Holy Spirit," fail to dispense it freely.

  1. There are those who sell grace for money, committing the sin of simony.

  2. There are those who give spiritual gifts "for the sake of getting favor with the people" or who bestow Holy Orders based on "favor," rather than true "merit."

St. Augustine interprets the oxen and sheep as the Scriptures and the people.

• The oxen represent the Apostles and Prophets, who are the source of the Holy Scriptures dispensed to the Church.

  1. Those who "by these very Scriptures deceive the people" to seek honor and profit are "selling the oxen." They are corrupting the source of truth.

• The sheep represent the people themselves (the faithful). 

  1. Those corrupt leaders who deceive the people are, in effect, selling the sheep

• The Buyer: Augustine asks, "to whom do they sell them, but to the devil?"

  1. When people are deceived and cut off from the "one Church," they are taken by the "roaring lion, who goes about every where, and seeks whom he may devour" (referencing 1 Peter 5:8).

St. Bede the Venerable expands the allegorical interpretation to include the corruption of good works and the pursuit of human praise within the Church.

• The sheep represent "works of purity and piety." Those who do works of piety "to gain the praise of men" are selling the sheep. They trade divine approval for fleeting human vanity.

• The exchanging of money in the Temple symbolizes those who "in the Church, openly devote themselves to secular business." This refers to prioritizing worldly gain over spiritual focus within a sacred space.

• Spiritual gifts become corrupted when 

  1. Money, praise, or honor is sought from Holy Orders.

  2. The rank or spiritual grace received is not employed "with singleness of mind" towards God, but instead with "an eye to human recompense" (worldly gain).

St. Augustine returns to the image of the scourge of small cords.

• "Every one by his sins twists for himself a cord, in that he goes on adding sin to sin." The "small cords" are individual sins woven together by habit and repetition.

• When men suffer in this life for their iniquities (sin), they should recognize this suffering as the "Lord making a scourge of small cords" and admonishing them to change their lives (repent).

• If they fail to heed the warning (the earthly scourging), they face the definitive judgment at the end: "Bind him hand and foot" [2].

St. Bede the Venerable expands on the allegorical application of the cleansing.

• The entire cleansing is a symbolic representation of judgment against those in the Church who are inwardly corrupt:

  1. The act of casting out the merchants signifies that "from the part and lot of the saints are cast out all" hypocrites and open sinners.

  2. The expulsion of the sheep and oxen shows that the "life and the doctrine of such were alike reprobate," their personal conduct and their teaching are both condemned.

  3. Overthrowing the money-changers' tables and coins is a sign that, at the "final condemnation of the wicked," Christ will "take away the form even of those things which they loved."

  4. The removal of the sale of doves emphasizes that the "grace of the Spirit, being freely received, should be freely given."

Origen offers a powerful psychological and spiritual allegory of the Temple cleansing.

• The Temple is the "soul wherein the Word of God dwells." In this soul, before the "teaching of Christ," "earthly and bestial affections had prevailed."

• The items being sold represent specific corrupting elements within the soul:

  1. The ox is a tiller of the soil, symbolizing "earthly affections" - thoughts and desires tethered to the ground and the physical world.

  2. Sheep, being the "most irrational of all animals," the sheep symbolizes "dull" or irrational affections and base instincts.

  3. Dove, although often a good symbol, here represents "light and volatile thoughts" - fickle, unstable, or trivial concerns that distract the soul.

  4. Money, represents "earthly good things," or the pursuit of material wealth.

• Christ expels these vices "by the Word of His doctrine." Signifying that the cleansing of the soul is achieved through Christ's teaching (the Gospel), ensuring that the soul, as the Father's house, is "no longer a market" for worldly gain or corrupt affections.

Theophylact focuses on the Jews' reaction to Christ's powerful act and His claim of authority.

• The Jews were reacting to two things Christ did:

  1. His powerful action of driving out the merchants (acting with physical force and authority).

  2. His verbal claim of authority, calling the Temple "My Father's house."

• The Jews immediately challenged Him to prove His commission by performing a miracle: "What sign can you show us for doing this?" They required a sign to validate the authority He had just exerted.

St. John Chrysostom analyzes the Jews' motive for demanding a sign and explains Christ's cryptic response.

• Christ's "zeal for the house of God" should have been proof enough of His virtue.

  1. They were "irritated at the loss of their base gains," their financial losses.

  2. They were hoping to place Christ in a dilemma: either force Him to perform miracles or oblige Him to "give up His present course" of cleansing the Temple.

  3. Christ recognized this "crafty design" and, just as in other instances when dealing with ill-intent, "refuses to give them the sign."

• Christ gave them a sign, but one they could not immediately understand: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

  1. This refusal is compared to His later answer about the "sign of Jonas the prophet," though the later one was "more open."

  2. By pointing to a future, ultimate sign, Christ confirmed His authority but refused to cater to their immediate, malicious request for a spectacle.

Rebuilding the Temple

St. Bede the Venerable explains Christ's cryptic answer by directly linking the physical Temple that Jesus cleansed to the Temple of His own Body.

• Christ's ability to purify the "inanimate temple" of its wickedness and merchandise serves as a visible demonstration of the divine power required for the greater miracle.

• The physical Temple was merely a "figure" (symbol) of the "temple of His Body, in which was no spot of sin."

• Christ essentially says: "Just as I purify this figure of the Temple, so too will I, by My power, raise again the true Temple of My Body, which will be destroyed by your hands, on the third day."

Theophylact addresses two theological points regarding Christ's statement, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

• Christ's use of the word "Destroy" was not a provocation to murder. Instead, it revealed that their intentions were not hidden from Him; Christ already knew their destructive plan, proving His omniscience.

• Against the Arian heresy (who denied Christ's full divinity), note that Christ's phrase, "I will raise it up," demonstrates His self-sustaining, divine authority:

  1. Christ is the "destroyer of death."

  2. He states He will raise His body "by My own power," confirming His full equality with the Father.

St. Augustine addresses the apparent contradiction of Christ's self-resurrection ("I will raise it up") with the biblical truth.

• The Father also raised Him up (as suggested by Christ's quote from Psalm 41:10, "Raise You me up, and I shall reward them").

• "But what did the Father do without the Word?" Since the Father and the Son are one in essence and action, the Father did not act without the Son.

• The resurrection is the united act of both persons of the Trinity: "As then the Father raised Him up, so did the Son also." This confirms the divinity of the Son, referencing His later declaration: "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30).

St. John Chrysostom explains why Christ offered the sign of His Resurrection to the Jews as the definitive proof of His authority.

• The Resurrection because it is the greatest proof that He was not a mere man.

  1. The Resurrection showed that Christ could "triumph over death."

  2. It demonstrated His power to "in a moment overthrow its long tyranny" (the power of death and the grave).

Origen offers an interpretation of the Temple and Christ's Body as a type of the Church. [3]

• The physical Temple and the Body of Jesus as a "type of the Church."

  1. The Church is built up of "lively stones into a spiritual house, into an holy priesthood" (referencing 1 Peter 2:5).

  2. It is also the "body of Christ, and members in particular" (referencing 1 Corinthians 12:27).

• Just as Christ's body suffered, the Church undergoes periods of tribulation:

  1. The Church's "structure of stones seem[s] to be broken up" and the "bones of Christ scattered by adversities and tribulations."

  2. Despite this, the temple "shall be restored, and raised up again in three days," culminating in its establishment in the "new heaven and the new earth."

• The "whole body of Christ's saints" is crucified with Christ (glorying in the cross) and buried with Him.

  1. Believers have "risen with Him, walking in newness of life," but the "blessed resurrection" is a process that is "still going on, and is yet to be completed."

  2. The use of "in three days" (rather than on the third day) signifies that the "erection is being in process throughout the whole of the three days."

Theophylact highlights the literal, carnal misunderstanding of the Jews regarding Christ's prophecy.

• The Jews heard Christ's statement and immediately fixed their attention on the physical, material Temple of Jerusalem.

  1. Their response "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?" shows they only took what Christ said at face value.

  2. They did not understand that Christ is speaking of His own body.

Alcuin of York clarifies the historical context of the Jews' statement regarding the Temple's construction time.

• The Temple's 46 years of construction refers to the long-term project of the Temple in their current era, not the original structure:

  1. They were not referring to the first Temple built by Solomon, which was completed relatively quickly (seven years).

  2. They were referring to the Temple that was rebuilt under Zerubbabel after the Babylonian exile and later extensively renovated by Herod the Great.

Origen offers two highly speculative and mystical interpretations regarding the "Forty and six years" the Jews mentioned.

• The count might begin from the time King David consulted Nathan the Prophet about building the Temple. David began "collecting materials" from that point, implying the true genesis of the Temple project started then.

• The number 40 may refer to the "four corners of the temple" and by extension, the "four elements of the world." This connects the Temple (and Christ's body/Church) to the entire physical creation.

• The number 6 refers to the "creation of man on the sixth day." This connects the Temple to human creation and the body of Christ, who represents perfected humanity.

St. Augustine employs numerology to connect the Jews' stated construction time of the Temple (46 years) to the perfect formation of Christ's body in the womb.

• The number 46 may be divinely prefigured to correspond with the time required for the Incarnation:

  1. 46 multiplied by 6 (a number often associated with human creation, as man was created on the sixth day) is 276. 

  2. 276 days, corresponds precisely to "nine months and six days," which Augustine states is the authoritative, Church-preserved tradition for the time "our Lord's Body was forming in the womb."

St. Augustine deepens his numerological allegory.

• The fact that the Temple took 46 years to build is presented as "no unmeaning information."

  • The Temple "prefigured His Body," and the number of years the Temple took to build (46) precisely matched the number of days required for the perfect, initial formation of the Lord's Body (46).

• The number 46, which was meant by the Jews as a factual challenge, is thus revealed by Augustine to be a divinely ordained numerical prophecy.

St. Augustine concludes the numerological and allegorical reading of the "Forty and six years."

• The four Greek words for the cardinal directions: anatole (East), dysis (West), arctos (North), and mesembria (South).

  1. The first letters of these words spell AΔAM (Adam), symbolizing the four corners of the world from which Christ will gather His saints.

• The Greek numerical values to the letters in Adam are Alpha (A) = 1 Delta (Δ) = 4 Alpha (A) = 1 Mu (M) = 40 Total: 1+4+1+40=46

  1. The Temple, which took 46 years to build, signifies the body derived from Adam (humanity). 

  2. Christ took on this human body (the Temple) but "did not take it in its sinful state."

  3. He "renewed it" by raising it again on the third day after the Jews had destroyed it.

  4. The Jews' literal (carnal) understanding was wrong; Christ "spoke spiritually" about the "temple of His Body."

Theophylact serves a polemical purpose, refuting the heresy of Apollinarius by showing that the allegory of the Temple does not negate Christ's full humanity.

• Apollinarius argues that since the Temple was "inanimate" (lifeless stone), the body (flesh) of Christ must also have been inanimate or without a rational soul.

  1. This logical error is refuted by showing that carrying the analogy to its extreme is absurd: "In this way you will prove the flesh of Christ to be wood and stone, because the temple is composed of these materials." 

• Theophylact continues to prove Christ's rational soul:

  1. "Now is My soul troubled" (John 12:27) demonstrates the human experience of emotion and distress in a rational soul.

  2. "I have power to lay it (My life) down" (John 10:18) refers to Christ's control over His life (or rational soul/spirit).

  3. "Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46) is an act of commending the "spirit" (which cannot be understood as an irrational soul) to the Father.

  4. "You shall not leave My soul in hell" (Acts 2:27, quoting Psalm 16:10) shows the continued existence of His soul after death.

Origen explains why Christ's body is called the "temple" using the analogy of the Old Testament Temple.

• Just as the original Temple physically contained the "glory of God dwelling therein" (the Shekinah), Christ's human Body contains and houses the "Only-Begotten," who is the "image and glory of God."

• Christ's Body "represents the Church," meaning the Church is the spiritual continuation of this indwelling of God's glory.

St. John Chrysostom focuses on the disciples' initial lack of comprehension regarding Christ's prophecy.

• Two profound truths were initially beyond the disciples' comprehension:

  1. The very idea that Christ's "Lord's Body" would be physically raised from death.

  2. The fact that it was "God who dwelt in that Body," meaning the truth of the Incarnation.

• The disciples only fully grasped the meaning of Christ's words and actions after the event:

  1. "When therefore He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them." This memory acted as a revelation.

  2. This realization caused them to "believe the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."

Alcuin of York reinforces Chrysostom's point, emphasizing the necessity of the Holy Spirit.

• Before the Resurrection, the disciples "did not understand the Scriptures" concerning Christ.

• This was because they "had not yet received the Holy Ghost, Who was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." The Holy Spirit, the interpreter of truth, was withheld until Christ's completed work.

• On the day of the Resurrection, Christ "opened their meaning" to the disciples, allowing them to comprehend the prophecies about Him in the Law and the Prophets.

• This enlightenment led them to believe both the prophecy of the Scriptures (that Christ would rise on the third day) and the word which Jesus had spoken ("Destroy this temple, &c.").

Origen offers a profound mystical interpretation of the disciples' post-Resurrection belief.

• We (the Church) will attain the "full measure of faith" only at the "great resurrection of the whole body of Jesus," meaning the General Resurrection of all the faithful.

• The faith we possess now "sees as through a glass darkly" (referencing 1 Corinthians 13:12), it is partial and obscure.

• The faith achieved at the resurrection is "from sight" - it is direct, clear, and complete, finally seeing God face-to-face.