Matthew 23:17 Douay-Rheims

Ye foolish and blind; for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

John Chrysostom (attributed)

Patristic

The temple pertains to God’s glory, and to man’s spiritual salvation, but the gold of the temple though it pertains to the glory of God, yet does it more so to the delight of man, and the profit of the Priests. The Jews then pronounced the gold which delighted them, and the gifts which fed them, to be more holy than the temple, that they might make men more disposed to offer gifts, than to pour out prayers in the temple. Whence the Lord suitably reproves them in these words. Yet have some Christians at present an equally foolish notion. See, they say, in any suit if one swear by God, it seems nought; but if one swear by the Gospel, he seems to have done some great thing. To whom we shall say in like manner, Ye fools and blind! the Scriptures were written because of God, God is not because of the Scriptures. Greater therefore is God, than what is hallowed by Him.

Source details
as excerpted in the Catena Aurea on Matthew 23:16-22

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.

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