A.D. 407 – 1871 4 witnesses
“There is no difference between rich and poor in Christ. Pay no attention to the outward appearance, but look for the inner faith instead.”
“And ye have respect to him that wears the gay clothing,.... Take notice of him, and show favour to him, to the neglect and contempt of the other. This is an instance of respect of persons condemned and dissuaded from: and say unto him, sit thou here in a good place; the best place; whether it be in a religious assembly, or in a civil court of judicature: and say to the poor, stand thou there; or in a lower and meaner place: or sit thou here under my footstool; this also was contrary to the Jewish canons (t), that one should sit, and another stand, while their cause was trying; the law runs thus: "one shall not sit, and another stand, but both shall stand; but if the sanhedrim, or court, please to let them sit, they sit; but one does not sit above, and the other below; but one by the side of the other.'' (t) Maimon. ib. sect. 3. vid. T. Bab. Shebuot, fol. 30. 1.”
“Sit here under my footstool - Thus evidently prejudging the cause, and giving the poor man to see that he was to expect no impartial administration of justice in his cause.”
“have respect to him, &c.--though ye know not who he is, when perhaps he may be a heathen. It was the office of the deacons to direct to a seat the members of the congregation [CLEMENT OF ROME, Apostolical Constitutions, 2.57, 58]. unto him--not in the best manuscripts. Thus "thou" becomes more demonstratively emphatic. there--at a distance from where the good seats are. here--near the speaker. under my footstool--not literally so; but on the ground, down by my footstool. The poor man must either stand, or if he sits, sit in a degrading position. The speaker has a footstool as well as a good seat.”
The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.