Then said he unto them,
Therefore every scribe who is instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old.
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
And now the voice of Christ speaks to the Jews through the voice of the old Scriptures. They hear the voice of those Scriptures but do not see the face of the One who speaks. Do they want the veil to be lifted? Let them come to the Lord. Thus the old things are not taken away but are hidden in a storeroom. The learned scribe is now in the kingdom of God, bringing forth from his storeroom not new things only and not old things only. For if he should bring forth new things only or old things only, he is not a learned scribe in the kingdom of God presenting from his storeroom things new and old. If he says these things and does not do them, he brings them forth from his teaching office, not from the storeroom of his heart. We then say, Those things which are brought forth from the old are enlightened through the new. We therefore come to the Lord that the veil may be removed.
City of God, book xx, ch. 4: He said not ‘old and new,’ as He surely would have said had He not preferred to preserve the order of value rather than of time. But the Manichaeans while they think they should keep only the new promises of God, remain in the old man of the flesh, and put on newness of error.
Quaest. in Matt., q. 16: By this conclusion, whether did He desire to show Aug. whom He intended by the treasure hid in the field—in which case we might understand the Holy Scriptures to be here meant, the two Testaments by the things new and old—or did He intend that he should be held learned in the Church who understood that the Old Scriptures were expounded in parables, taking rules from these new Scriptures, seeing that in them also the Lord proclaimed many things in parables. If He then, in whom all those old Scriptures have their fulfilment and manifestation, yet speaks in parables until His passion shall rend the vail, when there is nothing hid that shall notbe revealed; much m...
A scribe is one who, through continual reading of the Old and New Testaments, has laid up for himself a storehouse of knowledge. Thus Christ blesses those who have gathered in themselves the education both of the law and of the gospel, so as to “bring forth from their treasure things both new and old.” And Christ compares such people with a scribe, just as in another place he says, “I will send you wise men and scribes.”
Every scribe; i.e. master or teacher. (Witham)
Because you know how invaluable is the treasure, the pearl, the kingdom, here mentioned; you, who are scribes and teachers, should cultivate it yourselves, and communicate the same blessing to others. Thus imitating a father of a family, who draws from his treasure both new and old things, and distributes them to his children, according to their several wants and necessities. This was a proverbial expression with the Jews, to signify every thing useful or necessary for the provision of a family. (St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Chrysostom, Ven. Bede, and Tirinus.)
Thus also a pastor of souls throws light upon the mysteries of the New Testament, by the figures of the Old, and explains the workings of grace, by the operations of nature.
It was the old fate of the human race to descend into the gates of hell to suffer eternal punishment for its sins. But something was changed by the coming of the Mediator. If a person really desired to live uprightly here, one could attain to the kingdom of heaven and, even though earthborn, can depart from this perishable life and be given a place in heaven. The old fate was such that by way of punishment humankind could perish in eternal punishment. The new fate was such that, having been converted, humankind could live in the kingdom. And so we see that the Lord concluded his discourse as he began it. First he likened the treasure discovered in a field and the pearl of great value to the kingdom. Then he spoke of the punishments of the lower world and the burning of the wicked. Then he added in conclusion: “So then, every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings forth from his storeroom things new and old.” It was as though he had said, “That perso...
But if by things “new and old” in this passage we understand the two Testaments, we deny Abraham to have been learned, who although he knew indeed some deeds of the Old Testament, yet had not read the words. Neither Moses may we compare toa learned householder, for although he composed the Old Testament, yet had he not the words of the New. But what is here said may be understood as meant not of those who had been, but of such as might hereafter be in the Church, who then “bring forth things new and old” when they speak the preachings of both Testaments, in their words and in their lives.
Otherwise; The things old are, that the human race for its sin should suffer ineternal punishment; the things new, that they should be converted and live in the kingdom, First, He brought forward a comparison of the kingdom to atreasure found and a pearl of price; and after that, narrated the punishment of hell in the burning of the wicked, and then concluded with “Therefore every Scribe” as if He had...
For this is spoken especially to the Apostles, whom He would have not to hear only as the multitude, but to understand as having to teach others.
Or the Apostles are called Scribes instructed, as being the Saviour’s notaries who wrote His words and precepts on fleshly tables of the heart with the sacraments of the heavenly kingdom, and abounded in the wealth of ahouseholder, bringing forth out of the stores of their doctrine things new and old; whatsoever they preached in the Gospels, that they proved by the words of the Law and the Prophets. Whence the Bride speaks in the Song of Songs ;“I have kept for thee my beloved the new with the old.”
Wherefore elsewhere also He says, I will send you wise men and scribes. Matthew 23:34 Do you see how so far from excluding the Old Testament, He even commends it, and speaks publicly in favor of it, calling it a treasure?
So that as many as are ignorant of the divine Scriptures cannot be householders; such as neither have of themselves, nor receive of others, but neglect their own case, perishing with famine. And not these only, but the heretics too, are excluded from this blessing. For they bring not forth things new and old. For they have not the old things, wherefore neither have they the new; even as they who have not the new, neither have they the old, but are deprived of both. For these are bound up and interwoven one with another.
Let us then hear, as many of us as neglect the reading of the Scriptures, to what harm we are subjecting ourselves, to what poverty. For when are we to apply ourselves to the real practice of virtue, who do not so much as know the very laws accor...
Then He praises them because they had understood; He saith unto them; "Therefore every Scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like unto an householder who bringeth out of his treasure things new and old.”
. Do you see how the parables have made them more attentive? For behold, they who before were unthinking and unlearned have understood these difficult things that were spoken. Therefore the Saviour praises them and says "every scribe." He calls them scribes, students of the law, but though they were students of the law, they did not remain within the law, but were instructed in the kingdom, that is, in the knowledge of Christ, and they are able to speak of both the old and the new. The householder, then, is Christ, the rich man. For in Him are the treasures of wisdom. He taught new things and then brought forward testimony from the old. For example, He said, "You will be called to account for every idle word" (Mt. 12:36) — this is new. Then He brought forward testimony, "By your words you will be judged and condemned" (Mt. 12:37; cf. Lk. 19:22, Job 15:6) — this is the old. In this the apostles were similar, for Paul says, "Be ye imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (I Cor. 4:16).
