And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
De Cons. Evan., ii, 17: It might move enquiry, why John relates that near Jordan, not in Galilee, Andrew followed the Lord with another whose name hedoes not mention; and again, that Peter received that name from the Lord. Whereas the other three Evangelists write that they were called from their fishing, sufficiently agreeing with one another, especially Matthew and Mark; Luke not naming Andrew, who is however understood to have been in the same vessel with him. There is a further seeming discrepancy, that in Luke it is to Peter only that it is said, “Henceforth thou shalt catchmen;” Matthew and Mark write that is was said to both. As to the different account in John, it should be carefully considered, and it will be found that it is a different time, place, and calling that is there spoken of. For Peter and Andrew had not so seen Jesus at the Jordan that they adhered inseparably ever after, but so as only to have known who He was, and wondering at Him to have gone their way. Perhaps ...
Ap. Anselm: Because preachers should have good testimony from those who are without, lest if their life is open to censure, their preaching be contemned, he adds, “And the fame of him went abroad through all Syria.”.
‘Sickness’ means a lasting ailment; ‘torment’ is an acute pain, as pleurisy, and such like; they “who had daemons” are they who were tormented by the daemons.
ap. Anselm: The crowds that follow the Lord, are they of the Church, which is spiritually designated by Galilee, passing to virtuousness; Decapolis is he who keeps the Ten Commandments; Jerusalem and Judaea, he who is enlightened by the vision of peace and confession; and beyond Jordan, he who having passed the waters of Baptism enters the land of promise.
Not really smitten by the moon, but who were believed to be so through the subtlety of the daemons, who by observing the seasons of the moon, sought tobring an evil report against the creature, that is might redound to the blasphemy of the Creator.
Kings, when about to go to war with their enemies, first gather an army, and sogo out to battle; thus the Lord when about to war against the Devil, first collected Apostles, and then began to preach the Gospel.
Because they being weak could not come to their physician, He as a zealous Physician went about to visit those who had any grievous sickness. The Lord went round the several regions, and after His example the pastors of each region ought to go round to study the several dispositions of their people, that for the remedy of each disease some medicine may be found in the Church.
By which too He showed the Jews that He came not as an enemy of God, or a seducer of souls, but as consenting with his Father.
Or, He taught natural righteousness, those things which natural reason teaches, as chastity, humility, and the like, which all men of themselves see to be goods. Such things are necessary to be taught not so much for the sake of making them known as for stirring the heart. For benea...
Syria here is all the region from Euphrates to the Great sea, from Cappodociato Egypt, in which is the country of Palestine, inhabited by Jews.
Paralytics are those whose bodies have their nerves slackened or resolved froma Greek word, signifying this.
The crowds that followed Him consisted of four sorts of men. Some followed forthe heavenly teaching as disciples, some for the curing of their diseases, some from the reports concerning Him alone, and curiosity to find whether they were true; others from envy, wishing to catch Him in some matter that they might accuse Him. Mystically, Syria is interpreted ‘lofty, ’Galilee, ‘turning:’ or ‘a wheel;’ that is, the Devil and the world; the Devilis both proud and always turned round to the bottom; the world in which the fame of Christ went abroad through preaching: the daemoniacs are the idolaters; the lunatics, the unstable; the paralytics, the slow and careless.
An example of life for doctors; that they should not be inactive, they are instructed in these words, “And Jesus went about.”.
That they should not be acceptors of persons the preachers are instructed in what follows, “the whole of Galilee.” That they should not go about empty, bythe word, “teaching.” That they should seek to benefit not few but many, in what follows, “in their synagogues.”.
That the teacher should study to commend his teaching by his own virtuous conduct is conveyed in those words, “healing every sort of disease and malady among the people;” maladies of the body, diseases of the soul.
By these he would have us understand various but slighter diseases; but when he says, “seized with divers sicknesses and torments,” he would have those understood, of whom it is subjoined, “and who had daemons.”.
‘Lunatics’ are so called from the moon; for as it waxes in its monthly seasons they are tormented.
