John 2:15 (WEB)
He made a whip of cords and drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money and overthrew their tables.
Fathers and councils · 32
Augustine of Hippo
“…not patiently borne those whom I have rebuked, because I have sought Thy glory in Thy House, because I have scourged them that in the Temple dealt unseemly: in which place also there is quoted, “the zeal of Thine House hath eaten Me up.”” — editor's note: John ii. 15.
Read the whole comment“This account of the multitude of sellers who were cast out of the temple is given by all the evangelists; but John introduces it in a remarkably different order.” — editor's note: Matt. xxi. 10–13; Mark xi. 15–17; Luke xix. 45, 46; John ii. 1–17.
Read the whole comment“…again to the temple, where he states that Jesus spoke of the temple of His body in these terms: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up:” in which declaration emphatic intimation is given not only that God was in that temple in the person of the Word that was made flesh, but also that He Himself…” — editor's note: John ii. 12–22.
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Jerome
“He has upset the tables of Mammon and has scattered the money of the money-changers; zealous that the house of God may be called a house of prayer and not a den of robbers.” — editor's note: John ii. 14–16; Matt. xxi. 12, 13.
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Ambrose of Milan
“Invited, then, by these praises, Christ enters His temple, and takes His scourge and drives the money-changers out of the temple.” — editor's note: S. John ii. 15.
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Gregory of Nazianzus
“He cleansed the temple of those who made merchandise of God, and trafficked in the things of Christ, imitating Christ in this also; only it was with persuasive words, not with a twisted scourge that this was wrought.” — editor's note: S. John ii. 15.
Read the whole comment“After this teach in the Temple, and drive out the sacrilegious traders.” — editor's note: John ii. 15.
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Clement of Alexandria
“But those who act contrary to these things—the avaricious, the liars, the hypocrites, those who make merchandise of the truth—the Lord cast out of His Father’s court, not willing that the holy house of God should be the house of unrighteous traffic either in words or in material things.” — editor's note: In allusion to the cleansing of the temple (John ii. 13–17; Matt. xxi. 12, 13; Luke xix. 45, 46).
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Catena Aurea on John
- BedeCatena Aurea on John
Our Lord on coming to Jerusalem, immediately entered the temple to pray; giving us an example that, wheresoever we go, our first visit should be to the house of God to pray. And He found in the temple those that sold…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on John
Such sacrifices were prescribed to the people, in condescension to their carnal minds; to prevent them from turning aside to idols. They sacrificed sheep, and oxen, and doves.
Read the whole comment - BedeCatena Aurea on John
Those however, who came from a distance, being unable to bring with them the animals required for sacrifice, brought the money instead. For their convenience the Scribes and Pharisees ordered animals to be sold in…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on John
He who was to be scourged by them, was first of all the scourger; And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drore them all out of the temple.
Read the whole comment - Theophylact of OhridCatena Aurea on John
Nor did He cast out only those who bought and sold, but their goods also: The sheep, and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables, i. e. of the money changers, which were coffers of pence.
Read the whole comment - OrigenCatena Aurea on John
Should it appear something out of the order of things, that the Son of God should make a scourge of small cords, to drive them out of the temple? We have one answer in which some take refuge, viz. the divine power of…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on John
It is evident that this was done on two several occasions; the first mentioned by John, the last by the other three.
Read the whole comment - OrigenCatena Aurea on John
John says here that He drove out the sellers from the temple; Matthew, the sellers and buyers. The number of buyers was much greater than of the sellers: and therefore to drive them out was beyond the power of the…
Read the whole comment - BedeCatena Aurea on John
The Evangelist sets before us both natures of Christ: the human in that His mother accompanied Him to Capernaum; the divine, in that He said, Make not My Father’s house an house of merchandize.
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on John
Lo, He speaks of God as His Father, and they are not angry, for they think He means it in a common sense. But afterwards when He spoke more openly, and shewed that He meant equality, they were enraged. In Matthew’s…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on John
So that temple was still a figure only, and our Lord cast out of it all who came to it as a market. And what did they sell? Things that were necessary for the sacrifice of that time. What if He had found men drunken?…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on John
But why did Christ use such violence? He was about to heal on the Sabbath day, and to do many things which appeared to them transgressions of the Law. That He might not appear therefore to be acting contrary to God,…
Read the whole comment - BedeCatena Aurea on John
His disciples seeing this most fervent zeal in Him, remembered that it was from zeal for His Father’s house that our Saviour drove the ungodly from the temple.
Read the whole comment - Alcuin of YorkCatena Aurea on John
Zeal, taken in a good sense, is a certain fervour of the Spirit, by which the mind, all human fears forgotten, is stirred up to the defence of the truth.
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on John
He then is eaten up with zeal for God’s house, who desires to correct all that he sees wrong there; and, if he cannot correct, endures and mourns. In thine house thou busiest thyself to prevent matters going wrong;…
Read the whole comment - Alcuin of YorkCatena Aurea on John
To take the passage mystically, God enters His Church spiritually every day, and marks each one’s behaviour there. Let us be careful then, when we are in God’s Church, that we indulge not in stories, or jokes, or…
Read the whole comment - OrigenCatena Aurea on John
It is possible even for the dweller in Jerusalem to incur guilt, and even the most richly endowed may stray. And unless these repent speedily, they lose the capacity wherewith they were endued. He finds them in the…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on John
Or, those who sell in the Church, are those who seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ. They who will not be bought, think they may sell earthly things. Thus Simon wished to buy the Spirit, that he might sell…
Read the whole comment - BedeCatena Aurea on John
They then are the sellers of doves, who, after receiving the free grace of the Holy Spirit, do not dispense it freely2, as they are commanded, but at a price: who confer the laying on of hands, by which the Holy…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on John
By the oxen may be understood the Apostles and Prophets, who have dispensed to us the holy Scriptures. Those who by these very Scriptures deceive the people, from whom they seek honour, sell the oxen; and they sell…
Read the whole comment - BedeCatena Aurea on John
Or, the sheep are works of purity and piety, and they sell the sheep, who do works of piety to gain the praise of men. They exchange money in the temple, who, in the Church, openly devote themselves to secular…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on John
Our Lord intended a meaning to be seen in His making a scourge of small cords, and then scourging those who were carrying on the merchandize in the temple. Every one by his sins twists for himself a cord, in that he…
Read the whole comment - BedeCatena Aurea on John
With a scourge then made of small cords, He cast them out of the temple; for from the part and lot of the saints are cast out all, who, thrown externally among the Saints, do good works hypocritically, or bad openly.…
Read the whole comment - OrigenCatena Aurea on John
By the temple we may understand too the soul wherein the Word of God dwelleth; in which, before the teaching of Christ, earthly and bestial affections had prevailed. The ox being the tiller of the soil, is the symbol…
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Cross-references · 1
Cited together in Augustine of Hippo on John 2:14–17 (7) (Catena Aurea).