ACC ~ Matthew 18 v21 - 22

NO TIME FOR ANGER

HILARY OF POITIERS: When Peter asked him whether he should forgive his brother sinning against him up to seven times, the Lord replied, “Not up to seven times but up to seventy times seven times.” In every way he teaches us to be like him in humility and goodness. In weakening and breaking the impulses of our rampant passions he strengthens us by the example of his leniency, by granting us in faith pardon of all our sins. For the vices of our nature did not merit pardon. Therefore all pardon comes from him. In fact, he pardons even those sins that remain in one after confession.

The penalty to be paid through Cain was established at sevenfold, but that sin was against a man, against his brother Abel, to the point of murder. [1] But in Lamech the penalty was established at seventy times seven times, [2] and, as we believe, the penalty was established on those responsible for the Lord’s Passion. [3] But the Lord through the confession of believers grants pardon for this crime. By the gift of baptism he grants the grace of salvation to his revilers and persecutors. How much more is it necessary, he shows, that pardon be returned by us without measure or number. And we should not think how many times we forgive, but we should cease to be angry with those who sin against us, as often as the occasion for anger exists. Pardon’s frequency shows us that in our case there is never a time for anger, since God pardons us for all sins in their entirety by his gift rather than by our merit. Nor should we be excused from the requirement of giving pardon that number of times [i.e., seventy times seven], since through the grace of the gospel God has granted us pardon without measure. ON MATTHEW 18.10. [4]

[1] Gen 4:8.

[2] Gen 4:24.

[3] It did not miss the eye of rabbinic interpreters that Cain would be avenged seven times and Lamech seventy-seven. Lamech lived 777 years. Lamech boasted of his vengeful killing of a young man, so it is pride that is being corrected. Such pride was attributed by Hilary of Poitiers to those who killed the Savior (cf. Gen 4:18-24).

[4] SC 258:84-86.

THE SEVENTY-SEVEN GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO CHRIST

AUGUSTINE: What then does “seventy times seven” mean? Listen, my friends, to this great mystery, this wonderful gift. When the Lord was baptized, Luke the holy Evangelist there noted down his ancestry, in what order, series and stems that generation had been reached in which Christ was born. Matthew began from Abraham and came as far as Joseph in descending generations. [1] But Luke began to count by going back up in ascending order. Why does the one reckon in a descending and the other in an ascending order? Because Matthew set forth the generations of Christ by which he came down to us, and so he began to reckon when Christ was born from a descending order. [2] Luke begins to reckon in reverse from when Christ was baptized. In this is the beginning of an ascension, for he begins to reckon in an ascending order. Note that in his account he enumerates seventy-seven generations! [3] With whom did he begin his reckoning? Note carefully! He began to reckon from Christ up to Adam himself, who was the first sinner and who parented us into bondage to sin. Luke reckoned up to Adam, and so there are enumerated in toto seventy-seven generations—from Christ up to Adam and from Adam up to Christ. Note seventy-seven! So then if no generation was omitted, there is no exemption of any trespass that ought not to be forgiven. For therefore did he reckon up his seventy-seven generations, which number the Lord mentioned as to the forgiveness of sins; since he begins to reckon from the baptism, where all sins are remitted. [4] SERMON 83.5. [5]

[1] Mt 1:1.

[2] Cf. NPNF 1 6:257-58.

[3] Lk 3:23.

[4] Augustine followed Hilary of Poitiers and others in assuming that Jesus’ word about unlimited forgiviness may be a conscious allusion to the song of Lamech (Gen 4:24).

[5] PL 38:516-17; NPNF 1 6:364* (Sermon 33).