In this there cannot appear to be anything contrary to the records preserved in the other
Gospels, unless it be the circumstance that Matthew tells us how, when the multitudes were
sent away, He went up into a mountain, in order that there He might pray alone; while John
states that He was on a mountain with those same multitudes whom He fed with the five
loaves.1067 But seeing that John also informs us how He departed into a mountain after the
said miracle, to preclude His being taken possession of by the multitudes, who wished to
make Him a king, it is surely evident that they had come down from the mountain to more
level ground when those loaves were provided for the crowds. And consequently there is
no contradiction between the statements made by Matthew and John as to His going up
again to the mountain. The only difference is, that Matthew uses the phrase “He went up,”
while John’s term is “He departed.” And there would be an antagonism between these two,
only if in departing He had not gone up. Nor, again, is any want of harmony betrayed by
the fact that Matthew’s words are, “He went up into a mountain apart to pray;” whereas
John puts it thus: “When He perceived that they would come to make Him a king, He de-
parted again into a mountain Himself alone.” Surely the matter of the departure is in no
way a thing antagonistic to the matter of prayer. For, indeed, the Lord, who in His own
person transformed the body of our humiliation in order that He might make it like unto
the body of His own glory,1068 hereby taught us also the truth that the matter of departure
should be to us in like manner grave matter for prayer. Neither, again, is there any defect
of consistency proved by the circumstance that Matthew has told us first how He commanded
His disciples to embark in the little ship, and to go before Him unto the other side of the
lake until He sent the multitudes away, and then informs us that, after the multitudes were
sent away, He Himself went up into a mountain alone to pray; while John mentions first
that He departed unto a mountain alone, and then proceeds thus: “And when it became
late, His disciples came down unto the sea; and when they had entered into a ship,” etc. For
who will not perceive that, in recapitulating the facts, John has spoken of something as ac-
tually done at a later point by the disciples, which Jesus had already charged them to do
before His own departure unto the mountain; just as it is a familiar procedure in discourse,
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to revert in some fashion or other to any matter which otherwise would have been passed
over? But inasmuch as it may not be specifically noted that a reversion, especially when
done briefly and instantaneously, is made to something omitted, the auditors are sometimes
led to suppose that the occurrence which is mentioned at the later stage also took place lit-
1067 Reading in monte fuisse cum eisdem turbis quas de quinque panibus pavit. According to Migne, this is
the reading of several mss. of the better class; some twelve other mss. give in monte fuisse cum easdem turbas,
etc. = “He was on a mountain when He fed,” etc. Some editions have also in montem fugisse cum easdem, etc. =
“He departed to a mountain when He fed,” etc.
1068 Phil. iii. 21.
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Of His Walking Upon the Water, and of the Questions Regarding the Harmony…