Voices and influences
Theophylact of Ohrid
He wrote clear, useful Gospel commentaries while stuck serving a difficult Balkan diocese he never wanted.
Summary
This site quotes Theophylact of Ohrid 461 times across 25 books, and lists 0 works.
- Lived died 1107.
- Quoted here most in Acts: 176 of 461.
Theophylact of Ohrid
- Lived
- died 1107
- Tradition
- Patristic
5 of 461 quotations
Own words
Quoted at 50 words or fewer, because Theophylact of Ohrid's works are in copyright.
As the Lord promised the covetous ruler a treasure in heaven, he nevertheless did not heed, for he was a slave to his treasures, and therefore "became sorrowful" upon hearing the Lord urge him to part with his possessions, since he desired eternal life precisely …
Luke 18:23 But when the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy. BSB
For that day will not come with observation, but unexpectedly, secretly, like a net capturing those who are inattentive to themselves. Another person might perhaps investigate in detail the expression: "dwelling (sitting) upon the face of all the earth." That day will capture in its …
Luke 21:35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. BSB
Everywhere alongside virtue there is vice. Some marveled, others reviled. The former were truly devout; they lived in Jerusalem precisely because the law permitted them to appear three times a year at the temple in Jerusalem.
Acts 2:7 Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? BSB
Because the words "pray to the Lord for me" Simon said not because he repented and converted, but only for the sake of appearances. For otherwise, where is the weeping? Where is the remorse and confession of sins?
Acts 8:24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” BSB
"Having called the saints and widows, he presented her before them alive" – to the former as a consolation, and to the latter as a protectress.
Acts 9:41 Peter took her by the hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her to them alive. BSB
Influence, on the record
This site quotes Theophylact of Ohrid 461 times across 25 books.
This site’s own count of what it does with the voice
The life, in order
The life told as one accountfrom this site's record
Theophylact was born about 1050 on the island of Euboea, came to Constantinople, and studied under Michael Psellos, the outstanding scholar of eleventh-century Byzantium. He did well in the capital: he was a deacon of Hagia Sophia, held the post of maistor ton rhetoron — master of the rhetors, the senior teaching chair of the church — and was made tutor to Constantine Doukas, the young heir to the throne. Then, some time in the 1080s or early 1090s, he was appointed archbishop of Ohrid, the head of the Bulgarian church, and sent to the Balkans. His letters make no secret of what he thought about it. He was a Greek intellectual dropped into a Slavic province he found rough, poor, and provincial; he complains about the food, the smell, the mud, the tax collectors who bled his people, and the isolation. He calls himself an exile. He served there for something over twenty years — he was still writing after 1107, and the date of his death is not known. He was also, by the evidence of the same letters, a real pastor. He defended his flock against imperial tax officials, intervened for the poor, argued with governors, and stayed. He learned to respect the Bulgarians he had complained about, and he wrote a life of Clement of Ohrid, the disciple of Cyril and Methodius who had brought Slavic Christianity to that region, honouring the local tradition rather than replacing it. His commentaries are why he is on this wall. He wrote on all four Gospels, on Acts, on the epistles of Paul, on the catholic epistles, and on several minor prophets. They are not original, and he never claimed they were. They are largely a distillation of John Chrysostom, compressed, simplified, and made continuous — Chrysostom's exegesis without Chrysostom's length. That turned out to be exactly what people needed. Theophylact's Gospel commentary became the most widely used handbook on the Gospels in the Greek-speaking church, and it was read in the West too: Erasmus used it, Aquinas used it, and Calvin cites him. He also wrote a temperate treatise on the errors of the Latins, notable in a polemical age for how much of the quarrel he was willing to call a matter of custom rather than heresy. A man who wanted a chair in the capital, got sent to the mountains instead, and spent his exile writing the plainest commentaries in Byzantium. Sources: Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on the Gospels (Migne, Patrologia Graeca, vols. 123–126); Theophylact, Letters; Margaret Mullett, Theophylact of Ochrid: Reading the Letters of a Byzantine Archbishop; The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913).
461 quotations across 25 books
Where this voice is quoted
They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
“He suggests something more important than creation, namely, the transformation of the world. Everything will be changed from corruption to incorruption, and so easily, as if someone were rolling up a garment.”
and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.
“Having said "was confirmed," he shows how. Lest anyone say that the hearers were mistaken, he says: God bore witness together with them; He would not have borne witness if they themselves had invented anything.”
and placed everything under his feet.” When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control.
“Since they were subjected to persecutions and suffered, lest they say: how can you say that all things are subjected, when we are being driven out and persecuted by His enemies? — does that mean they are not yet subjected and you are deceiving us?”
He says: “I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing Your praises in the assembly.”
“Having assumed the flesh, He also assumed brotherhood; together with the flesh came brotherhood as well. But here again there is preeminence.”
And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?
“Above he said: "was it not against those who sinned," but now: "the disobedient." He seems to be alluding to such believers from among the Hebrews, because many of them fell into other transgressions as well, besides faintheartedness and unbelief in the future.”
For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.
“He explains in what sense he called such rest "a sabbath." Because, he says, we too rest from our works, just as God, having rested from His works after the creation of the world, called that day the Sabbath.”
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
“Since, he says, we have a sinless High Priest Who conquered the world, Who said: "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world" (John 16:33), we ought to approach with boldness, that is, not with a burdensome conscience, without wavering, but with full…”
For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to…
“See how he encouraged and strengthened them in the hope of better things, reminding them of their former deeds and the righteousness of God: for if God is righteous, He will not forget your work, that is, your mercy, your brotherly love, but will repay…”
saying, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”
“But Christ says: "this is My Blood of the New Testament... for the remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28). There it is neither a new testament, nor a remission of sins. Therefore, do you see that he called the blood a testament?”
In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.
“Neither burnt offerings, nor offerings for sins "You desired," nor deemed worthy of acceptance. The names of the sacrifices were various, evidently due to various reasons: some were for sins (Lev. 4:3), others for trespasses (Lev. 6:5), others for salvation (Num.”
“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”
“Do you see: God Himself testifies that He granted the cleansing of sins. And He granted it at the time when He was giving the New Testament.”
And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed.
“If forgiveness of sins was granted through a single sacrifice, then what need is there after this for a second sacrifice?”
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
“Having a "Priest," obviously Christ, and the "house" is us, the believers (Heb. 3:6), according to the following words: "I will dwell in them and walk among them" (2 Cor. 6:16, cf. Lev. 26:12).”
So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward.
“"Not forsaking" shows that they had not yet fallen away, but still needed both strengthening and protection. He said "confidence," because they, having endured so much with patience for God's sake, have great boldness.”
And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
“Faith accomplished not only that she gave birth, but that she gave birth to as many as even fertile women do not bear. Thus, two miracles. But in what sense were they innumerable? For they were often counted.”
By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.
“What do you say? In the book of Exodus it is written: "Moses was afraid," because "this matter has become known" (Ex. 2:14).”
By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch Israel’s own firstborn.
“Paul everywhere introduces the mystery in passing, as here too in the course of his exhortation he mentions the mystery of Passover.”
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
“There are two kinds of consolation, opposite to one another: one is when someone says to another, "You have suffered much, remember this"; the other is when they say, "You have not yet endured anything great."”
Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
“Based on their own circumstances, he again shows that it is necessary to endure. For if, when our fathers according to the flesh disciplined us, we did not dare to withdraw, but, being subjected to shame, patiently bore everything they inflicted upon us, then how…”
For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”
“That is, they could not bear to hear with their ears what God was saying, as something terrifying. And so they became the reason for God's appearing in the flesh, so as to become accessible to them.”
The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.
“That is, the change of corruptible creation, which by its very nature is capable of wavering; since it was created, that is, received a beginning of existence, it undoubtedly also has an end.”
Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.
“Since Jesus Christ suffered outside the gates, let us also go out to Him outside the gates, that is, let us be outside the world, "bearing His reproach," enduring the same sufferings.”
And I especially urge you to pray that I may be restored to you soon.
“To wish them so warmly and with all care to pray that he might return to them sooner — this came from his strong love for them. At the same time, he shows that he relies on his conscience, and therefore appeals to them.”
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
“First of all, having asked them for prayers and honored them by this, he then also prays for them himself. Since, he says, God is the God of peace, you should not be agitated against me, and moreover on the basis of mere hearsay alone.”
I urge you, brothers, to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have only written to you briefly.
“Do you not see? He offers them what he offered to no one else. He does not say "persuasions," but "exhortations," that is, encouragements, reassurances toward endurance, since he was addressing his words to those who had been subjected to persecution.”