Brother John

Man with a heart for God

Lay Brother, Rùna Ríngan new monastic community, Isle of Bute.


photo: crosses made out of native quartz, grass and sticks, placed on the  position of the altar stone, St Ninian's Chapel, 6th century, Isle of Bute


scroll down for my Saint Matthew's gospel commentary (a work in progress ...)

Saint Matthew's Gospel

A commentary based on ancient authors including Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Hilary of Poitiers  and others. Also informed by modern Orthodox, Catholic and Messianic scholarship. Tuned by my own time in a Reformed seminary and my love of real world applicability.
~ Introductory bits ~

Who is Matthew?

Reading this Gospel

Matthew, and Citing Scripture

~ chapter 1 ~

The Genealogy of Jesus

The Birth of Christ (1)

The Birth of Christ (2)

~ chapter 2 ~

King Herod, the Magi and the Star

Daniel and the OT Prophets

~ chapter 3 ~

John the Baptist

The Baptism of Jesus

~ chapter 4 ~

Jesus' First Battle with Sin

The sunset of John, and the son-rise of Jesus

~ Chapter 5 ~

The Sermon on the Mount (overview)

Jesus, the Blessèd Man

1. The Blessedness of Spiritual Poverty

2. The Blessedness of Grief

3. The Blessedness of Meekness

4. The Blessedness of being Right

5. The Peak of Blessedness

6. The Blessedness of seeing God

7. The Blessedness of Being a Peace-maker

8, 9 & 10. The Blessed Joy in Persecution

Jesus teaches the Apostles: be Salt and be Light

Jesus fulfills the Mosaic Law: not abolishes it, his six new depths

A work in progress. 

Sources :-

  • 140-170 ~ Pseudo-James ~ Protoevangelium of James ~ here

  • 184-284 ~ Origen ~ Commentary on Matthew - here, here

  • 315- 368 ~ Saint Hilary of Poitiers - Commentary on Matthew - here

  • 347-407 ~ Saint John Chrysostom ~ Homilies on Matthew ~ here or here

  • 354-430 ~ Saint Augustine of Hippo ~ Questions on the Gospels - here, 17 Questions on Matthew - here, Sermon on the Mount - here 

  • c366-384 - Ambrosiaster - Questions on the Gospel of Matthew - here

  • 540-604 - Saint Pope Gregory the Great - here

  • 1050-1107 ~ Theophylact of Ohrid ~ On Matthew - here

  • 1225-1274 ~ Saint Thomas Aquinas ~ Catena Aurea ~ here

  • Aquinas Study Bible - here

  • Early Christian Commentary of the Sermon of the Mount, Eliott Nesch (ed.) - here

  • English Standard Version (ESV) Bible

  • Christian Community Bible

  • Reader's Greek New Testament

  • Jewish Annotated New Testament 

  • Greek lexicons

  • Fr John Hopko, in the Sermon on the Mount - here 

  • Orthodox wiki ~ here

  • Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity (1969)