Catena Aurea on Mark
Dedication
To the Reverend Father, Lord Hannibald, Venerable Cardinal Priest of the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles, I, Brother Thomas of Aquino of the Order of Friars Preachers, [place] myself totally [at your disposition].
God, the maker of everything, by a simple glance of his goodness, brought everything into being, and endowed all creatures with a natural love of goodness. Thus, as each thing naturally loves and desires the good that befits it, it displays a wonderful turn about and pursuit of its author.
But in this rational creatures excel, because through wisdom they can discern the very universal source of goodness, and through love which is charity they can taste its sweetness. Therefore, the gift of wisdom, by which we have access to the very fount of goodness, is, in the judgment of right reason, the highest of all human goods. Wisdom never grows stale. He who eats it, hungers for more. He who drinks it, never loses his thirst. Wisdom diametrically opposes sin; so those who act with it do not sin. It gives its workers never-ending fruit. Thus those who elucidate it possess eternal life. And it is sweeter than any pleasure, more secure than any office or rule, and more useful than all riches.
It has been my pleasure to take on the task of commenting on the wisdom of the Gospel, hidden for ages but brought to light by the incarnate Wisdom of God. I did this by compiling the views of the sacred doctors. Pope Urban IV, of holy memory, first entrusted me with this task. Although that Supreme Pontif has been taken from this life, the three gospels of Mark, Luke and John remained without commentary. I did not wish negligence to leave unfinished a work that obedience began. Therefore, I worked very hard to complete the commentary on the four gospels, following the same pattern of quoting texts from the saints and indicating their names.
To make this commentary of the saints more complete and continuous, I had some Greek commentaries translated into Latin, which I included among the commentaries of the Latin doctors, indicating their names.
Because it is fitting for offerings to be made to the priests from the fruit of labor, this commentary on the Gospel, the fruit of my work, I deemed necessary to offer to an apostolic priest. May your authority accept this payment and give it a critical review, and may your long-time affection accept in the gift I offer a sign of my love.
Prologue
My God has been my strength. He says: It is too little for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I shall make you a light to the nations, so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of the earth. (Is 49:5-6)
GlossIsaiah foretold the calling of the gentiles and the cause of their salvation, saying: my God has been my strength etc.
Jerome on Isaiah: These words show that Christ is called a servant, in that he was formed from a womb. For, before these words, it is said: Thus says the Lord, forming me from the womb as his servant. It was the will of the Father that the very wicked vine dressers should receive the son who was sent. So Christ is telling his disciples about them: Do not go the way of the gentiles; go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Because Israel was not subject to God, therefore, the Son of God speaks to the unbelieving Jews, saying that My God has been my strength, and he consoled me over my people's rejecting me. He said: It is not so important for you to serve me in resuscitating the tribes of Jacob who crashed by their wickedness, and to convert the remnant of Israel. In their place, I set you as a light for all nations, to enlighten the whole world, and make my salvation, which is for humanity's salvation, reach the ends of the earth.
GlossWe can make two conclusions from the preceding words: The first is that the divine power, which was in Christ, was capable of enlightening the nations —where it is said: My God is my strength. For God, as the Apostle said, was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Therefore, the Gospel, by which believers are saved, is the power of God for the salvation of every believer, as the same Apostle says. The second is the enlightenment of the nations and the salvation of the world effected, by the disposition of the Father, through Christ —where it is said: I placed you as a light for the nations. Thus after his resurrection, to fulfil the disposition of the Father, the Lord sent the disciples to preach, saying: Teach all nations. Some of them took the ministry of preaching to the Jews, others that of preaching to the gentiles. Because the Gospel had not only to be preached to those of that time, but also to be written for future generations, the same distinction is found in the writers of the Gospel. For Matthew wrote in Hebrew for the Jews, Mark was the first to write the Gospel for the gentiles.
Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History: Since the clear light of the word of God rose on the city of Rome, the story of truth and light, which was preached by Peter, instructed the minds of all by its pleasing sound. Thus every day those who heard it never heard enough. It was not enough just to hear it, but they begged the disciple Mark to put into writing what Peter preached orally, to have a perpetual record of it, which they could always meditate both at home and outside. They did not give up pressing him, until they got what they asked for. This was what led to the writing of the Gospel according to Mark. Peter, who by the Holy Spirit found himself subjected to a religious theft, was delighted, considering their faith and devotion. So he ratified what was done, and bequeathed this to the churches as Scripture to be read forever.
Jerome on Mark: The Gospel begins from the preaching of Christ as an adult. It does not concern itself with the birth of the little child, since it speaks of the perfection of the Son of God.
ChrysostomHis narration is a short summary, wherein he imitates his master, Peter, who always tried to be brief.
Augustine, Consistency of the Gospels: Matthew, who described the royal person of Christ, had Mark as an associate and summarizer. In this respect he followed his example, for kings are never without assistants who wait on them. But since a priest enters the Holy of Holies alone, Luke, who was concerned with the priesthood of Christ, did not have an assistant to summarize his narration.
BedeNote that the Holy Evangelists had different beginnings of their story, and different endings. Matthew started from the birth of the Lord and continued until the resurrection. Mark started with the beginning of the evangelical preaching and reached the ascension of the Lord and the preaching of the disciples to all nations of the world. Luke began from the birth of the Precursor, and ended with the Lord's ascension. John began with the eternity of the Word of God, and continued his preaching up to the time of the Lord's resurrection.
Ambrose, on Luke: Because Mark began with the manifestation of divine power, he is rightly depicted as a lion.
Remigius, on Mark: The lion designates Mark, because, as the lion lets out a terrible cry in the desert, so Mark began with a voice in the desert, saying: the voice of one crying in the desert.
Augustine, on the Consistency of the Gospels: Yet another explanation is possible. For Mark, unlike Matthew who gave a royal genealogy, is depicted as a lion. Nor did he describe his priesthood, as Luke did, who is depicted as a bull. Nor did he narrate his relatives or consecration, but was concerned with what Christ did as a man; therefore he seems to deserve the figure of a man, among those four animals.
Theophylactus, on Mark: Or the eagle fits the Gospel according to Mark, because it begins with the prophecy of John. But prophecy sees sharply what is far away, like an eagle.