The Precanon
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    Jerome and Augustine on Matthew 9:1

    Patristic witness

    The same theme is also treated on the main page in the homepage section Sailing Toward Nazareth. In brief, that section argues that Matthew 9:1 may preserve a Nazareth-facing memory, while this entry gathers two early Christian witnesses often cited in support of that reading.

    The sources below are often cited in discussions of the phrase 'his own city' (Matthew 9:1) and whether it may be read as Nazareth. Short excerpts are provided with links to full public domain editions.

    What matters here is that the Nazareth reading is not left as a modern apologetic claim; it appears within earlier Christian attempts to explain Matthew's wording and reconcile the Gospel accounts.

    Jerome (Commentary on Matthew)

    Latin: Civitatem ejus non aliam intelligimus quam Nazareth, unde et Nazaraeus appellatus est.

    Jerome identifies the 'own city' of Matthew 9:1 with Nazareth, linking it with the designation 'Nazarene.'

    Full text: Commentaria in Matthaeum (Wikisource), and a parallel excerpt in Catena Aurea (Christian Classics Ethereal Library, CCEL).

    Augustine (Harmony of the Gospels)

    English (public domain translation): Mark speaks of the incident as taking place not in His own city, which indeed is called Nazareth, but in Capharnaum.

    If we adopt this supposition, we must say that Matthew has omitted all that was done from the time that Jesus entered into His own city till He came to Capharnaum.

    In this chapter Augustine discusses how Matthew and Mark may be reconciled on the location of the paralytic episode. In that context, he treats a Nazareth reading as possible and then considers the implications for Matthew's narrative sequencing.

    Full text: Harmony of the Gospels, Book II, Chapter 25 (New Advent), and the same excerpts in Catena Aurea (Christian Classics Ethereal Library, CCEL).

    Reference controls

    The narrow claim on this page rests on two patristic witnesses and should be checked in that limited frame. Jerome's comment comes from his Commentary on Matthew; Augustine's discussion comes from De consensu evangelistarum / Harmony of the Gospels, Book II, chapter 25. Aquinas' Catena Aurea is useful because it transmits the same patristic material in a later compiled form, but it is not the earliest witness.