This is a re-upload/transcription of a post from the City-Data.com forums made by the user “MPHJ7”, in the 13th of October 2021 – it’s comments on Luke 14.26 using quotes from St. Clement of Alexandria, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Augustine of Hippo. The post is titled, “How Ancient Christians Read “Hate Father and Mother” (Lk. 14:26)“, and you can find it here. All of the text below this paragraph is part of the original post; the bolded parts below were all bolded in the original post. I’m re-uploading it here because it’s interesting, but do keep in mind it wasn’t originally from this blog. Let us begin:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:26, ESV
This is one passage that has confused many Christians, and has often been cited by critics of Christianity. It isn’t hard to see why – the message to “hate” seems out of place compared to so much else of what Jesus said. A quick visit to any apologetics website can show you how modern Christians understand this verse.
However, I was curious as to what Christians who lived in ancient times thought this verse meant. I checked out a website called the Church Fathers Scripture Search Engine (on catholiccrossreference.online) and searched in Luke 14:26. Because of the way the website works, many of the quotes from ancient Christians given are unrelated to this verse. To make things simpler, I narrowed it down to three notable passages.
The translation used for all of these quotes is the Ante-Nicene Fathers/Nicene Post-Nicene Fathers series. All underlining, bolding, etc. in the text is my own work.
Clement of Alexandria was a Christian teacher who lived from 150 AD to 215 AD. He wrote a book called “Salvation for the Rich” (or, “Who is the Rich Man that Shall Be Saved?”), where he comments on this verse. He interpreted it to mean that we should be ready to hate family if they should do something that goes against salvation, rather than actually hate them right now. A link to the book can be found HERE.
“And Jesus answering said, Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall leave what is his own, parents, and children, and wealth, for My sake and the Gospel’s, shall receive an hundredfold.” But let neither this trouble you, nor the still harder saying delivered in another place in the words, “Whoso hateth not father, and mother, and children, and his own life besides, cannot be My disciple.” For the God of peace, who also exhorts to love enemies, does not introduce hatred and dissolution from those that are dearest. But if we are to love our enemies, it is in accordance with right reason that, ascending from them, we should love also those nearest in kindred. Or if we are to hate our blood-relations, deduction teaches us that much more are we to spurn from us our enemies. So that the reasonings would be shown to destroy one another. But they do not destroy each other, nor are they near doing so. For from the same feeling and disposition, and on the ground of the same rule, one loving his enemy may hate his father, inasmuch as he neither takes vengeance on an enemy, nor reverences a father more than Christ. For by the one word he extirpates hatred and injury, and by the other shamefacedness towards one’s relations, if it is detrimental to salvation. If then one’s father, or son, or brother, be godless, and become a hindrance to faith and an impediment to the higher life, let him not be friends or agree with him, but on account of the spiritual enmity, let him dissolve the fleshly relationship.” – On the Salvation of the Rich Man, XXII
A century after Clement, there lived a man named John Chrysostom. John was a Christian preacher who lived from 347 AD to 407 AD. The name “Chrysostom” is a nickname (meaning “golden-mouthed” in Greek), given for his speaking skills. In his 35th Homily on Matthew, he says that this passage should be read as saying you should hate people only when they want to be loved more than Christ. A link to the homily can be found HERE.
“For this reason Luke saith, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple;”not commanding simply to hate them, since this were even quite contrary to the law; but “when one desires to be loved more than I am, hate him in this respect. For this ruins both the beloved himself, and the lover.” And these things He said, both to render the children more determined, and to make the fathers more gentle, that would hinder them. For when they saw He had such strength and power as to sever their children from them, they, as attempting things impossible, would even desist. Wherefore also He leaves the fathers, and addresses His discourse to the children, instructing the former not to make the attempt, as attempting things impracticable.” – Homily on Matthew XXXV
Lastly, around the same time as Chrysostom lived Augustine of Hippo, probably one of the more famous ancient Christians. While he is mostly famous for writing Confessions and The City of God, he wrote several biblical commentaries – one of them includes “Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount”. In this book he comments on this passage, and believes this verse says you shouldn’t hate the individuals themselves, but the worldly situation you find yourself in with them. A link to the section of the book can be found HERE.
“But it is rather that statement which the Lord Himself makes in another passage which is wont to disturb the minds of the little ones, who nevertheless earnestly desire to live now according to the precepts of Christ: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” For it may seem a contradiction to the less intelligent, that here He forbids the putting away of a wife saving for the cause of fornication, but that elsewhere He affirms that no one can be a disciple of His who does not hate his wife. But if He were speaking with reference to sexual intercourse, He would not place father, and mother, and brothers in the same category. … Hence it is necessary that whoever wishes here and now to aim after the life of that kingdom, should hate not the persons themselves, but those temporal relationships by which this life of ours, which is transitory and is comprised in being born and dying, is upheld; because he who does not hate them, does not yet love that life where there is no condition of being born and dying, which unites parties in earthly wedlock.” – Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, I.xv
What are your thoughts?
Nikaea 325 