the tabernacle of moses, and instituted the ark of the covenant; that workman who polishes the stubborn mind, and cuts down the proud thoughts." hilary of poitiers: "and this was the carpenter’s son who subdues iron by means of fire, who tries the virtue of this world in the judgment, and forms the rude mass to every work of human need; the figure of our bodies, for example, to the divers ministrations of the limbs, and all the actions of life eternal." jerome: "and when they are mistaken in his father, no wonder if they are also mistaken in his brethren. whence it is added, is not his mother mary, and his brethren, james, and joseph, and simon, and judas? and his sisters, are they not all with us?" jerome: " those who are here called the lord’s brethren, are the sons of a mary, his mother’s sister; she is the mother of this james and joseph, that is to say, mary the wife of cleophas, and this is the mary who is called the mother of james the less." augustine: " no wonder then that any kinsmen by the mother’s side should be called the lord’s brethren, when even by their kindred to joseph some are here called his brethren by those who thought him the son of joseph." hilary of poitiers: "thus the lord is held in no honour by his own; and though the wisdom of his teaching, and the power of his working raised their admiration, yet do they not believe that he did these things in the name of the lord, and they cast his father’s trade in his teeth. amid all the wonderful works which he did, they were moved with the contemplation of his body, and hence they ask, whence hath this man these things? and thus they were offended in him." jerome: "this error of the jews is our salvation, and the condemnation of the heretics, for they perceived jesus christ to be man so far as to think him the son of a carpenter." chrysostom: "observe christ’s mercifulness; he is evil spoken of, yet he answers with mildness; jesus said unto them, a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and in his own house." saint remigius: "he calls himself a prophet, as moses also declares, when he says, a prophet shall god raise up unto you of your brethren. (deut. 18:18.) and it should be known, that not christ only, who is the head of all the prophets, but jeremiah, daniel, and the other lesser prophets, had more honour and regard among strangers than among their own citizens." jerome: "for it is almost natural for citizens to be jealous towards one another; for they do not look to the present works of the man, but remember the frailties of his childhood; as if they themselves had not passed through the very same stages of age to their maturity." hilary of poitiers: "further, he makes this answer, that a prophet is without honour in his own country, because it was in judæa that he was to be condemned to the sentence of the cross; and forasmuch as the power of god is for the faithful alone, he here abstained from works of divine power because of their unbelief; whence it follows, and he did not there many mighty works because of their unbelief." jerome: "not that because they did not believe he could not do his mighty works; but that he might not by doing them be condemning his fellow-citizens in their unbelief." chrysostom: "but if his miracles raised their wonder, why did he not work many? because he looked not to display of himself, but to what would profit others; and when that did not result, he despised what pertained only to himself that he might not increase their punishment. why then did he even these few miracles? that they should not say, we should have believed had any miracles been done among us." jerome: "or we may understand it otherwise, that jesus is despised in his own house and country, signifies in the jewish people; and therefore he did among them few miracles, that they might not be altogether without excuse; but among the gentiles he does daily greater miracles by his apostles, not so much in healing their bodies, as in saving their souls."