Importance of the Expressions “Behind” And “Turned.” - ANF09. The Gospel of Peter, The Diatessaron of Tatian, The Apocalypse of Peter, the Vision of Paul, The Apocalypse of the Virgin and Sedrach, The Testament of Abraham, The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, The Narrative of Zosimus, The Apology of Aristides, The Epistles of Clement (complete text), Origen’s Commentary on John, Books 1–10, and Commentary on Matthew, Books 1, 2, and 10

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Importance of the Expressions “Behind” And “Turned.”
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22. Importance of the Expressions “Behind” And “Turned.”

But you will compare together His saying to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan,”⁵⁷⁰¹

⁵⁷⁰¹ Matt. xvi. 23.
with that said to the devil (who said to Him, “All these things will I give Thee if Thou wilt fall down and worship me”),⁵⁷⁰²

⁵⁷⁰² Matt. iv. 9.
“get thee hence,”⁵⁷⁰³

⁵⁷⁰³ Matt. iv. 10.
without the addition, “behind Me;” for to be behind Jesus is a good thing. Wherefore it was said, “Come ye behind Me and I will make you fishers of men.”⁵⁷⁰⁴

⁵⁷⁰⁴ Matt. iv. 19.
And to the same effect is the saying, “He that doth not take his cross and follow behind Me is not worthy of Me.”⁵⁷⁰⁵

⁵⁷⁰⁵ Matt. x. 38.
And as a general principle observe the expression “behind”; because it is a good thing when any one goes behind the Lord God and is behind the Christ; but it is the opposite when any one casts the words of God behind him, or when he transgresses the commandment which says, “Do not walk behind thy lusts.”⁵⁷⁰⁶

⁵⁷⁰⁶ Ecclus. xviii. 30.
And Elijah also, in the third Book of Kings, says to the people, “How long halt ye on both your knees? If God is the Lord, go behind Him, but if Baal is the Lord, go behind him.”⁵⁷⁰⁷

⁵⁷⁰⁷ 1 Kings xviii. 21.
And Jesus says this to Peter when He “turned,” and He does so by way of conferring a favour. And if therefore you will collect more illustrations of the “having turned,” and especially those which are ascribed to Jesus, and compare them with one another, you would find that the expression is not superfluous. But it is sufficient at present to bring forward this from the Gospel according to John, “Jesus turned and beheld them”—clearly, Peter and Andrew—“following, and saith unto them, What seek ye?”⁵⁷⁰⁸

⁵⁷⁰⁸ John i. 38.
For observe that, when He “turned,” it is for the advantage of those to whom He turned.
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