# The little child who is greatest

Commentary on Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton.

On [CH06.P021](https://glosses.org/orthodoxy/pg16769-r1/CH06.P021/#char=1214,1242): "make a man as a little child"

This is a probable allusion to Matthew 18:1–4. Asked who is greatest in heaven's kingdom, Jesus places a child among the disciples, requires them to become like children, and identifies humbling oneself like that child with being greatest. The King James Version, whose translation first appeared in 1611, explicitly joins humility and greatness in verse 4. Chesterton develops that conjunction into a changed perception: humility lets a person look upward and discover marvels. The Gospel supplies the reversal of rank; the grass and the experience of wonder are Chesterton's imaginative elaboration. This is an allusion, not a verbatim biblical quotation, and its wording alone does not establish which translation he used. [Inspected witness: Project Gutenberg's King James text, Matthew 18:1–4](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10).

## Sources

- [The King James Version of the Bible, Project Gutenberg ebook 10](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10), Matthew 18:1–4; especially 18:3–4

Revision 1 · 2026-11-07 · https://glosses.org/a/a_rgfcj5xw/