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juxtapositions of shameful things; for among the pure there is no difference between the genital parts and the rest; for the same God created the whole woman very beautiful, just as all of creation. 4 col1 Mt 1, 24 For three reasons she conceived after the betrothal; so that it might be thought that she had conceived by him and not die, and so that she might be genealogized from him, and so that she might have a guardian against Herod's plot, who would help her. For what reason did she conceive after the betrothal? I think the virgin is encompassed by these three reasons: both that it should seem to all that the pregnancy was from Joseph, and for this reason she escaped danger, and that Christ should be genealogized from this same man, and further, that she should have him as a guardian and minister in the circumstances when they were being persecuted by Herod. 5 Mt 1, 24-25 And Mary lived with her betrothed so that the birth of Christ would happen in a hidden manner, so that the Word of God, being conceived and born, might escape the notice of both the Jews and the devil, who, having become man, took hold of the seed of Abraham, but certainly did not liken himself to angels who are able both to change shape and to be seen as something else and to deceive the people who see them. And the virgin remained, even after giving birth, uninitiated into bodily union and did not marry; for the evangelist explained what happened, which by contrast indicates the emphasis of what did not happen. 6 Mt 2, 1 For what reason does he tell us both the time and the place, saying "in Bethlehem" and "in the days of Herod the king"? He mentions the days of Herod so that you might find the number of years to have ceased according to the prophecy of Daniel, which numbers the seventy weeks of years until Christ.

7 Mt 2, 1-2 In accordance with the prophecy, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And the evangelist mentions the times of Herod, so that by counting the seventy weeks of years from the prophecy of Daniel until Christ, we might find the fulfillment of the years. And since, on account of their unbelief, the Jews did not know the time of the birth, he shames them as negligent through the magi. And the star for this reason was hidden for a time, so that the magi might be compelled to ask where the king of the Jews had been born, and this might become manifest to all. 8 Mt 2, 2 And just as comets and such things in the sky signify something new for life, so much more extraordinary did the star of the great king Jesus appear; and they speak not to Herod, nor to the priests, nor to the scribes, but simply in the city, supposing the star and the king to be manifest to those who knew the prophecy, which is a reproof to the Jews. 9 Mt 2, 3-4 Strange was Herod, on the one hand believing the prophetic words that Christ would be the king of all, on the other hand thinking he could kill him and overturn the prophecies; a proof of madness. For if he believed what was said, he ought to have understood that what was said and had happened was beyond human power, and he was not able to overturn what seemed good to God. Or if he did not believe, why was he afraid and wanting to plot against the infant? This Herod was an Idumaean by race; for since a ruler from Judah had ceased, according to the prophecy of Jacob, and henceforth the Romans ruled, from that time Herod also ruled the nation of the Jews. 10 Mt 2, 9-10 10 For this reason the star is hidden when the magi entered Jerusalem, so that having lost their guide they might be compelled to learn from the Jews, or rather, in learning, to teach them; for they seek only the place, but that he was born, they already knew beforehand. And for this they undertook a long journey and threw themselves into danger; for having come into a ruled city they were asking where the king was born, not suspecting the wrath of the one then reigning, nor the plot of the city. But since

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αἰσχρῶν ἀντιθέσεις· παρὰ γὰρ τοῖς καθαροῖς οὐδεμία διαφορὰ τῶν γεννητικῶν μορίων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν· ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς θεὸς ὅλην ἐδημιούργησε τὴν γυναῖκα καλὴν λίαν ὡς καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν. 4 col1 Mt 1, 24 ∆ιὰ τρεῖς αἰτίας μετὰ μνηστείαν συνέλαβεν· ἵνα δόξῃ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κεκυηκέναι καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ καὶ ἵνα ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενεαλογηθῇ καὶ ἵνα σχῇ κηδεμόνα τῆς ἀπὸ Ἡρώδου ἐπιβουλῆς συναντιλαμβανόμενον αὐτῆς. Τίνος ἕνεκεν μετὰ τὴν μνηστείαν συνέλαβεν; τὴν παρθένον οἶμαι τρισὶ ταύταις αἰτίαις περιέχεσθαι· τῷ τε δοκεῖν πᾶσιν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ γενέσθαι τὴν κύησιν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πεφευγέναι τὸν κίνδυνον καὶ τῷ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τούτου γενεαλογηθῆναι τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ ἔτι τῷ κηδεμόνα ἔχειν αὐτὸν καὶ διάκονον ἐν ταῖς περιστάσεσιν, ὅτε ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἡρώδου ἐδιώκοντο. 5 Mt 1, 24-25 Συνῴκει δὲ ἡ Μαρία τῷ ἑαυτῆς μνηστῆρι διὰ τὸ συνεσκιασμένως γενέσθαι τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέννησιν, ἵνα καὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους λάθῃ καὶ τὸν διάβολον κυοφορούμενος καὶ τικτόμενος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος, ὃς σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπελάβετο ἄνθρωπος γεγονώς, οὐ μὴν ἀγγέλοις ἑαυτὸν ἀπῄκασε τοῖς δυναμένοις καὶ μετασχηματίζεσθαι καὶ ἄλλο ὁρᾶσθαι καὶ φαντάζειν τοὺς ὁρῶντας ἀνθρώπους. ἔμεινε δὲ ἡ παρθένος καὶ μετὰ τὸ τεκεῖν ἀμύητος σωματικῆς συμπλοκῆς καὶ οὐκ ἔγημεν· ὁ γὰρ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐξηγήσατο τὸ γεγονός, ὃ τὴν τοῦ μὴ γεγονότος ἔμφασιν ἐξ ἀντιδιαστολῆς δηλοῖ. 6 Mt 2, 1 Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡμῖν καὶ τὸν χρόνον λέγει καὶ τὸν τόπον ἐν Βηθλεὲμ εἰπὼν καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἡρώδου τοῦ βασιλέως; μέμνηται τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἡρώδου, ἵνα εὑρήσῃς τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐτῶν παυθέντα κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν ∆ανιὴλ ἄχρι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀριθμοῦσαν τὰς ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδας τῶν ἐτῶν.

7 Mt 2, 1-2 Ἀκολούθως τῇ προφητείᾳ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν Βηθλεὲμ ἐτέχθη. μέμνηται δὲ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς καὶ τῶν τοῦ Ἡρώδου χρόνων, ὅπως ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ προφητείας ἕως τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀριθμοῦντες τὰς ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδας τῶν ἐτῶν εὑρήσωμεν τὴν συμπλήρωσιν τῶν ἐτῶν. καὶ ἐπείπερ διὰ τὴν αὑτῶν ἀπιστίαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὸν χρόνον τῆς γεννήσεως, ἐκ τῶν μάγων αὐτοὺς καταισχύνει ὡς ἀμελεῖς. ὁ δὲ ἀστὴρ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεκρύβη πρὸς καιρόν, ἵνα ἀναγκασθῶσιν οἱ μάγοι ἐρωτῆσαι ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ γένηται τοῦτο πᾶσι κατάδηλον. 8 Mt 2, 2 Ὡς κομῆται δὲ καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα περὶ τὸν αἰθέρα καινόν τι τῷ βίῳ σημαίνουσιν, οὕτω πολὺ πλέον παράδοξος ἀστὴρ ἐφαίνετο ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως Ἰησοῦ· οὔτε δὲ Ἡρώδῃ οὔτε ἱερεῦσιν οὔτε γραμματεῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς ἐν τῇ πόλει λέγουσιν οἰόμενοι φανερὸν εἶναι τὸν ἀστέρα καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τοῖς εἰδόσι τὴν προφητείαν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἔλεγχος Ἰουδαίοις. 9 Mt 2, 3-4 Ἀλλόκοτος ὁ Ἡρώδης πὴ μὲν πιστεύων τοῖς προφητικοῖς, ὅτι ἔσται Χριστὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς πάντων, πὴ δὲ νομίζων δύνασθαι αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν καὶ τὰς προφητείας ἀνατρέψαι· μανίας δὲ τεκμήριον· εἰ γὰρ ἐπίστευσε τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν, ὤφειλεν ἐννοεῖν , ὅτι ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἦσαν τὰ λεχθέντα καὶ γεγονότα καὶ οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν ἀνατρέψαι τὰ τῷ θεῷ δόξαντα. ἢ εἰ οὐκ ἐπίστευσεν, τί ἐδειλία καὶ ἤθελεν ἐπιβουλεῦσαι τῷ βρέφει; οὗτος ὁ Ἡρώδης Ἰδουμαῖος ἦν τὸ γένος· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐξέλιπεν ἐξ Ἰούδα ἄρχωνκατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ προφητείαν καὶ λοιπὸν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἦρξαν, ἔκτοτε καὶ ὁ Ἡρώδης ἦρξε τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους. 10 Mt 2, 9-10 10 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κρύπτεται ὁ ἀστήρ, ὅτε οἱ μάγοι τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπέβησαν, ἵνα ἀπολέσαντες τὸν χειραγωγοῦντα ἀναγκασθῶσι παρὰ Ἰουδαίων μανθάνειν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐν τῷ μανθάνειν διδάσκειν ἐκείνους· τὸν γὰρ τόπον ζητοῦσι μόνον, ὅτι δὲ ἐτέχθη, προλαβόντες ᾔδεσαν. καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτου μακρὰν ἀποδημίαν ἐστείλαντο καὶ εἰς κίνδυνον αὑτοὺς ἔρριψαν· εἰς γὰρ βασιλευομένην πόλιν ἐλθόντες ἠρώτων ποῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐτέχθη οὐ τοῦ βασιλεύοντος τότε τὸν θυμὸν ὑπειδόμενοι, οὐ τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ