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5. Such and so great a dispensation, it seems to me, is indicated by divine Scripture, for the purpose of concealing the Virgin's pregnancy from the unbelievers; for indeed the report would not have been easily believed by those who heard it, seeing him as a man of like passions to us in body, and in no way differing from mortal nature. For what if even after these things, performing wonders and extending divine blessings to many, he astonished those who saw? Did not Moses also, having worked many wonders, nevertheless not lack a common birth? And Elijah, and Elisha, and each of the prophets? Therefore, the demonstration of wondrous works contributed nothing to Jesus not being considered to be from a man. Immediately those of his time, imagining nothing else about his birth, although seeing the things done by him, said to one another: "Whence has this man all this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?" And at another time, when his mother and brothers were standing outside and seeking to speak with him, someone said to him: "Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." And what wonder when even his disciples and apostles, being asked, "Who," he says, "do men say that I am?" answered that some think him to be John, others Elijah, others Jeremiah, and others one of the prophets. But when asked what opinion they themselves had about him, they all fell silent, as if having nothing to say. And when Peter alone said that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God, since it had been made known to him alone, he adds, saying: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh 22.888 and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." And Mary also testifies to keeping the things that had happened in her own deep thought; for the Scripture says: "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart."

6. Therefore it has been shown that, usefully at that time, the birth of Jesus from the Holy Spirit was kept silent among the many, while Joseph was taken in the place of a father. Reasonably, therefore, the father of the child was genealogized. For if this had not been done, the child, not being genealogized from a father, would have been thought fatherless. And this would have led the many into impiety, who, through ignorance of the truth concerning the matter, would have slandered the birth. Usefully, therefore, he was called the son of the carpenter and the brother of the named children; since, being also God the Word, he did not deny that he was a man, but also commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ of God, proclaimed of old by the prophets to come. For the many of that time who saw him clothed in a humble form would not have believed. So also at the transfiguration on the mountain he again commanded his disciples, saying: "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." For it is likely that the many of that time would not have believed this either. But if he judged that these things should not come to light, surely then the facts of his birth from a virgin had to be kept silent among the many at that time, to be revealed at an opportune time for the truth about him. And this was the time of his resurrection from the dead, and of his ascension into heaven, and of the report about him spreading throughout the whole world as about the Word of God; and that of the calling of the Gentiles, at which time his divine words also reached their end, the things of his foreknowledge and prophecies being clearly confirmed by the outcome of events.

7. Therefore, to us who have accepted these things and have recognized his superhuman nature, it is reasonably confessed that the other things, including those of his birth, are believable. But nevertheless, the wonderful evangelists necessarily at that time among the Jews genealogized Joseph, him who was proclaimed by all of Jesus

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εʹ. Τοιαύτη τις καὶ τοσαύτη γενέσθαι οἰκονομία ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαθεῖν τὴν τῆς παρθένου κύησιν τοὺς ἀπίστους, ἐκ τῆς θείας ὑποφαίνεταί μοι Γραφῆς· καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἐπιστεύθη ῥᾳδίως ὁ λόγος παρὰ τοῖς τοῦτο ἀκούουσιν, ἄνδρα τε αὐτὸν ἡμῖν ὁμοιοπαθῆ τὸ σῶμα, καὶ κατ' οὐδὲν τὴν θνητὴν φύσιν παραλλάττοντα θεωμένοις· τί γὰρ εἰ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα παραδοξοποιῶν καὶ τὰς ἐνθέους εὐεργεσίας εἰς πολλοὺς ἐκτείνων ἐξέπληττε τοὺς ὁρῶντας; οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ Μωϋσῆς πολλὰ θαυματουργήσας, τῆς κοινῆς ὅμως γενέσεως οὐκ ἠμοίρει; Ἠλίας τε, καὶ Ἐλισσαῖος, καὶ ὁ καθεῖς τῶν προφητῶν; οὐδὲν οὖν πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐξ ἀνδρὸς νομίζεσθαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἡ τῶν τεραστίων ἔργων ἐπίδειξις αὐτῷ συνεβάλλετο· αὐτίκα οἱ κατ' αὐτὸν οὐδ' ἄλλο τι περὶ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ φανταζόμενοι, καίπερ τὰ δρώμενα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ὁρῶντες, ἔλεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους· «Πόθεν τούτῳ πᾶσα ἡ σοφία αὕτη καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις; οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱός; οὐχὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ λέγεται Μαρία; καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Σίμων καὶ Ἰούδας; καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ πᾶσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰσι;» Καὶ ἄλλοτε πάλιν τῆς μητρὸς καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἑστώτων ἔξω καὶ ζητούντων λαλῆσαι αὐτῷ, εἶπέ τις αὐτῷ· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ μήτηρ σου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί σου ἑστήκασιν ἔξω, ἰδεῖν σε θέλοντες.» Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν ὅτε καὶ οἱ αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι ἐρωτηθέντες, «Τίνα με, φησὶν, οἱ ἄνθρωποι λέγουσιν;» ἀπεκρίναντο, ὡς ἄρα οἱ μὲν Ἰωάννην αὐτὸν εἶναι ἡγοῦνται, οἱ δὲ Ἠλίαν, οἱ μὲν Ἱερεμίαν, οἱ δὲ ἕτερόν τινα τῶν προφητῶν· ἐρωτώμενοι δὲ τίνα ποτὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ δόξαν ἔχουσι περὶ αὐτοῦ, οἱ πάντες ἀπεσιώπησαν, ὡς οὐκ ἔχοντες εἰπεῖν· μόνου δὲ Πέτρου φήσαντος, ὡς ἄρα αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ἅτε μόνῳ αὐτῷ τοῦτο γνωσθέντι ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «Μακάριος εἶ Σίμων βὰρ Ἰωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ 22.888 καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέ σοι, ἀλλ' ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ Μαρία βαθεῖ λογισμῷ παρ' ἑαυτῇ κατέχειν τὰ γεγενημένα· φησὶ γοῦν ἡ Γραφή· «Ἡ δὲ Μαρία πάντα συνετήρει τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα συμβάλλουσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτῆς.»

ςʹ. Οὐκοῦν ἀποδέδεικται ὅτι χρησίμως κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ, ἡ μὲν ἐξ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γένεσις παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀπεσιωπᾶτο, ὁ δὲ Ἰωσὴφ ἐν χώρᾳ πατρὸς παρελαμβάνετο· εἰκότως οὖν ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐγενεαλογεῖτο· εἰ δὲ οὖν μὴ τοῦτο ἐγεγόνει, ἀπάτωρ ἂν ἐνομίσθη ὁ παῖς μὴ ἐκ πατρὸς γενεαλογούμενος· τοῦτο δὲ εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἤγαγεν ἂν τοὺς πολλοὺς, οἳ δι' ἄγνοιαν τῆς περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀληθείας ἐδυσφήμουν τὴν γένεσιν· χρησίμως οὖν καὶ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱὸς καὶ τῶν ὠνομασμένων τέκνων ἀδελφὸς ἐχρημάτιζεν· ἐπεὶ καὶ Θεὸς Λόγος ὢν, οὐκ ἀπηρνεῖτο ἑαυτὸν εἶναι ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρήγγελλε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ εἴπωσιν, ὅτι αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ πάλαι πρὸς τῶν προφητῶν ἥξειν βοώμενος ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἂν οὐδὲ ἐπίστευσαν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν τότε θεωμένων αὐτὸν εὐτελὲς σχῆμα περιβεβλημένον· οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει μεταμορφώσεως ἐνετείλατο πάλιν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς λέγων· «Μηδενὶ εἴπητε τὸ ὅραμα ἕως οὗ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ·» εἰκὸς γὰρ μηδὲ τοῦτο πιστεῦσαι τῶν τότε τοὺς πολλούς· εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μὴ εἰς φανερὸν ἥκειν ἔκρινεν, ἦ πού γε τὰ τῆς ἐκ παρθένου γενέσεως ἀποσιωπᾶσθαι τὸ τηνικαῦτα παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐχρῆν, εἰς ἐπιτήδειον καιρὸν τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀληθείας ἀναφανησόμενα· οὗτος δὲ ἦν ὁ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναλήψεως, τῆς τε εἰς πάντα τὸν κόσμον ὡς ἂν περὶ Λόγου Θεοῦ διαδραμούσης περὶ αὐτοῦ φήμης· ὅ τε τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν κλήσεως, καθ' ὃν καὶ αἱ θεῖαι αὐτοῦ φωναὶ τέλος ἐλάμβανον, τὰ τῶν προγνώσεων αὐτοῦ καὶ προῤῥήσεων διὰ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάσεως ἐναργῶς πιστούμεναι.

ζʹ. Τοῖς γοῦν καθ' ἡμᾶς ταῦτα παραδεξαμένοις καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον αὐτοῦ φύσιν ἐπεγνωκόσιν, εἰκότως τά τε λοιπὰ καὶ τὰ τῆς γενέσεως πιστὰ εἶναι ὁμολογεῖται· πλὴν ἀλλ' οἱ θαυμάσιοι εὐαγγελισταὶ ἀναγκαίως τότε παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἐγενεαλόγουν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν παρὰ πᾶσι βοώμενον τοῦ Ἰησοῦ