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and Solomon, the father of both of them; but prophets came from many tribes, but priests from none of the twelve tribes, only Levites. In vain, therefore, has their falsehood been fabricated; may such an account not prevail in the Church of Christ against exact truth, that a falsehood is composed for the praise and glorification of Christ. For who does not know that most sacred word of the Apostle preaching and proclaiming the resurrection of our Sav 22.968 ior, and insisting on the truth, saying with great fear, that if some say Christ has not been raised, while we both say this and have believed it, and hope for it and preach it, we bear false witness against God, that He raised Christ whom He did not raise. If, then, he who glorifies God the Father is afraid he might seem a liar when recounting a marvelous deed, how would one not be justly afraid, that by means of falsehood he provides the substance of truth, composing a glory that is not true? For if the lineages are different, and no legitimate seed traces to Joseph, and it is said only for the establishment of the one to be born, that the one to come will be king and priest, with no proof present, but with the solemnity of the words tending toward an ineffectual hymn, it is clear that the praise does not reach God, being a falsehood; but judgment is for the one who said it, having boasted of what is not, as if it were.

9. Matthew also placed David before the others in his genealogy, since it was prophesied to David first and alone with the assurance of an oath that Christ would be born from him according to the flesh; for it is written: “The Lord swore to David a truth, and he will not turn back from it: From the fruit of your loins I will set upon your throne.” And again: “I have sworn to David my servant, forever I will prepare your seed.” And in Chronicles: “And it shall be when your days are fulfilled, and you sleep with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, who will be from your loins, and I will prepare his kingdom. He shall build me a house; and I will establish his throne for ever. I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a son.” Similar things to these are also found in the second book of Kings; but while those might be applied to Solomon, one may learn here that the present matters have no community with Solomon. After the death of Solomon, Isaiah, prophesying many years later, proclaims such things concerning the one to be born from the seed of David: “A rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse (and he was the father of David) and a flower shall rise up from his root. And there shall be a root of Jesse, and one who rises up to rule the nations; in him the nations will hope.” And concerning the throne promised to David, he prophesies thus: “For a child is born to us, a son is also given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Angel of Great Counsel. Great is his government, and of his peace there is no end; upon the throne of David and his kingdom, to establish it.” Through what has been set forth it is said that from the root of Jesse and 22.969 of David one will arise to rule not Israel, but the nations; and it is said that a child will be born, and will be named Son, adorned with strange names that surpass human nature, and that such a one will take up the throne of David, and his kingdom, to establish it.

10. That these things were proclaimed after Solomon concerning some other one who was to come, is clear to everyone. And in other respects, the oracles set forth to David would not apply to Solomon, upon careful examination; for the oracle clearly shows that after the death of David the one prophesied will rise up. But Solomon, while David was still alive, was the successor of the kingdom by his nod and will; for it is said that he reigned over Israel for only forty years; how then could the words, “To establish his throne for ever,” be applied to him?

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καὶ Σολομὼν, ὅ τε τούτων πατὴρ ἑκατέρου· ἐκ πολλῶν δὲ φυλῶν ἐγίνοντο προφῆται, ἱερεῖς δὲ ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν, μόνοι δὲ Λευῖται. Μάτην αὐτοῖς ἄρα πέπλασται τὸ ἐψευσμένον· μηδὲ κρατοίη τοιοῦτος ὁ λόγος ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ Χριστοῦ κατὰ ἀκριβοῦς ἀληθείας, ὅτι ψεῦδος σύγκειται εἰς αἶνον καὶ δοξολογίαν Χριστοῦ· τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδε κἀκεῖνον τὸν ἱερώτατον τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λόγον κηρύσσοντος καὶ διαγγέλλοντος τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ Σωτῆ 22.968 ρος ἡμῶν, καὶ διϊσχυριζομένου τὴν ἀλήθειαν, μεγάλῳ φόβῳ λέγοντος, ὅτι εἰ Χριστὸν λέγουσί τινες μὴ ἐγηγέρθαι, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦτο καὶ φαμὲν καὶ πεπιστεύκαμεν, καὶ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐλπίζομεν καὶ κηρύσσομεν, καταψευδομαρτυροῦμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι ἤγειρε τὸν Χριστὸν ὃν οὐκ ἤγειρεν· εἰ δὲ οὕτως ὁ δοξολογῶν Θεὸν Πατέρα, δέδοικε μὴ ψευδολόγος δοκοίη, ἔργον παράδοξον διηγούμενος, πῶς οὐκ ἂν δικαίως φοβηθείη, ὅτι διὰ ψευδολογίας ἀληθείας σύστασιν ποριζόμενος, δόξαν οὐκ ἀληθῆ συντιθείς; Εἰ γὰρ τὰ γένη διάφορα, καὶ μηδὲν καταφέρει γνήσιον σπέρμα ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, εἴρηται δὲ μόνον εἰς σύστασιν τοῦ γεννηθησομένου, ὅτι βασιλεὺς καὶ ἱερεὺς ἔσται ὁ ἐσόμενος, ἀποδείξεως μὴ προσούσης, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν λόγων σεμνότητος εἰς ὕμνον ἀδρανῆ φερομένης, δῆλον ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ μὲν ὁ ἔπαινος οὐχ ἅπτεται, ψεῦδος ὤν· κρίσις δὲ τῷ εἰρηκότι, τὸ οὐκ ὂν, ὡς ὂν κομπάσαντι.

θʹ. Τὸν ∆αυῒδ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ Ματθαῖος ἔταξεν ἐν τῇ κατ' αὐτὸν γενεαλογίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρώτῳ καὶ μόνῳ τῷ ∆αυῒδ μεθ' ὅρκου διαβεβαιώσεως ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα φῦναι ὁ Χριστὸς ἐθεσπίζετο· γέγραπται γοῦν· «Ὤμοσε Κύριος τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσῃ αὐτήν· ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον σου.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ὤμοσα ∆αυῒδ τῷ δούλῳ μου, ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ἑτοιμάσω τὸ σπέρμα σου.» Καὶ ἐν Παραλειπομένοις· «Καὶ ἔσται ὅταν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου, καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ μετὰ τῶν πατέρων σου, καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σὲ, ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου, καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσει μοι οἶκον· καὶ ἀνορθώσω τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ἕως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς Πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν.» Τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις καὶ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Βασιλειῶν φέρεται· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μὲν κἂν ἑλκυσθείη ἐπὶ τὸν Σολομῶνα, τὰ δ' ἐν χερσὶν ὅτι μηδεμίαν ἔχει κοινότητα πρὸς Σολομῶνα, ὧδ' ἄν τις καταμάθοι. Μετὰ τὴν Σολομῶνος τελευτὴν, πολλοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις προφητεύων Ἡσαΐας, τοιάδε περὶ τοῦ γενησομένου ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ προκηρύττει· «Ἐξελεύσεται ῥάβδος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαί· πατὴρ δὲ ἦν οὗτος τοῦ ∆αυῒδ καὶ ἄνθος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης ἀναβήσεται· καὶ ἔσται ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ὁ ἀνιστάμενος ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν· ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσι.» Καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἐπηγγελμένου δὲ τῷ ∆αυῒδ θρόνου ὧδε θεσπίζει· «Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ· καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς Ἄγγελος· μεγάλη ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅριον· ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον ∆αυῒδ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, κατορθῶσαι αὐτήν.» ∆ιὰ δὲ τῶν ἐκτεθέντων εἴρηται μὲν ὅτι ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ καὶ 22.969 τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀναστήσεταί τις οὐ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἄρχειν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν· εἴρηται δὲ ὅτι γεννηθήσεται παιδίον, καὶ ὀνομασθήσεται Υἱὸς, ξένοις ὀνόμασι καὶ τὴν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν ὑπεραίρουσι κεκοσμημένος, ὅτι τε ὁ τοιοῦτος τὸν θρόνον ∆αβὶδ ἀναλήψεται, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ κατορθῶσαι αὐτήν.

ιʹ. Ταῦτα δὲ ὅτι μετὰ Σολομῶνα περὶ ἑτέρου τινὸς μέλλοντος ἥξειν προανεφωνεῖτο, παντί τῳ δῆλον. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τὰ πρὸς τὸν ∆αβὶδ ἐκτεθέντα λόγια οὐκ ἂν ἐφαρμόσαιεν Σολομῶνι, ἀκριβοῦς ἐξετάσεως τυγχάνοντα· σαφῶς γὰρ ὁ χρησμὸς δηλοῖ, ὅτι μετὰ τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀναστήσεται ὁ θεσπιζόμενος. Σολομὼν δὲ, ζῶντος ἔτι τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, νεύματι αὐτοῦ καὶ γνώμῃ διάδοχος τῆς βασιλείας· λέγεται γοῦν ἐπὶ μόνοις ἔτεσι τεσσαράκοντα βασιλεῦσαι ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ· πῶς οὖν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐπιφέροιτο τὸ, «Ἀνορθῶσαι τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα;»