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Reasonably the virgin would have asked, confessing that she knows not a man, but having learned that she would conceive of the Holy Spirit, if it were not that the word spoken to the daughter of David was clear; from this, Luke reasonably says: "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to be registered in the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, with Mary his betrothed, who was with child." For we will no longer read the present text doubtfully, as if Mary went up alone to be registered, but as she herself also, with Joseph, was of the house and lineage of David, having the proofs of such an interpretation of the word from what has been demonstrated before. Therefore, I think it has been clearly shown that not in vain was the genealogy of Joseph given by the wondrous apostles of our Savior, and how Mary is established as being of the seed of David, and that Jesus, born of her, is the Christ of God.

B. Why does one bring the genealogy down from above, beginning from Abraham; while the other goes up from below, and does not stop at Abraham, but at Adam and at God.

a. The second of the points proposed by you was this: Matthew brings the genealogy down from Abraham, while Luke, having taken the opposite path to this, began indeed from Joseph, but leads up to Adam and to God; it being necessary, if indeed they wrote things consistent and harmonious with one another, either for Luke, going up, to have stopped at Abraham, or for Matthew to have begun the genealogy not from Abraham, but from Adam, at whom Luke ended. -The solution to these things is also easy, and does not require much preparation, since both traveled one road; since for those ascending an uphill and steep path, and for those conversely descending by the same, one would not say they are walking on a different one, since one path is set for both, for those ascending and for those descending; in the same way then it is also so in the case of the succession of generations; and this manner was long dear to the Hebrews, and customary in the divine Scriptures; for instance, in the book of Ruth, David's genealogy is given from above, from Judah, through these words: "And these are the generations 22.893 of Perez, who was the son of Judah the patriarch: Perez begot Hezron; and Hezron begot Ram; and Ram begot Amminadab; and Amminadab begot Nahshon; and Nahshon begot Salmon; and Salmon begot Boaz; and Boaz begot Obed; and Obed begot Jesse; and Jesse begot David." And Matthew has set down this very manner.

b. But the first book of Kings, immediately succeeding the writing of Ruth, goes up from below, just as Luke has done; for, giving the genealogy of the father of Samuel, Elkanah, it says thus: "And there was a man from Armathaim Souphir, from mount Ephraim; and his name was Elkanah, son of Jeremiel, son of Eliou, son of Thoou, son of Sour, an Ephrathite." But also in Chronicles at times the account proceeds in order from the first to the second, similarly to the writing of Matthew, and at other times it gives the genealogy similarly to Luke; listen then to these things also: "David, it says, was the son of Solomon, Solomon's son Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son;" and so it goes down in order until Jechoniah and the captivity in Babylon, as Matthew does. And as Luke does, the same Scripture again goes up, giving the genealogy of Samuel; for it says: "Samuel son of Elkanah, son of Jeroboam, son of Heliel, son of Thoou, son of Sour, son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah son of

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εἰκότως ἂν ἤρετο ἡ παρθένος, ὁμολογοῦσα μὲν ὅτι ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκει, μαθοῦσα δὲ ὅτι ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου συλλήψεται, εἰ μὴ ὅτι σαφὴς ἦν ὁ λόγος πρὸς θυγατέρα ∆αβὶδ λεγόμενος· ἔνθεν εἰκότως φησὶν ὁ Λουκᾶς· «Ἀνέβη δὲ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐκ πόλεως Ναζαρὲθ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἀπογράψασθαι εἰς πόλιν ∆αβὶδ ἥτις καλεῖται Βηθλεὲμ, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς ∆αβὶδ σὺν Μαρίᾳ τῇ μεμνηστευμένῃ αὐτῷ οὔσῃ ἐγκύῳ.» Οὐκέτι γὰρ ἀμφιβόλως ἀναγνωσόμεθα τὴν παροῦσαν λέξιν, ὡς τῆς Μαρίας ἀπογράψασθαι μόνης συνελθούσης, ἀλλ' ὡς καὶ αὐτῆς σὺν τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς ∆αβὶδ ὑπαρχούσης, τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἔχοντες τῆς τοιαύτης ἑρμηνείας τοῦ λόγου ἐκ τῶν προαποδεδομένων. ∆εδεῖχθαι τοίνυν σαφῶς ἡγοῦμαι, ὅτι μὴ μάτην ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐγενεαλογεῖτο παρὰ τοῖς θαυμασίοις τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀποστόλοις, καὶ ὅπως ἡ Μαρία ἐκ σπέρματος οὖσα τοῦ ∆αβὶδ συνίσταται, ὅ τε ἐξ αὐτῆς γεγεννημένος Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Βʹ. ∆ιὰ τί ὁ μὲν ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἀρξάμενος κατάγει τὴν

γενεαλογίαν· ὁ δὲ κάτωθεν ἄνεισι, κοὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἵσταται, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ τὸν Θεόν.

αʹ. Τὸ δεύτερον τῶν ὑπὸ σοῦ προταθέντων τοῦτο ἦν· ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος ἀπὸ τοῦ

Ἀβραὰμ κατάγει τὴν γενεαλογίαν, ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς τὴν ἐναντίαν τούτου βαδίσας, ἤρξατο μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, ἀνάγει δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ τὸν Θεόν· δέον, εἴγε σύμφωνα καὶ συνωδὰ ἀλλήλοις ἔγραφον, ἢ τὸν Λουκᾶν ἀνιόντα μέχρι τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ στῆναι, ἢ τὸν Ματθαῖον μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, εἰς ὃν κατέληξεν ὁ Λουκᾶς, ἀπάρξασθαι τῆς γενεαλογίας. -Ῥᾳδία δὲ καὶ τούτων ἡ λύσις, καὶ οὐδὲ πολλῆς κατασκευῆς δεομένη, μίαν ἀμφοτέροις ὁδὸν πορευθεῖσιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς ἀνάντη καὶ ὄρθιον πορείαν ἀνιόντας, καὶ τοὺς ἔμπαλιν διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς κατιόντας, οὐκ ἄν τις ἑτέραν φαίη βαδίζειν, μιᾶς ἀμφοτέροις ἐγκειμένης, τοῖς τε ἀνιοῦσι καὶ τοῖς κατιοῦσι, τρίβου· τὸν αὐτὸν γοῦν τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν γενῶν διαδοχῆς πάρεστιν· οὗτος δὲ πόῤῥωθεν Ἑβραίοις φίλος ἦν ὁ τρόπος, καὶ τῶν θείων συνήθης Γραφῶν· αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐν μὲν τῇ βίβλῳ τῆς Ῥοὺθ ∆αβὶδ ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα γενεαλογεῖται διὰ τούτων· «Καὶ αὗται αἱ γενέσεις 22.893 Φαρὲς ὁ δὲ ἦν Ἰούδα τοῦ ἀρχιφύλου παῖς· Φαρὲς ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἐσρώμ· καὶ Ἐσρὼμ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἀράμ· καὶ Ἀρὰμ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἀμιναδάβ· καὶἈμιναδὰβ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ναασσών· καὶ Ναασσὼν ἐγέννησε τὸν Σαλμών· καὶ Σαλμὼν ἐγέννησε τὸν Βοόζ· καὶ Βοὸζ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ὠβήδ· καὶ Ὠβὴδ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἰεσσαί· καὶ Ἰεσσαὶ ἐγέννησε τὸν ∆αβίδ.» Τοῦτον δ' οὖν αὐτὸν τέθειται καὶ ὁ Ματθαῖος τὸν τρόπον.

βʹ. Ἡ δέ γε πρώτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἑξῆς διαδεξαμένη τῆς Ῥοὺθ τὴν γραφὴν, ἀπὸ τῶν κάτωθεν ἄνεισιν, ὥσπερ οὖν πεποίηκεν ὁ Λουκᾶς· τὸν γοῦν πατέρα τοῦ Σαμουὴλ τὸν Ἑλκανᾶ γενεαλογοῦσα ὧδέ φησι· «Καὶ ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἀρμαθαὶμ Σουφεὶρ ἐξ ὄρους Ἐφραΐμ· καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἑλκανᾶ, υἱὸς Ἱερεμιὴλ,υἱοῦ Ἐλίου, υἱοῦ Θοοῦ, υἱοῦ Σοῦρ, Ἐφραταῖος.» Ἀλλὰκαὶ ἐν τοῖς Παραλειπομένοις ποτὲ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν πρώτων ἐπὶ τοὺς δευτέρους καθεξῆς πρόεισιν ὁ λόγος, τῇ τοῦ Ματθαίου γραφῇ παραπλησίως, ποτὲ δὲ ἐμφερῶς τῷ Λουκᾷ γενεαλογεῖ· ἄκουσον γοῦν καὶ τῶνδε· «∆αβὶδ, φησὶν, ἦν υἱὸς Σολομῶν, υἱὸς Σολομῶν Ῥοβοὰμ, Ἀβιὰ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, Ἀσὰ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, Ἰσαφὰτ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, Ἰωρὰμ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, Ὀχοζίας υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, Ἰωὰς υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, Ἀμασίας υἱὸς αὐτοῦ·» καὶ οὕτω καθεξῆς κάτεισι μέχρι τοῦ Ἰεχονίου καὶ τῆς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα αἰχμαλωσίας, ὡς ὁ Ματθαῖος. Ὡς δὲ ὁ Λουκᾶς, ἡ αὐτὴ πάλιν ἄνεισι Γραφὴ τὸν Σαμουὴλ γενεαλογοῦσα· φησὶ γοῦν· «Σαμουὴλ υἱοῦ Ἑλκανᾶ, υἱοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ, υἱοῦ Ἡλιὴλ, υἱοῦ Θοοῦ, υἱοῦ Σοὺρ, υἱοῦ Ἑλκανᾶ, υἱοῦ Ἰωὴλ, υἱοῦ Ἀζαρίουυἱοῦ