John Chrysostom, On Matthew

to your form, as if in a military camp? For not even there does the king appear to have his own dignity continually, but having put aside the purple robe and the diadem, he often put on the appearance of a soldier. But there, indeed, it was so that, by not becoming known, he might not draw the enemies upon himself; but here, on the contrary, it was so that, by not becoming known, he might not prepare the enemy to flee from the engagement with him, and disturb all his own people; for he was eager to save, not to terrify. For this reason also He straightway called him by this name, addressing him as Jesus. For this name Jesus is not Greek, but in the Hebrew tongue Jesus is so called; which is, when interpreted into the Greek tongue, Savior; and Savior, from saving his people. 3. Do you see how he has given wings to the hearer, by uttering things that are customary, and through them indicating to us all things that are beyond hope? For the knowledge of both these names was great among the Jews. For since the things that were to happen were marvelous, the types of the names also ran before; so that from the beginning all disturbance of novelty might be taken away beforehand. For Jesus, the one after Moses who led the people into the land of promise, is also so called. Do you see the type? Behold the truth. That one led into the land of promise, this one into heaven and the good things in the heavens; that one after Moses died, this one after the law ceased; that 57.27 one as a leader of the people, this one as a king. But lest hearing Jesus you should be led astray by the sameness of name, he added: of Jesus Christ, the son of David. But that one was not of David, but of another tribe. And for what reason does he call it the Book of the generation of Jesus Christ? although it contains not only the birth, but the whole economy. Because this is the chief point of the whole economy, and it becomes for us the beginning and root of all good things. Just as, then, Moses calls it the book of heaven and earth, although he discussed not only heaven and earth, but also all things in between; so also this one called the book from the chief point of the achievements. For that which is full of astonishment and beyond all hope and expectation, is that God became man; and this having happened, all the things that follow are in accord with reason and sequence. And for what reason did he not say, Son of Abraham, and then, Son of David? Not as some suppose, wishing to go from the bottom up; since he would have done what Luke did; but now he does the opposite. For what reason then did he mention David? The man was in the mouths of all, both from his renown and from the time; for he had not died long ago, like Abraham. And if God made promises to both, yet that one, as being ancient, was passed over in silence; but this one, as recent and new, was spoken of by all. For they themselves say: Does not the Christ come from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was? And no one called him son of Abraham, but all called him son of David; for both because of the time, as I have already said, and because of his kingdom, this man was more in everyone's memory. Thus indeed they, and God himself, called all the kings they honored after him, from him. For both Ezekiel and other prophets say that David will come to them and will arise, not speaking of him who had died, but of those who emulate his virtue. And to Hezekiah he says: I will defend this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David. And to Solomon he said that for David's sake he would not tear the kingdom apart during his lifetime. For the glory of the man was great both with God and with men. For this reason he begins immediately from the more familiar one, and then goes back to the father, considering it superfluous, at least for the Jews, to carry the account further back. For these were the ones most admired; the one, as a prophet and king; the other, as a patriarch and prophet. And how is it clear that he is from David? he says. For if he was not born of a man, but only of a woman, and the Virgin is not genealogized, how shall we know that he was a descendant of David? For there are two

τῷ σῷ σχήματι, ὡσανεὶ ἐν στρατοπέδῳ; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀξίαν φαίνεται ἔχων διηνεκῶς ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἁλουργίδα ἀφεὶς καὶ τὸ διάδημα, στρατιώτου σχῆμα ὑπέδυ πολλάκις. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν, ἵνα μὴ γνώριμος γενόμενος ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ἑλκύσῃ τοὺς πολεμίους· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοὐναντίον, ἵνα μὴ γνώριμος γενόμενος, φυγεῖν παρασκευάσῃ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν συμπλοκῆς τὸν ἐχθρὸν, καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους διαταράξῃ πάντας· σῶσαι γὰρ, οὐκ ἐκπλῆξαι, ἐσπούδασε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εὐθέως αὐτὸν ἀπὸ ταύτης ἐκάλεσε τῆς προσηγορίας, Ἰησοῦν προσειπών. Τὸ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς τοῦτο ὄνομα οὐκ ἔστιν Ἑλληνικὸν, ἀλλὰ τῇ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ οὕτω λέγεται Ἰησοῦς· ὅ ἐστιν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα γλῶτταν ἑρμηνευόμενον, Σωτήρ· Σωτὴρ δὲ, ἀπὸ τοῦ σῶσαι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. γʹ. Εἶδες πῶς ἀνεπτέρωσε τὸν ἀκροατὴν, τά τε ἐν συνηθείᾳ φθεγξάμενος, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὰ ὑπὲρ ἐλπίδα πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐμφήνας; Καὶ γὰρ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ὀνομάτων τούτων πολλὴ ἡ γνῶσις παρὰ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἦν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παράδοξα ἦν τὰ μέλλοντα γίνεσθαι, καὶ οἱ τῶν ὀνομάτων προέδραμον τύποι· ὥστε ἄνωθεν πάντα καινοτομίας προαναιρεθῆναι θόρυβον. Καὶ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ὁ μετὰ Μωϋσέα εἰσαγαγὼν τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λέγεται. Εἶδες τὸν τύπον; βλέπε τὴν ἀλήθειαν· Ἐκεῖνος εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, οὗτος εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀγαθά· ἐκεῖνος μετὰ τὸ τελευτῆσαι Μωϋσέα, οὗτος μετὰ τὸ παύσασθαι τὸν νόμον· ἐκεῖ 57.27 νος ὡς δημαγωγὸς, οὗτος ὡς βασιλεύς. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ Ἰησοῦν ἀκούσας διὰ τὴν ὁμωνυμίαν πλανηθῇς, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐκ ἦν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ἀλλ' ἑτέρας φυλῆς. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν Βίβλον αὐτὴν γενέσεως καλεῖ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ; καίτοιγε οὐ τοῦτο ἔχει μόνον τὴν γέννησιν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκονομίαν. Ὅτι πάσης τῆς οἰκονομίας τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦτο, καὶ ἀρχὴ καὶ ῥίζα πάντων ἡμῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν γίνεται. Ὥσπερ οὖν βιβλίον οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καλεῖ Μωϋσῆς, καίτοιγε οὐ περὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς διαλεχθεὶς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν μέσῳ πάντων· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀπὸ τοῦ κεφαλαίου τῶν κατορθωμάτων τὸ βιβλίον ἐκάλεσε. Τὸ γὰρ ἐκπλήξεως γέμον καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐλπίδα καὶ προσδοκίαν ἅπασαν, ἄνθρωπον γενέσθαι Θεόν· τούτου δὲ γενομένου, τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ἅπαντα κατὰ λόγον καὶ ἀκολουθίαν ἕπεται. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐκ εἶπεν, Υἱοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τότε, Υἱοῦ ∆αυΐδ; Οὐχ ὥς τινες οἴονται, κάτωθεν ἄνω βουλόμενος ἐλθεῖν· ἐπεὶ ἐποίησεν ἂν, ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς· νῦν δὲ τοὐναντίον ποιεῖ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἐμνημόνευσεν; Ἐν τοῖς πάντων στόμασιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἦν, ἀπό τε τῆς περιφανείας, ἀπό τε τοῦ χρόνου· οὐ γὰρ πάλαι ἦν τετελευτηκὼς, ὥσπερ ὁ Ἀβραάμ. Εἰ δὲ ἀμφοτέροις ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκεῖνο μὲν, ὡς παλαιὸν, ἐσιγᾶτο· τοῦτο δὲ, ὡς πρόσφατον καὶ νέον, ὑπὸ πάντων περιεφέρετο. Αὐτοὶ γοῦν λέγουσιν· Οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ καὶ ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ τῆς κώμης, ὅπου ἦν ∆αυῒδ, ἔρχεται ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτὸν υἱὸν Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλὰ πάντες υἱὸν ∆αυῒδ ἐκάλουν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ διὰ τὸν χρόνον, ὡς ἔφθην εἰπὼν, καὶ διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν, μᾶλλον ἐν μνήμῃ πᾶσιν οὗτος ἦν. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ οὓς ἐτίμων βασιλέας μετ' ἐκεῖνον ἐξ ἐκείνου ἅπαντας ἐκάλουν, καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ ὁ Θεός. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ, καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ προφῆται, λέγουσιν αὐτοῖς παραγίνεσθαι ∆αυῒδ καὶ ἀνίστασθαι, οὐ περὶ ἐκείνου λέγοντες τοῦ τετελευτηκότος, ἀλλὰ τῶν ζηλούντων τὴν ἀρετὴν τὴν ἐκείνου. Καὶ τῷ Ἐζεκίᾳ φησίν· Ὑπερασπιῶ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης δι' ἐμὲ καὶ διὰ ∆αυῒδ τὸν παῖδά μου. Καὶ τῷ Σολομῶνι δὲ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι διὰ ∆αυῒδ οὐ διέῤῥηξε ζῶντος αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν. Πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ δόξα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἦν καὶ παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐθέως ἐκ τοῦ γνωριμωτέρου τὴν ἀρχὴν ποιεῖται, καὶ τότε ἐπὶ τὸν πατέρα ἀνατρέχει, περιττὸν ἡγούμενος, ὅσον πρὸς Ἰουδαίους, ἀνωτέρω τὸν λόγον ἀγαγεῖν. Οὗτοι γὰρ μάλιστα ἦσαν οἱ θαυμαζόμενοι· ὁ μὲν, ὡς προφήτης καὶ βασιλεύς· ὁ δὲ, ὡς πατριάρχης καὶ προφήτης. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ ἐστι; φησίν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐξ ἀνδρὸς οὐκ ἐγεννήθη, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ γυναικὸς μόνον, ἡ δὲ Παρθένος οὐ γενεαλογεῖται, πῶς εἰσόμεθα ὅτι τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἔκγονος ἦν; ∆ύο γάρ ἐστι τὰ