He was doing greater things than those in the time of Elijah and Elisha, and even before, in the time of Moses and Joshua son of Nun. But those who marveled said, not knowing him to be the son of a virgin, nor believing it, even if it was said, but supposing him to be the son of Joseph the carpenter: "Is this not the carpenter's son?" And belittling his whole apparent and nearest family, they said, "Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?" They supposed, therefore, that he was the son of Joseph and Mary. But some say that the brothers of Jesus, proceeding from the tradition of the Gospel according to Peter or the book of James, were sons of Joseph by a former wife who had lived with him before Mary. Those who say these things wish to preserve the dignity of Mary in virginity until the end, so that that body, which was judged worthy to minister to the Word who said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you," might not know a man's bed after the Holy Spirit had come upon her and the power from on high had overshadowed her. And I think it is reasonable that Jesus was the first-fruit of purity in chastity for men, and Mary for women; for it would not be pious to ascribe the first-fruit of virginity to any other than her. This is the James whom Paul says he saw, in the Epistle to the Galatians, saying: "But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother." And this James was so distinguished among the people for righteousness that Flavius Josephus, who wrote the "Jewish Antiquities" in twenty books, wishing to set forth the cause why the people suffered such calamities that even the temple was razed to the ground, said that these things happened to them by the wrath of God for what they had dared to do against James the brother of Jesus who is called Christ. And "the wonderful thing is" that, though he did not accept our Jesus as the Christ, he nevertheless testified to so great righteousness in James. And he says that the people also thought that they had suffered these things on account of James. And Judas wrote an epistle, of few lines, indeed, but filled with the powerful words of heavenly grace; who in the preface has said: "Judas, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James." But concerning Joseph and Simon, we have related nothing. And the phrase, "And are not all his sisters with us?" seems to me to signify something like this: they think our thoughts, not those of Jesus, and they have no strange, exceptional understanding like Jesus. But perhaps through these things there appears a perplexity that Jesus was not even a man, but something more divine, being the son, as they supposed, of Joseph and Mary, and the brother of four <males>, and no less also of other females, and having nothing similar to any of his family, nor having attained to so much wisdom and power from education and teaching. For elsewhere they also say, "How does this man know letters, having never learned?" which is similar to what is said here. Nevertheless, those who said these things and were so perplexed and astonished did not believe, but were scandalized in him, as if the eyes of their mind were held fast by powers which he was about to triumph over at the time of his passion on the cross. 10.18 But Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor except in his own country. It must be investigated whether what is said can be referred universally to every prophet, as if each of the prophets was dishonored only in his own country—not that everyone who is dishonored is dishonored in his country—or whether these things have been said about one because it is spoken in the singular. If, then, these things are said about one, what has been said is sufficient, as we refer what is written to the Savior. But if it is universal, it is not true from history—for neither was Elijah dishonored in Tishbe of Gilead, nor Elisha in Abel-meholah, nor Samuel in Ramathaim, nor Jeremiah in Anathoth—but interpreted tropologically it is very true indeed. It is necessary
μείζους ἐποίει τῶν ἐν Ἠλίᾳ καὶ ἐν Ἐλισσαίῳ καὶ ἔτι πρότερον ἐν Μωσῇ καὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ. Ἔλεγον δὲ οἱ θαυμάζοντες, οὐκ εἰδότες αὐτὸν παρθένου υἱόν, οὐδὲ πισ τεύοντες, εἰ καὶ ἐλέγετο, ἀλλ' ὑπολαμβάνοντες εἶναι Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ τέκτονος· Οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱός; Καὶ ὅλην γε τὴν φαινομένην αὐτοῦ ἐγγυτάτω συγγένειαν ἐξευτελί ζοντες ἔφασκον τὸ οὐχ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ λέγεται Μαριὰμ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Σίμων καὶ Ἰούδας; Καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ πᾶσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰσιν; Ὤιοντο οὖν αὐτὸν εἶναι Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Μαρίας υἱόν. Τοὺς δὲ ἀδελφοὺς Ἰησοῦ φασί τινες εἶναι, ἐκ παραδόσεως ὁρμώμενοι τοῦ ἐπιγεγραμμένου κατὰ Πέτρον εὐαγγελίου ἢ τῆς βίβλου Ἰακώβου, υἱοὺς Ἰωσὴφ ἐκ προτέρας γυναικὸς συνῳκηκυίας αὐτῷ πρὸ τῆς Μαρίας. Οἱ δὲ ταῦτα λέγοντες τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς Μαρίας ἐν παρθενίᾳ τηρεῖν μέχρι τέλους βούλονται, ἵνα μὴ τὸ κριθὲν ἐκεῖνο σῶμα διακονήσασθαι τῷ εἰπόντι λόγῳ· «Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπί σε καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι», γνῷ κοίτην ἀνδρὸς μετὰ τὸ ἐπελθεῖν ἐν αὐτῇ πνεῦμα ἅγιον καὶ τὴν ἐπεσκια κυῖαν αὐτῇ δύναμιν ἐξ ὕψους. Καὶ οἶμαι λόγον ἔχειν ἀνδρῶν μὲν καθαρότητος τῆς ἐν ἁγνείᾳ ἀπαρχὴν γεγονέναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν, γυναικῶν δὲ τὴν Μαρίαν· οὐ γὰρ εὔφημον ἄλλῃ παρ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς παρθενίας ἐπιγράψασθαι. Ἰάκωβος δέ ἐστιν οὗτος ὃν λέγει Παῦλος ἰδεῖν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας ἐπιστολῇ εἰπών· «Ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον, εἰ μὴ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ κυρίου.» Ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δὲ διέλαμψεν οὗτος ὁ Ἰάκωβος ἐν τῷ λαῷ ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνῃ ὡς Φλάβιον Ἰώσηπον ἀναγράψαντα ἐν εἴκοσι βιβλίοις τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν ἀρχαιολογίαν, τὴν αἰτίαν παραστῆσαι βουλόμενον τοῦ τὰ τοσαῦτα πεπονθέναι τὸν λαὸν ὡς καὶ τὸν ναὸν κατασκαφῆναι, εἰρηκέναι κατὰ μῆνιν θεοῦ ταῦτα αὐτοῖς ἀπηντηκέναι διὰ τὰ εἰς Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ λεγομένου Χριστοῦ ὑπ' αὐτῶν τετολμημένα. Καὶ «τὸ θαυμαστόν ἐστιν» ὅτι, τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἡμῶν οὐ καταδεξάμενος εἶναι Χριστόν, οὐδὲν ἧττον Ἰακώβῳ δικαιοσύνην ἐμαρτύρησε τοσαύτην. Λέγει δὲ ὅτι καὶ ὁ λαὸς ταῦτα ἐνόμιζε διὰ τὸν Ἰάκωβον πεπονθέναι. Καὶ Ἰούδας ἔγραψεν ἐπιστολὴν ὀλιγόστιχον μέν, πεπληρωμένην δὲ τῶν τῆς οὐρανίου χάριτος ἐρρωμένων λόγων· ὅστις ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ εἴρηκεν· «Ἰούδας Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος, ἀδελφὸς δὲ Ἰακώβου.» Περὶ δὲ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Σίμωνος ἡμεῖς οὐδὲν ἱστορήσαμεν. Τὸ δὲ καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ πᾶσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰσι; δοκεῖ μοι τοιοῦτόν τι σημαίνειν· τὰ ἡμέτερα φρονοῦσιν οὐ τὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν ξένον ἔχουσιν ἐξαιρέτου συνέσεως ὡς ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Μήποτε δὲ ἐμφαίνεται διὰ τούτων ἐπαπόρησις περὶ τοῦ μηδὲ ἄνθρωπον εἶναι, ἀλλά τι θειότερον τὸν Ἰησοῦν, υἱὸν μὲν ὄντα, ὡς ὑπελάμβανον, Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Μαρίας, ἀδελφὸν δὲ τεσσάρων <ἀρρένων>, οὐδὲν δ' ἧττον καὶ ἑτέρων θηλειῶν, καὶ μηδὲν ἔχοντά τινι τῶν ἐκ γένους παραπλήσιον μηδ' ἐκ παιδεύσεως καὶ διδασκαλίας ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον σοφίας καὶ δυνάμεως ἐληλακότα. Καὶ γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγουσι· «Πῶς οὗτος γράμματα οἶδε μὴ μεμαθηκώς;» ὧν παραπλήσιόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ ἐνταῦθα λεγόμενον. Πλὴν οἱ λέγοντες ταῦτα καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπαποροῦντες καὶ ἐκπλησσόμενοι οὐκ ἐπίστευον μέν, ἐσκανδαλίζοντο δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ, ὡσεὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς διανοίας κρατούμενοι ὑπὸ δυνάμεων ἃς ἔμελλεν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ πάθους θριαμβεύειν ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ. 10.18 Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Οὐκ ἔστι προφήτης ἄτιμος εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ. Ζητητέον πότερον καθολικῶς ἴσον δύναται ἐπὶ πάντα προφήτην ἀναφερόμενον τὸ λεγόμενον, ὡς ἑκάστου τῶν προφητῶν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ πατρίδι ἀτιμωθέντος μόνῃ-οὐ παντὸς τοῦ ἀτιμωθέντος ἐν τῇ πατρίδι ἀτιμωθέντος-, ἢ διὰ τὸ ἑνικῶς εἰρῆσθαι περὶ ἑνὸς ταῦτα λέλεκται. Εἰ μὲν οὖν περὶ ἑνὸς ταῦτα λέγεται, ἀρκεῖ τὰ εἰρημένα, ἀναφερόντων ἡμῶν τὸ γεγραμμένον εἰς τὸν σωτῆρα. Εἰ δὲ καθολικόν ἐστιν, ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ἱστορίας οὐκ ἀληθές-οὔτε γὰρ Ἠλίας ἐν Θεσβὼν τῆς Γαλαὰδ ἠτιμώθη οὔτε Ἐλισσαῖος ἐν Ἐβαλμαουλὰ οὔτε [ὁ] Σαμουὴλ ἐν Ἀρμαθαῒμ οὔθ' Ἱερεμίας ἐν Ἀναθώθ-, τροπολογούμενον δὲ καὶ πάνυ ἀληθές. Χρὴ