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of those who had children quickly, or of those who were slow? and from those who were shaken on account of their first sons, or from those after more successions? These things having been thus examined, the divine evangelist, not proposing to speak of successions, but of generations, numbering them according to the principles which he himself knew, has cared less for the succession in the histories, and takes up into the genealogy as many as were sufficient for him for the fulfillment of the fourteen generations; and so for him. the account is preserved sound, and is in no way contrary to the writing of the histories.

XIII. Why, when those genealogized after Jechoniah to Joseph are twelve, does the evangelist say again that there are fourteen.

1. For the same reason; for he did not wish to record successions, but generations, as I said; and it often happens among the long-lived and aged, that the successions of men have occurred, but the number of generations has been rendered complete; by which reasoning, therefore, in the case of those from David and up to the captivity, who were more numerous in the succession, fewer generations were assigned; for in the successions of seventeen men, fourteen generations are spoken of; by the same calculation now also, in the successions of twelve men, the fourteen generations would be filled up, since it is likely that these very twelve were long-lived and advanced in years, and were sufficient for the completion of the fourteen generations. This is one answer to the question.

2. But according to another line of thought, if you examine the history closely, you would find fourteen named even in the present succession, if to the twelve you were to count Jesus Christ himself, who was called the son of Joseph; and if you were to add to these also the Jechoniah who was born in Babylon, not the one who reigned in Jerusalem before the deportation; for there were two Jehoiakims of the same name after Josiah, namely the son of Josiah himself, who reigned in Jerusalem after him, and his son, another Jehoiakim; and these were also called Jechoniah, the name having been hellenized for them. Therefore the first Jehoiakim, also called Jechoniah, being the son of Josiah, should be counted among the generations before the captivity; but his son, the second Jehoiakim, himself also Jechoniah, being the son of the first Jehoiakim, but the grandson of Josiah, being numbered among those genealogized after the captivity and to Christ, would render the number of the fourteen generations complete.

3. Concerning there being two Jehoiakims, the Scripture of Kings will testify, having it in this manner: «And Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim son of Josiah king of Judah to reign over Israel, in place of Josiah his father; and he changed his name to Jehoiakim.» To which it adds in succession: «Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem;» to which, after other things, it adds: «And the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? and Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiakim his son reigned in his place; Jehoiakim was eighteen years old when he began to reign 22.928 him; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Eshta; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. At that time Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem; and the city came under siege; and the king of Babylon entered into the city, and his servants. were besieging it; and Jehoiakim king of Judah went out to the king

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ταχὺ πεπαιδοποιημένων, ἢ τῶν βραδέων; καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐπὶ πρώτοις υἱοῖς σαλευσάντων, ἢ ἐκ τῶν ἐπὶ πλείοσι διαδοχαῖς; ὧν οὕτως ἐξητασμένων ὁ θεῖος εὐαγγελιστὴς οὐ διαδοχὰς προθέμενος εἰπεῖν, γενεὰς δὲ, καθ' οὓς αὐτὸς ἠπίστατο λόγους ἀπαριθμούμενος, τῆς μὲν ἐν ταῖς ἱστορίαις διαδοχῆς ἧττον πεφρόντικε, τοσούτους ἀναλαμβάνει εἰς τὴν γενεαλογίαν, ὅσοι ἀπήρκουν αὐτῷ εἰς ἐκπλήρωσιν τῶν δεκατεσσάρων γενεῶν· οὕτως τε αὐτῷ. ὑγιὴς ἀποσώζεται ὁ λόγος, καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἐναντίος τῇ τῶν ἱστοριῶν γραφῇ.

ΙΓʹ. ∆ιὰ τί τῶν μετὰ Ἰεχονίαν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ γενεαλογουμένων

δύο καὶ δέκα ὄντων, ὁ εὐαγγε λιστὴς δεκατέσσαρας πάλιν εἶναί φησιν.

αʹ. ∆ιὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν· οὐ γὰρ διαδοχὰς, γενεὰς δὲ, ὡς ἔφην, ἀναγράφειν ἐβούλετο· συμβαίνει δὲ πολλάκις ἐν μακροβίοις καὶ πολυέτεσι, τὰς μὲν γεγονέναι τῶν ἀνδρῶν τὰς διαδοχὰς, τὸν δὲ τῶν γενεῶν ἀριθμὸν ἀποδεδόσθαι πλήρη· ᾧ δὴ οὖν λόγῳ ἐν τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν πλείοσιν οὖσι τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῖς ἐν τῇ διαδοχῇ φερομένοις, ὀλιγώτεραι ἀπεδόθησαν αἱ γενεαί· ἐν γὰρ διαδοχαῖς ἀνδρῶν ἑπτὰ καὶ δέκα, γενεαὶ εἴρηνται δεκατέσσαρες· κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λογισμὸν καὶ νῦν ἐπ' ἀνδρῶν διαδοχαῖς δώδεκα, αἱ δεκατέσσαρες ἂν ἐπληροῦντο γενεαὶ, μακροβίων ὡς εἰκὸς πολυχρονίων αὐτῶν δὴ τῶν δώδεκα γεγενημένων, καὶ ἀρκούντων εἰς ἀναπλήρωσιν τῶν δεκατεσσάρων γενεῶν. Μία μὲν ἀπόδοσις τοῦ ζητηθέντος ἥδε.

βʹ. Καθ' ἑτέραν δὲ διάνοιαν εὕροις ἂν ἀκριβώσας κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν δεκατέσσαρας ὠνομασμένους καὶ ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ διαδοχῇ, εἰ πρὸς τοῖς δώδεκα συναριθμήσειας αὐτὸν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ χρηματίσαντα· προσθείης τε τούτοις καὶ τὸν Ἰεχονίαν τὸν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι γεγενημένον, οὐχὶ τὸν πρὸ τῆς μετοικησίας ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ βασιλεύσαντα· δύο γὰρ ὁμώνυμοι γεγόνασιν Ἰωακεὶμ μετὰ Ἰωσίαν, ὅ γε αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰωσίου υἱὸς, ὃς μετὰ τοῦτον ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ὁ τούτου παῖς ἕτερος Ἰωακείμ· οὗτοι δὲ καὶ Ἰεχονίαι ἐχρημάτισαν, ἐξελληνισθέντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ ὀνόματος. Ὁ τοίνυν πρῶτος Ἰωακεὶμ ὁ καὶ Ἰεχονίας υἱὸς ὢν Ἰωσίου, ταῖς πρὸτῆς αἰχμαλωσίας συγκαταλεγέσθω γενεαῖς· ὁ δὲ τούτου παῖς ὁ δεύτερος Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ αὐτὸς Ἰεχονίας, υἱὸς ὢν τοῦ πρώτου Ἰωακεὶμ, τοῦ δὲ Ἰωσίου ἔκγονος, ἐν τοῖς μετὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν γενεαλογουμένοις ἀριθμούμενος, τέλειον ἀποδοίη ἂν τὸν τῶν δεκατεσσάρων γενεῶν ἀριθμόν.

γʹ. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ δύο γεγονέναι Ἰωακεὶμ, μαρτυρήσει ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν Γραφὴ, τοῦτον ἔχουσα τὸν τρόπον· «Καὶ ἐβασίλευσε Φαραὼ Νεχαὼ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τὸν Ἐλιακεὶμ υἱὸν Ἰωσία βασιλέως Ἰούδα, ἀντὶἸωσία τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπέστρεψε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωακείμ.» Οἷς ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· «Υἱὸς εἰκοσιπέντε ἐτῶν Ἰωακεὶμ ἐν τῷ βασιλεύειν αὐτόν· καὶ ἕνδεκα ἔτη ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ·» οἷς μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει· «Καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν λόγων Ἰωακεὶμ, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ἰδοὺ γεγραμμένα ἐπὶ βιβλίῳ λόγων τῶν ἡμερῶν τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν Ἰούδα; καὶ ἐκοιμήθη Ἰωακεὶμ μετὰ τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἰωακεὶμ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ· υἱὸς ὀκτὼ καὶ δέκα ἐτῶν Ἰωακεὶμ ἐν τῷ βασιλεύειν αὐ 22.928 τόν· καὶ τρίμηνον ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ ὄνομα τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ Ἐσθά· καὶ ἐποίησε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς Κυρίου κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἀνέβη Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ ἦλθεν ἡ πόλις ἐν περιοχῇ· καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐν τῇ πόλει, καὶ οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ. ἐπολιόρκουν αὐτήν· καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλεὺς Ἰούδα ἐπὶ βασιλέα