John Chrysostom, On Matthew

his own good deeds, the tyrant, the parricide, the fratricide, the insolent one, the madman, having his kingdom instead of him, not even so was he scandalized; but, “If it seems good to God,” he says, “that I should be driven out and wander and flee, and that he should be in honor, I am content and accept it, and I am thankful for His countless evils.” Not like many of the shameless and reckless, who, accomplishing not even the smallest part of what he accomplished, if they see some people in prosperity, while they themselves have endured a small 57.40 despondency, destroy their own souls with countless blasphemies. But David was not such a person, but showed all forbearance. Therefore God also said: I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. Let us too acquire such a soul, and whatever we may suffer, we will bear it easily, and even before the kingdom we shall from this reap the revenue of humility. For learn from me, He says, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. So that, therefore, we may enjoy rest, both here and there, with much eagerness let us plant in our own souls the mother of all good things, I mean humility. For thus we will be able to cross the sea of this life without waves, and to sail into that calm harbor, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

57.39 HOMILY 4. So all the generations from Abraham to David,

are fourteen generations; and from David until the deportation to Babylon, are fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon until the

Christ, are fourteen generations. 1. He divided all the generations into three parts, showing that not even with the

changes of government did they become better, but whether under an aristocracy, or a monarchy, or an oligarchy, they were in the same evils; and neither when managed by judges, nor by priests, nor by kings, did they gain any advantage in respect to virtue. But for what reason did he pass over three kings in the middle portion, and in the last, having set down twelve generations, say that there were fourteen? The first I leave for you to investigate; for it is not necessary to solve everything for you, lest you become indolent; but the second we will state. For here it seems to me that he both reckons the time of the captivity in the order of a generation, and Christ Himself, in every way joining Him to us. And he does well to remind them of that captivity, showing that not even when they went down there did they become more sober-minded; so that His coming was shown to be necessary from every point of view. Why then, one might say, does Mark not do this, nor give Christ's genealogy, but utters everything concisely? It seems to me that Matthew began the work before the others; for this reason he both sets down the genealogy with accuracy, and confines himself to what was pressing; but Mark after him, which is why he took a shorter path, as things had already been spoken and made clear 57.40 a nation, to which the people of the Jews also paid more attention. Wherefore this manner of introduction was necessary among them. But if at any time signs also occurred, it was for the sake of the barbarians, so that many might become proselytes, and for a demonstration of God's power, if ever their enemies, having captured them, thought they had prevailed because their own gods were strong; just as in Egypt, whence also the great mixed multitude went up; and after these things in Babylon, the events concerning the furnace and the dreams. And signs also occurred when they were by themselves, in the desert, just as also in our case; for in our case too, when we were coming out of error, many wonders were shown; but after these things they ceased, everywhere

αὐτοῦ κατορθώματα τὸν τύραννον, τὸν πατραλοίαν, τὸν ἀδελφοκτόνον, τὸν ὑβριστὴν, τὸν μαινόμενον, ἀντ' αὐτοῦ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἔχοντα βασιλείαν, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐσκανδαλίζετο· ἀλλ', Ἂν τῷ Θεῷ ταῦτα δοκῇ, φησὶν, ἐμὲ μὲν ἐλαύνεσθαι καὶ πλανᾶσθαι καὶ φεύγειν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ εἶναι ἐν τιμῇ, στέργω καὶ δέχομαι, καὶ χάριν ἔχω τῶν μυρίων αὐτοῦ κακῶν. Οὐχ ὡς πολλοὶ τῶν ἀναισχύντων καὶ ἰταμῶν, οὐδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν κατορθοῦντες τῶν ἐκείνῳ κατωρθωμένων, ἂν ἴδωσί τινας ἐν εὐημερίαις ὄντας, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ μικρὰν ὑπομείναντας 57.40 ἀθυμίαν, μυρίαις τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς ἀπολλύουσι βλασφημίαις. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ ∆αυῒδ τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἐπεδείκνυτο ἐπιείκειαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν ὁ Θεός· Εὗρον ∆αυῒδ τὸν τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ, ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου. Τοιαύτην καὶ ἡμεῖς κτησώμεθα ψυχὴν, καὶ ὅπερ ἂν πάθωμεν, οἴσομεν ῥᾳδίως, καὶ πρὸ τῆς βασιλείας ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσόμεθα τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης τὴν πρόσοδον. Μάθετε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. Ἵν' οὖν ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀναπαύσεως, καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐκεῖ, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς τὴν πάντων μητέρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν, τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην λέγω, ταῖς ἑαυτῶν φυτεύσωμεν ψυχαῖς. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὸ τοῦ βίου τούτου πέλαγος χωρὶς κυμάτων δυνησόμεθα διαβῆναι, καὶ εἰς τὸν γαληνὸν ἐκεῖνον καταπλεῦσαι λιμένα, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.39 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ∆ʹ. Πᾶσαι οὖν αἱ γενεαὶ ἀπὸ Ἀβραὰμ ἕως ∆αυῒδ,

γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες· καὶ ἀπὸ ∆αυῒδ ἕως τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος, γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες· καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος ἕως τοῦ

Χριστοῦ, γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες. αʹ. Εἰς τρεῖς διεῖλε μερίδας τὰς γενεὰς ἁπάσας, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐδὲ τῶν

πολιτειῶν μεταβληθεισῶν ἐγένοντο βελτίους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀριστοκρατούμενοι, καὶ βασιλευόμενοι, καὶ ὀλιγαρχούμενοι, ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἦσαν κακοῖς· καὶ οὔτε δημαγωγῶν, οὔτε ἱερέων, οὔτε βασιλέων αὐτοὺς διεπόντων, ἔσχον τι πλέον εἰς ἀρετῆς λόγον. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἐν μὲν τῇ μέσῃ μερίδι τρεῖς παρέδραμε βασιλεῖς, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ δώδεκα θεὶς γενεὰς, δεκατέσσαρας αὐτὰς εἶναι ἔφησε; Τὸ μὲν πρότερον ὑμῖν ἀφίημι ζητεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντα ἐπιλύειν ὑμῖν ἀναγκαῖον, ἵνα μὴ ἀναπέσητε· τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἡμεῖς ἐροῦμεν. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα δοκεῖ καὶ τὸν χρόνον τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐν τάξει γενεᾶς τιθέναι, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν, πανταχόθεν συνάπτων ἡμῖν αὐτόν. Ἀναμιμνήσκει δὲ καὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐκείνης καλῶς, δηλῶν ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐκεῖ κατελθόντες, ἐγένοντο σωφρονέστεροι· ὥστε πάντοθεν ἀναγκαίαν φανῆναι τὴν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν. Τί οὖν ὁ Μάρκος, φησὶν, οὐ ποιεῖ τοῦτο, οὐδὲ γενεαλογεῖ τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπιτόμως ἅπαντα φθέγγεται; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἦρχθαι τοῦ πράγματος· διὸ καὶ τὴν γενεαλογίαν τίθησι μετὰ ἀκριβείας, καὶ πρὸς τὰ κατεπείγοντα ἵσταται· ὁ δὲ Μάρκος μετ' ἐκεῖνον, διὸ ἐπὶ σύντομον ἦλθεν ὁδὸν, ἅτε τοῖς ἤδη λεχθεῖσι καὶ δήλοις 57.40 ἔθνος, οἷς καὶ μᾶλλον προσεῖχεν ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων δῆμος. ∆ιόπερ ἀναγκαῖος οὗτος τῶν προοιμίων ὁ τρόπος ἦν παρ' αὐτοῖς. Εἰ δέ ποτε καὶ ἐγένετο σημεῖα, τῶν βαρβάρων ἕνεκεν ἐγένετο, ὥστε πολλοὺς γενέσθαι τοὺς προσηλύτους, καὶ εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως, εἴ ποτε αὐτοὺς οἱ πολέμιοι λαβόντες, ὡς τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς θεῶν ἰσχυρῶν ὄντων, ἐνόμισαν κεκρατηκέναι· καθάπερ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, ὅθεν καὶ πολὺς ὁ σύμμικτος ἀνέβη· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, τὰ κατὰ τὴν κάμινον καὶ τὰ ὀνείρατα. Ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ ἡνίκα καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἦσαν, σημεῖα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καθάπερ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν, ἡνίκα τῆς πλάνης ἐξῄειμεν, πολλὰ θαύματα ἐδείχθη· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἔστη, πανταχοῦ