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of them; for he would not have understood the voice of Gabriel to mean that Christ would reign over them, which he accepted as true, unless he had understood the house of Jacob to mean, by implication, all those who, through the calling of our Savior, are brought from all nations into the adoption of the saints; wherefore also the divine Apostle, knowing this most clearly, presented it, saying: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God."

16. How Matthew relates that Jesus was taken by his parents from Bethlehem to Egypt, but Luke to Jerusalem, and from there to Nazareth.

1. Luke, relating the time of the birth of our Savior, mentions the reign of Augustus and the census under him; and he says that they had no lodging in Bethlehem, since a multitude, as was likely, was present in Bethlehem of those from the house of David on account of the census; for which reason Joseph could not find a house; whence he says that Mary, having given birth, wrapped the infant in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn; and it was likely, since many were present because of the census, that they could not find lodging, but also, "When," he says, "the days were completed for circumcising him—and this must be done on the eighth day after the birth—they brought the child up to Jerusalem, and having performed for him the customary rites, they went away to Nazareth." While these things are set down by Luke, Matthew, mentioning none of them, but yielding the said things to Luke, relates other things himself; and what were these, but the arrival of the Magi from the East? having set out from their own land at the same time as Jesus was born, a star having indicated to them the knowledge of the birth, but in no way having completed so great a journey in a short time; for it is not likely that they completed the journey from the East to Judea in eight days, so that one would think the time of their arrival and of the birth of our Savior was the same; and if, when inquiring, they say, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star, and have come to worship him," they do not mean one born today, as one might suppose, at the time when they were inquiring about these things, but the one who was born then when the star appeared to them.

2. And how much time was this between the star that appeared to the Magi at the birth of our Savior, and their arrival in Jerusalem, the evangelist himself will teach you, saying: "Then Herod, when he had privily called the Magi, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared." And as though having inquired diligently of them and learned what this was, after the Magi departed secretly, seeing that he was mocked by them, "he was exceedingly wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the Magi." Therefore a period of two years had already passed from the birth of Jesus until the arrival of the said men; therefore, there is no disagreement in the writings of the holy evangelists, if Luke takes him up with his parents to Jerusalem on the eighth day of his birth for the fulfillment of the laws, and from there leads him away to Nazareth; while Matthew records that they were in Bethlehem again after a period of two years, and says that from there they had gone away into Egypt on account of the king's plot; and it was likely not only a second, but also

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αὐτῶν· οὐκ ἂν οὖν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς βασιλεύσειν τὸν Χριστὸν τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ Γαβριὴλ νομίσας εἰρηκέναι, ὡς ἀληθῆ αὐτὴν παρελάμβανεν, εἰ μὴ πάντας τοὺς διὰ τῆς κλήσεως τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς τὴν τῶν ἁγίων υἱοθεσίαν εἰσποιούμενος, οἶκον Ἰακὼβ ἡγήσατο κατὰ διάνοιαν δηλοῦσθαι· ὅθεν καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἐπιστάμενος σαφέστατα, παρίστη λέγων· «Οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἡ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ ἐν σαρκὶ περιτομὴ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος, καὶ περιτομὴ καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι, οὐ γράμματι, οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ.»

Ιςʹ. Πῶς ἀπὸ τῆς Βηθλεὲμ ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἱστορεῖ, ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Ναζαρὲθ πρὸς τῶν γονέων

φέρεσθαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν.

αʹ. Λουκᾶς μὲν τὸν καιρὸν ἱστορῶν τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γενέσεως, τῆς Αὐγούστου βασιλείας μνημονεύει καὶ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν ἀπογραφῆς· φησί τε μηδὲ ἐσχηκέναι αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ Βηθλεὲμ κατάλυμα, πλήθους συνόντος ὡς εἰκὸς ἐν τῇ Βηθλεὲμ τῶν ἀπὸ γένους ∆αβὶδ τῆς ἀπογραφῆς ἕνεκεν· διὸ μηδὲ οἴκου τὸν Ἰωσὴφ εὐπορεῖν· ὅθεν τεκοῦσάν φησι τὴν Μαρίαν σπαργανῶσαι τὸ βρέφος καὶ ἀποθέσθαι ἐν φάτνῃ, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι αὐτοῖς τόπον ἐν τῷ καταλύματι· καὶ εἰκός γε ἦν πλείστων συνόντων διὰ τὴν ἀπογραφὴν μὴ εὐπορεῖν καταγωγίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ, «Ὅτε, φησὶν, αἱ ἡμέραι ἐπλήσθησαν τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτὸν χρὴ δὲ τοῦτο γίνεσθαι ὀγδόῃ μετὰ τὴν ἀπότεξιν ἡμέρᾳ, ἀνήγαγον τὸ παιδίον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ τελέσαντες ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὰ νενομισμένα, ἀπίασιν εἰς Ναζαρέθ.» Τούτων παρὰ τῷ Λουκᾷ κειμένων οὐδενὸς μνημονεύσας ὁ Ματθαῖος, παραχωρήσας δὲ τῷ Λουκᾷ τὰ εἰρημένα, ἕτερα αὐτὸς διηγεῖται· τίνα δὲ ἦν ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ἢ τῶν Μάγων ἀπὸ Ἀνατολῆς ἄφιξις; κινησάντων μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας γῆς ἅμα τῷ γεννηθῆναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἀστέρος αὐτοῖς τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς γεννήσεως ὑποφήναντος, οὐδήπου δὲ τὴν τοσαύτην στειλαμένων πορείαν καιρῷ βραχεῖ· οὐ γὰρ ἐν ἡμέραις ὀκτὼ τὴν ἀπὸ Ἀνατολῶν ὁδὸν εἰκὸς αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἠνῦσθαι, ὡς τὸν αὐτὸν νομίσαι εἶναι καιρὸν τῆς τε τούτων ἀφίξεως, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γενέσεως· εἰ δὲ καὶ πυνθανόμενοι λέγουσι, «Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα, καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ,» οὐ τὸν σήμερον τεχθέντα, ὡς ἄν τις ὑπολάβοι, καθ' ὃν ταῦτα ἐπυνθάνοντο χρόνον δηλοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸν τότε γενόμενον ὅτε αὐτοῖς ὁ ἀστὴρ ἐπέφανε.

βʹ. Πόσος δὲ ἦν οὗτος ὁ μεταξὺ χρόνος, τοῦ τε φανέντος τοῖς Μάγοις ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γενέσεως ἀστέρος, καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα παρουσίας, αὐτός σε διδάξει ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς λέγων· «Τότε Ἡρώδης λάθρα καλέσας τοὺς Μάγους, ἠκρίβωσε παρ' αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος.» Καὶ ὡς ἂν ἀκριβώσας παρ' αὐτῶν, μαθὼν ὅστις ἦν οὗτος, μετὰ τὸ ἀναχωρῆσαι λάθρα τοὺς Μάγους, ἰδὼν ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθη ὑπ' αὐτῶν, «ἐθυμώθη λίαν, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἀνεῖλε πάντας τοὺς παῖδας ἐν Βηθλεὲμ, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς, ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω, κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ὃν ἠκρίβωσε παρὰ τῶν Μάγων.» Οὐκοῦν διετὴς χρόνος ἤδη παρεληλύθει ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰησοῦ γενέσεως καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἄφιξιν τῶν εἰρημένων· οὐκ ἄρα διαφωνεῖ τὰ παρὰ τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελισταῖς, εἰ ὁ μὲν Λουκᾶς ὀγδόῃ τῆς γενέσεως ἡμέρᾳ ἀνάγει αὐτὸν ἅμα τοῖς γονεῦσιν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῆς τῶν νομίμων ἐκπληρώσεως ἕνεκα, κἀκεῖθεν ἀπάγει ἐπὶ τὴν Ναζαρέθ· ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος μετὰ διετῆ χρόνον γενομένους πάλιν ἐν Βηθλεὲμ ἀναγράφει, ἐν 22.936 τεῦθέν τε εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀπεληλυθέναι φησὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιβουλήν· καὶ ἦν εἰκὸς οὐ μόνον δεύτερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ