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to visit the place very often, for the sake of remembering the miracle; for it is shown undoubtedly that the time in which our Savior was born according to Luke was not the same as that in which the Magi from the East met him according to Matthew.

3. That the time was not the same in both of the evangelists, it is possible to reason in another way also. Luke says that they could not find lodging in Bethlehem; for which reason she who gave birth laid the child in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn, as was likely, on account of the census, with all those from the house and family of David running together from everywhere to the said city, and on account of the multitude of those lodging there not finding a place to stay; But Matthew says, "When the Magi had heard king Herod, they departed for Bethlehem; and behold, the star which they saw in the East went before them, until it came to where the young child was with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him." But they do not find the child lying in a manger, as the shepherds did, but they behold him inside a house with his mother; and yet Luke said there was no room for them in the inn; how then does Matthew assign a house to them? But since Luke relates the time of the birth, and this was the time of the census, during which all the people belonging to the same family ran together in the city of David, but Matthew relates the events after two years' time—for such was the time that Herod had carefully inquired of the Magi; so that there being leisure in Bethlehem, according to Matthew they had plenty of lodging; therefore the Magi, entering into the house, saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and this is the solution to what was sought. Let these things from us to you, most holy of men and most industrious son Stephen, being genuine tokens of our disposition, be dedicated.

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πλειστάκις ἐπιφοιτᾷν αὐτοὺς τῷ τόπῳ, μνήμης τοῦ παραδόξου χάριν· δείκνυται γοῦν ἀναμφιβόλως οὐχ ὁ αὐτὸς ὢν καιρὸς ἐν ᾧ γεγέννηται κατὰ τὸν Λουκᾶν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, ἐν ᾧ τε κατὰ τὸν Ματθαῖον ὑπήντησαν οἱ ἐξ Ἀνατολῶν Μάγοι.

γʹ. Ὅτι δὲ μὴ εἷς ἦν ὁ παρ' ἀμφοτέροις τοῖς εὐαγγελισταῖς χρόνος, καὶ ἄλλως ἐστὶ συλλογίσασθαι. Λουκᾶς φησι μὴ εὐπορῆσαι αὐτοὺς καταγωγίου ἐν τῇ Βηθλεέμ· διὸ καὶ τεκοῦσαν ἀνακλῖναι τὸ παιδίον ἐν φάτνῃ, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι τόπον ἐν τῷ καταλύματι, ὡς εἰκὸς, τῆς ἀπογραφῆς ἕνεκεν πάντων πανταχόθεν τῶν ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς ∆αβὶδ συντρεχόντων εἰς τὴν εἰρημένην πόλιν, διά τε τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐπιξενουμένων αὐτόθι μὴ εὐπορούντων καταλύματος· ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος «Ἀκούσαντες, φησὶν, οἱ Μάγοι τοῦ βασιλέως Ἡρώδου, ἐπορεύθησαν εἰς Βηθλεέμ· καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ ἀστὴρ ὃν εἶδον ἐν τῇ Ἀνατολῇ προῆγεν αὐτοὺς, ἕως οὗ ἦν τὸ παιδίον μετὰ Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ.» Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν φάτνῃ κείμενον οὗτοι καταλαμβάνουσι τὸ παιδίον ὁμοίως τοῖς ποιμέσιν, ἀλλ' ἔνδον ἐν οἰκίᾳ μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτὸ θεωροῦσι· καίτοι Λουκᾶς ἔφησε μὴ εἶναι τόπον αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ καταλύματι· πῶς οὖν ὁ Ματθαῖος οἰκίαν αὐτοῖς ἀφορίζει; Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ Λουκᾶς τὸν καιρὸν ἱστορεῖ τῆς γενέσεως, οὗτος δ' ἦν ὁ τῆς ἀπογραφῆς, καθ' ὂν πανδημεὶ συνέτρεχον οἱ τῷ αὐτῷ γένει προσήκοντες ἐν τῇ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ πόλει, ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος τὰ μετὰ δύο ἐτῶν χρόνους ἱστορεῖ τοσοῦτος γὰρ ἦν ὁ χρόνος ὃν Ἡρώδης παρὰ τῶν Μάγων ἠκρίβωσεν· ὥστε σχολῆς οὔσης ἐν τῇ Βηθλεὲμ, κατὰ τὸν Ματθαῖον εὐπόρουν καταγωγίου· διὸ εἰσελθόντες οἱ Μάγοι εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, εἶδον τὸ παιδίον μετὰ Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ· καὶ αὕτη μὲν ἡ τοῦ ζητηθέντος λύσις. Ταῦτά σοι ἐξ ἡμῶν, ἱερώτατε ἀνδρῶν καὶ φιλοπονώτατε υἱὲ Στέφανε, γνησίας ὄντα δείγματα διαθέσεως, ἀνακείσθω.