John Chrysostom, On Matthew

he addresses the Jews with circumcision, and from sacrifices he makes a beginning of his teaching to those living under the law. For since to each one the accustomed things are dear, both God and the men sent from Him for the salvation of the world thus handle matters. Do not then consider it unworthy of Him, to call them by a star; since in this way you will disparage all Jewish things as well, 57.66 both the sacrifices, and the purifications, and the new moons, and the ark, and the temple itself. For these things also took their beginning from Hellenic grossness. But nevertheless God, for the salvation of those who had gone astray, endured to be worshiped through these things, through which the outsiders worshiped demons, having altered them a little; in order that, having drawn them away little by little from their custom, he might lead them to the high philosophy. Which is what he also did in the case of the magi, enduring to call them by the sight of a star, so that he might then make them higher. When therefore he had led and guided them by the hand, and set them at the manger, he no longer speaks to them by a star, but by an angel; thus little by little they became better. This he also did in the case of the Ashkelonites and the Gazans. For those five cities, when the ark arrived were struck a deadly blow, and could find no deliverance from the evils laid upon them, having called their diviners, and having gathered an assembly, they sought to find a solution for that plague sent from God. Then when the diviners said, that untamed and first-calving heifers must be yoked to the ark, and be left to go with no one guiding them by the hand; for thus it will be manifest, whether the plague was sent from God, or the sickness from some chance (for if, he says, they break the yoke from inexperience, or turn back to their lowing calves, it is a coincidence that has happened; but if they go straight, and neither are affected by the lowing of their young, nor go astray from ignorance of the road, it is clear that it is the hand of God that has touched these cities); when therefore the diviners said these things, the inhabitants of those cities were persuaded, and did as they were commanded, and God followed the opinion of the diviners, condescending again, and did not consider it unworthy of himself to carry out the prediction of the diviners, and to make them seem trustworthy in what they had then said. For the thing accomplished was greater, in that even the adversaries themselves bore witness to the power of God, and their own teachers delivered the verdict concerning him. And one might see God ordering many other such things. For even the matter concerning the ventriloquist resembles this manner of economy, which you will now be able to resolve from what has been said. Therefore concerning the star, these things have been said by us, but by you even more could be said; for, it says, "Give an occasion to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser." 4. But we must now come to the beginning of what was read. And what is the beginning? Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east come to Jerusalem. The magi indeed followed with a star leading the way; but these did not believe even with prophets resounding. And for what reason does he tell us both the time and the place, saying, "In Bethlehem," and "In the days of Herod the king"? And for what 57.67 reason does he add the title? The title, because there was also another Herod, the one who killed John; but that one was a tetrarch, while this one was a king. He sets the place and the time, reminding us of an old prophecy; of which Micah prophesied, saying: "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;" and the patriarch Jacob, precisely marking the time for us, and setting a great sign of his coming: "For," he says, "a ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is reserved; and he is the expectation of the nations." It is also worth asking, whence they came to such a thought, and who stirred them up to this. For not indeed of the

μετὰ περιτομῆς τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις δημηγορεῖ, καὶ ἀπὸ θυσιῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἐν νόμῳ ζῶντας τὴν ἀρχὴν ποιεῖται τῆς διδασκαλίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἑκάστῳ τὰ συνήθη φίλα, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ οἱ παρ' αὐτοῦ πεμφθέντες ἄνθρωποι πρὸς τὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης σωτηρίαν οὕτω τὰ πράγματα μεταχειρίζουσι. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀνάξιον εἶναι νομίσῃς αὐτοῦ, τὸ δι' ἀστέρος αὐτοὺς καλέσαι· ἐπεὶ οὕτω καὶ τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ πάντα 57.66 διαβαλεῖς, καὶ τὰς θυσίας, καὶ τοὺς καθαρμοὺς, καὶ τὰς νεομηνίας, καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν, καὶ τὸν ναὸν δὲ αὐτόν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξ Ἑλληνικῆς ταῦτα παχύτητος ἔλαβε τὴν ἀρχήν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τὴν τῶν πλανηθέντων σωτηρίαν ἠνέσχετο διὰ τούτων θεραπευθῆναι, δι' ὧν οἱ ἔξωθεν δαίμονας ἐθεράπευον, μικρὸν παραλλάξας αὐτά· ἵνα αὐτοὺς κατὰ μικρὸν τῆς συνηθείας ἀποσπάσας ἐπὶ τὴν ὑψηλὴν ἀγάγῃ φιλοσοφίαν. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μάγων ἐποίησε, δι' ὄψεως ἄστρου καλέσαι αὐτοὺς ἀνασχόμενος, ἵνα λοιπὸν ὑψηλοτέρους ἐργάσηται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἤγαγε καὶ ἐχειραγώγησε, καὶ πρὸς τὴν φάτνην ἔστησεν, οὐκέτι δι' ἄστρου, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀγγέλου λοιπὸν αὐτοῖς διαλέγεται, οὕτω κατὰ μικρὸν βελτίους ἐγένοντο. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἀσκαλωνιτῶν καὶ Γαζαίων ἐποίησε. Καὶ γὰρ αἱ πέντε πόλεις ἐκεῖναι, ἐπειδὴ τῆς κιβωτοῦ παραγενομένης ἐπλήγησαν καιρίαν πληγὴν, καὶ ἀπαλλαγὴν οὐδεμίαν εὕρισκον τῶν ἐπικειμένων κακῶν, τοὺς μάντεις καλέσαντες, καὶ ἐκκλησίαν συναγαγόντες, ἐζήτουν λύσιν εὑρεῖν τῆς θεηλάτου πληγῆς ἐκείνης. Εἶτα τῶν μάντεων εἰπόντων, ὅτι δαμάλεις ἀδαμάστους καὶ πρωτοτοκούσας ὑποζεῦξαι τῇ κιβωτῷ χρὴ, καὶ μηδενὸς χειραγωγοῦντος ἀφεῖναι βαδίζειν· οὕτω γὰρ ἔσται κατάδηλον, εἴτε θεήλατος ἦν ἡ πληγὴ, εἴτε ἐκ περιφορᾶς τινος ἡ νόσος (ἂν μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν ζυγὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπειρίας συντρίψωσιν, ἢ πρὸς τὰς δαμάλεις μυκωμένας ἐπιστραφῶσι, συντυχία τὸ γεγενημένον ἐστίν· ἂν δὲ ὀρθὰ βαδίσωσι, καὶ οὔτε πρὸς τὸν μυκηθμὸν τῶν παιδίων πάσχουσαί τι, οὔτε ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν, πλανηθῶσιν, εὔδηλον ὅτι ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χείρ ἐστιν ἡ ἁψαμένη τῶν πόλεων τούτων)· ἐπεὶ οὖν ταῦτα τῶν μάντεων εἰπόντων, ἐπείσθησαν οἱ τὰς πόλεις οἰκοῦντες ἐκείνας, καὶ ἐποίησαν ὡς ἐκελεύσθησαν, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῇ τῶν μάντεων ἠκολούθησε γνώμῃ, συγκαταβαίνων πάλιν, καὶ οὐκ ἐνόμισεν ἀνάξιον εἶναι αὐτοῦ τῶν μάντεων τὴν πρόῤῥησιν εἰς ἔργον ἐξαγαγεῖν, καὶ ποιῆσαι πιστοὺς εἶναι δοκεῖν, ἐν οἷς τότε εἰρήκασι. Καὶ γὰρ μεῖζον τὸ κατορθούμενον ἦν, τῷ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἐναντίους μαρτυρῆσαι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμει, καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ ψῆφον τοὺς αὐτῶν διδασκάλους ἐξενεγκεῖν. Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἴδοι τις ἂν οἰκονομοῦντα τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου τούτῳ προσέοικε τῆς οἰκονομίας τῷ τρόπῳ, ὃ καὶ ὑμεῖς λοιπὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐπιλῦσαι δυνήσεσθε. Τοῦ μὲν οὖν ἀστέρος ἕνεκεν παρὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ταῦτα εἴρηται, παρὰ δὲ ὑμῶν καὶ πλείονα λεχθῆναι δύναιτ' ἄν· ∆ίδου γὰρ, φησὶ, σοφῷ ἀφορμὴν, καὶ σοφώτερος ἔσται. δʹ. ∆εῖ δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ἀναγνωσθέντων ἐλθεῖν. Τίς δὲ ἡ ἀρχή; Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρώδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἔρχονται εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. Μάγοι μὲν ἀστέρος κατάρχοντος ἠκολούθησαν· οὗτοι δὲ οὐδὲ προφητῶν ἐνηχούντων ἐπίστευσαν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἡμῖν καὶ τὸν χρόνον λέγει, καὶ τὸν τόπον, Ἐν Βηθλεὲμ εἰπὼν, καὶ Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἡρώδου τοῦ βασιλέως; τίνος δὲ 57.67 χάριν καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα προστίθησι; Τὸ ἀξίωμα μὲν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἕτερος ἦν Ἡρώδης, ὁ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἀνελών· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος τετράρχης ἦν, οὗτος δὲ βασιλεύς. Τὸν τόπον δὲ καὶ τὸν χρόνον τίθησι, προφητείας ἡμᾶς ἀναμιμνήσκων παλαιᾶς· ὧν τὴν μὲν ὁ Μιχαίας προεφήτευσε λέγων· Καὶ σὺ, Βηθλεὲμ, γῆ Ἰούδα, οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ἰούδα· τὴν δὲ ὁ πατριάρχης Ἰακὼβ, ἀκριβῶς ἡμῖν χαρακτηρίζων τὸν χρόνον, καὶ μέγα τὸ παράσημον τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας τιθείς· Οὐκ ἐκλείψει γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται· καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν. Ἄξιον δὲ κἀκεῖνο ζητῆσαι, πόθεν εἰς τοιαύτην ἦλθον ἔννοιαν, καὶ τίς αὐτοὺς εἰς τοῦτο διήγειρεν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦ