John Chrysostom, On Matthew

not granting continuous reliefs, but both through these and through those weaving the life of the righteous. This indeed He has also done here; for consider. He saw the Virgin with child; this threw him into confusion, and the utmost distress; for he suspected the maiden of adultery; but immediately the angel appeared, both dispelling the suspicion and taking away this fear; and seeing the child born, he reaped the greatest joy. Again, no small danger succeeded this joy, the city being troubled, and the king raging, and seeking for the one who was born. But another joy in turn succeeded this distress: the star, and the adoration of the Magi. Again after this pleasure, fear 57.86 and danger; For Herod, it says, seeks the life of the child; and it is necessary to flee and depart in a human way. For it was not yet time to work miracles. For if from his earliest age He had displayed miracles, He would not have been thought to be a man. For this very reason not even is a temple simply formed, but there is also a conception, and a nine-month period, and birth-pangs, and birth, and nursing with milk, and quietness through all that time, and He awaits the age suitable for men; so that through all these things the mystery of the economy might become readily acceptable. For what reason then, he says, did these signs also happen from the beginning? On account of the mother, on account of Joseph, on account of Simeon who was about to depart, on account of the shepherds, on account of the Magi, on account of the Jews. For if they had been willing to pay close attention to what was happening, they would have reaped no small benefit from this also for the things to come. But if the Prophets do not speak of the things concerning the Magi, do not be troubled; for they neither foretold all things, nor were they silent on all things. For just as seeing events come to pass without having heard anything about them caused great astonishment and alarm; so also learning everything would have prepared the hearer to fall asleep, and would have left nothing more for the evangelists. But if the Jews should doubt concerning the prophecy, saying that the words, Out of Egypt I have called my Son, were spoken concerning them; we would say to them that this also is a law of prophecy, that many things are often spoken concerning some, but fulfilled in others, such as what was said concerning Simeon and Levi; For I will divide them, he says, in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. And yet this did not happen to them, but to their descendants; and what was said by Noah concerning Canaan, came to pass for the Gibeonites, the descendants of Canaan. And one might see it happen thus also in the case of Jacob; for those blessings that say, Be lord of your brother, and let your father's sons bow down to you, did not find their fulfillment in him, (for how could they, when he was afraid and trembling, and bowing down to him countless times?) but in his descendants. Which indeed one might say also here. For who would more truly be called Son of God? The one who worships a calf, and is initiated into Baal-peor, and sacrifices his sons to demons, or the one who is Son by nature, and honors the one who begot Him? So that if this one had not come, the prophecy would not have received its proper fulfillment. 4. See then how the Evangelist also hints at this, saying, That it might be fulfilled, showing that it would not have been fulfilled if He had not come. And this makes the Virgin not just in any way bright and renowned. For what the entire people had as a source of praise, this she herself was now also able to have. For since they were very proud of coming up out of Egypt, and boasted of it. Which indeed the Prophet also said, hinting at it; Did I not bring up the Philistines from Cappadocia, and the Assyrians from the pit? He makes this the prerogative of the Virgin also. Rather, both the people and the 57.87 patriarch, having gone down there and come up from there, fulfilled the type of this ascent. For they too, fleeing death from famine, went down; and this one, death from a plot. But they, having gone down, were then delivered from the famine; but this one, having gone down, sanctified the whole country by his presence. See then how between humble things, the things of the divinity are also revealed. For the angel, having said, Flee into Egypt, did not promise

ἀνέσεις συνεχεῖς τιθεὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τούτων καὶ δι' ἐκείνων ὑφαίνων τὸν τῶν δικαίων βίον. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πεποίηκε· σκόπει γάρ. Εἶδε κύουσαν τὴν Παρθένον· εἰς ταραχὴν αὐτὸν ἐνέβαλε τοῦτο, καὶ τὸν ἔσχατον θόρυβον· ἐπὶ μοιχείᾳ γὰρ τὴν κόρην ὑπώπτευεν· ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἐπέστη ὁ ἄγγελος, τήν τε ὑποψίαν λύων, καὶ τὸν φόβον ἀναιρῶν τοῦτον· καὶ τὸ παιδίον τεχθὲν ὁρῶν, χαρὰν ἐκαρπώσατο μεγίστην. Πάλιν τὴν χαρὰν ταύτην κίνδυνος οὐ μικρὸς διαδέχεται, τῆς πόλεως ταραττομένης, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως μαινομένου, καὶ τὸν τεχθέντα ἐπιζητοῦντος. Ἀλλὰ τὸν θόρυβον τοῦτον ἑτέρα πάλιν διεδέξατο χαρά· ὁ ἀστὴρ, καὶ ἡ τῶν μάγων προσκύνησις. Πάλιν μετὰ τὴν ἡδονὴν ταύτην φόβος 57.86 καὶ κίνδυνος· Ζητεῖ γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἡρώδης τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ παιδίου· καὶ δεῖ φυγεῖν καὶ μεθίστασθαι ἀνθρωπίνως. Θαυματουργεῖν γὰρ τέως οὐκ ἔδει. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας θαύματα ἐπεδείξατο, οὐδ' ἂν ἐνομίσθη ἄνθρωπος εἶναι. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς ναὸς πλάττεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ κύησις γίνεται, καὶ ἐννεαμηνιαῖος χρόνος, καὶ ὠδῖνες, καὶ τόκος, καὶ γαλακτοτροφία, καὶ διὰ παντὸς ἡσυχία τοῦ χρόνου, καὶ ἀναμένει τὴν ἀνδράσι πρέπουσαν ἡλικίαν· ἵνα διὰ πάντων εὐπαράδεκτον γένηται τῆς οἰκονομίας τὸ μυστήριον. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν καὶ ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα ἐγένετο, φησὶν, ἐξ ἀρχῆς; ∆ιὰ τὴν μητέρα, διὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, διὰ τὸν Συμεὼν μέλλοντα ἀπιέναι λοιπὸν, διὰ τοὺς ποιμένας, διὰ τοὺς μάγους, διὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. Εἰ γὰρ ἐβούλοντο προσέχειν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τοῖς γινομένοις, οὐ μικρὰ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἂν πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ἐκαρπώσαντο. Εἰ δὲ μὴ λέγουσιν οἱ Προφῆται τὰ περὶ τῶν μάγων, μὴ θορυβηθῇς· οὔτε γὰρ πάντα προεῖπον, οὔτε πάντα ἐσιώπησαν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ μηδὲν ἀκούσαντας ἰδεῖν παραγινόμενα τὰ πράγματα, πολλὴν ἐποίει τὴν ἔκπληξιν καὶ τὸν θόρυβον· οὕτω καὶ τὸ πάντα μαθεῖν καθεύδειν παρεσκεύαζε τὸν ἀκροατὴν, καὶ τοῖς εὐαγγελισταῖς οὐδὲν ἠφίει πλέον. Εἰ δὲ περὶ τῆς προφητείας ἀμφιβάλλοιεν Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες, τὸ, Ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου, ἐπ' αὐτῶν εἰρῆσθαι· εἴποιμεν ἂν πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ὅτι καὶ οὗτος προφητείας νόμος, τὸ πολλὰ πολλάκις λέγεσθαι μὲν ἐπ' ἄλλων, πληροῦσθαι δὲ ἐφ' ἑτέρων, οἷον τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ Συμεὼν καὶ Λευῒ εἰρημένον ἐστί· ∆ιαμεριῶ γὰρ αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ἐν Ἰακὼβ, καὶ διασπερῶ αὐτοὺς ἐν Ἰσραήλ. Καίτοιγε οὐκ ἐπ' αὐτῶν τοῦτο γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἐγγόνων· καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χαναὰν δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Νῶε λεχθὲν, εἰς τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας τοὺς ἐγγόνους τοῦ Χαναὰν ἐξέβη. Καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ οὕτως ἴδοι τις ἂν συμβάν· αἱ γὰρ εὐλογίαι ἐκεῖναι αἱ λέγουσαι, Γίνου Κύριος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, καὶ προσκυνησάτωσάν σε οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρός σου, οὐκ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τέλος ἔσχον, (πῶς γὰρ, τοῦ δεδοικότος καὶ τρέμοντος, καὶ μυριάκις αὐτὸν προσκυνοῦντος;) ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἐγγόνων τῶν αὐτοῦ. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἴποι τις ἄν. Τίς γὰρ ἀληθέστερος Υἱὸς Θεοῦ λεχθείη; ὁ μόσχον προσκυνῶν, καὶ τῷ Βεελφεγὼρ τελούμενος, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς θύων τοῖς δαιμονίοις, ἢ ὁ φύσει Υἱὸς, καὶ τὸν γεγεννηκότα τιμῶν; Ὥστε εἰ μὴ παρεγένετο οὗτος, οὐκ ἂν ἡ προφητεία τέλος ἔλαβε τὸ προσῆκον. δʹ. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ Εὐαγγελιστὴς αἰνίττεται λέγων, Ἵνα πληρωθῇ, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἐπληρώθη, εἰ μὴ παραγέγονεν. Οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε δὲ καὶ τὴν Παρθένον λαμπρὰν τοῦτο ποιεῖ καὶ περιφανῆ. Ὅπερ γὰρ εἶχεν ὁ δῆμος ἅπας ἐν ἐγκωμίου τάξει, τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὴ λοιπὸν ἔχειν ἠδύνατο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέγα ἐφρόνουν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνελθεῖν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐκόμπαζον. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Προφήτης αἰνιττόμενος ἔλεγεν· Οὐχὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἀνήγαγον ἐκ Καππαδοκίας, καὶ τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους ἐκ βόθρου; Ποιεῖ καὶ τῆς Παρθένου τὸ προτέρημα τοῦτο. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὁ λαὸς καὶ ὁ 57.87 πατριάρχης καταβάντες ἐκεῖ καὶ ἀναβάντες ἐκεῖθεν, τὸν τῆς ἀνόδου ταύτης τύπον ἐπλήρουν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι θάνατον φεύγοντες τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ, κατῄεσαν· καὶ οὗτος θάνατον τὸν ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν κατελθόντες, τοῦ λιμοῦ τότε ἀπηλλάγησαν· οὗτος δὲ καταβὰς, τὴν χώραν πᾶσαν διὰ τῆς ἐπιβάσεως ἡγίασε. Σκόπει γοῦν πῶς μεταξὺ τῶν ταπεινῶν καὶ τὰ τῆς θεότητος ἐκκαλύπτεται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἄγγελος εἰπὼν, Φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον, οὐκ ἐπηγγείλατο