68

the covenant of the Lord who said to David, “From the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne.” 2. But I am afraid in every examination of a text, † as I make this † examination, that the truth moves me to reveal the interpretations within the text itself, so as not to create great breadth in the structure of the narrative. For since the Lord said to David, “From the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne,” and that “the Lord swore to David and will not repent,” it is clear that God’s promise is unchangeable. And first, what is an oath with God but this: “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord”? “For God has no one greater by whom to swear.” But the divine does not swear; rather, the word has the power of providing confirmation. For with an oath the Lord swore to David that he would set one from the fruit of his womb upon his throne. And the apostles testify that the Christ had to be born from the seed of David, as indeed our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born. But I will pass over the multitude of testimonies, so that I do not bring the account to great length, as I said before. But someone might perhaps say: Since Christ was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, that is, from the holy virgin Mary, for what reason does he not sit upon the throne of David? For the gospel says, “they came to anoint him as king, and knowing this he withdrew” and “hid himself in Ephraim, a city of the wilderness.” But having come to the place of this saying and being asked concerning this testimony and the subject 1.323 matter, for what reason according to the flesh has the sitting upon the throne of David not been fulfilled for the Savior—for some thought this was not fulfilled—nevertheless we shall speak as it is. For no word of the holy scripture of God fails. 3. For the throne of David and the royal seat is the priesthood in the holy church, which dignity, being both royal and high-priestly together, the Lord has joined into one and bestowed upon his holy church, having transferred to it the throne of David, which does not cease for ever. For there the throne of David endured by succession until Christ himself, the rulers from Judah not failing until he came for whom “the things are reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations,” as it says. For the rulers by succession from Judah ceased at the coming of Christ. For until him * leaders, but the order fell away and was transferred from the time he was born in Bethlehem of Judea, under Alexander, who was of priestly and royal lineage. From this Alexander this lot fell away from the time of Salina, who was also called Alexandra, in the time of Herod the king and Augustus the emperor of the Romans. This Alexander, being one of the anointed and leaders, also placed a diadem upon himself. For when the two tribes, the royal and the priestly—I mean Judah and Aaron and all of Levi—were joined, they appointed kings and priests; for nothing failed from the allusion of holy scripture. 1.324 Then, therefore, Herod, a king of another race, and no longer those from David, wore the diadem. But when the royal seat was transferred, in Christ to the church, the royal dignity was transferred from the carnal house of Judah and Israel, and the throne is established in the holy church of God forever, holding the dignity from two sources, both the royal and the high-priestly—and the royal from our Lord Jesus Christ in two ways: both because he is from the seed of David the king according to the flesh, and because he is, as indeed he is, a greater king from eternity according to his divinity; and the priestly, because he is himself high priest and chief of high priests—, James, who was called the brother of the Lord and an apostle, being immediately appointed first bishop, being the son of Joseph by nature but in the order of a brother of the

68

διαθήκην τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος πρὸς τὸν ∆αυίδ «ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον σου». 2. ∆έδια δὲ καθ' ἑκάστην ὑπόθεσιν λέξεως, † ὡς ταύτην τὴν † ὑπόθεσιν ποιοῦμαι, παρακινούσης με τῆς ἀληθείας τὰς ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ λέξει θεωρίας ὑποφαίνειν, διὰ τὸ μὴ πολὺ πλάτος περιποιήσασθαι τῇ συντάξει τῆς διηγήσεως. τοῦ γὰρ κυρίου φήσαντος τῷ ∆αυίδ «ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον σου» καὶ ὅτι «ὤμοσε κύριος τῷ ∆αυὶδ καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται» δῆλον ὡς ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀμετάθετός ἐστιν ἐπαγγελία. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι ὅρκος παρὰ θεῷ τί ἐστιν ἀλλ' ἢ τό «κατ' ἐμαυτοῦ ὤμοσα λέγει κύριος»; «οὐ γὰρ κατὰ μείζονος ἔχει ὅρκον ὁ θεός»· ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ ὄμνυσι τὸ θεῖον, εἰς παράστασιν δὲ βεβαιώσεως ὁ λόγος ἔχει τὴν δύναμιν. μεθ' ὅρκου γὰρ ὤμοσε κύριος τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας θήσειν ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ. μαρτυροῦσι δὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ὅτι ἐκ σπέρματος τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ἔδει τὸν Χριστὸν γεννηθῆναι, ὡς καὶ ἐγεννήθη ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ σωτὴρ Ἰησοῦς Χριστός· παρήσω δὲ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μαρτυριῶν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς πολὺν ὄγκον ἀγάγω τὸν λόγον, ὥς γε προεῖπον. εἴποι δ' ἄν τις ἴσως· τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα τουτέστιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας, τίνι τῷ λόγῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου ∆αυὶδ οὐ καθέζεται; «ἦλθον» γάρ φησι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον «χρῖσαι αὐτὸν εἰς βασιλέα, καὶ γνοὺς ἀνεχώρησε» «καὶ ἐκρύβη ἐν Ἐφραῒμ πόλει τῆς ἐρήμου». φθάσαντες δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦ ῥητοῦ τούτου καὶ ἐρωτώμενοι περὶ τῆς μαρτυρίας ταύτης καὶ τῆς ὑποθέ1.323 σεως, ὅτι τίνι τῷ λόγῳ κατὰ τὸ σαρκικὸν οὐ πεπλήρωται ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα τὸ καθίσαι ἐπὶ θρόνον ∆αυίδ ἐνομίσθη γὰρ τοῦτό τισι μὴ πεπληρῶσθαι, ὅμως ὡς ἔστιν ἐροῦμεν. οὐδεμία γὰρ λέξις τῆς ἁγίας τοῦ θεοῦ γραφῆς διαπίπτει. 3. Θρόνος γὰρ ∆αυὶδ καὶ βασιλικὴ ἕδρα ἐστὶν ἡ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἱερωσύνη, ὅπερ ἀξίωμα βασιλικόν τε καὶ ἀρχιερατικὸν ὁμοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνάψας ὁ κύριος δεδώρηται τῇ ἁγίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ, θρόνον μεταγαγὼν ἐν αὐτῇ τὸν τοῦ ∆αυίδ, μὴ διαλείποντα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ἐκεῖσε γὰρ κατὰ διαδοχὴν διήρκεσεν ὁ θρόνος ∆αυὶδ ἕως αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μὴ διαλειπόντων τῶν ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀρχόντων ἕως ἦλθεν «ᾧ τὰ ἀποκείμενα ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν» ὥς φησιν. ἔληξαν γὰρ ἐν τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίᾳ οἱ κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἐξ Ἰούδα ἄρχοντες. ἕως γὰρ αὐτοῦ * ἡγούμενοι, διέπεσε δὲ ἡ τάξις καὶ μετέστη ἐξότε αὐτὸς γεννᾶται ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἐπὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ ἀπὸ γένους ἱερατικοῦ καὶ βασιλικοῦ. ἀφ' οὗ Ἀλεξάνδρου διέπεσεν οὗτος ὁ κλῆρος ἀπὸ χρόνων Σαλίνας, τῆς καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρας καλουμένης, ἐπὶ τοῖς χρόνοις Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ Αὐγούστου τοῦ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτορος· ὃς καὶ διάδημα ἐπέθετο ἑαυτῷ ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος οὗτος, εἷς τῶν χριστῶν καὶ ἡγουμένων ὑπάρχων. συναφθεισῶν γὰρ τῶν δύο φυλῶν τοῦ τε βασιλικοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ, Ἰούδα δέ φημι καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ πάσης τῆς τοῦ Λευί, βασιλεῖς καὶ ἱερεῖς καθίστων· οὐ γὰρ διήμαρτέν τι ἀπὸ τῆς τῆς ἁγίας γραφῆς αἰνίξεως. 1.324 τότε δὲ λοιπὸν ἀλλόφυλος βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης καὶ οὐκέτι οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ διάδημα ἐπέθεντο. μεταπεσούσης δὲ τῆς βασιλικῆς καθέδρας, ἐν Χριστῷ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀπὸ μὲν οἴκου τοῦ σαρκικοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τὸ βασιλικὸν μετέστη ἀξίωμα, ἵδρυται δὲ ὁ θρόνος ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἐκ δύο προφάσεων ἔχων τὸ ἀξίωμα τό τε βασιλικὸν καὶ τὸ ἀρχιερατικόν-καὶ τὸ μὲν βασιλικὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ δύο τρόπους διά τε τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ τοῦ βασιλέως κατὰ σάρκα καὶ τὸ εἶναι αὐτόν, ὅπερ καὶ ἔστι, βασιλέα μείζονα ἀπ' αἰῶνος κατὰ τὴν θεότητα· τὸ δὲ ἱερατικόν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ἀρχιερέων πρύτανις-, κατασταθέντος εὐθὺς Ἰακώβου, τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ κυρίου καλουμένου καὶ ἀποστόλου, ἐπισκόπου πρώτου, υἱοῦ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ φύσει ὄντος ἐν τάξει δὲ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ