189
of anointing, he obtained the appellation from the place of Nazareth. 7.2.52 These things having been thus demonstrated, it is time to consider also from what family and from what tribe of the Hebrews; the savior of our souls, the Christ of God, was proclaimed to come forth. But first I shall set forth the evangelical words also concerning this, then I shall place upon them the prophetic testimonies like harmonious seals. Matthew therefore traces the genealogy of Christ according to the flesh thus: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah," and the rest. 7.2.53 And the apostle also agrees with him, saying that he was set apart "for the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh." And these things would be in agreement with the prophecies which are as follows. 7.3.1 2. From the second of Chronicles. The Lord through Nathan the prophet declares these things to David in the second of Chronicles: "and it shall be, when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, who will be from your loins, and I will prepare his kingdom; he shall build me a house for my name, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he will be to me a son." 7.3.2 And in the eighty-eighth psalm concerning the same, as concerning David, these things are said: "He shall call upon me, 'You are my father, my God and the helper of my salvation.' And I will make him a firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. Forever I will keep my mercy for him, and my covenant will be faithful to him," 7.3.3 and again: "I have sworn to David my servant, 'Forever I will prepare your seed, and I will build your throne to all generations'," 7.3.4 and again: "Once I have sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me, and as the moon established forever," 7.3.5 and again: "and I will establish his seed forever and ever." And similar to these would be the things through which it is said: "The Lord has sworn in truth to David, and he will not annul it: 'Of the fruit of your loins I will set upon your throne'." 7.3.6 Solomon, being the son of David and successor of the kingdom, has appeared, admittedly; and he also was the first to build the temple in Jerusalem for God, and it is likely that those of the circumcision would suppose him to be the one prophesied. It is good to have them consider, if they are able to refer to Solomon the oracle that says: "and I will establish his throne forever," and again that God had sworn with the solemnity of an oath by his holiness, that the throne of the one prophesied would be as the sun and the days of heaven. 7.3.7 For if indeed one were to examine the duration of Solomon's reign, he will find it was forty years, no more; and if he were to add up those of his successors, he would find them all not to have lasted for even a full five hundred years. 7.3.8 But let it be supposed that they are thought to have lasted until the final siege of the Jewish nation by the Romans; what then is this in relation to the prophecy, which decrees that his throne would endure "forever" and "as the sun" and "as the days of heaven"? But how could "and I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son" be fitting for Solomon, when the history concerning him expressly teaches things foreign and remote from the adoption of God concerning him? 7.3.9 Listen, therefore, to what an accusation it recounts against him: "And Solomon was a lover of women, and he took many foreign wives, both the daughter of Pharaoh, and Moabite, Ammonite, and Edomite, Syrian, Hittite and Amorite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord God forbade the sons of Israel, 'You shall not go in to them'," 7.3.10 and it adds to these: "and his heart was not
189
χρίσματος, ἐκ τοῦ τόπου τῆς Ναζαρὲθ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἐκτήσατο. 7.2.52 Τούτων οὕτως ἀποδεδειγμένων, καιρὸς ἐπισκέψασθαι, καὶ ἐξ ὁποίου γένους ἐξ ὁποίας τε Ἑβραίων· φυλῆς ὁ σωτὴρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν, ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, προελεύσεσθαι ἐκηρύττετο. πρώτας δὲ τὰς εὐαγγελικὰς καὶ περὶ τούτου παραθήσομαι λέξεις, εἶθ' ὥσπερ ἁρμονίους σφραγῖδας τὰς προφητικὰς αὐταῖς ἐπιθήσω μαρτυρίας. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ματθαῖος ὧδε τὸν Χριστὸν κατὰ σάρκα γενεαλογεῖ· «βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ ∆αβίδ, υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Ἀβραὰμ ἐγέννησεντὸν Ἰσαάκ, Ἰσαὰκ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἰακώβ, Ἰακὼβ δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸἸούδαν», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 7.2.53 συνᾴδει δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος, λέγων ἀφωρίσθαι «εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα». γένοιντο δ' ἂν σύμφωνα ταῦτα ταῖς οὕτως ἐχούσαις προρρήσεσιν. 7.3.1 ʹ. Ἀπὸ τῆς δευτέρας τῶν Παραλειπομένων. Ὁ κύριος διὰ Νάθαν τοῦ προφήτου ταῦτα τῷ ∆αβὶδ θεσπίζει ἐν δευτέρᾳ Παραλειπομένων· «καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ μετὰ τῶν πατέρων σου, καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σέ, ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου, καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσει μοι οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου, καὶ ἀνορθώσω τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν.» 7.3.2 Καὶ ἐν ὀγδόῳ δὲ καὶ ὀγδοηκοστῷ ψαλμῷ περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὡς περὶ ∆αβίδ, τάδε εἴρηται· «αὐτὸς ἐπικαλέσεταί με, πατήρ μου εἶ σύ, θεός μου καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ τῆς σωτηρίας μου, κἀγὼ πρωτότοκον θήσομαι αὐτόν, ὑψηλὸν παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς. εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα φυλάξω αὐτῷ τὸ ἔλεός μου, καὶ ἡ διαθήκη μου πιστὴ αὐτῷ», 7.3.3 καὶ αὖθις· «ὤμοσα ∆αβὶδ τῷ δούλῳ μου, ἕως αἰῶνος ἑτοιμάσω τὸ σπέρμα σου, καὶ οἰκοδομήσω εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν τὸν θρόνον σου», 7.3.4 καὶ πάλιν· «ἅπαξ ὤμοσα ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ μου, εἰ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ψεύσομαι· τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μενεῖ, καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐναντίον μου, καὶ ὡς ἡ σελήνη κατηρτισμένη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα», 7.3.5 καὶ αὖθις· «καὶ θήσομαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ». ὅμοια δ' ἂν εἴη τούτοις καὶ τὰ δι' ὧν εἴρηται· «ὤμοσεν κύριος τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσῃ αὐτόν· ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον σου». 7.3.6 Σολομῶν παῖς μὲν ὢν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας διάδοχος πέφηνεν ὁμολογουμένως, οὗτος δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις νεὼν τῷ θεῷ πρῶτος ἐδείματο, καὶ τοῦτον εἰκὸς ὑπολήψεσθαι τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς τὸν προφητευόμενον εἶναι. οὓς ἐπιστῆσαι καλόν, εἰ οἷοί τε εἶεν ἐπὶ Σολομῶνα ἀνάγειν τὸν χρησμὸν φάσκοντα· «καὶ ἀνορθώσω τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα», καὶ αὖθις μεθ' ὅρκου διατάσεως ὀμωμοκέναι τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἄρα ἔσται ὁ θρόνος τοῦ προφητευομένου ὡς ὁ ἥλιος καὶ αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. 7.3.7 εἰ γὰρ δή τις τοὺς χρόνους ἐξετάσειεν τῆς τοῦ Σολομῶνος βασιλείας, τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη, οὐ πλείονα, εὑρήσει· εἰ δὲ καὶ τῶν διαδόχων αὐτοῦ συνάξοι, οὐδὲ ἐφ' ὅλοις πεντακοσίοις ἔτεσιν εὕροι ἂν τοὺς πάντας διαγενομένους. 7.3.8 ἀλλ' ἔστω τοὺς αὐτοὺς καὶ μέχρι τῆς ὑστάτης ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων πολιορκίας τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους διαρκέσαι νομίζεσθαι· τί οὖν τοῦτο πρὸς τὴν προφητείαν, «εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα» καὶ «ὡς τὸν ἥλιον» καὶ «ὡς τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ» διαμενεῖν τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ θεσπίζουσαν; τὸ δὲ «καὶ ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱὸν» πῶς ἂν τῷ Σολομῶνι ἁρμόσειεν, ὅτε διαρρήδην ἡ κατ' αὐτὸν ἱστορία ἀλλότρια καὶ ἀπῳκισμένα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσποιήσεως περὶ αὐτοῦ διδάσκει; 7.3.9 ἄκουε δ' οὖν οἵαν κατηγορίαν αὐτοῦ καταλέγει· «καὶ Σολομῶν ἦν φιλογύναιος, καὶ ἔλαβεν γυναῖκας ἀλλοτρίας πολλάς, καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα Φαραώ, Μωαβίτιδας, Ἀμμανίτιδας, καὶ Ἰδουμαίας, Σύρας, Χετταίας καὶ Ἀμορραίας, ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὧν ἀπεῖπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ εἰσελεύσεσθαι εἰς αὐτάς», 7.3.10 καὶ ἐπιφέρει τούτοις· «καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ