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The inconsistent do not know that each evangelist has taken care to speak in harmony with the others the things spoken by them, and at the same time to reveal the things not spoken by them, which were thus omitted; for it was not their own will, but the sequence and the teaching were from the Holy Spirit. For if they wish to take hold of this, let them learn that the other three did not begin from the same sequence. For Matthew first begins to evangelize. For to him it was entrusted to preach the gospel from the beginning, as we have also spoken about this at length in another heresy; but it will not trouble us to speak again about the same things, for the presentation of truth and the refutation of those who have been deceived. 5. This Matthew, therefore, is deemed worthy to preach the gospel first, as I said, and it was most just. For it was necessary for the one who had turned from many sins and risen from the tax office and followed the one who came for the salvation of the human race and said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” as an example for us who are to be saved, like the one who was brought up in the tax office and turned from unrighteousness, to first provide the preaching of salvation, so that from him people might learn the philanthropy of the coming. For after the remission of sins, he granted to him also the resurrection of the dead and the cleansing of leprosy and powers of healing and the expulsion of demons, so that he might persuade those who hear not only by word, but also might be able to preach the good news by deed itself, to the perishing that they will be saved through repentance, and to the fallen that they will be raised, and to the dead that they will be brought to life. And so this Matthew himself writes the gospel in Hebrew letters and preaches, and he begins not from the beginning, but narrates the genealogy from Abraham; “Abraham,” he says, “begat Isaac, and Isaac Jacob,” and the rest up to Joseph and Mary. And he sets it out from the beginning, saying, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David,” then he says, “the son of Abraham,” then coming to the subject in question, he says, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, being a just man, sought to put her away secretly. And behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, do not put away your wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. For behold, she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will save his people from their sins. And this, he says, came to pass, 2.254 that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and the rest. And waking, he says, from sleep, Joseph did so and took his wife, and did not know her until she had borne her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus. Now when Jesus was born, he says, in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.'” Where, then, is the account of Zechariah, where are the things treated by Luke? Where is the vision of the angel? Where is the prophecy of John the Baptist? Where is the rebuke of Zechariah, that he was not able to speak until the things spoken by the angel came to pass? Where are the things spoken by Gabriel to the virgin? Where is the demonstration of assurance, of Mary's intelligent response to the angel himself, as she asked, saying, “How will this be, since I know not a man?” and the pure explanation with accuracy, as he said to her, “The spirit of the Lord will come upon

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οὐκ οἴδασιν οἱ ἀπαρακολούθητοι ὅτι ἑκάστῳ εὐαγγελιστῇ μεμελέτηται συμφώνως μὲν τοῖς ἑτέροις λαλῆσαι τὰ ὑπ' ἐκείνων εἰρημένα, ἅμα δὲ τὰ μὴ ὑπ' ἐκείνων ῥηθέντα, παραλειφθέντα δὲ οὕτως ἀποκαλύψαι· οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῶν τὸ θέλημα, ἀλλὰ ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου ἡ ἀκολουθία καὶ ἡ διδασκαλία. εἰ γὰρ τούτου βούλονται ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι, μαθέτωσαν ὅτι οἱ ἄλλοι τρεῖς οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐνήρξαντο ἀκολουθίας. Ματθαῖος γὰρ πρῶτος ἄρχεται εὐαγγελίζεσθαι. τούτῳ γὰρ ἦν ἐπιτετραμμένον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον κηρῦξαι ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἄλλῃ αἱρέσει περὶ τούτου διὰ πλάτους εἰρήκαμεν· οὐδὲν δὲ ἡμᾶς λυπήσει καὶ αὖθις περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν διαλαβεῖν, εἰς παράστασιν ἀληθείας καὶ ἔλεγχον τῶν πεπλανημένων. 5. Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ Ματθαῖος καταξιοῦται πρῶτος κηρῦξαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ὡς ἔφην, καὶ δικαιότατα ἦν. ἔδει γὰρ τὸν ἀπὸ πολλῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιστρέψαντα καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τελωνείου ἀναστάντα καὶ ἀκολουθήσαντα τῷ ἐλθόντι ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ λέγοντι «οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν», εἰς ὑπόδειγμα ἡμῖν τοῖς μέλλουσι σῴζεσθαι ὁμοίως τῷ ἐν τῷ τελωνείῳ ἀναχθέντι καὶ ἀπὸ ἀδικίας ἀναστρέψαντι, πρῶτον παρασχέσθαι τὸ κήρυγμα τῆς σωτηρίας, ἵνα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μάθωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὴν τῆς παρουσίας φιλανθρωπίαν. μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐδωρήσατο αὐτῷ καὶ ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν καὶ κάθαρσιν λέπρας καὶ ἰαμάτων δυνάμεις καὶ ἀπέλασιν δαιμονίων, ἵνα μὴ μόνον ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου πείσῃ τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἔργου δύνηται κηρῦξαι εὐαγγέλια, τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις ὅτι σωθήσονται διὰ μετανοίας καὶ τοῖς πεπτωκόσιν ὅτι ἀναστήσονται καὶ τοῖς τεθνεῶσιν ὅτι ζωογονηθήσονται. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν ὁ Ματθαῖος Ἑβραϊκοῖς γράμμασι γράφει τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ κηρύττει, καὶ ἄρχεται οὐκ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ἀλλὰ διηγεῖται μὲν τὴν γενεαλογίαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ· «Ἀβραάμ, φησίν, ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ τὸν Ἰακώβ» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἄχριτοῦ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Μαρίας. καὶ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τάττει λέγων «βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αυίδ», εἶτά φησιν «υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ», εἶτα ἐλθὼν ἐπ' αὐτὸ τὸ ζητούμενόν φησι «τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ γέννησις οὕτως ἦν· μνηστευθείσης τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας τῷ Ἰωσήφ, πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς ηὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου. καὶ Ἰωσὴφ δίκαιος ὢν ἐζήτει ἀπολῦσαι αὐτὴν λάθρα. καὶ ἰδού, ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐφάνη αὐτῷ κατ' ὄναρ λέγων, μὴ ἀπολύσῃς τὴν γυναῖκά σου· τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου. ἰδοὺ γάρ, γεννήσει υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. οὗτος σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. καὶ τοῦτο, φησί, γέγονεν, 2.254 ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ ἐγερθείς, φησίν, ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου ἐποίησεν οὕτως ὁ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ παρέλαβε τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτήν, ἕως οὗ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος, φησίν, ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ λέγοντες, ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ τὸν ἀστέρα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ». ποῦ οὖν ἡ πραγματεία τοῦ Ζαχαρίου, ποῦ τὰ τῷ Λουκᾷ πεπραγματευμένα; ποῦ ἡ ὀπτασία τοῦ ἀγγέλου; ποῦ ἡ προφητεία Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ; ποῦ ἡ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου ἐπιτίμησις, τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν λαλεῖν ἄχρις οὗ γένηται τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου λελαλημένα; ποῦ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Γαβριὴλ τῇ παρθένῳ λεχθέντα; ποῦ ἡ παράστασις τῆς ἀσφαλείας, τῆς μετὰ συνέσεως τῆς Μαρίας αὐτῷ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ ἀποκριθείσης, ὡς ἠρώτα λέγουσα «πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;» καὶ ἡ μετὰ ἀκριβείας καθαρὰ ὑφήγησις, ὡς εἶπεν αὐτῇ «πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ