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Gospel Questions to Stephen

A BRIEF SELECTION FROM THE THINGS COMPOSED BY EUSEBIUS TO STEPHEN CONCERNING THE QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS IN THE GOSPELS. I. Why do the evangelists trace the genealogy of Joseph, but not Mary.

I. Why do the evangelists trace the genealogy of Joseph, but not Mary.

From where do they trace the genealogy of Christ as the son of David? Certainly because of Joseph who was from David; but Christ is not from Joseph, but from the Holy Spirit and Mary, as the Scripture says; therefore it was necessary to trace the genealogy of Mary, if indeed they wanted to trace the genealogy of Christ, but not Joseph, to whom Christ is in no way related according to the flesh, not having been begotten from him; but if he is not from him, but from Mary alone, he would not be from David, since 22.881 no account shows that Mary was from David; in vain then do they noise abroad that Christ is from the seed of David, being neither the son of Joseph, nor Mary being traced in genealogy from David; such things the first of the questions contained; and the solution to it would be this.

1. Of the deeds of our Savior Jesus Christ, some it was necessary for those at that time to keep silent

but others were spread to the ears of many, as many as were going to contribute to the benefit of the hearers; for example, in his thirtieth year of his physical age, he comes to the baptism by John; and from there he begins his teaching and wondrous works; But what things were done by him before his baptism within all thirty years, no history declares, nor is it possible from any divine Scripture to learn of his life before this. But also from the time he became known to all, some things he proclaimed to the hearing of all, but other things he initiated only his own disciples into; and sometimes when working miracles he advised to tell no one, but at other times he performed his wonders without such advice. One thing, therefore, especially of those determined to be kept silent, was the miracle concerning his birth; with no one of the time in which he became man, except for a few, possessing knowledge of this.

2. And somewhere the holy man, Ignatius by name, who became the second bishop of the church of the Antiochians after the apostles, says that the virginity of Mary, and the birth of the Savior from her, escaped the notice of the ruler of this age; and he speaks thus: “And the virginity of Mary, and her giving birth, likewise also the death of Christ, escaped the notice of the ruler of this age; three mysteries of a cry, which were done in the quietness of God.” And it is possible to grasp by reason that it was not for all who live in the flesh and who see Christ God also consorting with men as a common man, to be able to believe that he was born from an unwed maiden without a father; nor was it profitable to report to many that Mary, having conceived, bore Jesus not from Joseph; for indeed the virgin would have also suffered punishment according to the law of Moses, as having lost her virginity before the time of marriage; wherefore the Scripture rightly notes precisely by saying, “Before they came together, she was found to be with child;” teaching almost that she did not conceive before marriage, nor before coming to her husband; but after Joseph was joined to her and she came to be with him, and was called his wife by all, when they were together, and were at least about to engage in marital relations, at that very hour, so to speak, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And this was very useful for escaping the notice of the many

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Quaestiones evangelicae ad Stephanum

ΕΚΛΟΓΗ ΕΝ ΣΥΝΤΟΜΩ ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΣΥΝΤΕΘΕΝΤΩΝ ΥΠΟ ΕΥΣΕΒΙΟΥ ΠΡΟΣ ΣΤΕΦΑΝΟΝ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΙΣ ΖΗΤΗΜΑΤΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΛΥΣΕΩΝ. Αʹ. ∆ιὰ τί τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν Μαρίαν, οἱ εὐαγγελισταὶ γενεαλογοῦσιν.

Αʹ. ∆ιὰ τί τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν Μαρίαν, οἱ εὐαγγελισταὶ γενεαλογοῦσιν.

Πόθεν τὸν Χριστὸν ὡς υἱὸν ∆αβὶδ γενεαλογούσι; πάντως ὅτι διὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἐκ ∆αβὶδ γεγονότα· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλ' ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ Μαρίας, ὥς φησιν ἡ Γραφή· ἐχρῆν τοίνυν τὴν Μαρίαν γενεαλογεῖν, εἴπερ τὸν Χριστὸν γενεαλογεῖν ἐβούλοντο, ἀλλ' οὐ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, ᾧ μηδὲν προσήκων τυγχάνει κατὰ σάρκα ὁ Χριστὸς, μὴ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγεννημένος· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει ὢν, ἀλλ' ἐκ μόνης τῆς Μαρίας, οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἐκ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, ἐπειδὴ 22.881 τὴν Μαρίαν οὐδεὶς λόγος ἀποδείκνυσιν ἀπὸ ∆αβὶδ γενομένην· μάτην ἄρα τὸν Χριστὸν ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ θρυλλοῦσι, μήτε τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὄντα υἱὸν, μήτε τῆς Μαρίας ἀπὸ ∆αβὶδ γενεαλογουμένης· τοιαῦτα μέν τινα τὸ πρῶτον τῶν ἠπορημένων περιεῖχε· λύσις δ' ἂν εἴη αὐτῷ ἥδε.

αʹ. Τῶν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πράξεων, τὰ μὲν σιωπᾶσθαι

ἀναγκαῖον ἦν τοῖς τότε, τὰ δὲ εἰς πολλῶν ἀκοὰς διεδίδοτο, ὅσα πρὸς ὠφέλειαν ἤμελλε συμβάλλεσθαι τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις· οἷον ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος τριακοστὸν ἄγων τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἡλικίας ἔτος, πάρεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ βάπτισμα· καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπάρχεται τῆς διδασκαλίας καὶ τῶν τεραστίων ἔργων· τίνα δὲ τὰ πρὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐντὸς ὅλων ἐτῶν τριάκοντα πραχθέντα αὐτῷ, οὐδεμία ἱστορία δηλοῖ, οὐδ' ἔστιν ἀπό τινος θείας Γραφῆς τὸν πρὸ τούτου καταμαθεῖν αὐτοῦ βίον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ οὗπερ εἰς πάντας ἐγνώσθη, τὰ μὲν εἰς ἀκοὰς πάντων ἐκήρυττε, τὰ δὲ μόνους τοὺς αὑτοῦ μαθητὰς ἐμυσταγώγει· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν παραδοξοποιῶν παρῄνει μηδενὶ λέγειν, ποτὲ δὲ ἄνευ τῆς τοιᾶσδε παραινέσεως τὰ θαυμάσια κατειργάζετο. Ἓν δὴ οὖν μάλιστα τῶν σεσιγῆσθαι δεδογμένων, τὸ κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν αὐτοῦ θαῦμα ἦν· οὐδενὸς τῶν καθ' ὃν ἐνηνθρώπησε χρόνον, ὀλίγων ἐκτὸς τούτου γνῶσιν κεκτημένου.

βʹ. Φησὶ δέ που ὁ ἅγιος ἀνὴρ Ἰγνάτιος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, τῆς Ἀντιοχέων Ἐκκλησίας δεύτερος γεγονὼς μετὰ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐπίσκοπος, ὡς ἄρα καὶ τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔλαθεν ἡ παρθενία Μαρίας, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐξ αὐτῆς γένεσις· λέγει δ' οὕτως· «Καὶ ἔλαθε τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἡ παρθενία Μαρίας, καὶ ὁ τοκετὸς αὐτῆς, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ Χριστοῦ· τρία μυστήρια κραυγῆς, ἅτινα ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ Θεοῦ ἐπράχθη.» Ἔστι δὲ καὶ λογισμῷ λαβεῖν, ὅτι μὴ πάντων ἦν τῶν ἐν σαρκὶ βιούντων τὸν Χριστὸν Θεοῦ καὶ σὺν ἀνθρώποις ἀναστραφέντα οἷα κοινὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁρώντων, τὸ δύνασθαι πιστεύειν ἐξ ἀπειρογάμου κόρης αὐτὸν δίχα πατρὸς γεγονέναι οὐδ' εἰς πολλοὺς ἐκφέρειν, ὅτι μὴ ἐκ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἡ Μαρία συλλαβοῦσα τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐγέννα, λυσιτελὲς ἦν· ἦ γὰρ ἂν καὶ δίκην κατὰ τὸν Μωϋσέως νόμον ἡ παρθένος ὑπέσχεν, ὡς πρὸ ὥρας γάμου διαφθαρεῖσα τὴν παρθενίαν· διόπερ εἰκότως ἐπισημαίνεται ἀκριβῶς φήσασα ἡ Γραφὴ, «Πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς, εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα·» μονονουχὶ διδάσκουσα ὅτι μὴ πρὸ γάμου συνείληφε, μηδὲ πρὸ τοῦ παρὰ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐλθεῖν· μετὰ δὲ τὸ συναφθῆναι τὸν Ἰωσὴφ καὶ παρ' αὐτῷ γενέσθαι, παρὰ πᾶσί τε γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ χρηματίσαι, συνόντων ἀλλήλοις, καὶ τῆς γαμικῆς ὁμιλίας ἅπτεσθαι ἤδη γοῦν μελλόντων, αὐτῆς ὡς εἰπεῖν ὥρας πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς, εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου. Καὶ τοῦτό γε παγχρησίμως εἰς τὸ λαθεῖν τοὺς πολλοὺς