On the discrepancy which is supposed to exist in the
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On the discrepancy which is supposed to exist in the gospels respecting the genealogy of Christ
(1) As THE GENEALOGY OF CurisT is differently given to us by Matthew and Luke, and they are supposed by the generality to disagree in their statements; and as every believer, for want of knowing the truth, has been
SQO led to apply some investigation to explain the passages, we may also add the account which has come down to us. We refer to the history which has been handed down on these passages by Africanus in an epistle to Aristides respecting the harmony of nealogy of the gospels. After having refuted the opinions of others as forced and fictitious, he set forth
BO the account that he had ascertained himself in the following words: (2) "It was customary in Israel to calculate the names of the generations, either according to nature, or according to the law; according to nature, by the succession of legitimate offspring; according to the law, when another
1 HH AL raised children to the name of a brother who had died childless. For as the =| N
M hope of a resurrection was not yet clearly given, they imitated the promise which was to take place by a kind of mortal resurrection, with a view to perpetuate the name of the person who had died. (3) Since then, there are mn some of those who are inserted in this genealogical table, that succeed 7 each other in the natural order of father and son, some again that were i born of others, and were ascribed to others by name, both the real and |
'Ox. reputed fathers have been recorded. Thus, neither of the gospels has made |, > a false statement, whether calculating in the order of nature, or according at ee aa | to law. (4) For the families descended from Solomon, and those from Nathan, were so intermingled, by substitutions in the place of those who had died childless, by second marriages and the raising up of seed, that —+ the same persons are justly considered, as in one respect, belonging to the one of these, and in another respect belonging to others.
"Hence it is, that both of these accounts being true, viz., of those who LY | were reputed fathers, and those who really were fathers, they come down ae to Joseph with considerable intricacy, it is true, but with great accuracy. ;
(5) That this, however, may. be made evident, Twill state. the. series of U e generations. If (in the genealogy of Matthew) you reckon. the generations . from. David through Solomon, Matthan; who. begat Jacob the father of oF By Joseph, is found to-be: the third from the-end. But if; with |
Luke, you 'reckon
EUSEBIUS' ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
from' Nathan the son of David in like manner, Melchi, whose son was Eli, the father of Joseph, will be found to be the third. (6) As Joseph, then, is our proposed. object, we are to show how it happened that each. is recorded as. his father; both Jacob: as deduced from Solomon, and Eli from Nathan; also, how it happened that these two, Jacob and Eli, were brothers; and moreover, how the fathers of these; Matthan and Melchi;-being of differ-_ ent families, are proved to be the grandfathers of Joseph.
(7) "Matthan and Melchi, having married in succession the same woman, had children, who were brothers by the same mother, as the law did not prohibit a widow, whether she became such by divorce, or by the death of her husband, to marry again. (8) Matthan, therefore, who traces his lineage from Solomon, first had Jacob, by Estha, for this is her name as handed down by tradition. Matthan dying, and Melchi, who traces his descent from Nathan, though he was of the same tribe, but of another pacar KE family, having as before said, married her, had a son Eli. (9) Thus, then, we shall find the two of different families, Jacob and Eli, brothers by the same mother. Of these, the one Jacob, on the death of his brother, marrying his widow, became the father of a third, viz. Joseph; his son both by nature
@ f and calculation. Wherefore, it is written, Jacob begat Joseph. But according to the law, he was the son of Eli, for Jacob being his brother, raised up seed to him. Wherefore, the genealogy traced also through him, will not be rendered void, (10) which, according to Matthew, is given thus—'but Jacob begat Joseph. But Luke, on the other hand, says, 'who was the son, as was supposed, (for this he also adds,) the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, the son of Melchi' For it was not possible to express the legal genealogy more distinctly, so that he entirely omits the expression, 'He begat} in a generation like this, until the end: having traced it back as far as Adam,
'who was the son of God, he resolves the whole series by referring back to God. (11) Neither is this incapable of proof, nor is it an idle conjecture.
For the relatives of our Lord, according to the flesh, whether to display THE
GENERLOGT.
their own illustrious origin, or simply to show the fact, but at any rate adhering strictly to the truth, have also handed down the following accounts: That robbers of Idumea, attacking Ascalon, a city of Palestine, led Antipater away captive together with other booty, from the temple of Apollo, which was built close to the walls. He was the son of one Herod, a minister of the temple. The priest, however, not being able to pay the ransom for his son, Antipater was trained up in the practices of the Idumeans, and afterwards in great favor with Hyrcanus the high priest of
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Judea. (12) He was subsequently sent by Hyrcanus on an embassy to Pompeii, and having restored the kingdom to him, which had dos need sons were Herod and the other tetrarchs. These accounts of the Jews also coincide with those of the Greeks. (13) But, as the genealogies of the Hebrews had been regularly kept in the archives until then, and also of those who referred back as far as the ancient proselytes; as for instance, AM
Achior the Ammonite, and Ruth the Moabitess, and to those that were intermixed with the Israelites at their departure from Egypt; and as the S lineage of the Israelites contributed nothing to Herod's advantage, he was goaded by the consciousness of his ignoble extraction, and committed all these records of their families to the flames. Thinking that himself might appear of noble origin, by the fact that no one else would be able to trace
Ck Aowh co JwSISO aN se? his pedigree by the public records, back to patriarchs or proselytes, and to those strangers that were called georae.® (14) A few however of the careful, either remembering the names, or having it in their power in some other way, by means of copies, to have private records of their own, gloried in the idea of preserving the memory of their noble extraction. Of these were the abovementioned persons, called desposyni,? on account of their affinity to the family of our Savior. These coming from Nazara and Cochaba, villages of Judea, to the other parts of the world, explained the aforesaid genealogy from the book of daily records, as faithfully as possible. (15) Whether, then, the matter be thus or otherwise, as far as I and every impartial judge would say, no one could discover a more obvious interpretation. And this, then, may suffice on the subject; for, although it be not supported by testimony, we have nothing to advance, either better or more consistent with truth. The gospel, altogether, states the truth." w 1% co