Whether Christ's Genealogy Is Suitably Traced by the Evangelists?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's genealogy is not suitably
traced by the Evangelists. For it is written (Isa. 53:8): "Who shall
declare His generation?" Therefore Christ's genealogy should not have
been set down.
Obj. 2: Further, one man cannot possibly have two fathers. But
Matthew says that "Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary": whereas
Luke says that Joseph was the son of Heli. Therefore they contradict
one another.
Obj. 3: Further, there seem to be divergencies between them on
several points. For Matthew, at the commencement of his book,
beginning from Abraham and coming down to Joseph, enumerates
forty-two generations. Whereas Luke sets down Christ's genealogy
after His Baptism, and beginning from Christ traces the series of
generations back to God, counting in all seventy-seven generations,
the first and last included. It seems therefore that their accounts
of Christ's genealogy do not agree.
Obj. 4: Further, we read (4 Kings 8:24) that Joram begot Ochozias,
who was succeeded by his son Joas: who was succeeded by his son
Amasius: after whom reigned his son Azarias, called Ozias; who was
succeeded by his son Joathan. But Matthew says that Joram begot
Ozias. Therefore it seems that his account of Christ's genealogy is
unsuitable, since he omits three kings in the middle thereof.
Obj. 5: Further, all those who are mentioned in Christ's genealogy
had both a father and a mother, and many of them had brothers also.
Now in Christ's genealogy Matthew mentions only three
mothers--namely, Thamar, Ruth, and the wife of Urias. He also
mentions the brothers of Judas and Jechonias, and also Phares and
Zara. But Luke mentions none of these. Therefore the evangelists seem
to have described the genealogy of Christ in an unsuitable manner.
_On the contrary,_ The authority of Scripture suffices.
_I answer that,_ As is written (2 Tim. 3:16), "All Holy Scripture is
inspired of God [Vulg.: 'All scripture inspired of God is
profitable'], etc. Now what is done by God is done in perfect order,
according to Rom. 13:1: "Those that are of God are ordained [Vulg.:
'Those that are, are ordained of God']." Therefore Christ's genealogy
is set down by the evangelists in a suitable order.
Reply Obj. 1: As Jerome says on Matt. 1, Isaias speaks of the
generation of Christ's Godhead. Whereas Matthew relates the
generation of Christ in His humanity; not indeed by explaining the
manner of the Incarnation, which is also unspeakable; but by
enumerating Christ's forefathers from whom He was descended according
to the flesh.
Reply Obj. 2: Various answers have been made by certain writers to
this objection which was raised by Julian the Apostate; for some, as
Gregory of Nazianzum, say that the people mentioned by the two
evangelists are the same, but under different names, as though they
each had two. But this will not stand: because Matthew mentions one
of David's sons--namely, Solomon; whereas Luke mentions
another--namely, Nathan, who according to the history of the kings (2
Kings 5:14) were clearly brothers.
Wherefore others said that Matthew gave the true genealogy of Christ:
while Luke gave the supposititious genealogy; hence he began: "Being
(as it was supposed) the son of Joseph." For among the Jews there
were some who believed that, on account of the crimes of the kings of
Juda, Christ would be born of the family of David, not through the
kings, but through some other line of private individuals.
Others again have supposed that Matthew gave the forefathers
according to the flesh: whereas Luke gave these according to the
spirit, that is, righteous men, who are called (Christ's) forefathers
by likeness of virtue.
But an answer is given in the Qq. Vet. et Nov. Test. [*Part i, qu.
lvi; part 2, qu. vi] to the effect that we are not to understand that
Joseph is said by Luke to be the son of Heli: but that at the time of
Christ, Heli and Joseph were differently descended from David. Hence
Christ is said to have been supposed to be the son of Joseph, and
also to have been the son of Heli as though (the Evangelist) were to
say that Christ, from the fact that He was the son of Joseph, could
be called the son of Heli and of all those who were descended from
David; as the Apostle says (Rom. 9:5): "Of whom" (viz. the Jews) "is
Christ according to the flesh."
Augustine again gives three solutions (De Qq. Evang. ii), saying:
"There are three motives by one or other of which the evangelist was
guided. For either one evangelist mentions Joseph's father of whom he
was begotten; whilst the other gives either his maternal grandfather
or some other of his later forefathers; or one was Joseph's natural
father: the other is father by adoption. Or, according to the Jewish
custom, one of those having died without children, a near relation of
his married his wife, the son born of the latter union being reckoned
as the son of the former": which is a kind of legal adoption, as
Augustine himself says (De Consensu Evang. ii, Cf. Retract. ii).
This last motive is the truest: Jerome also gives it commenting on
Matt. 1:16; and Eusebius of Caesarea in his Church history (I, vii),
says that it is given by Africanus the historian. For these writers
say that Mathan and Melchi, at different times, each begot a son of
one and the same wife, named Estha. For Mathan, who traced his
descent through Solomon, had married her first, and died, leaving one
son, whose name was Jacob: and after his death, as the law did not
forbid his widow to remarry, Melchi, who traced his descent through
Mathan, being of the same tribe though not of the same family as
Mathan, married his widow, who bore him a son, called Heli; so that
Jacob and Heli were uterine brothers born to different fathers. Now
one of these, Jacob, on his brother Heli dying without issue, married
the latter's widow, according to the prescription of the law, of whom
he had a son, Joseph, who by nature was his own son, but by law was
accounted the son of Heli. Wherefore Matthew says "Jacob begot
Joseph": whereas Luke, who was giving the legal genealogy, speaks of
no one as begetting.
And although Damascene (De Fide Orth. iv) says that the Blessed
Virgin Mary was connected with Joseph in as far as Heli was accounted
as his father, for he says that she was descended from Melchi: yet
must we also believe that she was in some way descended from Solomon
through those patriarchs enumerated by Matthew, who is said to have
set down Christ's genealogy according to the flesh; and all the more
since Ambrose states that Christ was of the seed of Jechonias.
Reply Obj. 3: According to Augustine (De Consensu Evang. ii) "Matthew
purposed to delineate the royal personality of Christ; Luke the
priestly personality: so that in Matthew's genealogy is signified the
assumption of our sins by our Lord Jesus Christ": inasmuch as by his
carnal origin "He assumed 'the likeness of sinful flesh.' But in
Luke's genealogy the washing away of our sins is signified," which is
effected by Christ's sacrifice. "For which reason Matthew traces the
generations downwards, Luke upwards." For the same reason too
"Matthew descends from David through Solomon, in whose mother David
sinned; whereas Luke ascends to David through Nathan, through whose
namesake, the prophet, God expiated his sin." And hence it is also
that, because "Matthew wished to signify that Christ had condescended
to our mortal nature, he set down the genealogy of Christ at the very
outset of his Gospel, beginning with Abraham and descending to Joseph
and the birth of Christ Himself. Luke, on the contrary, sets forth
Christ's genealogy not at the outset, but after Christ's Baptism, and
not in the descending but in the ascending order: as though giving
prominence to the office of the priest in expiating our sins, to
which John bore witness, saying: 'Behold Him who taketh away the sin
of the world.' And in the ascending order, he passes Abraham and
continues up to God, to whom we are reconciled by cleansing and
expiating. With reason too he follows the origin of adoption; because
by adoption we become children of God: whereas by carnal generation
the Son of God became the Son of Man. Moreover he shows sufficiently
that he does not say that Joseph was the son of Heli as though
begotten by him, but because he was adopted by him, since he says
that Adam was the son of God, inasmuch as he was created by God."
Again, the number forty pertains to the time of our present life:
because of the four parts of the world in which we pass this mortal
life under the rule of Christ. And forty is the product of four
multiplied by ten: while ten is the sum of the numbers from one to
four. The number ten may also refer to the decalogue; and the number
four to the present life; or again to the four Gospels, according to
which Christ reigns in us. And thus "Matthew, putting forward the
royal personality of Christ, enumerates forty persons not counting
Him" (cf. Augustine, De Consensu Evang. ii). But this is to be taken
on the supposition that it be the same Jechonias at the end of the
second, and at the commencement of the third series of fourteen, as
Augustine understands it. According to him this was done in order to
signify "that under Jechonias there was a certain defection to
strange nations during the Babylonian captivity; which also
foreshadowed the fact that Christ would pass from the Jews to the
Gentiles."
On the other hand, Jerome (on Matt. 1:12-15) says that there were two
Joachims--that is, Jechonias, father and son: both of whom are
mentioned in Christ's genealogy, so as to make clear the distinction
of the generations, which the evangelist divides into three series of
fourteen; which amounts in all to forty-two persons. Which number may
also be applied to the Holy Church: for it is the product of six,
which signifies the labor of the present life, and seven, which
signifies the rest of the life to come: for six times seven are
forty-two. The number fourteen, which is the sum of ten and four, can
also be given the same signification as that given to the number
forty, which is the product of the same numbers by multiplication.
But the number used by Luke in Christ's genealogy signifies the
generality of sins. "For the number ten is shown in the ten precepts
of the Law to be the number of righteousness. Now, to sin is to go
beyond the restriction of the Law. And eleven is the number beyond
ten." And seven signifies universality: because "universal time is
involved in seven days." Now seven times eleven are seventy-seven: so
that this number signifies the generality of sins which are taken
away by Christ.
Reply Obj. 4: As Jerome says on Matt. 1:8, 11: "Because Joram allied
himself with the family of the most wicked Jezabel, therefore his
memory is omitted down to the third generation, lest it should be
inserted among the holy predecessors of the Nativity." Hence as
Chrysostom [*Cf. Opus Imperf. in Matth. Hom. i, falsely ascribed to
Chrysostom] says: "Just as great was the blessing conferred on Jehu,
who wrought vengeance on the house of Achab and Jezabel, so also
great was the curse on the house of Joram, through the wicked
daughter of Achab and Jezabel, so that until the fourth generation
his posterity is cut off from the number of kings, according to Ex.
20:5: I shall visit [Vulg.: 'Visiting'] the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth generations."
It must also be observed that there were other kings who sinned and
are mentioned in Christ's genealogy: but their impiety was not
continuous. For, as it is stated in the book De Qq. Vet. et Nov.
Test. qu. lxxxv: "Solomon through his father's merits is included in
the series of kings; and Roboam . . . through the merits of Asa," who
was son of his (Roboam's) son, Abiam. "But the impiety of those three
[*i.e. Ochozias, Joas, and Amasias, of whom St. Augustine asks in
this question lxxxv, why they were omitted by St. Matthew] was
continuous."
Reply Obj. 5: As Jerome says on Matt. 1:3: "None of the holy women
are mentioned in the Saviour's genealogy, but only those whom
Scripture censures, so that He who came for the sake of sinners, by
being born of sinners, might blot out all sin." Thus Thamar is
mentioned, who is censured for her sin with her father-in-law; Rahab
who was a whore; Ruth who was a foreigner; and Bethsabee, the wife of
Urias, who was an adulteress. The last, however, is not mentioned by
name, but is designated through her husband; both on account of his
sin, for he was cognizant of the adultery and murder; and further in
order that, by mentioning the husband by name, David's sin might be
recalled. And because Luke purposes to delineate Christ as the
expiator of our sins, he makes no mention of these women. But he does
mention Juda's brethren, in order to show that they belong to God's
people: whereas Ismael, the brother of Isaac, and Esau, Jacob's
brother, were cut off from God's people, and for this reason are not
mentioned in Christ's genealogy. Another motive was to show the
emptiness of pride of birth: for many of Juda's brethren were born of
hand-maidens, and yet all were patriarchs and heads of tribes. Phares
and Zara are mentioned together, because, as Ambrose says on Luke
3:23, "they are the type of the twofold life of man: one, according
to the Law," signified by Zara; "the other by Faith," of which Phares
is the type. The brethren of Jechonias are included, because they all
reigned at various times: which was not the case with other kings:
or, again, because they were alike in wickedness and misfortune.
_______________________