And yet, the Evangelist, omitting all the others, placed only these women in the genealogy. If it was necessary to mention wives, then it was necessary to mention all; but if not of all, but only of some, then of those who are famous for their virtues, and not for their vices. You see how much attention we need already at the very beginning of the Gospel, although for some this beginning seems clearer than the rest, and for many even superfluous, because it is only a simple enumeration of names. Further, it is also worth investigating why Matthew kept silent about the three kings. If he had kept silent about them as too wicked, he would not have had to mention others like them. Here is another question: why did the Evangelist, dividing the genealogy into parts of fourteen generations each, not observe this number in the third part? Then: why did Luke mention other names, and not only not all those that Matthew has, but also indicated many more, and Matthew gave fewer and other names, although he also ended with Joseph, on whom Luke also stopped genealogy. See how much vigilance we need, not only to resolve perplexities, but also to find out what needs to be solved. After all, it is important to be able to find perplexing questions. For example, there is another perplexing question: how could Elizabeth, descended from the tribe of Levi, be a relative of Mary?

7. But in order not to burden your memory with a multitude of questions, let us stop here. To arouse your attention, it is sufficient if you only know what questions are presented here. But if you wish to know the solution, then this too will depend on yourselves before our instruction. If I see in you attention and a desire to learn, then I will try to offer a solution, but if I notice laziness and inattention, then I will not show either the questions themselves or the solution to them, following the divine commandment, which says: "Do not give holy things to dogs, and cast not your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet" (Matt. 7:6). Who is this trampler? He who does not consider the Scriptures precious and important. But who, you will say, is so unhappy as not to consider it important and most precious? Someone who does not devote as much time to it as he spends for promiscuous women on satanic spectacles. Many spend whole days there, completely neglect household chores for the sake of such a useless pastime, and what they hear there, they try to remember with accuracy and preserve for the destruction of their souls, but here, where God Himself speaks, they do not want to stay even a little time. That is why we have nothing in common with heaven, and our (heavenly) life is only in words. However, for this, God threatens us with hell – not in order to plunge us into it, but in order to give us the opportunity to escape this grievous punishment. And we do the opposite, and every day we strive on the path that leads to hell: God commands not only to hear, but also to do what is said to us, and we do not even want to listen. When, tell me, will we begin to do what we are commanded, when we set to work, if we do not even want to hear about them, if we are indignant and vexed even at the shortest stay in the temple? When, talking about worthless subjects, we notice inattention in our interlocutors, we consider it an offense to ourselves. Do we not think that we offend God when He speaks to us about such important things, and we disregard His words and look away? An old man who has traveled many lands tells us with all accuracy about the distances and the position of the cities, about their views, harbors, squares (and we listen to him with pleasure), and yet we ourselves do not know how far we are from the heavenly city. Otherwise, if we knew this distance, we would try to shorten the path. If, after all, we are careless, then the distance of this city from us is not only the same as that between heaven and earth, but even much greater; on the contrary, if we make an effort, we can reach its gates in an instant, because this distance is determined not by the extension of space, but by the state of our morality.

8. You know very well the affairs of this life, both new and old, and ancient, and you can enumerate the commanders for whom you used to serve in the army, and the masters of the games, and the victors in them, and the leaders, from which it is of no use to you. And who is the ruler in the heavenly city, who is the first, who is the second, who is the third, how long each has served and what glorious things have been done, you have never dreamed of this. Of the laws which govern this city, you do not wish to listen attentively when others speak of them. Tell me, how, then, do you hope to receive the promised blessings, if you do not want to heed when they speak of them? But if we didn't care about it before, we'll at least try to do it now. Here we intend to enter, if God wills, into the golden city, and even the most precious of all gold. Let us consider its bases and gates, made of sapphire and margaritas. Our best leader is Matthew. Through His door we enter now; only great effort is needed on our part, because in whom he does not see zeal, he expels him from the city. This is a royal and glorious city; there is no division of the market from the royal palaces, as in our cities; in it is all the king's palace. And so, let us open the doors of the mind, let us open our ears, and approaching with great trembling the threshold of this palace, let us worship the King who dwells in it, because even the first step can strike the spectator with fear. The gates are now still closed for us; but when we see them opened (i.e., when perplexing questions are resolved), then we will see within him a great light. Enlightened by the spirit, this publican promises to show you everything: where the King sits, and what kind of soldiers stand before Him, where are the angels and where are the archangels; what place is assigned in this city for new citizens, what path leads there; what lot was received by those who entered it first, what lot was received by those who entered it second, what lot was received by those who entered it later; how many ranks among the citizens there, how many councils, and how different are the virtues. And so, let us enter this city not with noise and confusion, but with reverent silence. If the royal letters are read in the theater when complete silence falls, then all the more so in this city should everyone calm down and stand with a tense soul and hearing, because here the commands will be read, not of the earthly king, but of the Lord of the angels. If we dispose ourselves in this way, then the grace of the Spirit itself will most surely show us the way, and we will come to the very Royal Throne and receive all the blessings, according to the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

[1] Prytaneum was a building where ceremonial dinners were given in honor of honored citizens.

CONVERSATION 2

1. Do you remember the instruction we have recently given you, asking you to listen to everything that will be said with deep silence and reverent silence? Today we must enter the sacred vestibules; That is why I remind you of this instruction.

You will not see darkness, nor smoke, nor a storm, but the King Himself, sitting on the throne of His ineffable glory, the angels and archangels standing before Him, and the host of saints with countless thousands of heavenly hosts. Such is the city of God, containing within itself the church of the firstborn, the spirits of the righteous, the triumphant assembly of angels, the blood of sprinkling, through which all things are united, heaven has received earthly things, earth has received heavenly things, and the peace long desired for angels and saints has come. In this city is hoisted the brilliant and glorious banner of the cross: there is the prey of Christ, the beginnings of our nature, the acquisition of our King. We learn about all this with certainty from the Gospels. And if you will follow us with due calmness, we will be able to lead you everywhere and show you where death lies nailed (to the cross), where sin is hanged, where are the numerous and wondrous monuments of this war, this battle. You will see there the bound torturer, accompanied by a crowd of captives, and the stronghold from which this vile demon used to make his raids everywhere; you will see the refuges and caves of the thief, already ruined and open, because the King came there also. Do not be tired, beloved! You cannot hear enough if someone tells you about an ordinary war, about trophies and victories, and you will not prefer such a story to food or drink. If such a story is so pleasant to you, then much more so is mine. Imagine, indeed, what it is like to hear how God, having risen from heaven and royal thrones, descended to earth and to hell itself, how He took up arms for battle, how the devil wrestled with God – not with the undisguised God, however, but with the God hiding under the veil of human flesh. And, what is surprising, you will see how death is destroyed by death, how the oath is abolished by the curse, how the torment of the devil is overthrown by the very thing through which he gained power. Therefore, let us arise, and let us not give way to slumber! I can already see how the gates are opening before us. Let us enter with full decency and trembling. Now we are entering the very threshold. What is this vestibule? The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1). What do you say? You promised to speak about the only-begotten Son of God, but you mention David, a man who existed after thousands of generations, and you call him father and progenitor? Wait, don't try to learn everything at once, but learn gradually and little by little. For you are still standing in the vestibule, at the very threshold: why hasten to the sanctuary? You haven't had a good look outside yet. And I am not yet telling you about the first, heavenly birth, or rather, I am not even talking about the second, earthly birth, because it too is inexplicable and ineffable. The prophet Isaiah also told you about this before I did, when, proclaiming the Lord's sufferings and His great care for the world, being amazed at the sight of Him who He was, and what He had become, and whither He had descended, he cried out loud and clear: "Who shall explain His generation" (Isaiah 53:8)?

2. Thus we are now speaking not of that heavenly birth, but of this lower, earthly birth, which had thousands of witnesses. And we will talk about it as much as it is possible for us to receive the grace of the Spirit. It is impossible to imagine this birth with all clarity, since it is also full of mystery. So, when you hear about this birth, do not think that you hear about something of little importance; but lift up your mind and be terrified, as soon as you hear that God has come to earth. It was so wondrous and wondrous that the angels, having made a laudatory countenance, gave glory for it for the whole world, and the prophets long before were amazed that God appeared on earth and spoke among people (Bar. 3:38). And truly, it is extremely wondrous to hear that the ineffable, inexplicable and incomprehensible God, equal to the Father, came through a virgin's womb, was pleased to be born of a woman and to have David and Abraham as ancestors. And what do I say, David and Abraham? What is even more amazing are those wives whom I mentioned earlier. When you hear this, arise, and do not suspect anything humiliating; on the contrary, it is especially surprising that the Son of the Father without beginning, the true Son, deigned to be called the Son of David, in order to make you the son of God, deigned to have a servant as His father, so that you, a servant, might make the Lord a father. Do you see what the gospel is at the very beginning? But if you doubt your sonship with God, then be convinced of him, hearing what happened to Him. According to human reasoning, it is much more difficult for God to become a man than for a man to become a son of God. Therefore, when you hear that the Son of God is the son of David and Abraham, then do not doubt that you, the son of Adam, will be the son of God. He would not have humbled Himself in vain and without purpose to such an extent if He did not want to exalt us. They were born according to the flesh, that thou might be born according to the Spirit; was born of a woman, that thou wouldst cease to be the son of a woman. That is why His birth was twofold, on the one hand similar to ours, on the other hand, exceeding ours. In that He was born of a woman, He became like unto us; but by being born not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of flesh, but of the Holy Spirit, He foretells a future birth greater than us, which He had to bestow upon us from the Spirit. And so it was with everything else. Such, for example, was baptism. And there was something old in him, and there was also something new: baptism from the prophet showed the old, and the condescension of the Spirit signified the new. Just as a man, standing between two standing apart, stretches out his hands to both and joins them, so did the Son of God unite the Old Testament with the New, the divine nature with the human, His own with ours. Do you see the splendor of the city of God? Do you see with what brilliance it shone upon you at the very entrance? Do you see how immediately He showed you the King in your image, as if in the midst of the camp? And here, on earth, the king does not always appear in his greatness, but often, having folded his purple and diadem, he puts on the clothes of a simple warrior. But the king of the earth does this so that, having become known, he does not attract the enemy to himself; The King of Heaven, on the contrary, in order that, having become known, the enemy should not flee from the struggle with Him and not bring His own people into confusion, since He wished to save, and not to frighten. That is why the Evangelist immediately called Him by the appropriate name Jesus. This name Jesus is not Greek; He is called Jesus in Hebrew, which in Greek means Saviour (Swthr); And He is called the Saviour because He saved His people.

3. Do you see how the Evangelist enlightened his listener, how he, in ordinary words, revealed to all of us in them that which is above all hope? Both of these names were well known among the Jews. Since the events that were to take place were wondrous, the names themselves were preceded by images, so that in this way any reason for murmuring about the innovation would be removed beforehand. Thus, the successor of Moses, who led the people into the promised land, is called Jesus. Do you see the image? Consider also the truth. The one led into the promised land, this one into heaven and the good things of heaven; this one after the death of Moses, this one after the cessation of the law; this one is like a leader, this one is like a King. But so that you, hearing Jesus, would not be misled by the similarity of names, the Evangelist added: Jesus Christ, the Son of David. That Jesus was not the son of David, but came from another tribe. But why does Matthew call his Gospel the genealogy of Jesus Christ, when it contains not only one genealogy, but the entire economy? Because the birth of Christ is the main thing in the entire economy, it is the beginning and root of all the blessings given to us. Just as Moses calls his first work the Book of Genesis of Heaven and Earth, although he tells in it not only about heaven and earth, but also about what is between them, so the Evangelist called his book after the main of the works done (for our salvation). Most amazing of all, above all hope and expectation, is indeed that God became man; and when this was accomplished, then everything that followed was both understandable and natural.

But why did not the Evangelist first say, "Son of Abraham," and then, "Son of David"? Not, as some think, because he wanted to present a genealogy in an ascending line, because then he would have done the same as Luke, and he does the opposite. So why did he mention David first? Because he was a man on everyone's lips, both because of the fame of his deeds and in time, because he died long after Abraham. Though God had made promises to both of them, yet the promise given to Abraham as of old was little said, and the promise given to David, as recent and new, was repeated by all. The Jews themselves say: "Is it not said in the Scriptures that Christ will come from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, from the place whence David was" (John 7:42)? And no one called him the son of Abraham, but everyone called him the son of David, because both in terms of the time of his life, as I have already said, and because of the nobility of his reign, David was more in everyone's memory. That is why all the kings who lived after David, who were especially respected, were called by his name not only by the Jews, but also by God himself. Thus Ezekiel and the other prophets say that David will come to them and rise again; but they do not mean the dead David, but those who imitate his virtue. Thus God says to Hezekiah: "I will guard this city, that I may save it for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant" (2 Kings 19:34); and he said to Solomon that for David's sake he did not divide the kingdom during his lifetime (1 Kings 11:34). The glory of this man was great both before God and before men. That is why the Evangelist directly begins the genealogy with the noblest, and then turns to the most ancient progenitor, Abraham, and considers it superfluous for the Jews to trace the genealogy further. These two men were especially astonishing; one as a prophet and king, the other as a patriarch and a prophet.

What needs to be decided first? The question of the descent of the Virgin from David. Now, how do we know that she is descended from David? Listen: God commands Gabriel to go to the Virgin betrothed to a man, named Joseph, from the house and homeland of David (Luke 1:27). What is clearer than this, when you hear that the Virgin was of the house and country of David?

4. From this it is clear that Joseph also came from the same family, because there was a law that commanded that a wife should not be taken except from his own tribe. And the patriarch Jacob predicted that Christ would arise from the tribe of Judah, saying thus: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from her loins, until the Mediator comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the nations" (Gen. 49:10). This prophecy, you will say, really shows that Christ was of the tribe of Judah; but that He also came from the line of David, this is not yet shown. Was there not a single family in the tribe of Judah except David? No, there were many other families, and it was possible to belong to the tribe of Judah, but not yet descend from the line of David. Lest you say this, the Evangelist resolves your doubt by saying that Christ was from the house and homeland of David. If you want to convince yourself of this in another way, we will not hesitate to present another proof. Among the Jews, it was not allowed to take a wife not only from another tribe, but also from another clan or tribe. Therefore, whether we apply the words: from the house and homeland of David to the Virgin, what has been said remains indubitable; if we apply to Joseph, what is said about him will also apply to the Virgin. If Joseph was of the house and country of David, he took a wife not from another family, but from the same family from which he himself came. But what, you say, if he has broken the law? The Evangelist forestalled this objection by testifying that Joseph was righteous, so that, knowing his virtue, you can be sure that he would not have broken the law. Being so meek and devoid of passion that even being impelled by suspicion he did not want to subject the Virgin to punishment, would he have broken the law for the sake of carnal pleasure? By reasoning above the law (as it was characteristic of a man who reasoned above the law to let go and let go secretly), would he have done anything contrary to the law, and moreover without any motivating reason? Thus, from what has been said, it is clear that the Virgin came from the line of David. Now we must say why the Evangelist did not give Her genealogy, but Joseph. So, why? It was not the custom of the Jews to lead a genealogy through the female line; therefore, in order to observe the custom, and not to be a violator of it at the very beginning, and on the other hand, to show us the origin of the Virgin, the Evangelist, keeping silent about Her ancestors, presented the genealogy of Joseph. If he had presented the genealogy of the Virgin, it would have been considered an innovation; if he had kept silent about Joseph, we would not have known the ancestors of the Virgin. Thus, in order that we might know who Mary was, where she came from, and at the same time that custom would not be violated, the Evangelist presented the genealogy of Her betrothed and showed that he came from the house of David. And since this is proved, it is also proved that the Virgin was of the same lineage, because this righteous man, as I said above, would not allow himself to take a wife from another family. It is possible, however, to point out another reason, more mysterious, for which the ancestors of the Virgin are kept silent; But now is not the time to open it, because much has already been said.

If you keep all this, you will arouse in us a greater zeal for further explanations; and if you are careless and forget, then we will be less willing to explain the rest. For even the farmer will not care about the seeds, if the earth destroys from him what he has sown before. So, I ask you to deal with what has been said. From such occupations comes a great and salvific blessing for the soul. Having concern for such occupations, we can please God, and our lips, when we exercise them with spiritual conversations, will be clean from reproach, shame and abuse. We will also be afraid of demons when we arm our tongue with such conversations; to a greater extent let us draw upon ourselves the grace of God; our gaze will also become more penetrating. God has given us eyes, and lips, and ears, so that all the members may serve Him, that we may speak what is pleasing to Him, that we may do what pleases Him, that we may sing unceasing songs of praise to Him, that we may send thanksgiving, and thus purify our consciences. As the body, enjoying pure air, becomes healthier, so the soul, nourished by such activities, becomes wiser.

5. Have you noticed that even from the bodily eyes, if they are constantly in smoke, tears always flow, but in the fresh air, in the meadow, by springs and in gardens, they become healthier and sharper? The same thing happens with the eye of the soul. If it is nourished in the meadow of spiritual teachings, it is pure, clear and penetrating, but if it is immersed in the smoke of worldly cares, then it will constantly gnawing and shedding tears both in this life and in the life to come. Truly, human deeds are like smoke. For this reason someone said: "My days have vanished like smoke" (Psalm 101:4). But the prophet wanted to express with these words only the idea of the brevity and inconstancy of human life, and I would say that they should be understood not only in this sense, but also as an indication of the rebelliousness of life. Indeed, nothing oppresses and disturbs the eye of the soul so much as a crowd of worldly cares and a swarm of desires; it is the wood of the said smoke. Just as an ordinary fire, enveloping a damp and soaked substance, makes a thick smoke, so a strong fiery passion, taking possession of a sluggish and weak soul, produces a great smoke. That is why the dew of the Spirit and His light breeze are necessary to extinguish this fire, to dispel this smoke, and to give wings to our minds. It is impossible, impossible in any way, burdened with such evil, to soar to heaven. No; we need to be well girded to make this journey, or rather, it is impossible if we do not take the wings of the Spirit.