The Douay-Rheims with the Glossa Ordinaria

¹The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

v.1

VERS. 1.-- *The book of the generation.* The Hebrews impose upon their volumes a name taken from their beginnings, as the book of Genesis, etc., *as far as* but this custom holds in many, chiefly in the prophets, as "the vision of Isaiah," where thou suppliest, "this is." *Of the son of David.* The order is inverted, lest, Abraham being set first, the connected sequence of the generation should be broken. Of these two he is specially called Son: because the one was first among the patriarchs, the other among the kings, to whom the promise concerning Christ was made, that he might disclose to the Jews that Christ was to come out of the law, in whom they should see the prophecies fulfilled. *Of the son of David the son of Abraham.* He chose these two out of all, whose Son Christ is called, that to the Jews to whom he writes, who knew from the law that Christ was to come, it might appear that this is he who had long been promised, in whom all the prophecies should be seen to be fulfilled; for to these alone in the Old Testament is the promise of Abraham recorded as made, *and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed*. Abraham and David are two pillars standing in the law as in a porch before the door which is Christ: which a cord of twelve cubits encircles, that is, the faith of the apostles. He embraces these fathers in the genealogy, from the midst of whom Christ the door is opened to believers.

²Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren.

v.2

VERS. 2.-- *Abraham begot Isaac: and Isaac begot Jacob.* Fittingly let the beginning of the generation be from him to whom he was first promised, in whom is the blessing of all. Matthew begins the generation from the beginning of the promise. And even to the end of the book this is pursued, that he who was born of this generation may be understood as God and man. From the outset he begins from him to whom the promise of faith was first made, that in this father, to whom the promise was first made, they may learn who and what manner of men they ought to be who wish to be blessed in his seed. Matthew begins, or reckons, the generation by descending: because he shows the humanity of Christ, through which God descended to men. Luke, relating it by ascending, discloses the form of the sacrament. For beginning from the baptism he ascends as far as God, showing that the baptized ascend to this, that they may be sons of God. *Begot.* Matthew sets down, *begot:* he who numbers only the sons of nature. Luke: *Who was:* he who inserts some who are sons according to the law or by adoption. Matthew sets down "genuit," and not "generavit," perhaps that he might be recognized, shown forth at the end, of whom it is said: *This day have I begotten thee*. *Judas and his brethren.* Therefore Judas alone is named expressly, that thou mightest recognize him who had been promised out of his stock. He mentions the brethren of Judas, the brethren of Isaac and Jacob being passed over: because those were driven off from the people of God as strangers: these were written as heirs in the book of life, and are as it were the twelve patriarchs, in whom the number of the apostles also is signified. But they are not expressed by name, lest the generation be extended beyond the number of the sacrament. In the seed of the aforesaid fathers Christ entered into Egypt, and the enemy, foreboding this, oppressed the people, and slew not the women, but the males, that he might extinguish him. From Judas is Christ, whom all the Gentiles received: at whose coming Herod, a foreigner, was already ruling.

³And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram.

⁴And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon.

⁵And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse.

v.5

VERS. 5.-- *And Salmon begot Booz.* Christ is Salmon, that is, *perceiving,* because he perceives all things. He himself took Raab, that is, the Church of the Gentiles. Raab, *hunger,* or *blessedness,* or *onrush:* because the Church of the Gentiles hungers and thirsts after justice, and, spread abroad through the world, converts philosophers and kings by the onrush of doctrine. Raab displayed the scarlet in the window, that is, in the mouth she declares the passion of Christ by confession. Raab the harlot, who received the messengers of Joshua, whom Salmon, prince of the tribe of Judah, joined to himself, signifies the Church of the Gentiles, which is joined to the prince out of Judah, that is, to Christ. And she alone with her own is saved, while Jericho, that is, the present world, walled about with seven walls of vices, is beset for the space of seven days with the trumpets of preachings, until *at the last trump* all the walls fall down, and the last death is destroyed. *And Booz.* Booz is Christ, of whom it is said: *Behold the Lord God shall come with strength*. Note that none of the holy women is taken into the genealogy of Christ, but those whom Scripture reproves. For he ought to be born of sinners, who had come for sinners, that his own might learn that the sins of the fathers do not stand in their way. Whence the lamb to be immolated at the Passover was commanded to be taken from the goats and the sheep, that is, to be begotten from the just and from sinners *Of Ruth.* A Moabitess, that he may show the prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled: *Send forth the lamb, O Lord, the ruler of the earth*. Through her the seed of Abraham is brought down to Christ. The Church of the Gentiles, signified by Ruth, before she came to Booz, that is, to Christ, was of her father the devil. Ruth signifies the Church which is of Moab, that is, of the Gentiles, which [was] of her father the devil and of the rock of the desert because of idolatry, out of which God raised up sons of Abraham: forgetful of her former nation she came to Booz, who is called strong, that is, to Christ, who raises up the seed of his brother, that is, of Moses, who died without children, *because the law brought nothing to perfection*. Ruth, *seeing* or *hastening;* because the Church with a pure heart sees God, which hastens to the prize of the heavenly vision and determines to persevere in faith and love. *And Jesse.* The father of David is more often named Isai, but he bore two names. Yet here he is called Jesse for this reason: that he might know that he had come; of whom Isaiah says: *There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse*, etc. This is the flower which Isaac smells, saying: *Behold the smell of my son is as the smell of a full field*, because the Spirit filled him most abundantly. *King.* Not that he alone is king in this genealogy, but because he is the first king of Judah and the beginning of the kings, for whose sake the rest also are kept upon the throne of the kingdom: and through him the order of the generation runs down to Christ, who has the kingdom of David.

⁶And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of Urias.

⁷And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa.

v.7

VERS. 7.-- *And Solomon.* Christ is Solomon, that is, *peaceable,* because he himself is our peace, who made both one. He himself is Roboam, that is, the onrush of a people, who swiftly converts peoples to the faith. *Roboam.* Of him it is said: *I will give to Roboam himself the tribe of Judah, that a lamp may remain to David all his days in Israel*. Which cannot be taken according to the letter, because neither did Israel endure for all days, nor after Christ was there any leader of David's line in Israel. But Christ is an eternal lamp in the heavenly Israel, and therefore is kept always. But Christ is said to sit upon the throne of David, because David's temporal kingdom prefigured the eternal kingdom of Christ. *Abias.* The Lord is Father, that is, Christ, who says: *I will be to him a Father, for as Lord he has done all things whatsoever he would*. Who is also Asa, that is, lifting up, because he himself took away the sins of the world.

⁸And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias.

⁹And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias.

v.9

VERS. 9.-- *And Ozias.* Under Ozias, Joathan, Achaz and Ezechias, Isaiah prophesied concerning Christ. Because of the sins of the princes the mouths of the prophets were shut. *Ezechias.* The Lord is strong, he it is who says to the apostles: *Fear not.* To Ezechias, when he was without children, it was said: *Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die and shalt not live*. Therefore he wept not for the sake of a longer life, since he knew that Solomon had for that very reason pleased God, because he had not asked for more years: but because he was in doubt whether the promise of God would be fulfilled, when he knew himself to be of the stock of David, through whom Christ must needs come: and he himself was without children, whence also he said: *I shall not see the Lord God,* likewise, *I shall not look upon man any more,* etc. On the contrary he believed, because he who had promised is faithful. But God changes the sentence which he had given, for the testing of faith, and grants space for begetting.

¹⁰And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias.

¹¹And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of Babylon.

¹²And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot Zorobabel.

¹³And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor.

¹⁴And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud.

¹⁵And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob.

¹⁶And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

v.16

VERS. 16.-- *Joseph.* One who adds. Christ, who added the Gentiles to the Jews, who is also called the father of Christ, whom, born of his own wife, he received by adoption: but he is also called father by supposition. *Joseph* Matthew calls the son of Jacob, and Jacob the son of Mathan. Luke calls Joseph the son of Heli, and Heli the son of Mathat; but Mathan and Mathat begot one son each of the same wife, Hesta by name. Mathan, who descended through Solomon, married her first, and, leaving one son, Jacob, died, and afterwards Mathat, who descended from David through Mathan, married the same woman and begot Heli, thus Jacob and Heli are brothers by the same mother. But Jacob, taking the wife of Heli his brother, who had died without children, to raise up his seed, begot Joseph, his own by nature, but by the law the son of Heli. That the son is said to be called by the name of him for whom he is raised up, is not true, since Booz called him whom he begot of Ruth not Elimelech, for whom he was raised up, but Obeth. *The husband of Mary.* What has the generation traced from David down to Joseph to do with Christ, since Christ is not of the seed of Joseph? But it is not the custom of the Scriptures that the order of women should be woven into the generations; and therefore it is brought in not through Mary, but through Joseph, since Joseph and Mary were of one tribe. Whence also he was compelled to take her as a kinswoman, lest one tribe should be confounded with another: whence also they make their declaration together, as of one stock, returning to Bethlehem when each went to his own city. By the example of Mary it is clear to faithful married persons that, an equal consent being kept, continence can abide, and that it is called a marriage not by the mingling of bodily sex, but by the guarding of the mind's affection. Whence also Joseph is called the husband of Mary, because a marriage is true where the effect of love is preserved, and in Mary the fruit of the nuptials is found.

¹⁷So all the generations from Abraham to David, are fourteen generations. And from David to the transmigration of Babylon, are fourteen generations: and from the transmigration of Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.

¹⁸Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost.

v.18

VERS. 18.-- *Now the generation of Christ.* He sets it down without the addition, "Jesu," that thou mayest understand him of whom the prophet says: *Thy God hath anointed thee.* The name Jesus, which belongs to him substantially, he reserves for the angel, so that he who is afterwards to speak of the conception of the Holy Spirit may the more sublimely set forth his proper name from the office of salvation. *So it was.* As has been said, that from Joseph the origin of Mary, who was also of David, might be made clear: and Christ, not of his seed, is shown as God and man, as man through the genealogy, as God through this, that he was of a virgin by the Holy Spirit. So, I say, it was, as has been written above and will presently be said, as afterwards it is made manifest by signs and prodigies, so that the whole book may demonstrate that God and man was born: which must be believed that it may be understood. For here human sense fails, where there is not nature, but power: he who does not believe does not understand that a virgin brought forth, that the word was made flesh. *When she had been espoused.* She was espoused for this reason, that she might signify the Church, which is virgin and spouse: and that through Joseph, etc., *as far as* the espousal was made some days before the constant cohabitation, and in the meantime she was a wife under the guardianship of her husband. *Before they came together.* Not that they came together afterwards: as if we should say, before he repented, he was overtaken by death. Not that they came together afterwards; but he shows the time next to the nuptials, in which the solemnities of the nuptials are celebrated. *She was found with child.* Joseph found that she was with child, but did not know that it was of the Holy Spirit: since afterwards, as one in doubt, he deliberated to put her away; but the apostle adds this, lest in the meantime a suspicion should creep upon the reader. How this was done, and in what order, or in what city the conception of Christ was accomplished, this, being here passed over, is set forth by Luke.

¹⁹Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately.

v.19

VERS. 19.-- *Just.* By the faith whereby he believed that Christ was to be born of a virgin, and he willed to humble himself before so great a grace. That he was just, this is a testimony to the chastity of Mary, so that he who preserves the innocent may be called just: but merciful also in that he was unwilling to make it public, just from his knowledge of her chastity, merciful from fear. He knew that she was blameless: but whence or what the matter was he did not know: and therefore he chose a middle way of escape, that he might neither betray the innocent, nor by consenting to a thing unknown make himself guilty before God. It is true virtue when there is neither mercy without justice, nor justice without mercy, which, separated from one another, fall away. *And would not have her.* Whom he had espoused, to lead into marriage, lest he should seem to conceal what he did not know. Or to expose her to a punishment in which he knew there was no infamy, because he knew that he had received her a virgin and had kept her untouched.

²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.

v.20

VERS. 20.-- *But while he thought on these things.* Here we are taught that in uncertain matters we must deliberate long, lest we sin by the rashness of levity. *Behold the angel of the Lord.* Because he thinks thus mercifully, he deserves to be consoled, and his own counsel is changed for a better counsel. *Son of David.* Acknowledge what was promised to the house of David, of which thou art, and Mary also, and see it fulfilled in her. *Fear not.* Although it be as great as thou believest, yet fear not on account of guilt, but embrace her with the regard of charity. *Thy wife.* She was a wife not by intercourse, but by affection, not by the joining of bodies, but by the coupling of souls. Note that she is called wife from the first pledge of the espousal. It is therefore a matter of dispensation if any one is permitted to marry another after the sacrament of betrothal, and if he can never pay the debt. Rightly is Joseph called husband, and Mary wife, since in him the affection of love is preserved, which is true marriage, and in her without intercourse there is the fruit of the nuptials. *It is born in her.* To be born of her is to be brought forth into the light. But to be born in her is to be conceived; or according to the presence of the angel which he has from God: to whom the future is as the past, it is called born. *It is of the Holy Spirit.* The Holy Spirit is called God, and the gift of God, and charity; and charity alone made him to be incarnate.

²¹And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins.

²²Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying:

v.22

VERS. 22.-- *Now this,* etc. That she was espoused to a kinsman: that she was found with child: that a virgin brought forth: that he was called Jesus: that he saves. For the Evangelist says this when all things had already been fulfilled. *That it might be fulfilled.* The prophecy of Isaiah is a sign of the foreknowledge of God, because what it says is certainly foreknown by God: and therefore it ought to be feared by man. But no sign effects what it designates: but only signifies what it shows, so prophecy does not make a necessity of those things which it foretells, but is a sign of the foreknowledge of God. There is no necessity of things from the utterance of the prophets, but only the showing forth of truth. Prophecy did not make a necessity of those things which it says, but is a sign of the foreknowledge of God. One prophecy is from the predestination of God, which must in all ways come to pass, so that it is fulfilled without our choice: as is this of which we here treat. Another is from the foreknowledge of God, with which our choice is mingled. Another there is which is called a threatening, which is made for a sign of divine punishment, that the elect may flee from the face of the bow, and the incautious justly perish; and this not from foreknowledge: because a thing is known far otherwise than it is threatened as to come.

²³Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

v.23

VERS. 23.-- *Behold a virgin.* The prophet Isaiah marvels, and as it were rousing all from sleep, says: *Behold a virgin shall be with child*. To the Holy Spirit that was present which in time was not yet. *Behold a virgin,* etc. The Jews say that this is not a name of integrity, but of age, a girl. But how then is it a sign? He follows the sense of Isaiah, not the words. In place of "she shall conceive" he sets down: *She shall be with child:* and "they shall call" for "thou shalt call," or "he shall be called." *Emmanuel.* It is proper to Christ, as is Jesus, because he abides always with those whom he saves, by helping them. For three causes he supports from the Old Testament the things which he sets down in the Gospel: for testification, that he may have testimony from the law and the prophets: for the confirmation of faith, because we believe more easily when we see fulfilled the things which were foretold: for the joining of the New and the Old Testament.

²⁴And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.

²⁵And he knew her not, till she brought forth her first born son: and he called his name Jesus.

Matthew 1

Before the first verse