A defence of the holy Genealogies: whose ignorance hath greatly hurt the Iewes, and hindered Christianitie.
I Haue thought good for the Readers benefite, to adde vnto your paynes in the Genealogies of Scripture, some instruction for the vse of them. AndGods autority. first, I hope all godly wyll graunt, that none which are conteyned therein may be supposed foolysh or vnprofitable, seeing that the gratious spirite of wysedome is autour of them. For all that are in the oldeThe Iewes reuerence. Testament, the Iewes acknowledge the wysedome of God so farre, that yf any shoulde say Man wrought them of humane wysedome, they condemne him as Godles. And that no lesse this hath Gods authoritie. The sonnes of Cham wereGen. 10. 6. Deut. 6. 5. Cush, and Mizraim: then these wordes: Heare Israel, Iehouah our God, Iehouah is one. And Christians must thinke no lesse of such as be in the new Testament. Vses of them be many:Clearenes and safety of Religion cannot stande without knowledge in Genealogies. and this a principall, that without dexteritie herein we may soone be brought to deny our Sauiour, by mistaking his family. VVhat harme hath Lyra wrought▪ who woulde not haue Nathan sonne to Dauid, but to Vriah? So our Lorde should come, not of Sem and Dauid, but▪ of Cham. Yet herein he hath been folowed in our notes: whereof some be reuoked, & some yet abide vnchanged. Our countrey man Lyra, corrupted by study of malitious Rabbines, and kindlyng sparkes of saythles Iewes, which looke for a pompous kingdome of Salomons family, and hold it a denial of God, to deny [Page] that to Salomons family, coulde not conceiue that Christe should come of Dauid by an obscure lyne, whereof neuer anyChristes kingdome holden pompous thorow ignorance of Dauids kingdome. Philem. 1. 10. 1. king. 20. 34. ruled but Zorobabel, and he no longer then to buylde the Temple. This Lyra long deceaued vs therein: as lykewyse touching Iechonias, in what sense he shoulde beget Salathiel: whether as Paul begate Onesimus, a successour in his kinde for so much: and as Baasa had Achab his sonne, as the common phrase of kinges goeth, and likewyse as Iechonias begate his vncle Zedekias: or in the naturall sort. Lyra thought him a1. Chro. 3. 15. naturall father, fearing that article of the Iewes which is extant in the Talmud San. from Ramban, article 12. whiche standeth in these tearmes. There is no king but of Dauids house, and of Salomons family: and who so maketh a schisme touching that family, denyeth God, euen the blessed God, and the wordes of his Prophetes. If this shoulde be graunted them, our Religion were false, who stay vpon S. Luke, that bringeth our Lorde from Nathans lyne. Moreouer the othe of God touching Iechonias, that though he were a signet vpon Gods hand, heIere. 22. 24. Hagg. 2. 24. should be pluckt thence & cast off: if Zorobabel made againe Gods signet came of him, that oth of God should be falsified: which thing to thinke of, is most horrible For God neuer altered any thing pronounced by an oth. Herin the Iewes dally extreamely, despising S. Lukes direction: who would haue taught them that Salathiel came of Neri, and he of Melchi: whose very Neri, the lyght is mine. Melchi: the King in mine. bare names shewe, that a new family looked for the kingdome to come to it, no lesse then Zachari bringeth Zorobabel to Nathan, naming his family as chiefe vnder Dauid. Also as the Prophet was called Nathan, who told Dauid fromZecha. 12. 12. God, of Christ to arise of his loynes: So Dauid gaue no small warning in naming the chylde Nathan, which was next brother2. Sam. 7. to Salomon, that of him Christe shoulde be. The Iewes frowardnes herein is deadly, and causeth their millions to withdraw them selues from Christianitie: of which sinne we are also gylty, who thrust them forwarde, grauntyng theyr doctrine therein true, touching Iechonias and Salathiel: and in Achizia ending the house of Salomon. Here obserue from Iohn Lucidus how in Papistry, they had smal care of the trueth [Page] in this poynt: and agaynst it take the true Genealogy: now that the Reader may haue benefite of his wordes, which in some poyntes are good, I haue expressed them as they lye.
The wordes of Iohn Ludidus.
Dauid the king begate both Nathan and Salomon by his wyfe Bersabe Luke foloweth the line of Nathan: and Matthew the line of Salomon.
- Nathan. 2. Sam. 5. 14. & 1. Chro. 3
- Mathat, who was called also Ahisar. 1. king. 4. 6.
- out of Luke, and out of Philo.
- Mainan.
- Melea.
- Eliacim.
- Ionan.
- Ioseph.
- Iuda.
- Symeon, who was called also Ioas and Eliah. 2 king. 11.
- Leui, who was called also Amasias. 2. king. 14.
- Mathat, who was called also Azarias & Ozias. 2. king. 15.
- Salomon. 1. king. 1. & 1. Chro. 3.
- Roboam. 1. king. 12.
- Abiam. 1. king. 15.
- Asa. 1. king. 15.
- Iosaphat. 1. king. 15.
- Ioram. 2 king. 8.
- Ochozias, who was also called Ioachaz. 2. Chro. 22. Not so, but in Iechonias. Marke in the forged double names, how many of Solomons house are faigned to be of Nathan: and what wysdome coulde be in S. Luke, yf in so weightya cause he would name famous kinges by obscure names.In this man the line of Salomō ended: therefore both Matthew and Luke digresseth to the line of Nathā, leauing out three kings. Ochozias, Io [...]s, & Amasias. Hence Iohn Lucidus floweth with errours, as you may see.
- out of Luke, and out of Philo, and Matthew.
- Iorim, who was called Iotham. 2. king 15.
- Eliezar, who was called Achas. 2. king. 16.
- Iose, who was called Ezechias. 2. king. 18.
- Er, who was called Manasseh. 2 king. 21.
- Elmodam, who was called Amon. 2. kin. 21.
- Cosam, who was called Iosiah. 2. king 22.
- Iahoahaz was brother to Iehoiakim: as in 2. Chro. 36. 4. But in S. Luk Addi is father to Melchi.Addi, who was called Iehoahaz. 2. king. 23
- Melchi, who was called Iehoiakim, or Eliachim. 2. king. 23.
- Neri, who was also caled Iehoiachim, Ieconiah, & Eliah. 2. kin. 24
- [Page]Salathiel, who was also called Meshezabeel. 1. Chro. 3. & Nehe. 3. Zorobabel, who was also called Borachias, begate Rhesa and Abiud, brethren: who were called Meshullam & Ananias. 1. Chro. 3. and Nehe. 3.
- Rhesa, who was also calledWhat graceles disgracing of trueth is this to affyrme so many togeather to be knowen by other names.Meshullam. 1. Chro. 3.
- out of Luke and Philo
- Ioanna ben Rhesa.
- Iuda surnamed Hircanus.
- Ioseph, or Iosephus.
- Semei, called also Abnci.
- Mathathias called also Eliah.
- Maath, called also Asar.
- Nage or Nagit, called Artaxat
- Esh, called also Agai.
- Naum, called also Masloth.
- Amos, called also Sciroch.
- Mathathias, called also Siloa.
- Ioseph, or Iosephus the younger, called also Arses.
- Ianna or Ianueus, called also Hircanus the seconde.
- out of Luke, and out of bookes of Syrians.
- Me [...]chi.
- Leui.
- Matthat.
- Eli, who was called also Ioachin, the father of Mary.
- Abiud, who was called also Ananias. 1. Chro. 3.
- out of the Euangelist Matthew.
- Eliacim.
- Azor.
- Sadoc.
- Achim.
- Eliud.
- Eleazar.
- Matthan.
- Iacob.
- Ioseph the husbande of Mary, of whom was borne Christ.
Luke therefore prosecuteth all the generations which proceede naturally, directly according to the lyne of Nathan. And beganne at the Father of Mary the virgen, who is called Eli, or Ioachin: because he was named with a double name. For Rabbi Haccanes the Hebrew, in his answere to the thyrde request of Antonius a Consul of Rome affyrmeth: That be receiued by reuelation from Elias, that the Parent of the [Page] mother of the Messias had a double name: the one Eli, the other Ioachin.Arediculous and vaynefable. And afterwarde Rabbi Haccanas sayth. There was a certayne Mayde in Bethleem of Iuda, whose name was Mary, the daughter of Ioachin Eli, of the kinred of Zorobabel the sonne of Salathiel, of the tribe of Iudah. Thus much he sayth. Mary therefore was the naturall daughter of Eli or Ioachin: But Ioseph the husbande of Mary was the sonne in law of the same Ioachin, and by consequent was his lawfull sonne by affinity. For as Mary was in the first degree of consanguinity to her father: so was Ioseph in the first degree of affinity to his father in law, seeing there was true matrimony betweene Ioseph and Mary. Therefore S. Luke sayth, That Christe was thought to be the sonne of Ioseph, which was the sonne of Eli. That is to say, his sonne in law, and in the place of Mary he putteth her husband, according to the custome of the Scriptures. But S. Matthew describeth first the generations according to the lyne of Salomon the king, vntyll there was none left of his race: the which kynred faylyng, he is afterwarde compelled to digresse into the lyne of Nathan: because of hym were borne the successours of the kingdome, as we said before in the 9. chapiter of our seconde Booke. And S. Mathew agreeth with S. Luke vnto Zorobabel. But because Zorobabel,Not in one worde, sauyng in Salathiel, but both handle seueral men, and all from Dauid. who was also called Barachias, the sonne of Salathiel, begate two sonnes, that is to say, Rhesa who was called Meshullam, and Abiud who was called Ananias. Therefore S. Luke prosecuteth the lyne of Nathan by his sonne Rhesa, vnto the father of Mary the virgen: and S. Matthew prosecuteth the same lyne by his sonne Abiud vnto the father of Ioseph the husbande of Mary. Therefore both of them were borne of the seede of Dauid by the lyne of Nathan: but Mary is borne by the one branch, that is to say, by Rhesa and Ioseph by the other branch: that is to say, by Abiud. Philo the An Vtopian Hebrew. Hebrew sheweth vs these thynges: and Iohn Annius in his Commentaries vpon the abbreuiaries of the same Philo declareth them plentifully. Petrus Galatinus also describeth this Genealogie in his seuenth Booke and twelfe chapter agaynst the Hebrewes. But in this he erreth, That he agaynst the [Page] trueth, thought that there were two Salathiels, and two Zorobabels: the which he prooueth not. But he may easely be confuted by this: in that the lyne of Salomon ended in theNot so butin the 18. generation. seuenth generation: and in his Genealogie there is no Salathiel nor Zorobabel found. Neyther could Ioseph descend from Salomon, because his race was cut off many yeeres before. But he sprang from the lyne of Nathan by the same Abiud, as Mary sprang from the same lyne of Nathan by Rhesa, as we haue sayd. Salathiel therefore, which is called the sonne of IeconiasSalathiel is in deede one and the same in both Euā gel [...]stes, but Iechonias & Neri are seuerall men: the one of Salomon, the other of Nathan and in what sence Iechonias dying childlesse, is sayde to beget Salathiel. That Lucidus marked not. by S Matthew, is the same Salathiel which is called the sonne of Neri by S. Luke, because Ieconias, Neri, and Ioachin Eli, are the same men, as Philo witnesseth. For Ieconias who is also surnamed Neri, begate Salathiel in Captiuity, of whom Zorobabel was borne: who was the Captayne of the people after theyr delyuery, that is, after the 70. yeeres desolation of the Temple. VVhen S. Matthew therefore sayth, And after the carying away into Babylon, Ieconias begate Salathiel. It is not to be vnderstoode, that he begate hym after the Captiuity, but after the carying away in the time of the Captiuity. For Galatinus vrgeth by argument, saying. That there were more generations according to S. Luke, and fewer according to S. Matthew: because descending from Rhesa they begate sooner: And those that were begotten of Abiud, progenerated more slowly: therefore they were more, and these the fewer in number. Augustine in his 16. Booke of the Citie of God and 11. chapter setteth downe this reason touching other generations, saying. Thus, not because Heber was the The. 70. were not vnderstood by S. Augustine touching Canian, put in more then the Hebrew had. sixt from Noah, and Nimrod the fourth: therefore they coulde not liue at the same tyme. For this falleth out, that seeing they lyue longer, where there are fewer generations: and lesse tyme, where there be more descentes: that eyther they were borne later where there were fewer, or sooner where there were more. If Peter Galatinus had fully read the whole obseruation of Philo, and the Comentarie of Ioannes Annius vpon the same, without question he woulde not haue fallen into this errour: But Galatinus declareth the rest aright, which pertayne to this Genealogie. There is therefore no disagreement founde betweene S. Matthew and S. Luke, but eyther [Page] of them hath described aright the true Genealogie of CHRIST. Thus farre speaketh Iohn Lucidus, extreamely deceyued by a forged Philo▪ whom with a like Berosus, and Metasthenes all faygned in Italy of late dayes. M. Ioseph ScaligerDe emendat temporum. damneth, not more vehemently then iustly, and sharpely reproueth them, who in their great lyght of learning that now shyneth in the worlde, stayne their labours, otherwyse good, with such autours. Thus sycke Romistes and others are: but Iewes monstrously.
I will shew a cure for both: But first marke the Iewes sicknes in Gemara. They say in Tal. Saned. Pa. 37. b. That captiuitie was an expiation for all sinnes. And proue that by Iechonias, whose sonne Salathiel is called, after that God bade all the earth to write him chyldles. But Zedekias Who is called a brother. 2. Chro. 36. 10 but in ryght was an vncle. 2. king, 24. 17. & 1. Chro. 3. 15. Iere. 24. 8. case and Zachari might haue taught them to vnderstande sonnage in an other sense. And seeing S. Luke preuented their errour: they should not bring an instance from the matter in controuersie. Moreouer, it is manifest that captiuitie purgeth not sinne, by them who with Zedekias were captiued, who were as bad Figges. Therefore they are grosely deceyued. Rambam in his treatise of repentance shewing how it maketh men farre from God, to be neare him, bringeth Iechonias for an example: who (sayth he) was a signet to be pluckt off: and in Zorobabel is a signet agayne. This Rabbine called of Iewes a great Eagle, is blynde of the two eyes, because he taketh it as graunted, that Iechonias naturally begat Salathiel. For Sedar Olam zuta warned him of this poynt, that it was in deede the Rabbines report, as hauing no further authoritie. Also in that touchyng repentance, he is doubly deceyued: For if Iechonias repentance had been so singuler, he had not been kept so long in Prison 37.Iere. 52. 31. yeeres, all Nabuchadnezers lyfe tyme. In that age God vsually gaue open blessinges in kinges affayres. Moreouer euen MosesDeut. 3. 25. repentance and prayer to enter Canaan, could not preuayle against the oth of God. So yf he had been Iob, Noah, or Daniel,Ezek. 14. 14. he could but saue his soule, the decreed punishment he could not auoyde. The blyndnes of the late Iewes may herein appeare. [Page] Aben Ezra must also be dealt with, who vpon the Cant. sayth, that Christ is called Salomon, because he commeth of him. Can the most holy, whose workes were knowne of eternity, come of families most vngratious, as of Ioram who kilde his owne brethren, of Achazias Achabs lynage, of Ioas that kilde Zachary, of Amazia that worshypped Edom Gods, of Achaz worse then he, of Ioakim whom Rambam reckoneth amongst them that sinned agaynst the holy Ghost? A kingdome of iustice woulde not be deriued from such a race. This myght mooue them to rest in plaine Scripture, to ende Salomons race in Iechonias. And herein also I haue aunswered our forged Philo, who woulde ende Salomons house in Ochosias. But to that I wyll adde this much: that God preuented it by sixe2. king. 11. 2. 2. king. 13. 1. 2. king. 14. 13. 1. Chro. 3. 11. 2. Chro. 22. 11 2. Chro. 23. 3. Scripture, wherein Ioas is tearmed sonne to Achazia. Besides no natiue Iewe euer dreamed of suche a quirke, as to ende Salomons house so obscurely. Moreouer▪ Ioas age, and the place of his bringing vp, and the Gentlwoman that saued him, all playnely argue his kinred. Ouer and besides, it passed the wit of Athaliah to finde out all Nathans house so far.God in the old Testament recordeth not destructions of families, but vpon impiety. Neither doth God recorde families to be destroyde, but vpon mention of impiety: for whiche none of Nathans house is any where blamed. VVherefore this fayned Philo so grosly deceyuing vs, might make vs better regarde skill in principall families: where vnskilfulnes hath heen the ruine of Christianitie.
An other great errour in the deriuing of the kingdome from Zorobabels house is lyke vnto this, For by Abiud vnto Ioseph it should be brought: which Line principally is called The Sainctes of the most high (Trinitie) Dan. 7. from whom the foure beastes take the kingdome, though they shall possesse the kingdome eternall. Some forged Rhesabs house to rule: and many folow that: as though Mary could haue been heyre to a kingdome in Iudah. And yf she might, why would S. Mathew omit her Lyne in shewing the right of the kingdome, and come to Iosephs house: whose right must needes belong to Christ his sonne by law and mans estimation.