Matthew 1:1
Matthew names Abraham because Abraham was the first type of the two peoples who would believe in Christ. He believed while still uncircumcised, and after circumcision he remained faithful.
Matthew names David especially because David too was a type of Christ. When Saul was cast out as rejected, David was appointed second as a king well-pleasing to God. In the same way, when the first human — Adam — was cast out through disobedience and no longer ruled the rest, a second Adam was brought in: Christ, king of all, so that what was lost in Adam might be recovered for humankind through Christ. He is king not only of earth but of heaven. He is called Son of Man by nature because he has all that Adam had, while now being God.
Abraham believed God while uncircumcised; then, after receiving the promises and being circumcised, he kept the faith unharmed. So the verse rightly rises to another contemplation: the church of Christ from circumcision and from the nations. Abraham was a type of those two peoples who have believed in Christ.
There uncircumcision came before circumcision. Uncircumcision is nature’s work; circumcision is command and law. That is why the former led, and afterward circumcision turns back into it — because nature together with law is better than the two standing apart.
David too was a type of Christ. When Saul was cast out, David was brought in instead. So also, when Adam was driven from Eden through disobedience, the second Adam was brought in instead, that he might restore the first Adam to the ancient order (Matthew 1:1).
Greek
Μέμνηται τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, ἐπει δὴ ἐκεῖνος πρῶτος ἐγένετο τύπος τῶν δύο λαῶν τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν τῷ Χριστῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ ὢν ἐπίστευσε καὶ μετὰ τὸ περιτμηθῆναι ἔμεινεν πάλιν πιστός. μέμνηται δὲ κατ' ἐξαίρετον καὶ τοῦ ∆αβίδ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς τύπος γέγονεν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐκβληθέντος ὡς ἀδοκίμου ∆αβὶδ δεύτερος προ εχειρίσθη βασιλεὺς εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ, οὕτως καὶ τοῦ πρώτου ἀν θρώπου, τοῦ Ἀδάμ φημι, ἐκβλη θέντος διὰ τὴν παρακοὴν καὶ μηκέτι βασιλεύσαντος τῶν λοιπῶν ὅλως εἰσηνέχθη δεύτερος Ἀδάμ, ὁ Χρι στὸς βασιλεὺς τῶν πάντων, ἵνα τὸ ἐν Ἀδὰμ ἀπολωλὸς διὰ Χριστοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπαναληφθῇ, βασι λεὺς οὐ μόνον γῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐρα νοῦ· υἱὸς δὲ ἀνθρώπου φύσει κα λεῖται ὡς πάντα ἔχων, ὅσα εἶχεν ὁ Ἀδάμ, νυνὶ θεὸς ὤν. Ἀβραὰμ ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ ὢν ἐπίστευσε τῷ θεῷ· εἶτα δεξάμενος τὰς ὑποσχέσεις καὶ περιτμηθεὶς ἀλώβητον τὴν πίστιν διετήρησεν. εἰκότως τοίνυν ἀναχθήσεται τὸ ῥητὸν εἰς ἕτερόν τι θεώρημα περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίας τῆς τε ἐκ περιτομῆς καὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν· τύπος γὰρ ἦν, ὡς εἰκός, τῶν δύω λαῶν τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκό των. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν προτέρα ἡ ἀκρο βυστία τῆς περιτομῆς· φύσεως γὰρ ἔργον ἡ ἀκροβυστία, ἐντολῆς δὲ καὶ νόμου ἡ περιτομή. διὰ τοῦτο ἐκείνη ταύτης προηγήσατο καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς αὐτὴν ἡ περιτομὴ ἀνακάμπτει, ἐπεὶ καὶ βέλτιόν ἐστι φύσις ἅμα καὶ νόμος ἢ τὸ διεστηκέναι ἀπ' ἀλλήλων χωρίς. ἀλλὰ καὶ ∆αβὶδ τύπος ἦν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· τοῦ γὰρ Σαοὺλ ἐκ βληθέντος ἀντεισήχθη ∆αβίδ. οὕ τως καὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ διὰ τὴν παρα κοὴν τῆς Ἐδὲμ διωχθέντος ὁ δεύ τερος ἀντεισήχθη Ἀδὰμ ὡς ἂν πρὸς τὴν ἀρχαίαν τάξιν τὸν Ἀδὰμ τὸν πρῶτον ἀποκαταστήσῃ.
About this text
Catena fragments on Matthew (CPG 5206). Contents follow Matthew chapter and verse. Edition fragment numbers stay in About this text and under each passage.
English follows the named copy-text (Aegean/khazarzar Migne PG 72 extract). Other prints were checked as noted; no silent merge of recensions.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Migne PG 72 Commentarii in Matthaeum (Aegean Digital Patrologia / khazarzar) (Greek · CPG 5206 catena fragments (290 parsed heads))
- Checked print matia.gr mirror of same Aegean extract (Greek · Byte-identical PDF; integrity check only)
- Checked print Internet Archive PG 72 volume OCR (bim … 1859_72) (Greek (OCR damaged) · Locus confirmation only; not used as reading text)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.