nal 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 Matt