known to youths and virgins than to old and married people or to
widows, such as Simeon and Anna.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (John 13:18): "I know whom I have
chosen." But what is done by God's wisdom is done becomingly.
Therefore those to whom Christ's birth was made known were suitably
chosen.

_I answer that,_ Salvation, which was to be accomplished by Christ,
concerns all sorts and conditions of men: because, as it is written
(Col. 3:11), in Christ "there is neither male nor female, [*These
words are in reality from Gal. 3:28] neither Gentile nor Jew . . .
bond nor free," and so forth. And in order that this might be
foreshadowed in Christ's birth, He was made known to men of all
conditions. Because, as Augustine says in a sermon on the Epiphany
(32 de Temp.), "the shepherds were Israelites, the Magi were
Gentiles. The former were nigh to Him, the latter far from Him. Both
hastened to Him together as to the cornerstone." There was also
another point of contrast: for the Magi were wise and powerful; the
shepherds simple and lowly. He was also made known to the righteous
as Simeon and Anna; and to sinners, as the Magi. He was made known
both to men, and to women--namely, to Anna--so as to show no
condition of men to be excluded from Christ's redemption.

Reply Obj. 1: That manifestation of Christ's birth was a kind of
foretaste of the full manifestation which was to come. And as in the
later manifestation the first announcement of the grace of Christ was
made by Him and His Apostles to the Jews and afterwards to the
Gentiles, so the first to come to Christ were the shepherds, who were
the first-fruits of the Jews, as being near to Him; and afterwards
came the Magi from afar, who were "the first-fruits of the Gentiles,"
as Augustine says (Serm. 30 de Temp. cc.).

Reply Obj. 2: As Augustine says in a sermon on the Epiphany (Serm. 30
de Temp.): "As unskilfulness predominates in the rustic manners of
the shepherd, so ungodliness abounds in the profane rites of the
Magi. Yet did this Corner-Stone draw both to Itself; inasmuch as He
came 'to choose the foolish things that He might confound the wise,'
and 'not to call the just, but sinners,'" so that "the proud might
not boast, nor the weak despair." Nevertheless, there are those who
say that these Magi were not wizards, but wise astronomers, who are
called Magi among the Persians or Chaldees.

Reply Obj. 3: As Chrysostom says [*Hom. ii in Matth. in the Opus
Im