ANSWER OF JONAS KING

ΤΟ Α

PAMPHLET ENTITLED, “THE TWO CLERGYMEN,” BY THE BISHOP OF KARYSTIA, MACARIUS KALLIARCHUS. ATHENS, 1863.

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK BY THE AUTHOR.

JONAS KING TO MACARIUS, BISHOP OF KARYSTIA, GREETING:

To-day, January 10th, (22d,) 1863, in a bookstore, I saw for the first time, a pamphlet, entitled, "The Two Clergymen," by the Bishop of Karystia, Macarius Kalliarchus.

In this pamphlet you mention my name, and two books written by me, the one entitled, "Exposition of an Apostolical Church," and the other,

THE ORIENTAL CHURCH.

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"The Religious Rights of an Apostolical Church," both of which you call blasphemous and very erroneous.

Afterwards, instead of showing in what the error and blasphemy consist, you begin to speak, "Chapter 1st, of the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God."

But what thing blasphemous or erroneous with regard to her, these two books contain, I do not understand. Concerning her, (the mother of Christ,) neither you nor I know any thing more than what is written in the four holy Gospels, and in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, because in all the Epistles of all the Apostles to all the churches, her name is not mentioned even once. And the first five Apostolical fathers in the first age

after Christ say nothing more concerning her than what is found in the Gospel.

From the four Evangelists we learn that she was called Mary, and that of her "was born Jesus, who is called Christ," (Matt. 1: 16,) and that "when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost," and that Joseph "was minded to put her away privily," but that the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying: "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife," and that he did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and "took unto him his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son; and

he called his name Jesus."

(Matt.

1:18-25.)

That Joseph took her as his lawful wife, and that she married him according to the law of the Jews, there exists not the slightest doubt; for the genealogy of Christ is reckoned through Joseph. "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat

Isaac,

and Matthan begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary." (Matt. 1: 1-16.) "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph." (Luke 3: 23-38.)

That the genealogy of Christ should be reckoned through Joseph if she were not lawfully married to him as

his wife, would be a deception and a lie.

And they both brought him into the temple to present him to the Lord, as his parents. "And when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law," etc. (Luke 2: 27.) And this would have been a deception had they not been lawfully married.

"Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year, and his mother

said unto him: Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." (Luke 2: 41-48.)

How could she say this, and the Evangelist call them the parents of Christ, if they were not lawfully married?