David’s oath: eternal king from his body
David also announces that the Christ will be born from his race when he speaks thus: ‘For the sake of David your servant, do not turn away the face of your Christ. The Lord has sworn to David with an oath, and he will not deceive him: I will set upon your throne a fruit of your body, if your sons keep my covenant and the precepts I will teach them; their sons also, forever.’ (Ps 132:10-12; 2 Sam 7:12-16)
But among David’s sons none has had an eternal reign, and of none has the kingdom lasted forever, since all have been destroyed. Christ alone is that king sprung from David’s family. (Lk 1:32-33)
All these witnesses expressly and clearly attest the people and the place where the son of David according to the flesh was to be born; there is therefore no need to seek among the Gentiles or elsewhere the cradle of the Son of God, except in Bethlehem of Judea, in the descent of Abraham and of David. (Mt 1:1)
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About this text
Irenaeus’s short handbook of the apostolic preaching (Epideixis), preserved in Armenian. English here is a densified reading translation for study. Prior English exists (Robinson / Wilson) — this is not an Original English Translation.
English follows the Armenian of Patrologia Orientalis XII.5. Barthoulot’s French was used as a sense-check only. Robinson (1920) and Wilson’s prior English exist and were checked for independence — this page is densified English, not Original English Translation / no-previous-English.
Witnesses
- Copy-text PO XII.5 Epideixis (Armenian, Matenadaran M3710) (Armenian · §§1–10)
- Checked print Barthoulot French (PD) (French · §§1–10)
- Prior English Check Robinson 1920 / Wilson English (English · full work (prior complete English exists))
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.