Jesus Nazaraeus, sive explicatio loci in sancto D.N. Jesu Christi Evangelio secundum Matthaeum cap. 2. v. 23. Nazaraeus vocabitur

JESUS NAZARENE

the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brothers. The latter, however, stands in Deuteronomy, chapter 33, verse 16: "May the good pleasure of the dweller in the bush come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brothers," says Moses, shortly before his death, blessing the house of Joseph, or both tribes of his sons.

And indeed it fits well that it is written by the Evangelist that it was said through the Prophets that he would be called a Nazarene, because that is found not only in one place of the Old Testament, but also in the book of Judges, and twice in Moses. The book of Judges was indeed composed by several Prophets, for no single Prophet could have extended his life for three hundred years, and that book covers the memory of almost as many years. Yet the deeds of Samson, which are described in four chapters, were committed to writing by only one Prophet. Whence it appears that Matthew is not speaking of that one book of Judges when he says "it was said through the Prophets," especially if we weigh his custom of citing such testimonies in the book of the Gospel. For he never cites the Prophets in the plural number elsewhere. That Mark does the same at the beginning of his Gospel is for an obvious reason, since he brings forth the words of Malachi and then Isaiah in the same series of discourse and joined together. But Stephen, in Acts chapter 7, says that it was written in the book of the Prophets, yet draws out the sentence of Amos alone, because (as is thought and is likely) the books of the 12 Prophets, as they are called, were held in one volume,