Against Heresies: Book III
Chapter 9: The One True God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, as Prophesied by the Prophets and Stated in the Gospel, Supported by Evidence from the Gospel of St. Matthew
This, therefore, having been clearly demonstrated here (and it shall even be more clearly shown), that neither the prophets, nor the apostles, nor the Lord Christ Himself, acknowledged any other Lord or God but the supreme God and Lord: the prophets and apostles confessed the Father and the Son, but named no other as God, and confessed no other as Lord. The Lord Himself taught His disciples that He, the Father, is the only God and Lord, who alone is God and ruler of all; it is necessary for us to follow, if we truly are their disciples, their testimonies to this effect.
For Matthew the apostle—knowing, as one and the same God, Him who promised Abraham that He would make his descendants like the stars of heaven, and Him who, through His Son Christ Jesus, has called us to know Him, from the worship of stones, so that those who were not a people became a people, and she who was not loved became beloved—states that John, when preparing the way for Christ, said to those who were boasting of their relationship [to Abraham] according to the flesh, but who had their minds filled with all kinds of evil, preaching repentance that would lead them away from their evil actions, said, "O generation of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit befitting repentance.
And do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able to raise children for Abraham from these stones." He preached to them repentance from wickedness, but he did not proclaim to them another God, besides Him who made the promise to Abraham; he, the forerunner of Christ, of whom Matthew again says, and Luke also, "For this is he that was spoken of by the Lord through the prophet: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" There is therefore one and the same God, the Father of our Lord, who also promised, through the prophets, that He would send His forerunner; and His salvation—that is, His Word—He made visible to all flesh, the Word Himself becoming incarnate, so that in all things their King might become evident.
For it is necessary that those who are judged see the judge, and know Him from whom they receive judgment; and it is also proper that those who press on to glory should know Him who bestows upon them the gift of glory.
2. Then again, Matthew, when speaking of the angel, says, "The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream." He himself explains which Lord: "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt have I called my son.'" "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel; which means, God with us." David also speaks of Him who, from the virgin, is Emmanuel: "Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.
The Lord has sworn a truth to David and will not turn from him. Of the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne." And again: "In Judea, God is known; His place has been made in peace, and His dwelling in Zion." Therefore, there is one and the same God, who was proclaimed by the prophets and announced by the Gospel; and His Son, who was from the lineage of David’s body, that is, from the virgin of David's house, and Emmanuel; whose star Balaam also prophesied about: "There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a leader shall rise in Israel." But Matthew says that the Magi, coming from the east, exclaimed, "For we have seen His star in the east, and have come to worship Him;" and that, having been led by the star to the house of Jacob to Emmanuel, they showed, by these gifts they offered, who it was that was worshipped: myrrh, because it was He who would die and be buried for the mortal human race; gold, because He was a King, "of whose kingdom there is no end;" and frankincense, because He was God, who also "was made known in Judea," and was "declared to those who did not seek Him."
3. Regarding His baptism, Matthew states, “The heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God, like a dove, descending upon Him: and behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” At that time, Christ did not come down upon Jesus, nor were Christ and Jesus two different beings: rather, the Word of God—the Savior of all, and the ruler of heaven and earth—is Jesus, as I have already explained.
He took on flesh, was anointed by the Spirit from the Father, and became Jesus Christ, as Isaiah also says, “A rod will come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower will rise from his root; and the Spirit of God will rest upon Him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety, and the spirit of the fear of God will fill Him. He shall not judge by appearance, nor reprove by mere words; but He will dispense judgment to the humble, and reprove the arrogant of the earth.” Again, Isaiah, prophesying His anointing and the reason for it, says, “The Spirit of God is upon Me, because He has anointed Me: He has sent Me to preach the Gospel to the lowly, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives, and sight to the blind; to announce the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance; to comfort all who mourn.” Since the Word of God was man from the root of Jesse, and a son of Abraham, the Spirit of God rested upon Him, anointing Him to preach the Gospel to the lowly.
But as He was God, He did not judge by appearances, nor reprove with mere words. For “He needed no one to testify about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” He called all who mourn, and by granting forgiveness to those captivated by their sins, He freed them from their chains, of whom Solomon says, “Everyone is held by the cords of his own sins.” Therefore, the Spirit of God descended upon Him, the Spirit promised by the prophets who said He would anoint Him, so that we, receiving from the abundance of His anointing, might be saved.
This, then, is the testimony of Matthew.