“And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,”
They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet. The answer comes with the authority of scripture — for so it is written — and the religious experts cite the appropriate text. The accuracy of their scripture knowledge is not in question; what is in question is whether knowledge leads to response. The priests and scribes are in Jerusalem with the Messiah's birthplace on their lips while the pagan Magi are en route to worship him. Romans 2:17–24 will address a similar failure: the one who has the law but does not obey it dishonors the God of the law. Having the word of God and acting on the word of God are different postures that produce different outcomes.
Church Fathers on Matthew 2:5
As the Magi seek a Redeemer, so Herod fears a successor.
'The King,' he is called, though in comparison with him whom they are seeking he is an alien and a foreigner.
Herod 'was troubled' when he heard that a King was born of Jewish lineage, lest, himself being an Idumaean, the kingdom should return again to native princes, and himself be expelled, and his seed after him.
Read all 24 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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