Matthew 1:18 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Matthew 1:18 |
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← 1:17
1:19 →
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A medieval depiction of the betrothal of Mary and Joseph from the Nuremberg Chronicle
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| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 1:18 is the eighteenth verse of the first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the description of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.
Text
The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads:
- του δε [ιησου] χριστου η γενεσις ουτως
- ην μνηστευθεισης της μητρος αυτου μαριας
- τω ιωσηφ πριν η συνελθειν αυτους ευρεθη
- εν γαστρι εχουσα εκ πνευματος αγιου
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- Now the birth of Jesus Christ was
- on this wise: When as his mother
- Mary was espoused to Joseph, before
- they came together, she was found
- with child of the Holy Ghost.
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
- Now the birth of Jesus Christ was
- like this; for after his mother,
- Mary, was engaged to Joseph,
- before they came together, she was
- found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 1:18
Chi Rho monogram
In Insular Gospel Books (that is those books produced in monasteries Ireland, England and Scotland or on the continent in monasteries founded by Irish missionaries) this verse has an importance not seen in other medieval Gospel Books. In the Vulgate (which was used in these books), the verse reads:
- Christi autem generatio sic erat cum esset desponsata mater eius Maria Ioseph antequam convenirent inventa est in utero habens de Spiritu Sancto
In medieval writing the word Christ was often abbreviated using the Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P). The word Christi (of Christ) was then written XPi. The verses Matthew 1:1 through Matthew 1:17 give the genealogy of Christ, with the actual narrative of Christ's birth starting at Matthew 1:18. Insular scribes treated Matthew 1:1-17 as an almost separate work from the rest of Matthew. Insular scribes also started a tradition of giving the opening few words of each of the Gospels an elaborate decorative treatment (see this example from the Lindisfarne Gospels). Accordingly, the Insular scribes gave the opening Chi Rho monogram an increasingly elaborate decoration. This trend culminated in the Book of Kells (pictured), where the monogram has taken over the entire page. Although later scribes (such as those of the Carolingian Renaissance) followed the Insular tradition of giving elaborate decorative treatments to the opening words of texts, including the Gospels, they did not follow the tradition of decoration this verse. The presence of a decorated Chi Rho monogram within a manuscript can then be seen as indicative of Insular influence.
