The Necessity Of Revelation

Haec eo cogitante, apparuit ei angelus in somnis, dicens... Quoniam ergo auditio verborum Mariae, et consideratio vitae ejus, mala suspicari de ea non sinebat Joseph: considerato autem conceptionis ejus non permittebat eum ad plenum bona aestimare de ea, et sic animus ejus inter utrasque partes fluctubat, et tenere eam timebat, et tradere eam non audebat: propter hoc necessaria fuit ei revelatio illa divina. Si enim ipsa Maria, quae angelum viderat, et audierat sibi loquentem tam de sua conceptione, quam de Elizabeth, ascendit in montana, ut videret Elizabeth, et ipso confirmaretur aspectu: quanto magis Jospeh post verba conceptionis Mariae, post considerationem vitae ejus, adhuc nutabundus necessariam habuit revelationem divinam? Propter tres ergo causas apparuit ei. Primum ne justus homo ignorans faceret rem injustam ex propositio justo; deinde propter honorem matris ipsius. Nam si dimissa fuisset, etsi non apud fideles, tamen apud infideles turpi suspicione carere non poterat. Tertio, ut intelligens Joseph sanctam conceptionem diligentius se in futurum custodiret illa, quam prius. Prius enim servavit se propter disciplinam justitiae, postea autem et propter timorem partus hujusmodi. Quare non ante conceptionem virginis venit ad Joseph? Ut ne cogitaret quae cogitavit, ne pateretur quae passus est Zacharias, qui culpa infidelitatis incurrit de conceptione conjugis jam longaevae. Incredibilior enim erat res virginem posse concipere, quam anum. Si ille sacerdos constitutus rem faciliore fore non credidit, quanto magis iste popularis rem difficiliorem fieri non credidisset? Si ipsa Maria, angelo sibi dicente de conceptione sua, pene non credebat propter virginitatem suam, dicens: Quomodo fiet hoc, quoniam virum non cognosco, quomodo Jospeph fuertat crediturus referenti de altero quod sine viro conciperet? Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia I Source: Migne PG 56.639

While he was considering this, an angel appeared to him in a dream, saying... 1 Because therefore the report of the words of Mary and the consideration of her life, did not allow Joseph to suspect wickedness of her, and yet regarding her pregnancy it was not permitted him to judge the true fullness of the good of it, and so his soul wavered between two sides, for he feared to keep her, and he did not dare send her away, on account of this it was necessary that he should receive a Divine revelation. For if Mary who saw the angel and heard him speaking so much about her child bearing and Elizabeth's, then went into the hilly country to see Elizabeth and had it confirmed in her sight, 2 how much more after the report of the pregnancy of Mary and after the consideration of her life, did Joseph, because of his uncertainty, have need of Divine revelation? Therefore on account of three causes the angel appeared to him. Firstly lest a just man do something unjust in ignorance because of an honest decision. Secondly for the sake of the honour of His mother, for if she was sent away, she would not have been spared the suspicion of the wretched faithless, if not of the faithful. Thirdly so that when Joseph understood the holy conception he would guard her more lovingly in the future than he did before. For before he protected her according to the rule of righteousness but afterwards would do so because of reverence due to her bearing. Why did the Virgin not come to Joseph before the pregnancy? Lest he think what Zachariah thought and suffer what happened to him who fell into the fault of disbelief concerning the conceiving of his wife who was advanced in years. 3 For it is more unbelievable that a virgin can conceive than an old woman. If that man who was a priest was so easily moved to disbelief, how much more would Joseph have disbelieved in a thing more difficult to credit among people? If Mary, to whom an angel spoke about her conceiving, was not able to fully believe because of her virginity, saying, 'How could this be, when I have not known a man?' 4 how would Joseph have believed that she had conceived without a man? Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 1 1 Mt 2.3 2 Lk 2.14