BAR-PANTHER, or the Son of Panther. S. John Damascenus says, that Levi, who was descended from David, by his Son Nathan, had two Sons, Melchi and Panther. Panther begat Bar-Panther, and from Bar-Panther1 came Joachim the Virgin’s Father. The Jews in the scandalous lives which they have published of our Saviour, give it out that he was begotten in the act of Adultery, committed between Panther and his Mother Mary. The name of Panther is to be met with in Origen2, and the Talmud3, which shews the antiquity of those calumnies and fables, which the Jews invented concerning Jesus Christ. As to the genealogical System of Johannes Damascenus, it is not to be maintained, it being directly contrary to the Gospel, which, between Levi and the Holy Virgin places Eli only, who probably is the same as Joachim.
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Footnotes
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Translators’ note. Whatever we may think of Celsus, Epiphanius is certainly inexcus- able, who assures us, that Joseph was the Son of Jacob sirnamed Panther. Rabanus Maurus speaks of Panther and Bar-Panther. And the learned Grotius makes use of this Tradition in explaining his account of the Virgin Mary’s Genealogy. See Grot. in Luc. c. iii. v. 23. ↩
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Origen. contra Celsum, l.i. p. 25. ↩
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Talmud. Tract. Sanhedrin. ↩