Forefather
Righteous Perez the Forefather
ветхозаветная эпоха, ок. XVIII-XVII вв. до Р.Х.
Also known as: Фарес
Perez the Forefather — son of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38:27-30), twin brother of Zerah, a direct ancestor of King David and, according to the genealogies of the Evangelists Matthew (Matt 1:3) and Luke (Luke 3:33), an ancestor of Jesus Christ according to the flesh; venerated collectively on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, with no individual feast day.
Perez was one of the twins born to Tamar by her father-in-law Judah, son of the patriarch Jacob (Genesis 38:27-30) — at the birth, according to the biblical narrative, a dispute over primogeniture arose between the twins Perez and Zerah, resolved by the unexpected order in which they emerged. Through Perez runs the direct genealogical line leading to King David (Ruth 4:18-22) and further — according to the genealogies in the Gospels of Matthew (Matt 1:3) and Luke (Luke 3:33) — to the Lord Jesus Christ. As one of the Old Testament forefathers included in the Savior's genealogy, Perez has no individually established feast day in the Orthodox calendar; he is venerated collectively, together with the other forefathers and foremothers, on the movable Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, kept two Sundays before the Nativity of Christ.