he had in common and for this reason Elijah was called by the Lord as they propose to him a final mistaken question, asking him again this, which they had also first asked, whether he is the prophet, thinking Christ was something other than the prophet. They, therefore, were in error, separating the prophet from Christ. But the Baptist answered well that he was not the prophet, saying the same thing that he also first answered, stating "I am not the Christ," although he did not clearly teach them that Christ is the same as

and the prophet. 5 Jo 1, 25-27 They speak prohibitively to John, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not these things?” not knowing that not even Christ himself, being the prophet, baptized, but his disciples did. And Elijah in the time of Ahab did not baptize even the wood of the altar that needed washing, but ordered the priests to do this. In response, then, to “Why then do you baptize?” John presents his own baptism as physical, but in response to “if you are not the Christ,” he utters a doxology of the pre-eminent substance of Christ, saying that he is invisible in his divinity, being present to the whole world. And he refutes their lowly opinion about Christ and he unites the "in the beginning" Word with his incarnation, connecting "whom you do not know" with "he who comes after me," and he reveals the superiority of Christ in relation to himself through "I am not worthy," and he would be in the midst of the whole world, which he pervades according to rational natures, or of us, in the midst of whom is the governing principle, where also is the Word in each one. But if "he stands in your midst" is not perceptible, neither is "he who comes after me." And having spoken about the substance of the Word, he also connects the things of his advent, saying that he comes after him.

6 Jo 2, 4 Not quickly does the Lord [proceed] to the public working of signs

proceeds, since he had not yet begun to preach publicly nor yet taken up the role of a teacher in common; for it was necessary for those approaching him as a teacher and pursuing him as a savior to obtain healings, because it is also fitting for the one in need to go to that which fills the need. He says, therefore, that his hour for signs had not yet come, the one

that is, according to reason and according to what is fitting. 7 Jo 2, 4-5 The mother knows the Lord becomes obedient to her as a son. And indeed the answer showed this: “What have I to do with you, woman?” For as one who could be entreated, he answered this, just as was God’s [word] to Moses: “Let me alone,” as one who could, that is, be entreated and persuaded. Knowing then that he was faithfully disposed toward her and seeing from the answer [that he was moving] toward the request

was close to consenting, she instructs the servants to do what he commands. 8 Jo 2, 13-16 Allegorically, those who have come for the sake of shameful gain to put to usury the silver which is the word of God, and moreover those who sell the gifts of the Spirit, which are called doves because of their affinity with the Holy Spirit that descended in the form of a dove upon the Savior, he casts out of the church of God. And it is well said that the whip was made of cords by Jesus, with which he drove them all out; for by the very things with which one weaves the cord, in sinning he is punished. This is written fittingly; for sins are called cords.

9 Jo 3, 5 The Lord leads him up to the true understanding, by grace the

regeneration ascribing, which is accomplished through the ministry of water cleansing the body from human and wicked defilements, and through the working of the Spirit sanctifying the soul and filling it with divinity, and when he has dwelled now in us as a kind of pledge and first-fruit, the kingdom of God will come perfectly

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ἐκοινώνει καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Ἠλίας ἐκλήθη πρὸς τοῦ κυρίου τελευταίαν ἐσφαλμένην αὐτῷ προτείνουσιν ἐρώτησιν αὖθις τοῦτον ἐρωτῶντες, ὅπερ καὶ πρῶτον ἠρώ των εἰ ὁ προφήτης ἐστίν, ἕτερόν τι παρὰ τὸν προφήτην οἰόμενοι τὸν Χριστόν. ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἡμάρτανον διαιροῦντες ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ τὸν προφή την. ὁ δὲ βαπτιστὴς κα λῶς ἀπεκρίνατο μὴ εἶναι ὁ προφήτης ταὐτὸ λέ γων, ὃ καὶ πρῶτον ἀπε κρίνατο φάσκων οὐκ εἰ μὶ ὁ Χριστός, εἰ καὶ σαφῶς οὐκ ἐδίδασκεν αὐ τούς, ὅτι ταὐτό ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς

καὶ ὁ προφήτης. 5 Jο 1, 25-27 Κωλυτικῶς λέγουσι τῷ Ἰωάννῃ τὸ τί οὖν βαπτίζεις, εἰ μὴ τάδε τυγχάνεις οὐκ εἰδότες, ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁ Χριστὸς αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ προφήτης ἐβάπτιζεν, ἀλλ' οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἠλίας τε ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ οὐδὲ τὰ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ξύλα δεόμενα λουτροῦ ἐβάπτισεν, τοῖς δὲ ἱερεῦσιν τοῦτο ποιεῖν προσέταξεν. πρὸς μὲν οὖν τὸ τί οὖν βαπτίζεις παρίστησιν ὁ Ἰωάννης τὸ ἴδιον βάπτισμα σωματικόν, πρὸς δὲ τὸ εἰ σὺ οὐκ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς δοξολογίαν τῆς προηγουμένης οὐσίας Χριστοῦ λέγων, ὅτι ἀόρατός ἐστι τῇ θεότητι παρὼν παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ. ἐλέγχει τε αὐτῶν τὴν εὐτελῆ περὶ Χριστοῦ ὑπόληψιν καὶ ἑνοῖ τὸν "ἐν ἀρχῇ" λόγον τῇ ἐνανθρωπήσει αὐτοῦ συνάπτων τὸ ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε τῷ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, τήν τε ὑπεροχὴν Χριστοῦ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν δηλοῖ διὰ τοῦ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἄξιος, μέσος δ' ἂν εἴη τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου, οὗ διήκει κατὰ τὰς λογικὰς φύσεις, ἢ ἡμῶν, ὧν ἐν μέσῳ τὸ ἡγεμονικόν, ἔνθα καὶ ὁ ἐν ἑκάστῳ λόγος. εἰ δὲ τὸ μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν οὐκ αἰσθητόν, οὐδὲ τὸ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος. εἰπὼν δὲ τὰ περὶ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ λόγου συνάπτει καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἐρχόμενον αὐτὸν εἰπών.

6 Jο 2, 4 Οὐκ ὀξέως ὁ κύριος εἰς τὴν ἐν φανερῷ τῶν σημείων κατεργασίαν

χωρεῖ, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ εἰς ἐμφανὲς ἤδη κηρύττειν μηδὲ εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἤδη διδασκάλου τάξιν ἀνείληφεν· προσιόντας γὰρ ὡς διδασκάλῳ καὶ μεταδιώκοντας ὡς σωτῆρα τυγχάνειν τῶν ἰάσεων ἐχρῆν, ὅτι καὶ πρέπει τὸν δεόμενον ἐπὶ τὸ πληρωτικὸν τῆς ἐνδείας χωρεῖν. λέγει τοίνυν μὴ παρεῖναι τὴν ὥραν αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰς τὰ σημεῖα τὴν

κατὰ λόγον δηλαδὴ καὶ κατὰ τὸ πρέπον. 7 Jο 2, 4-5 Οἶδεν ἡ μήτηρ πειθήνιον ὡς υἱὸν αὐτῇ γινόμενον τὸν κύριον. καὶ δὴ καὶ ἡ ἀπόκρισις τοῦτο ἐπεδείξατο τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι· ὡς γὰρ δυσωπεῖν δυνάμενος τοῦτο ἀπεκρίνατο, οἷον ἦν τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς Μωυσέα· "ἔασόν με" ὡς δυνάμενον δηλαδὴ δυσωπῆσαι καὶ πεῖσαι. εἰδυῖα δὴ καὶ πιστικῶς πρὸς αὐτὴν διακείμενον καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ὁρῶσα πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν

ἐγγὺς ἐπι νεύοντα τοῖς διακόνοις ἐπιτάττει ποιεῖν ὃ κελεύει. 8 Jο 2, 13-16 Κατ' ἀλληγορίαν τοὺς δι' αἰσχροκέρδειαν ἐληλυθότας ἐπὶ τὸ τοκίζειν τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ὄντα ἀργύριον, ἔτι μὴν καὶ πωλοῦντας τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος χαρίσματα περιστερὰς ὠνομασμένα διὰ τὸ οἰκειότητα ἔχειν πρὸς τὸ καταβὰν ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἐκβάλλει τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας. εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν ἐκ σχοινίων ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὸ φραγέλλιον γεγονέναι, ᾧ πάντας ἐδίωξεν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι' ὧν πλέκει τις τὸ σχοινίον, ἐν τῷ ἁμαρτάνειν κολάζεται. εἰκότως τοῦτο γέγραπται· σχοινία γὰρ τὰ ἁμαρτή ματα λέγεται.

9 Jο 3, 5 Ἀναβιβάζει πρὸς τὴν ἀληθινὴν αὐτὸν ἔννοιαν ὁ κύριος τῇ χάριτι τὴν

ἀναγέννησιν ἀνατιθείς, ἥτις ἐπιτελεῖται δι' ὑπουργίας μὲν ὕδατος τὸ σῶμα καθαίροντος ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων καὶ τῶν ἐκ κακίας ῥύπων, δι' ἐνεργείας δὲ πνεύματος τὴν ψυχὴν ἁγιάζοντος καὶ πληροῦντος θεότητι, οὗ δὴ κατοικήσαντος νῦν ἐν ἡμῖν ὥσπερ ἀρραβῶνός τινος καὶ ἀπαρχῆς, ἡ τελείως ἥξει βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ

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