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But no one has seen the appearance of the one escorted by a bodyguard or knows his character. All tremble, contemplating his glory, they become thunderstruck in their minds, trying to grasp his essence or to imagine his power.”

5 Let John then be praised, the citizen of the desert, the fortifier of the Jordan, the beholder of the divinely-winged dove, the spy of the paternal cloud, the hearer of the voice which presented the worth of the Son, made manifest the glory of the Word, revealed the glory of the Only-begotten. Let John be praised, the piper of the song to which all run. For who, hearing repents, does not hasten to be washed, does not long to be cleansed, does not bring a bucket to the spring, wishing to draw water and drink and cool the burning heat? Who, having learned that the kingdom of heaven has drawn near, does not long to outstrip his brother and does not hasten to get ahead of his neighbor? Let John be praised, whose first wonders and last are great and exceedingly brilliant.

6 The first wonders: Gabriel announced his birth to him, an angel interprets the conception to Zacharias. From heaven the priest, standing between the temple and the altar, was receiving the gift, and the wretched children of the Jews obtained so much; for where the priest of God received the divine oracle, there they sharpen the sword and arm their hands and plot the murder and work the deed. And what did Gabriel say to Zacharias? “Fear not, Zacharias, for your prayer has been heard, and behold, your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great before the Lord, and he will not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he himself will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

7 Do you hear how great a wealth John the Baptist receives before he is born and of how many goods he becomes a procurer before he is conceived by the organs of generation. “Fear not, Zacharias,” he says, that is, the redeemer is coming and the people cease from sinning. “Your prayer has been heard”; for it is time for heaven to bend and for the earth to receive the creator. “And behold, your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son”; the barren one gives birth, so that there may be an opportunity for the virgin for the miracle and for her to become the God-bearer. “And you shall call his name John”; the name is fittingly strange, since the matter for which the name is given is also strange; the designation is new; for the mystery that is to be ministered through him is new. “And you will have joy and gladness”; joy because you beget him of whom “none greater has arisen among those born of women,” and gladness because the one born of you will be the end of the law and prophets.

8 “And many will rejoice at his birth,” those who accept the proclamations of his repentance and are cleansed by the bath of baptism; but the scribes do not rejoice and the Pharisees mourn with those; but to these he foretells the winnowing fork and threatens the axe and proclaims the cutting out, because for them the forest was thorny, overgrown, full of beasts, savage. What else did Gabriel announce, honoring the Baptist; “He will be great before the Lord”? “He will be great,” because he points out the Lamb who takes away the sin of the whole world, but “before the Lord”; for not much of the heavenly things to men

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οὐδεὶς δὲ τοῦ δορυφορουμένου τὴν ὄψιν εἶδεν ἢ τὸν χαρακτῆρα ἐπίσταται. Τρέμουσι πάντες ἐπὶ δόξαν αὐτοῦ λογιζόμενοι, ἐμβρόντητοι τὴν διάνοιαν γίνονται, στοχά σασθαι τὴν οὐσίαν ἢ τὴν δύναμιν φαντασθῆναι πειρώμενοι.»

5 Ὑμνείσθω τοίνυν Ἰωάννης, ὁ τῆς ἐρήμου πολίτης, ὁ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου τειχιστής, ὁ τῆς θεοπτέρου περιστερᾶς θεωρός, ὁ τῆς νεφέλης τῆς πατρῴας κατάσκοπος, ὁ φωνῆς ἀκροατὴς ἥτις τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀξίαν παρέστησεν, τοῦ Λόγου τὴν δόξαν ἐφανέρωσεν, τοῦ μονογενοῦς τὴν δόξαν ἀπεκάλυψεν. Ὑμνείσθω Ἰωάννης, ὁ τῆς ᾠδῆς αὐληστὴς ᾗ πάντες ἐπιτρέχουσιν. Τίς γὰρ ἀκούων <οὐ> μετανοεῖται, οὐ σπεύδει πλυθῆναι, οὐ ποθεῖ καθαρισθῆναι, οὐ προσφέρει τῇ πηγῇ κάδον ἀντλῆσαι καὶ πιεῖν καὶ τὸν καύσωνα καταψῦξαι βουλόμενος; Τίς, μαθὼν ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, φθάσαι τὸν ἀδελφὸν οὐ ποθεῖ καὶ τὸν πλησίον προ λαβεῖν οὐκ ἐπείγεται; Ὑμνείσθω Ἰωάννης, οὗ τὰ πρῶτα θαύματα καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα μεγάλα καὶ ὑπέρλαμπρα.

6 Τὰ πρῶτα θαύματα· Γαβριὴλ αὐτῷ τὸν τόκον κατεμήνυσεν, ἄγγελος ἑρμηνεύει Ζαχαρίᾳ τὴν σύλληψιν. Ἐξ οὐρανοῦ τὸ δῶρον μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἑστηκὼς ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐλάμβανεν, καὶ δείλαιοι οἱ παῖδες τῶν Ἰουδαίων τοσοῦτον ἐτύγ χανον· ἔνθα γὰρ τὸν χρηματισμὸν ὁ ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐδέξατο, ἐκεῖ τὸ ξίφος ἀκονοῦσι καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ὁπλίζουσι καὶ μελετῶσι τὸν φόνον καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα ἐργάζονται. Τί δὲ ὁ Γαβριὴλ πρὸς Ζα χαρίαν ἔλεγεν; «Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία, ὅτι εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡ γυνή σου Ἐλισάβετ γεννήσει υἱόν σοι, καὶ καλέ σεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην. Καὶ ἔσται σοι χαρὰ καὶ ἀγαλλίασις, καὶ πολλοὶ ἐπὶ τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ χαρήσονται. Ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον κυρίου, καὶ οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ, καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιστρέψει ἐπὶ κύριον τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν. Καὶ αὐτὸς προελεύσεται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει Ἠλίου, ἐπι στρέψαι καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα καὶ ἀπειθεῖς ἐν φρονήσει δικαίων, ἑτοιμάσαι κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον.»

7 Ἀκούεις πῶς πλοῦτον πηλίκον ὁ βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης πρὶν τεχθῆναι κομίζεται καὶ πρόξενος ἀγαθῶν ὅσων πρὶν συλληφθῆναι τοῖς ὀργάνοις τῆς γεννήσεως γίνεται. «Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία», φησίν, τουτέστιν ὁ λυτρωτὴς ἔρχεται καὶ ὁ λαὸς τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν παύεται. «Εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου»· καιρὸς γὰρ κλιθῆναι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν τὸν δημιουργὸν ὑποδέξασθαι. «Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡ γυνή σου Ἐλισάβετ γεννήσει υἱόν σοι»· ἡ στεῖρα τίκτει, ἵνα τῇ παρθένῳ καιρὸς πρὸς τὸ θαῦμα καὶ θεοτόκῳ γένηται. «Καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην»· ξένον εἰκότως τὸ ὄνομα, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ξένον ᾧ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τίθεται· ἡ προσ ηγορία καινή· καινὸν γὰρ τὸ δι' αὐτοῦ μέλλον ὑπουργεῖσθαι μυστήριον. «Καὶ ἔσται σοι χαρὰ καὶ ἀγαλλίασις»· χαρὰ μὲν ὅτι γεννᾷς τοῦτον οὗ «μείζων ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν οὐκ ἐγή γερται», ἀγαλλίασις δὲ ὅτι τέλος ἔσται τοῦ νόμου καὶ προφη τῶν ὁ παρὰ σοῦ τικτόμενος.

8 «Καὶ πολλοὶ ἐπὶ τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ χαρήσονται», οἵτινες αὐτοῦ τῆς μετανοίας δέχονται τὰ κηρύγματα καὶ καθαίρονται τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ βαπτίσματος· γραμματεῖς δὲ οὐ χαίρουσι καὶ Φαρισαῖοι μετ' ἐκείνων πενθοῦσι· τούτοις δὲ προλέγει τὸ πτύον καὶ τὴν ἀξίνην ἀπειλεῖ καὶ τὴν ἐκτομὴν κηρύττει, ἀνθ' ὧν αὐτοῖς ὁ δρυμὼν ὑπῆρξεν ἀκανθώδης, ὑλομανής, θηριώδης, ἀνήμερος. Τί δὲ τὸν βαπτιστὴν ἕτερον σεμνύνων ὁ Γαβριὴλ ἀπ ήγγειλεν· «Ἔσται μέγας ἐνώπιον κυρίου»; «Ἔσται μέγας», ἐπειδὴ τὸν ἀμνὸν δείκνυσι τὸν ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αἴροντα, ἀλλ' «ἐνώπιον κυρίου»· οὐ πολλὴ γὰρ τῶν οὐρανίων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις