John Chrysostom, On the Birth of John the Baptist

she will bear a son, and you will call his name John. Good is the possession of the promise, great is the gift of the vision. Truly Abrahamic is the boast; for as to him was foretold the conception of Sarah, so also to this one was announced beforehand the pregnancy of Elizabeth. But while the prophecy is equal, the order of events is not equal; for while Abraham suffered nothing terrible from the promise, Zacharias is found speechless after the good tidings, not having believed the angel and having received silence as his punishment. For behold, he says, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words. The judgment on the one who transgressed is unyielding, the wrath of the punishment is not to be postponed. For truly the angel should not have been disbelieved, nor the altar held in contempt, nor the time of incense considered a time of deceit - for the angel appeared to him while he was offering incense -, nor the story of Abraham forgotten. And when a barren woman, and when old age produces a child, the things spoken have everywhere been shown believable; for the wonder of such childbearing involved not only a barren woman but also a virgin giving birth paradoxically. And the unbelievable was being trained toward belief, the impossible was being accustomed as possible; for from this, disbelief concerning the barren woman is now punished, so that the wonderworking concerning the virgin might not be doubted. You will be, he says, silent and not able to speak. O the philanthropic punishment that worked correction rather than chastisement. For the angel disciplines the very voice that erred, he bridles the very tongue that dared. For he was, it says, making signs and remained mute. Well did the evangelist also write down 'he remained'; for the silence was awaiting the voice that was being born, Zacharias was awaiting John, the old man the child, the priest the prophet. Indeed, the infant is born and the voice of the father is restored. For Zacharias, it says, being asked what he would want the child to be called, asked for a tablet and wrote, saying: John is his name. He who did not believe the angel's words was now forced to proclaim the vision in writing; he who did not then receive by hearing the things spoken now decrees with his hand the things that are happening. Whence it says they all marveled; for his mouth was opened immediately and his tongue, and he spoke, blessing God. O the strange wonder. The name of a child is written and the mute mouth of the father is opened, John is named and the tongue of the one naming is set in order. You see how we did not err when we too said this present exegesis was necessary. Behold, the very name of the just one both opens a silent mouth and rouses a sluggish tongue. For thus also the voice of John is shown to be crying out, because even the name itself is shown to be an energy of a voice. I am, he says, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. O the wonder. The Word visits and a voice proclaims beforehand, the master comes and a servant is sent before, the king arrives and a soldier is prepared. But why now do I speak, anticipating the preaching of the wilderness, when I have another, strange and great, voice of the preludes? First are works, which are superior to words. For still dwelling in his mother's womb, still held by the bonds of nature, still wrapped in maternal swaddling clothes, the baptist cries out the presence of the master with a leap. For it happened, it says, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. Behold the strangeness of the mystery; the baby is not yet born and in her womb he utters a sound with a leap, he is not yet permitted to cry out and he is heard through his works, he does not yet learn of life and he proclaims God beforehand, he does not yet know creation and he announces the creator beforehand, he does not yet see the light and he recognizes the sun, he is not yet born and he hastens to run ahead.

γεννήσει υἱὸν καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην. Καλὸν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ κτῆμα, μέγα τῆς ὀπτασίας τὸ δῶρον. Ἀληθῶς Ἀβραμιαῖον τὸ καύχημα· ὡς γὰρ ἐκείνῳ προείρηται τῆς Σάρρας ἡ σύλληψις, οὕτως καὶ τούτῳ προκατήγγελται τῆς Ἐλισάβετ ἡ κύησις. Ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν πρόρρησις ἴση, οὐκ ἴση δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ τάξις· τοῦ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας πεπονθότος δεινόν, ἄφωνος μετὰ τὸν εὐαγγελισμὸν Ζαχαρίας εὑρίσκεται μὴ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ πιστεύσας καὶ σιωπὴν τὴν τιμωρίαν δεξάμενος. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἔσῃ φησὶ σιωπῶν καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλῆσαι ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας γένηται ταῦτα, ἀνθ' ὧν οὐκ ἐπίστευσας τοῖς λόγοις μου. Ἀνένδοτος ἡ δίκη τῷ πλημμελήσαντι, ἀνυπέρθετος ἡ τῆς τιμωρίας ὀργή. Οὐκ ἔδει γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἀπιστηθῆναι τὸν ἄγγελον, οὐ τὸ θυσιαστήριον εὐκαταφρόνητον ἔχειν, οὐ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ θυμιάματος καιρὸν ἀπάτης λογίσασθαι, - ὁ γὰρ ἄγγελος αὐτῷ θυμιῶντι ὤφθη -, οὐ τῆς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἱστορίας ἐπιλελῆσθαι. Καὶ τότε στεῖρα καὶ πότε γῆρας παιδοποιεῖ, εὔπειστα πανταχοῦ τὰ λεγόμενα ἐδείχθη· εἶχε γὰρ τῆς τοιαύτης τεκνογονίας τὸ θαῦμα οὐ μόνον στεῖραν ἀλλὰ καὶ παρθένον τίκτειν παραδόξως. Καὶ ἦν τὸ ἄπιστον εἰς πίστιν προγυμναζόμενον, τὸ ἀδύνατον ὡς δυνατὸν ἐθιζόμενον· ἔνθεν γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς στείρας νῦν ἀπιστία κολάζεται, ἵνα ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς παρθένου θαυματουργία μὴ ἀμφιβάλληται. Ἔσῃ φησὶ σιωπῶν καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλῆσαι. Ὢ τῆς φιλανθρώπου τιμωρίας διόρθωσιν μᾶλλον ἐργασαμένης τὴν κόλασιν. Αὐτὴν γὰρ ὁ ἄγγελος τὴν σφαλεῖσαν φωνὴν σωφρονίζει, αὐτὴν χαλινοῖ τὴν τολμήσασαν γλῶτταν. Ἦν γάρ φησι διανεύων καὶ ἔμεινε κωφός. Καλῶς καὶ τὸ ἔμεινεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς συνεγράψατο· περιέμενε γὰρ ἡ σιωπὴ τὴν τικτομένην φωνήν, ὁ Ζαχαρίας τὸν Ἰωάννην, ὁ πρεσβύτης τὸν παῖδα, ὁ ἱερεὺς τὸν προφήτην. Ἀμέλει τὸ βρέφος τίκτεται καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπανίσταται. Ἐρωτώμενος γάρ φησιν ὁ Ζαχαρίας τί ἂν θέλῃ τὸ παιδίον καλεῖσθαι, ᾔτησε πινακίδιον καὶ ἔγραψε λέγων· Ἰωάννης ἐστὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μὴ πιστεύσας τοῦ ἀγγέλου τοῖς λόγοις νῦν ἠναγκάσθη τὴν ὀπτασίαν ἐγγράφως κηρύττειν· ὁ μὴ δεξάμενος τότε ἀκοῇ τὰ ῥηθέντα νῦν νομοθετεῖ καὶ τῇ χειρὶ τὰ γινόμενα. Ὅθεν φησὶν ἐθαύμασαν πάντες· ἀνεῴχθη γὰρ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ παραχρῆμα καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα καὶ ἐλάλει εὐλογῶν τὸν θεόν. Ὢ τοῦ ξένου θαύματος. Ὄνομα γράφεται τέκνου καὶ στόμα τοῦ πατρὸς κωφὸν διανοίγεται, Ἰωάννης καλεῖται καὶ τοῦ καλοῦντος ἡ γλῶσσα ῥυθμίζεται. Ὁρᾷς ὡς οὐ διημάρτομεν ἀπαραίτητον εἰπόντες καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν παροῦσαν ἐξήγησιν. Ἰδοὺ αὐτὸ τοῦ δικαίου τὸ ὄνομα καὶ στόμα σιωπῶν διανοίγει καὶ γλῶσσαν δυσκίνητον διεγείρει. Οὕτως γὰρ καὶ δείκνυται βοῶσα ἡ τοῦ Ἰωάννου φωνή, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ὄνομα φωνῆς ἐνέργεια δείκνυται. Ἐγώ φησι φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος. Λόγος ἐπιδημεῖ καὶ φωνὴ προκηρύττει, δεσπότης ἔρχεται καὶ δοῦλος προαποστέλλεται, βασιλεὺς παραγίνεται καὶ στρατιώτης προετοιμάζεται. Ἀλλὰ τί νῦν προλαβὼν τὸ τῆς ἐρήμου κήρυγμα λέγω ἔχων ἑτέραν ξένην τινὰ καὶ μεγάλην τῶν προοιμίων φωνήν; Ἔργα ἐστὶ πρῶτα ῥημάτων ἀνώτερα. Ἔτι γὰρ οἰκῶν ὁ βαπτιστὴς ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ τῆς μητρός, ἔτι τοῖς τῆς φύσεως δεσμοῖς κατεχόμενος, ἔτι τοῖς μητρικοῖς σπαργάνοις ἐνειλημένος, σκιρτήματι τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου βοᾷ παρουσίαν. Ἐγένετο γάρ φησιν ὡς ἤκουσε τὸν ἀσπασμὸν τῆς Μαρίας ἡ Ἐλισάβετ, ἐσκίρτησε τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ αὐτῆς. Βλέπε τοῦ μυστηρίου τὸ ξένον· οὔπω γεννᾶται τὸ βρέφος καὶ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ αὐτῆς τῷ σκιρτήματι φθέγγεται, οὔπω βοᾶν συγχωρεῖται καὶ δι' ἔργων ἀκούεται, οὔπω μανθάνει τὸν βίον καὶ τὸν θεὸν προκηρύττει, οὔπω γινώσκει τὴν κτίσιν καὶ τὸν δημιουργὸν προμηνύει, οὔπω βλέπει τὸ φῶς καὶ γνωρίζει τὸν ἥλιον, οὔπω τίκτεται καὶ προτρέχειν ἐπείγεται.