John Chrysostom, On the Birth of John the Baptist

Since the angel had said from the beginning and declared that he would be great in the sight of the Lord, nothing on earth, nothing in heaven has been left out for the honor of the Baptist. For it was truly necessary for the Baptist to be magnified both before God and before us; for it is possible to see the wondrous birth from the barren woman and the wonders of his growth and the achievements of his way of life. For, it says, he grew and became strong in spirit. These are the signs of his age and of grace; for the virtue of the soul grew along with the body of the youth. And what is more wondrous, it says that he was in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel. He was in the deserts. And what greater achievement is there than this? A youth being schooled in the desert, a child not yet having experience of life seizes upon the way of life in the desert, not yet knowing the tumult of the world he embraces stillness. But why do we still persist in dwelling on these words, when the people running to him in the desert already constrain us? For the splendid way of life of the man drew everyone to go to him; for a virtuous life is always renowned, drawing every virtue-loving soul to itself. But the crowds flocked even more to John because of the strange wonder of his preaching; for after he was manifested, as has been said before, he came, it says, preaching in the desert and saying: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and again: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And these sayings were strange and wondrous to those of that time; for he was the forerunner, declaring the approaching kingdom, preparing for the visiting Master, making ready the way for the King, rousing everyone to meet him, explaining the wonders to come, securing the heavenly wealth. For he introduced repentance, the healing of souls, and he also gave a baptism approaching grace. Therefore, it says, all Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan went out to him, and they were baptized by him. His preaching showed his way of life to be worthy of belief, or rather, his way of life took on the grace of the preaching. And he who was formerly most solitary in the desert was now making the desert itself a city. Why do I say a city? He made it entirely a heaven; for listen henceforth to the heavenly events from this point. Then, it says, Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. For the Master of the heavens came to the desert-dweller, he who takes away the sin of the world came to the one preaching repentance, the true light to the burning lamp; for this one, it says, was the burning lamp. The fount of life came to a baptizing drop, the river of God to a very small stream, the sea of salvation to a passing channel; for this was Christ coming to John. Wherefore the Baptist rightly tried to prevent him, saying: I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me? «I, he says, am in need of your light, and you come to me? I was formed by you, and you come to be baptized by me? I came as a slave, preaching about you, the Master, not as one who ought to baptize my Master. Let my head rather bow to your hand, for I know to fear the authority of my Master. Do not make my right hand bold, which is already numb for the work of baptism.» What then does the Master say to him? «Let it be so now, for I have not come now to lay bare my own dignity, nor to show the purity of my nature, but to fulfill the economy that is profitable for you.» Then, it says, he allows him. Oh, how much strength the word signifies. The slave allows the Master, the subject the King, for the... did not prevail

τοῦ ἀγγέλου εἰρηκότος ἐν πρώτοις καὶ μέγαν ἔσεσθαι λέγοντος ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου, οὐδὲν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, οὐδὲν τῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ εἰς τὴν τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ τιμὴν παραλέλειπται. Ἔδει γὰρ ἀληθῶς καὶ παρὰ θεῷ καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν τὸν βαπτιστὴν μεγαλύνεσθαι· καὶ γὰρ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὸν παράδοξον τόκον τῆς στείρας καὶ τῆς αὐξήσεως αὐτοῦ τὰ θαύματα καὶ τῆς πολιτείας τὰ κατορθώματα. Ηὔξανε γάρ φησιν, καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο πνεύματι. Ταῦτα τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ τῆς χάριτος τὰ γνωρίσματα· συνηύξει γὰρ τῷ σώματι τοῦ νέου καὶ ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετή. Καὶ τὸ θαυμαστότερον ὅτι ἦν φησίν, ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις ἕως ἡμέρας ἀναδείξεως αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἦν ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις. Καὶ τί μεῖζον τούτου τοῦ κατορθώματος; Παιδαγωγουμένης ἐν ἐρήμῳ νεότητος, παιδίον οὔπω τὴν πεῖραν τοῦ βίου λαμβάνει καὶ τὴν ἐν ἐρήμῳ πολιτείαν ἁρπάζει, οὔπω γινώσκει τοῦ κόσμου τὴν ὄχλησιν καὶ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀσπάζεται. Ἀλλὰ τί τούτοις ἐνδιατρίβειν ἔτι φιλονεικοῦμεν τοῖς λόγοις, συνέχοντος ἡμᾶς ἤδη καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον τρέχοντος; Ἐπεσπᾶτο μὲν γὰρ ἕκαστον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπιέναι ἡ λαμπρὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πολιτεία· ἐξάκουστος γὰρ ἀεὶ ὁ ἐνάρετος βίος καὶ πᾶσαν φιλάρετον ψυχὴν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐφελκόμενος. Συνέρρει δὲ πλέον πρὸς Ἰωάννην τὰ πλήθη τῷ ξένῳ θαύματι τοῦ κηρύγματος· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἀναδειχθῆναι αὐτόν, ὡς προείρηται, παρεγένετό φησι κηρύσσων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ λέγων· μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ πάλιν· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ ξένα τοῖς τότε καὶ παράδοξα τὰ λεγόμενα· πρόδρομος γὰρ ἦν, τὴν προσεγγίζουσαν δηλῶν βασιλείαν, εὐτρεπίζων τῷ ἐπιδημοῦντι δεσπότῃ, ἑτοιμάζων τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν πορείαν, διεγείρων εἰς ὑπάντησιν πάντας, ἐξηγούμενος τὰ μέλλοντα θαύματα, προξενῶν τὸν οὐράνιον πλοῦτον. Εἰσῆγε γὰρ μετάνοιαν τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν θεράπειαν, ἐδίδου καὶ βάπτισμα προσεγγίζον τῇ χάριτι. Ὅθεν ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτόν φησιν, πᾶσα Ἰεροσόλυμα καὶ πᾶσα ἡ Ἰουδαία καὶ πᾶσα ἡ περίχωρος τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἔδειξεν ἀξιόπιστον τῆς πολιτείας αὐτοῦ τὸ κήρυγμα, μᾶλλον δὲ προσέλαβεν ἡ πολιτεία τὸ τοῦ κηρύγματος χάρισμα. Καὶ ἦν ὁ πρώην μονώτατος εἰς τὴν ἔρημον νῦν καὶ αὐτὴν κατασκευάζων πόλιν τὴν ἔρημον. Τί λέγω πόλιν; Ὅλην αὐτὴν οὐρανὸν ἀπειργάσατο· ἄκουε γὰρ λοιπὸν τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἐντεῦθεν πραγμάτων. Τότε φησίν, παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἦλθε γὰρ ὁ τῶν οὐρανῶν δεσπότης πρὸς τὸν ἐρημοπολίτην, παρεγένετο ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου πρὸς τὸν κηρύττοντα τὴν μετάνοιαν, τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀλήθινον πρὸς τὸν λύχνον τὸν φαίνοντα· οὗτος γάρ φησιν, ἦν ὁ λύχνος ὁ φαίνων. Ἦλθεν ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς πρὸς σταγόνα βαπτίζουσαν, ὁ πόταμος τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς βραχύτατον ῥύακα, τὸ πέλαγος τῆς σωτηρίας πρὸς ὀχετὸν παροδεύοντα· τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς Ἰωάννην ἐρχόμενος. Ὅθεν καὶ καλῶς αὐτὸν ὁ βαπτιστὴς διεκώλυε λέγων· ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρὸς μέ; «Ἐγώ φησιν, τοῦ σοῦ φωτὸς ἐπιδέομαι καὶ σὺ πρὸς μὲ παραγίνῃ; Ἐγὼ παρὰ σοῦ διεπλάσθην, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ παρ' ἐμοῦ βαπτισθῆναι; Ἦλθον ὡς δοῦλος ἐγὼ περὶ σοῦ τοῦ δεσπότου κηρύττων, οὐχ ὡς βαπτίσαι τὸν ἐμὸν δεσπότην ὀφείλων. Ἔασον τῇ σῇ χειρὶ τὴν ἐμὴν μᾶλλον κεφαλὴν ὑποκύψαι, οἶδα γὰρ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ ἐμοῦ φοβεῖσθαι δεσπότου. Μή μου τολμηρὰν τὴν δεξιὰν ἀπεργάσῃ, ναρκῶσαν ἤδη πρὸς τὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἔργον.» Τί οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ δεσπότης; «Ἄφες ἄρτι, οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον νῦν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ἀξίαν γυμνῶσαι, οὐ τὸ καθαρὸν τῆς φύσεως δεῖξαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν συμφέρουσαν ὑμῖν οἰκονομίαν πληρῶσαι.» Τότε φησίν, ἀφίησιν αὐτόν. Ὢ πόσην ἡ λέξις εὐτονίαν σημαίνει. Ἀφίησιν ὁ δοῦλος τὸν δεσπότην, ὁ ὑπήκοος τὸν βασιλέα, οὐ γὰρ ἴσχυσεν ἡ