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of you; and he will go before in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. What is, "To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children"? The fathers of the Jews, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and the twelve patriarchs, and all the righteous, seeing the people fond of sin, and readily whoring after strange gods, turned away from them as such. But from the time John preached the baptism of repentance, many turned to God. Therefore, when their fathers saw them turning to God, they also turned their hearts toward them; and this is, "To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, to make ready for the Lord a prepared, a peculiar people;" about whom David the prophet proclaimed beforehand, saying: This is the generation of those who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Still the unexpected conception of the child astonishes the old man Zacharias, still he is troubled by the untimely birth, not reasoning wisely, that the potter of the womb is able to renew the aged womb. Therefore he was also cast down to the precipice of unbelief. For when the angel said, "Behold, your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John," Zacharias fights against the word, and says: "By what shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her days." "From where," he says, "will the assurance come to me? What proof of the promise can you present to me? Show me now a rod that has budded, as in the case of Aaron the high priest, and then I will believe you that even old age can bear the fruit of a child."

For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her days. Your words are good, but the promise is hard to believe. You procure for me a child, a hope beyond hope; the time of my prime has passed; I have consumed the life of youth 50.788 fruitlessly. When I have become like dry wood, then you compel me to bear fruit; stooping, I walk about the marketplace, I am no longer strong enough to look up to heaven; old age drags me down to the kindred earth; for I am earth, and to earth I shall return; I can hardly move the step of my feet; my two feet are not enough for me to walk upon; instead of a third foot I carry a staff; for until now I have not been blessed with a child to lead me by the hand; I am a moving tomb, and a walking corpse. How then from now on shall a child call me father? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her days. When old age brings me to the tomb, shall I then enter the bridal bed, and beget a child, when the sun of my youth has set? And I am faded because of time, and Elizabeth's womb is deadened.

By what then shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her days. And the angel answered and said to him: "I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak. I wish to do something, and you ask how? I have chosen to work a wonder, and you seek the manner? And yet you meddle with the beginning of my works. Is any word impossible with God? Tell me, from where was Isaac born? Did not Abraham the old man beget him, and call Sarah the barren woman a mother? Having fallen into the same expectation, why did you not receive my words as he did? Therefore you will be silent and unable to speak, because you did not believe my words. I will bind your tongue which was moved to a disorderly answer; in which you begot the sin

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σου· καὶ αὐτὸς προπορεύσεται ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει Ἠλίου, ἐπιστρέψαι καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐπιστρέψαι καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα; Οἱ πατέρες τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὁ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ οἱ δώδεκα πατριάρχαι, καὶ πάντες οἱ δίκαιοι, ὁρῶντες φιλαμαρτήμονα τὸν λαὸν, καὶ ἑτοίμως ἐκπορνεύοντα εἰς ἀλλοτρίους θεοὺς, ἀπεστρέφοντο αὐτοὺς ὡς τοιούτους. Ἀφ' οὗ δὲ Ἰωάννης ἐκήρυξε τὸ βάπτισμα τῆς μετανοίας, πολλοὶ ἐπεστράφησαν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ὁρῶντες οὖν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἐπιστρέφοντας αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπέστρεψαν τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν πρὸς αὐτούς· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ, Ἐπιστρέψαι καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα, ἑτοιμάσαι Κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον, περιούσιον· περὶ οὗ ∆αβὶδ ὁ προφήτης προεκήρυξε λέγων· Αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰακώβ.

Ἔτι τὸν γέροντα Ζαχαρίαν ἡ κύησις τοῦ παιδὸς ἡ παράδοξος ἐκπλήττει, ἔτι πρὸς τὸν ὑπερώριον τοκετὸν δυσχεραίνει, μὴ λογισάμενος συνετῶς, ὅτι ὁ κεραμεὺς τῆς γαστρὸς δύναται τὴν πεπαλαιωμένην ἀνακαινίσαι μήτραν. ∆ιὸ καὶ πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἀπιστίας ἐξεκυλίσθη κρημνόν. Τοῦ γὰρ ἀγγέλου λέγοντος, Ἰδοὺ ἡ γυνή σου Ἐλισάβετ τέξεταί σοι υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην, ὁ Ζαχαρίας ἀπομάχεται τῷ λόγῳ, καί φησιν· Κατὰ τί γνώσομαι τοῦτο; ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι πρεσβύτης, καὶ ἡ γυνή μου προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῆς. Πόθεν μοι, φησὶ, τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ὑπάρξει; ποῖόν μοι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας δύνασαι παραστῆσαι τεκμήριον; ∆εῖξόν μοι καὶ νῦν ῥάβδον, ὡς ἐπὶ Ἀαρὼν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, ἀνθήσασαν, καὶ τότε σοι πιστεύσω ὅτι καὶ γῆρας δύναται καρποφορῆσαι παιδίον.

Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι πρεσβύτης, καὶ ἡ γυνή μου προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῆς. Τὰ ῥήματά σου χρηστά· τὸ δὲ ἐπάγγελμα δύσπιστον. Παῖδά μοι προξενεῖς, μετ' ἐλπίδας ἐλπίδα· ὁ τῆς ἀκμῆς μου παρελήλυθε χρόνος· τὸν τῆς νεότητος 50.788 ἀκάρπως κατανήλωσα βίον. Ὅτε ὡς ξύλον ἐγενόμην ξηρὸν, τότε καρποφορεῖν ἀναγκάζεις με· κυρτοβατῶν τὴν ἀγορὰν περιέρχομαι, οὐκ ἔτι πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀνανεύειν ἰσχύω· πρὸς τὴν συγγενίδα γῆν κατασύρει με τὸ γῆρας· γῆ γάρ εἰμι, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσομαι· μόλις τὸ βῆμα τῶν ποδῶν μεταφέρω· οὐκ ἀρκοῦσιν οἱ δύο μοι πρὸς ἐπίβασιν πόδες· ἀντὶ τρίτου ποδὸς βακτηρίαν βαστάζω· χειραγωγοῦ γὰρ μέχρι νῦν οὐκ εὐπόρησα τέκνου· τάφος εἰμὶ κινούμενος, καὶ νεκρὸς ὁδοιπόρος. Πῶς οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἐμὲ τέκνον ὀνομάσει πατέρα; Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι πρεσβύτης, καὶ ἡ γυνή μου προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῆς. Ὅτε τῷ τάφῳ τὸ γῆράς με προσάγει, τότε νυμφικῆς ἐπιβήσομαι κοίτης, καὶ παῖδα φυτουργήσω τοῦ τῆς νεότητός μοι δεδυκότος ἡλίου; Κἀγὼ διὰ τὸν χρόνον ἐξίτηλος, καὶ τῆς Ἐλισάβετ ἡ μήτρα νενέκρωται.

Κατὰ τί οὖν γνώσομαι τοῦτο; Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι πρεσβύτης, καὶ ἡ γυνή μοι προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἐγώ εἰμι Γαβριὴλ ὁ παρεστηκὼς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀπεστάλην λαλῆσαι πρὸς σὲ, καὶ εὐαγγελίσασθαί σοι ταῦτα. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔσῃ σιωπῶν, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλῆσαι, ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας γένηται ταῦτα, ἀνθ' ὧν οὐκ ἐπίστευσας τοῖς λόγοις μου, οἵτινες πληρωθήσονται εἰς τὸν καιρὸν αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔσῃ σιωπῶν καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλῆσαι. Βούλομαί τι ποιῆσαι, καὶ πῶς ἐρωτᾷς; θαυματουργῆσαι προῄρημαι, καὶ τὸν τρόπον ζητεῖς; Ὅλως δὲ περιεργάζῃ τῶν ἐμῶν ἔργων τὴν ἀρχήν. Μὴ ἀδυνατεῖ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ πᾶν ῥῆμα; Εἰπέ μοι, πόθεν ὁ Ἰσαὰκ ἐτέχθη; οὐκ Ἀβραὰμ αὐτὸν ἐγέννησεν ὁ πρεσβύτης, καὶ Σάῤῥαν τὴν στείραν ἐκάλεσε μητέρα; εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἐμπεσὼν προσδοκίαν, διὰ τί τοὺς ἐμοὺς ὡς ἐκεῖνος οὐ παρεδέξω λόγους; ∆ιὸ ἔσῃ σιωπῶν, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλῆσαι, ἀνθ' ὧν οὐκ ἐπίστευσας τοῖς λόγοις μου. ∆ήσω σου τὴν γλῶσσαν τὴν πρὸς ἄτακτον κινηθεῖσαν ἀπόκρισιν· ἐν ᾧ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐγέννησας