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sensation, but for the Jews the mysteries of Christ are also a laughing-stock, and they mock the heralds of the truth, considering the orators of grace to be enemies.

9 "He shall not drink wine and strong drink," so that the spirit that has chosen to dwell in him may not be constrained. "He will be filled with the holy Spirit from his mother's womb," he says, not simply nor in vain receiving the gift beforehand and anticipating the graces, but so that he might proclaim the light before speaking with the light, announce the creator before he himself saw the elements, declare the sun before seeing the course of the day, to observe the ends of the night. "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God." For he himself was the instructor of Andrew the great, he was the teacher of John the theologian, before they brought themselves to the net. The apostles, having learned from him, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," following him, say, "Rabbi, where are you staying?", hastening to enter the tent of the uncontainable one.

10 "He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah," not in soul and body. For away, away with the absurdity. The children of the Hellenes talk nonsense and make myths about this, that souls pre-exist and pass from bodies to bodies, just as they, being deranged, say, stringing together upon them a crowd of superfluous and common words. But the creator gave to each soul its own body, wherefore John, even if he is called a second Elijah also on account of his zeal for him, nevertheless is not so in soul and body; but the one who in spirit gave to that one the power, this one also gives to John the baptist and forerunner a measure of a gift, such as that one received. The one who supplied power to the ancient one, this one promises to supply it to the new one.

11 This one "will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient 11 to the wisdom of the just." "Fathers" is Israel, "children" the nations are called because of the time, but the fathers turn to the children, since the children receive the spring of life, and as grateful and faithful, they claim for themselves the supper of joy, and taking their places beforehand, they sit around the table of light. Therefore those called "fathers" are rightly styled "disobedient"; for concerning them it has been proclaimed by Isaiah the prophet: "I know that you are stubborn, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead bronze," so that he might explain the inflexibility of the synagogue and the excessive disobedience of its inheritors. But "the just" are those from the nations; for even if they were ignorant of justice for a little while, yet now they are instructed in it with zeal; even if they did not know the door of piety, yet <now> running, they bring themselves into the bridal chamber with joy; even if they were far from the light, yet now they gaze upon the whole sun itself with pure eyes.

12 And what other thing does Gabriel promise that John will accomplish, "to make ready for the Lord a prepared people"? Whom did he prepare, if not Christ in every way? For he who formed, reformed, he who turned the wheel from the beginning, this one turned it again later; he who said, "Let man become a living soul," this one said, "I do not wish the sinner to die." And these things Gabriel, descending from the heavens, announced; and with these words John was sown inside the womb of Elizabeth, and anticipating him who was in the womb, he greets him from the womb, and he theologizes about the one in the womb while still being held by the bonds of the womb; and having been born, he is sent into the desert, so that he might be made like the angels, so that he might converse with God, so that he might become free from the smokes and noises of life, so that he might practice courage, so that from the perceptible beasts he might be taught in what way one must fight against the hidden ones and do battle with those that are unseen.

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αἴσθησις, Ἰουδαίοις δὲ καὶ γέλως ὑπάρχει τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ μυστήρια, καὶ τοὺς κήρυκας τῆς ἀληθείας κωμῳδοῦ σιν, ἐχθροὺς ἡγούμενοι τοὺς τῆς χάριτος ῥήτορας.

9 «Οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ», ἵνα μὴ στενοχωρηθῇ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖν ἐκλεξάμενον. «Πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός», φησίν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ μάτην προλαμβάνων τὴν δωρεὰν καὶ φθάνων τὰ χαρίσματα, ἀλλ' ἵνα κηρύξῃ τὸ φῶς πρὶν ὁμιλῆσαι τῷ φωτί, καταγγείλῃ τὸν ποιητὴν πρὶν αὐτὸν τὰ στοιχεῖα θεάσασθαι, καταμηνύσῃ τὸν ἥλιον πρὶν τῆς ἡμέρας τὸν δρόμον ἰδεῖν, τῆς νυκτὸς κατοπτεῦσαι τὰ τέρ ματα. «Καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιστρέψει πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν.» Αὐτὸς γὰρ Ἀνδρέου τοῦ μεγάλου παιδευτής, οὗτος ὑπῆρχεν Ἰωάννου τοῦ θεολόγου διδάσκαλος, πρὶν ἑαυτοὺς τῇ σαγήνῃ προσενέγκωσιν. Παρ' αὐτοῦ μαθόντες οἱ ἀπόστολοι τό· «Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου», «Ῥαββί, ποῦ μένεις;» πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀκολουθοῦντες λέγουσιν, εἰσελθεῖν τοῦ ἀχωρήτου τὴν σκηνὴν ἐπειγόμενοι.

10 «Αὐτὸς προελεύσεται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνά μει Ἠλίου», οὐκ ἐν ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι. Ἄπαγε γάρ, ἄπαγε τῆς ἀτοπίας. Ταῦτα οἱ παῖδες Ἑλλήνων ληροῦσι καὶ μυθεύονται τὰς ψυχὰς προϋπάρχειν καὶ μεταβαίνειν ἐκ σωμάτων εἰς σώματα, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι φρενοβλαβοῦντες λέγουσιν, ὄχλον ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ῥημάτων περιττῶν καὶ ἀγελαίων εἴροντες. Ἑκάστῃ δὲ ψυχῇ ἴδιον σῶμα ὁ δημιουργὸς ἔδωκεν, ὅθεν Ἰωάννης, εἰ καὶ δεύτε ρος Ἠλίας καὶ διὰ ζῆλον τὸν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον λέγεται, ὅμως οὐκ ἐν ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι· ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν πνεύματι δεδωκὼς ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἐνέργειαν, οὗτος καὶ Ἰωάννῃ τῷ βαπτιστῇ καὶ προδρόμῳ δίδωσι μέτρον δωρεᾶς, οἷον ἐκεῖνος ἐδέξατο. Ὁ τῷ ἀρχαίῳ χορηγήσας τὴν δύναμιν, οὗτος τῷ νέῳ χορηγεῖν ἐπαγγέλλεται.

11 Οὗτος «ἐπιστρέψει καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα καὶ ἀπει 11 θεῖς ἐν φρονήσει δικαίων». «Πατέρες» ὁ Ἰσραήλ, «τέκνα» τὰ ἔθνη διὰ τὸν χρόνον λέγονται, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας οἱ πατέρες ἐπιστρέφουσιν, ἐπειδὴ τὴν πηγὴν τῆς ζωῆς οἱ παῖδες προσλαμ βάνουσιν, καὶ τὸ δεῖπνον τῆς χαρᾶς ὡς εὐγνώμονες καὶ πιστοὶ σφετερίζονται, καὶ τὴν τράπεζαν προλαβόντες τοῦ φωτὸς περικά θηνται. Ὅθεν ἐκεῖνοι μὲν κληθέντες «πατέρες» «ἀπειθεῖς» εἰκότως χρηματίζουσι· περὶ γὰρ αὐτῶν Ἠσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ κεκήρυκται· «Γινώσκω ὅτι σκληρὸς εἶ, καὶ νεῦρον σιδηροῦν ὁ τράχηλός σου, καὶ τὸ μέτωπόν σου χαλκοῦν», ἵνα τὸ τῆς συνα γωγῆς ἀκαμπὲς καὶ τῶν ταύτης κληρονόμων τὸ λίαν ἀπειθὲς ἐξηγήσηται. «∆ίκαιοι» δὲ οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν· εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὴν δικαιο σύνην πρὸς ὀλίγον ἠγνόησαν, ἀλλὰ νῦν αὐτὴν μετὰ σπουδῆς παι δεύονται· εἰ καὶ τῆς θεοσεβείας τὴν θύραν οὐκ ἠπίσταντο, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοὺς <νῦν> εἰς τὸν νυμφῶνα τρέχοντες μετὰ χαρᾶς εἰσά γουσιν· εἰ καὶ μακρὰν ὑπῆρχον τοῦ φωτός, ἀλλὰ νῦν αὐτὸν ὅλον τὸν ἥλιον καθαροῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς κατοπτεύουσιν.

12 Τί δὲ τὸν Ἰωάννην ὁ Γαβριὴλ κατορθοῦν ἕτερον ἐπαγγέλ λεται, «ἑτοιμάσαι τῷ κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον»; Ὃν τίς κατεσκεύασεν, ἀλλ' ἢ πάντως ὁ Χριστός; Ὁ γὰρ πλάσας ἀνέ πλασεν, ὁ τὸν τροχὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς κυλίσας, οὗτος αὐτὸν ἀνεκύλισεν ὕστερον· ὁ εἰπών· «Ἔστω ἄνθρωπος εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν», οὗτος εἶπεν· «Τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν οὐ βούλομαι ἀποθανεῖν.» Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Γαβριήλ, καταβὰς ἐξ οὐρανῶν, ἀπήγγειλεν· ἐν τούτοις δὲ τοῖς λόγοις ὁ Ἰωάννης σπαρεὶς ἔσω τῆς κοιλίας τῆς Ἐλισάβετ ἐγένετο, καὶ τὸν ἐν γαστρὶ προλαβὼν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς ἀσπάζεται, καὶ τὸν ἐν κοιλίᾳ θεολογεῖ ἔτι δεσμοῖς τῆς κοιλίας καὶ ταῦτα μὲν κατεχόμενος· τεχθεὶς δὲ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον πέμπεται, ἵνα τοῖς ἀγ γέλοις ὁμοιωθῇ, ἵνα τῷ θεῷ συλλαλῇ, ἵνα τῶν βιωτικῶν καπνῶν καὶ θορύβων γένηται ἐλεύθερος, ἵνα τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἀσκήσῃ, ἵνα τῶν αἰσθητῶν θηρίων μαθητευθῇ τίνα δεῖ τρόπον τοῖς κεκρυμμένοις πυκτεύειν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς λανθάνοντας μάχεσθαι.