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O evil lioness's viper-born child; she did not seek gold, nor silver, nor precious stones, but the head of John.

And if she had sought it through faith, the head of John would be much more precious than all gold and silver and costly stones. But she did not seek it through faith, to honor it, but so that by killing the reproof, she might grant her mother license for her evil sin. But when the king heard this, he was grieved, not because of the prophet’s murder, but because of his fear of the crowd, for they all held him as a prophet. For if he had been grieved out of piety, he would not have bound him and put him in prison from the beginning; but he was grieved because of the crowd. And at that time the soul of Herod was like a ship caught in the sea, and tossed against either wall; fearing to commit the murder because of the crowd, and not permitted not to commit the murder because of his oaths and those who reclined with him. But the wretched man, weighed down by the fiery pleasure for the woman, using the keeping of his oath as a pretext for the murder, sent and had John beheaded.

That it is evil to swear, remember now, you who swear readily; hear the Lord saying, Swear not at all. For if the wretched man had not sworn then, he would not have brought himself to commit the murder. Now, he ought not to have done it at all; but since he had sworn, it was better for him to swear falsely; for in a choice of evils it was better to accept the lesser. He sent and beheaded him. What hand dared, beloved, to bring the sword to the holy neck of John, whom beasts in the desert revered, whom lions trembled at, whom horned serpents and dragons and asps shuddered at, whom wild bees, glorying in the man’s holiness, nourished? For from various flowers and herbs, as if gathering the golden drops of dew in the desert, they wove and brought him honey. This man an executioner’s hand cut off, not shuddering at his angel-like face, nor trembling at his face that sent forth godlike splendors. But I think that the executioner who was sent, being blinded by Herod’s drunkenness, had a sword, but had no eyes. And the head of John was cut off (for he never drank wine), and the head of John was brought on a platter at the feast, and then it cried out to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. For even after death the righteous man lived, and when his head was cut off, his voice lives. O cruelty of man; on the platter on which he ate meat, on that he placed a man's head. O lawless tyrant, 59.525 was the slaughter of the young children in Bethlehem by the Herod before you not enough, when the united wailings of fathers and mothers were sharper than dirges? when the drops of abundant tears gushing from their bowels overcame springs? when fathers' breasts were beaten, and continual gasps with pain were sent from the heart to the nostrils? when mothers mourned the untimely fading of the bloom of the infants from their own loins? when breasts flowing with milk whitened the earth, as the suckling infants were suddenly slaughtered? when fathers' arms became empty of their own offspring, and mothers' breasts sought the itchy suckling from tender teeth? For what beast then did not shed tears, seeing the innocent infants murdered unjustly, possessing guileless souls? whose souls were as innocent as their limbs were tender, being infants? For did those infants reprove the Herod before you, who had neither a clear tongue, nor teeth in their mouth, so that 59.526 having formed their tongue, they could send forth speech through their lips? Their great cruelty was not enough. But you also, imitating his heartlessness, cut off John, of one of whose hairs you were not worthy. He slaughtered the offspring of Rachel, and you cut off John, the teacher of the Church. For which of these shall I be merciful to you? says the Lord.

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Ὢ κακῆς λεαίνης ἀσπιδογέννητον τέκνον· οὐ χρυσὸν ἐπεζήτησεν, οὐκ ἄργυρον, οὐ λίθους τιμίους, ἀλλὰ τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου.

Καὶ εἰ μὲν διὰ πίστιν ἐπεζήτησε, πολὺ τιμιωτέρα ἡ κεφαλὴ Ἰωάννου παντὸς χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου καὶ λίθων πολυτελῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπεζήτησε διὰ πίστιν, ἵνα τιμήσῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν ἔλεγχον ἀποκτείνασα, τῇ μητρὶ χαρίσηται ἄδειαν, τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν κακῶν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἀκούσας δὲ Ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐλυπήθη, οὐ διὰ τὸν φόνον τοῦ προφήτου, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ ὄχλου, ὅτι πάντες ὡς προφήτην αὐτὸν εἶχον. Εἰ γὰρ δι' εὐλάβειαν. ἐλυπεῖτο, οὐκ ἂν παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν δεσμεύσας αὐτὸν ἐν φυλακῇ ἀπέθετο· ἀλλ' ἐλυπήθη διὰ τὸν ὄχλον. Καὶ ἦν τότε ἡ ψυχὴ Ἡρώδου ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ πλοῖον ἀπειλημμένον, καὶ πρὸς ἑκάτερον τοῖχον ταλαντεῦον· τὸ ποιῆσαι τὸν φόνον διὰ τὸν ὄχλον φοβούμενος, καὶ τὸ μὴ ποιῆσαι τὸν φόνον ∆ιὰ τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τοὺς συνανακειμένους μὴ συγχωρούμενος. Βαρυνθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἄθλιος ὑπὸ τῆς πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα πολυφλόγου ἡδονῆς, χρησάμενος δῆθεν τῇ εὐορκίᾳ πρὸς τὴν ἀπολογίαν τοῦ φόνου, Πέμψας ἀπεκεφάλισε τὸν Ἰωάννην.

Ὅτι κακόν ἐστι τὸ ὀμνύειν, νῦν μὲν μνημονεύσατε οἱ ἡδέως ὀμνύοντες· ἀκούσατε τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος, Μὴ ὀμνύειν ὅλως. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ὤμοσε τότε ὁ ἄθλιος, οὐκ ἂν ἠνέσχετο τὸν φόνον ποιῆσαι. Ἔδει μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν μηδὲ ὅλως ποιῆσαι· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ὤμοσε, συνέφερεν αὐτῷ ψευδορκῆσαι· ἐν γὰρ κακῶν ἐκλογῇ ἄμεινον ἦν τὸ ἔλαττον δέξασθαι. Πέμψας ἀπεκεφάλισεν αὐτόν. Ποία χεὶρ ἐτόλμησεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, τῷ ἁγίῳ τραχήλῳ Ἰωάννου προσενέγκαι τὸ ξίφος, ὃν θῆρες ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ᾐδέσθησαν, ὃν λέοντες ἐτρόμαξαν, ὃν κεράσται καὶ δράκοντες καὶ ἀσπίδες ἔφριξαν, ὃν ἄγριαι μέλισσαι διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἁγιότητα καμαρεύουσαι ἔτρεφον; Ἐκ γὰρ ποικίλων ἀνθῶν καὶ βοτανῶν, ὡς ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἐρανιζόμεναι τῶν δρόσων τὰς σταγόνας χρυσοειδεῖς, συνυφαίνουσαι αὐτῷ τὸ μέλι προσέφερον. Τοῦτον χεὶρ δημία ἀπέτεμεν, οὐ φρίξασα τὸ ἀγγελοειδὲς αὐτοῦ πρόσωπον, οὐδὲ τρομάσασα αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον στιλπνότητας θεοειδεῖς ἀποπέμπον. Ἀλλ' οἶμαι, ὅτι τῇ μέθῃ τοῦ Ἡρώδου σκοτωθεὶς ὁ πεμφθεὶς δήμιος, ξίφος μὲν εἶχεν, ὀφθαλμοὺς δὲ οὐκ εἶχε. Καὶ ἐτέμνετο ἡ κεφαλὴ Ἰωάννου (οὐ γὰρ ἔπιέ ποτε οἶνον), καὶ ἐφέρετο ἐπὶ πίνακι ἡ κεφαλὴ Ἰωάννου ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ, καὶ τότε βοῶσα πρὸς Ἡρώδην, Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ μετὰ θάνατον ὁ δίκαιος ἔζη, καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ ἀποτμηθείσης ἡ φωνὴ ζῇ. Ὢ ὠμότης ἀνθρώπου· ἐφ' ᾧ ἤσθιε πίνακι τὰ κρέα, ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ κεφαλὴν ἀνδρὸς ἐπετίθει. Ὦ παράνομε τύραννε, 59.525 οὐκ ἤρκεσεν ὑπὸ τοῦ πρὸ σοῦ Ἡρώδου ἡ τῶν νεαρῶν τέκνων ἐν Βηθλεὲμ γεγονυῖα σφαγὴ, ὅτε πατέρων καὶ μητέρων ὀλολυγμοὶ ὁμόθρηνοι ζιβύνων ὑπῆρχον ὀξύτεροι; ὅτε δακρύων πολυχύτων σταγόνες ἐκ σπλάγχνων ἀναβρύουσαι ἐνίκων πηγάς; ὅτε πατέρων στήθη ἐτύπτοντο, καὶ συνεχῆ ἄσθματα μετὰ πόνων ἐκ καρδίας ἐπὶ μυκτήρων ἐπέμπετο; ὅτε μητέρες τῶν οἰκείων λαγόνων τὴν χλόην τῶν νηπίων παρὰ καιρὸν μαρανθεῖσαν ἐπένθουν; ὅτε καὶ μαζοὶ ῥέοντες γάλα τὴν γῆν ἐλεύκαινον, τῶν ὑφελκόντων νηπίων ἄφνω σφαγέντων; ὅτε πατέρων ἀγ-κάλαι τῶν οἰκείων γόνων κεναὶ ἐγίνοντο, καὶ μητέρων μαζοὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν τρυφερῶν ὀδόντων κνησμώδεις τιτθισμοὺς ἐπεζήτουν; Ποῖος γὰρ θὴρ τότε οὐκ ἐπεδάκρυσεν, ὁρῶν φονευόμενα τὰ ἄκακα νήπια ἀδίκως, ἀδόλους ψυχὰς κεκτημένα; ὧν αἱ ψυχαὶ τοσοῦτον ἦσαν ἄκακοι, ὅσον καὶ τὰ μέλη αὐτῶν τρυφερὰ ἅτε νηπίων ἐτύγχανε; Μὴ γὰρ κἀκεῖνα τὸν πρὸ σοῦ Ἡρώδην ἤλεγξαν, οἷς οὔτε γλῶσσα τρανὴ ὑπῆρχεν, οὔτε ὀδόντες ἐν τῷ στόματι, ἵνα 59.526 τὴν γλῶσσαν τορνεύσαντες, λόγον διὰ χειλέων ἐκπέμψωσιν; Οὐκ ἤρκεσεν ἐκείνων ἡ τοσαύτη ὠμότης. Ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺ τὸ ἄσπλαγχνον ἐκείνου μιμησάμενος, Ἰωάννην ἀπέτεμες, οὗ μιᾶς τριχὸς οὐκ ἦσθα ἀντάξιος. Τοὺς γόνους τῆς Ῥαχὴλ ἀπέσφαξεν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ σὺ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὸν παιδευτὴν Ἰωάννην ἀπέτεμες. Ποίοις τούτων ἵλεως ἔσομαί σοι; λέγει Κύριος.