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to the one who is about to be. These things I say into the ears of those who hear; and what is more receptive to hearing than your ears? For so many days you have kept vigil, and nothing has bent you, no length of time has made you softer, no fears, no threats; against all things you have become noble. And what am I saying, you have become? This which I always desired, you have despised worldly matters, you have renounced the earth, you have been transferred to heaven; you have been released from the bonds of the body, you strive for that blessed philosophy. These things are crowns to me, these things are encouragement, these things are comfort, these things are anointing to me, these things are life, these things are the foundation of immortality.

4. But I see some persuading me to persevere in my own doctrines. It brings

for many of the successes to the opposite; because for those for whom I seemed to be an object of envy, I have fallen into wickedness; those indeed who depose according to the manner win the contest by the difference of the matters; they did not threaten, but they stood by. For now is the time to speak about my affliction. There is a law, but the lawgiver is defeated. Children, by your love, I see a conspiracy waging war, and God being insulted; I see the contest falling, and the judge being grieved; I see the plausibility of the truth withering, and the conspiracy flourishing. They say to me, that You ate and you baptized. If I did this, may I be anathema; may I not be numbered among the root of bishops; may I not be with the angels; may I not please God; but if I both ate and baptized, I did nothing inappropriate in these matters. Pay attention to me with precision what I say, and I will not cease saying. For me to speak is not burdensome, but for you it is safe. But let us return to the subject at hand.

They say that I ate and I baptized. Let them therefore depose Paul, because after he had dined he bestowed baptism on the jailer. I dare to say, let them depose Christ himself, because after supper he bestowed communion on his disciples. But these things are reasonable and great for us; these are the bright things of peace; these are the praises of the people. Mine is the crown, yours is the fruit. But you know, beloved, why they wish to depose me. Because I did not spread carpets, nor did I put on silken garments, and because I did not console their gluttony. For the offspring of the asp have flourished, the seed of Jezebel still remains; and still grace contends with Elijah. Bring to me into the midst the wonderful and rich herald of life, John I mean, the poor one, who did not even possess a lamp; for he had the torch of Christ; whose head the co-worker of Eve desired, she who became an obstacle to the saints, who persecuted the prophets, who proclaimed a fast in deceit, she who knew the dance was of equal honor to the name of the viper, having danced at the unfinished breakfast. She did not desire life, she did not desire a mass of money, not the dignity of a kingdom, not any other property. But tell me, O man, what did she desire? The head of a man. And what am I saying? Not only of a man, but of an evangelist. But she did not conquer by taking the head. For she cut off the head, having asked for it, eagerly receiving her lawless desire on a platter. Behold, and marvel at the power of God. The blameless one was rebuking, he was beheaded; but 52.432 the one beheaded is at the right hand of Christ, while she awaits inescapable punishment. Again her seed, the thorny seed, seeks and hastens. But Herodias, seeking John's head again by a dance, not one that we play with our feet, but one leaning on that of Mary. Again John cries out and says: It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. 5. But what shall I say? The present time is for tears; for all things run to dishonor, and time judges all things. Gold glorifies the whole. But bring me the holy David, who says and cries out: If gold flows, do not set your heart on it. But tell me, who was this who uttered this saying? Did he not have the emblem of royalty set upon his head? not in the

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μέλλοντι. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω εἰς ὦτα ἀκουόντων· τί δὲ τῶν ὤτων ὑμῶν ἀκουστικώτερον; Τοσαύτας ἡμέρας ἠγρυπνήσατε, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ἔκαμψεν, οὐ χρόνου μῆκος μαλακωτέρους ὑμᾶς ἐποίησεν, οὐ φόβοι, οὐκ ἀπειλαί· πρὸς πάντα ἐγένεσθε γενναῖοι. Καὶ τί λέγω, ἐγένεσθε; Τοῦτο ὅπερ ἐπεθύμουν ἀεὶ, κατεφρονήσατε τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων, ἀπετάξασθε τῇ γῇ, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν μετέστητε· ἀπηλλάγητε τῶν συνδέσμων τοῦ σώματος, πρὸς τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην ἁμιλλᾶσθε φιλοσοφίαν. Ταῦτα ἐμοὶ στέφανοι, ταῦτα παράκλησις, ταῦτα παραμυθία, ταῦτα ἐμοὶ ἄλειμμα, ταῦτα ζωὴ, ταῦτα ἀθανασίας ὑπόθεσις.

δʹ. Ἀλλ' ὁρῶ τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ δόγμασί τινας ἐγκαρτερεῖν με πειθόντων. Φέρει

γὰρ πολλὰ τῶν εὐτυχημάτων εἰς τοὐναντίον· ὅτι οἷς ἐδόκουν ζηλωτὴς εἶναι, περιπέπτωκα τῇ μοχθηρίᾳ· οἱ μὲν κατὰ τὸν τρόπον καθαιροῦντες νικῶσι τὸν ἀγῶνα τῇ διαφορᾷ τῶν πραγμάτων· οὐκ ἠπείλουν, ἀλλὰ παρίσταντο. Ἔστι γὰρ καιρὸς νῦν εἰπεῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐμῆς θλίψεως. Νόμος ἐστὶν, ἀλλ' ὁ νομοθέτης νικᾶται. Τέκνα, μὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην, βλέπω συσκευὴν πολεμοῦσαν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὑβριζόμενον· βλέπω τὸν ἀγῶνα πίπτοντα, καὶ τὸν ἀγωνοθέτην λυπούμενον· βλέπω τὸ πιθανὸν τῆς ἀληθείας μαραινόμενον, καὶ τὴν συσκευὴν ἀνθοῦσαν. Λέγουσί μοι, ὅτι Ἔφαγες καὶ ἐβάπτισας. Εἰ ἐποίησα τοῦτο, ἀνάθεμα ἔσομαι· μὴ ἀριθμηθείην εἰς ἐπισκόπων ῥίζαν· μὴ γένωμαι μετ' ἀγγέλων· μὴ ἀρέσω Θεῷ· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔφαγον καὶ ἐβάπτισα, οὐδὲν ἄκαιρον τῶν πραγμάτων ἐποίησα. Πρόσχες μοι μετὰ ἀκριβείας ὃ λέγω, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι. Ἐμοὶ μὲν τὸ λέγειν οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές. Ἀλλ' ἐπανέλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον.

Λέγουσιν ὅτι ἔφαγον καὶ ἐβάπτισα. Καθελέτωσαν οὖν Παῦλον, ὅτι μετὰ τὸ δειπνῆσαι ἐχαρίσατο τῷ δεσμοφύλακι τὸ βάπτισμα. Τολμῶ λέγειν, καθελέτωσαν καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν, ὅτι μετὰ τὸ δεῖπνον τοῖς μαθηταῖς τὴν κοινωνίαν ἐχαρίσατο. Ἀλλ' εἰκότα καὶ μεγάλα ἡμῖν ταῦτα· ταῦτα φαιδρὰ τῆς εἰρήνης· ταῦτα τοῦ λαοῦ τὰ ἐγκώμια. Ἐμοῦ ὁ στέφανος, ὑμῶν ὁ καρπός. Ἀλλ' οἴδατε, ἀγαπητοὶ, διὰ τί με θέλουσι καθελεῖν. Ὅτι τάπητας οὐχ ἥπλωσα, οὔτε σηρικὰ ἱμάτια οὐκ ἐνεδυσάμην, καὶ ὅτι τὴν γαστριμαργίαν αὐτῶν οὐ παρεμυθησάμην. Ἤνθησαν γὰρ τὰ ἔγγονα τῆς ἀσπίδος, ἔτι περιλέλειπται τῆς Ἰεζάβελ ὁ σπόρος· ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ χάρις τῷ Ἠλίᾳ συναγωνίζεται. Φέρε δέ μοι εἰς μέσον τὸν θαυμαστὸν καὶ πλούσιον τῆς ζωῆς κήρυκα, Ἰωάννην λέγω, τὸν πένητα, καὶ ἕως λύχνου μὴ κτησάμενον· εἶχε γὰρ τὴν λαμπάδα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὗ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπεθύμησεν ἡ τῆς Εὔας συλλειτουργὸς, ἡ τῶν ἁγίων ἐμπόδιον γενομένη, ἡ τοὺς προφήτας διώξασα, ἡ τὴν ἐν δόλῳ νηστείαν κηρύξασα, ἡ ὁμότιμον τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς ἐχίδνης ἐπισταμένη τὴν ὄρχησιν, ἐν τῷ ἀρίστῳ τῷ ἀτελεῖ ὀρχησαμένη. Οὐκ ἐπεθύμησε ζωὴν, οὐκ ἐπεθύμησε χρημάτων ὄγκον, οὐ βασιλείας ἀξίωμα, οὐκ ἄλλης τινὸς περιουσίας. Ἀλλ' εἰπέ μοι, ἄνθρωπε, τί ἐπεθύμησε; Κεφαλὴν ἀνθρώπου. Τί δὲ λέγω; Οὐ μόνον ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλ' εὐαγγελιστοῦ. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐνίκησε λαβοῦσα τὴν κεφαλήν. Ἔτεμε γὰρ τὴν κεφαλὴν αἰτησαμένη, τὴν ἄνομον ἐπιθυμίαν σπουδαίως διὰ πίνακος δεξαμένη. Βλέπε, καὶ θαύμασον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν. ∆ιήλεγχεν ὁ ἀναίτιος, ἀπετμήθη· ἀλλ' 52.432 ὁ ἀποτμηθεὶς ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἡ δὲ ἀπαραίτητον κόλασιν ἐκδέχεται. Πάλιν ἐκείνης τὸ σπέρμα, ὁ σπόρος ὁ ἀκανθώδης ἐπιζητεῖ καὶ σπεύδει. Ἀλλ' Ἡρωδιὰς Ἰωάννου τὴν κεφαλὴν ζητοῦσα πάλιν ὄρχησιν, οὐχ ἣν τοῖς ποσὶ παίζομεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῆς Μαρίας ἐπερειδομένην. Πάλιν βοᾷ καὶ λέγει Ἰωάννης· Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι τὴν γυναῖκα ἔχειν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. εʹ. Ἀλλὰ τί εἴπω; ∆ακρύων ὁ παρὼν καιρός· πάντα γὰρ εἰς ἀδοξίαν ἐκτρέχει, καὶ πάντα χρόνος κρίνει. Χρυσὸς τὸ ὅλον δοξάζει. Ἀλλὰ φέρε μοι τὸν ἅγιον ∆αυῒδ τὸν λέγοντα καὶ βοῶντα· Χρυσὸς ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν. Ἀλλ' εἰπέ μοι, τίς ἦν οὗτος ὁ ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν ἐπαφείς; Οὐχὶ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπὶ τῆς κορυφῆς συγκείμενον εἶχεν; οὐκ ἐν τῇ