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13 As his age was added to and time advanced, he becomes a diner at a table that has no cook, nor hiring a chef; for he had wild honey, completely unseasoned; and locusts were the relish whose sacrifice is without iron, whose slaughter is without a knife, needed no cauldrons, required no coals. He had no need of seasoning from without, but possessed the seasoning from himself. And camel's hair fashioned the baptist's robe, so that the spirit might be warmed while the body was worn down, and as the flesh wasted away, the worms of pleasure might be put to death. But he also had a leather belt around his loins. The putting to death of pleasures shone more than gold, his sanctification flashed more than electrum, his purity concealed the rays of many-gleaming stones. Having thus practiced philosophy, he was perfected as a true ascetic, and an innocent runner and a blameless soldier and a just bridesman and a pious herald and a mediator and a forerunner, "abstaining from every evil thing."

14 How many times did the devil, seeing him philosophizing in such a way, envy him? But still he was not strong enough to slander him. And what, though he thirsted and longed and begged for it greatly? What could he slander of the athlete, what could he mock of the soldier, what was he to jeer at in one who held nothing in his hands? What abundance could he relate of one who had no kinship with the prosperity of this life? Could he slander the children he had not sown, or the daughters of whom he was not the father, or the fields which he did not have, or the houses which he did not build, or the donkeys or oxen or camels of which he possessed none, or the wife whom he did not know, did not have, did not marry? Therefore let John be praised, I will say again, since he fittingly divided the proclamation of salvation to all. For he commanded the soldiers to be content with their wages, and the tax collectors to take nothing more than the appointed taxes, he showed the people a short road of life to Christ, that the one who has should give to the one who has not, that the one with abundance should provide the surplus to the one who is lacking, so that the body might not be lacking, as the members contribute to each other and supply what is needed.

15 This people rushed in heaps to the spring of baptism, and after them the Redeemer himself, wishing to follow as a shepherd his sheep, and to partake of the spring which he himself had revealed to the lambs. The baptist's fingers quivered, his hands grew numb, every one of his members and his robe from head to foot trembled. And being able neither to gainsay as a servant his master, nor having room to minister to so great a command, nor did he dare to refuse him who commanded great things. "I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" How, he says, shall I wash the pure one? In what way shall I hold the uncontainable one? How shall I whiten the light? How shall I wipe clean the sun? What need has he of my hand? What need have you of the tongue which you yourself have fashioned? What shall I say to you while baptizing? What shall I utter to the Jordan itself? What to the dove of the spirit coming of its own accord from the heavens? What to the cloud in which the proclamation of your father is borne? Do you not know what I am, Master? And do you not know why I have come?”

16 "I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" For were you "conceived in iniquities," like me? For did "your mother conceive you in sins," or did the birth have seed? Did the gestation involve corruption or the conception an embrace? Did the womb have a bridegroom or the belly a farmer? Was the milk from a man? Did anyone touch your mother's breast? Did the virgin fall under the curse of Eve?" But what did the Redeemer add to him? "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Let it be so now," that is, why do you lay bare before the time things that are hidden? Why do you uncover things that must for now be kept secret until the time? Why

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13 Προστεθείσης δὲ τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ τοῦ χρόνου προκόπτοντος, δειπνητὴς μὲν γίνεται τραπέζης τῆς οὐκ ἐχούσης ὀψοποιόν, οὐδὲ μισθούμενος μάγειρον· μέλι γὰρ αὐτῷ ἦν ἄγριον καὶ παντελῶς ἀνάρτυτον· ἀκρίδες δὲ ὄψα ὧν ἡ θυσία ἀσίδηρος, ἀμάχαιρος ἡ σφαγὴ λεβήτων οὐκ ἔχρῃζεν, ἀνθράκων οὐκ ἐδέετο. Οὐκ ἦν αὐτῷ χρεία καρυκείας τῆς ἔξωθεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν καρυκείαν ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ ἐκέκτητο. Καὶ καμήλων τρίχες τῷ βαπτιστῇ τὴν στολὴν κατ εσκεύαζον, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα θερμαίνῃ τρυχουμένου τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τηκομένης τῆς σαρκὸς νεκρωθῶσι τῶν ἡδονῶν οἱ σκώληκες. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ζώνῃ δερματίνῃ τὴν ὀσφῦν περιέκειτο. Ἔλαμπε δὲ ὑπὲρ χρυσὸν ἡ τῶν ἡδονῶν νέκρωσις, ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑπὲρ ἤλεκτρον ἤστραπτεν, ἡ ἁγνεία τῶν πολυφεγγῶν λίθων τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀπέ κρυπτεν. Οὕτω δὴ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἀσκηθεὶς ἀσκητὴς ἀληθινὸς ἀπήρτιστο καὶ δρομεὺς ἄκακος καὶ στρατιώτης ἄμεμπτος καὶ νυμφαγωγὸς δίκαιος καὶ κῆρυξ εὐσεβὴς καὶ μεσίτης καὶ πρό δρομος, «παντὸς οὑτινοσοῦν πονηροῦ πράγματος ἀπεχόμενος».

14 Ποσάκις αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος φιλοσοφοῦντα τοιαῦτα θεω ρήσας ἐζήλωσεν; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὅμως διαβάλλειν οὐκ ἴσχυσεν. Καὶ τί σφόδρα διψῶν καὶ ποθῶν καὶ δεόμενος; Τί δὲ διαβάλλειν τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ, τί δὲ σκώπτειν τοῦ στρατιώτου, τί χλευάζειν ἔμελλεν τοῦ μηδὲν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ κατέχοντος; Ποίαν εὐθηνίαν ἐξηγεῖσθαι τοῦ μηδεμίαν ἔχοντος πρὸς τὴν εὐπραγίαν τοῦ βίου συγγένειαν; Μὴ διαβάλλειν εἶχεν τοὺς παῖδας οὓς οὐκ ἔσπειρεν, μὴ θυγατέρας ὧν πατὴρ οὐκ ἐτύγχανεν, μὴ ἀγροὺς οὓς οὐκ ἔσχεν, οἴκους δὲ οὓς οὐκ ἤγειρεν, ὄνους ἢ βόας ἢ καμήλους ὧν οὐδὲν ἐκτήσατο, γυναῖκα ἣν οὐκ ἔγνω, οὐκ ἔσχεν, οὐκ ἔγημεν; Ὑμνείσθω τοίνυν Ἰωάννης, πάλιν ἐρῶ, ἐπειδὴ πᾶσιν ἐμέρισε προσφόρως τῆς σω τηρίας τὸ κήρυγμα. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ στρατιώτας ἀρκεῖσθαι τοῖς ὀψωνίοις ἐκέλευσεν, τοὺς δὲ τελώνας μηδὲν πλέον τῶν φόρων τῶν τεταγμένων λαμβάνειν, τὸν λαὸν σύντομον ὁδὸν τῆς ζωῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἐπιδείξασθαι, τὸν ἔχοντα διδόναι τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι, τὸν περιττεύοντα τῷ ὑστεροῦντι παρασχεῖν τὸ περιττεῦον, ἵνα τὸ σῶμα μὴ ὑστερῇ, τῶν μελῶν εἰσφερόντων ἀλλήλοις καὶ χορη γούντων τὰ δέοντα.

15 Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς σωρηδὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πηγὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἔσπευδεν καὶ μετ' αὐτοὺς ὁ λυτρωτὴς αὐτὸς ὡς προβάτοις ποιμὴν ἐπακολουθῆσαι βουλόμενος καὶ τῆς πηγῆς μετασχεῖν ἧς αὐτὸς τοῖς ἀμνοῖς ἐνεφάνισεν. Ἔπαλλον οἱ τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ δάκτυλοι, αἱ χεῖρες ἐνάρκων, ἕκαστον αὐτῷ τῶν μελῶν τῆς στολῆς ἀπὸ κεφαλῆς μέχρι ποδῶν ἔτρεμεν. Καὶ μήτε ἀντειπεῖν ὡς οἰκέτης δεσπότῃ δυνάμενος, μήτε διακονῆσαι χωρῶν τῷ τοσούτῳ προσ τάγματι, οὔτε παραιτεῖσθαι ἐτόλμα τῷ μεγάλα προστάττοντι. «Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με.» Πῶς, φησίν, πλυνῶ τὸν καθαρόν; Τίνα δὲ τρόπον κρατήσω τὸν ἀχώρητον; Πῶς λευκανῶ τὸ φῶς; Πῶς ἀποσμύξω τὸν ἥλιον; Τί μου χρῄζει τῆς χειρός; Τί σοι δεῖ γλώττης ἣν αὐτὸς ἐκεράμω σας; Τί πρὸς σὲ βαπτίζων εἴπω; Τί πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰορδάνην φθέγξομαι; Τί πρὸς τὴν περιστερὰν τὴν ἐξ οὐρανῶν αὐτομο λοῦσαν τοῦ πνεύματος; Τί πρὸς τὴν νεφέλην ᾗ τοῦ σοῦ πατρὸς ἐποχεῖται τὸ κήρυγμα; Ἆρα μὴ ἀγνοεῖς τί ὑπάρχω, δέσποτα; Ἆρα δὲ οὐκ οἶδας διὰ τί παραγέγονα;»

16 «Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με.» Μὴ γὰρ «ἐν ἀνομίαις συνελήφθης», ὥσπερ ἐγώ; Μὴ γὰρ «ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησέ σε ἡ μήτηρ σου» ἢ σπόρον ἔσχεν ὁ τό κος; Μὴ φθορὰν ἡ κύησις ἢ συμπλοκὴν ἡ σύλληψις; Μὴ νυμ φίον ἡ μήτρα ἢ γεωργὸν ἡ γαστήρ; Μὴ τὸ γάλα ἐξ ἀνδρός; Μὴ τῆς σῆς μητρὸς τὸν μασθόν τις ἐψηλάφησεν; Μὴ τῇ κατάρᾳ τῆς Εὔας ἡ παρθένος ὑπέπεσεν;» Ἀλλὰ τί πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ λυτρωτὴς ἐπήγαγεν; «Ἄφες ἄρτι· οὕτως γὰρ πρέπον ἡμῖν ἐστι πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. Ἄφες ἄρτι», τουτέστιν τί γυμνοῖς πρὸ καιροῦ τὰ λανθάνοντα; Τί ἐκκαλύπτεις τὰ δεόμενα τέως κρύπτεσθαι μέχρι καιροῦ; Τί