of a river? For truly the river of God is coming down, the true water, the saving water. And he preaches, it says, a baptism for the remission of sins. For remission of sins, to whom? Or to the one who sins no more. Then he presents Isaiah crying out this very thing? For what? He says, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness." And he says this: as if Isaiah himself were hearing the words of John. For John was chosen for the mission, and a perfect prophet. But since John was the forerunner of the Word, he is rightly called a voice, not the word. For the voice precedes the word. And: "Prepare the way 17.328 of the Lord," what is it, if not instead of, "Be prepared for the reception of whatever He might wish to legislate?" "Make his paths straight," instead of, "Cease doing perverse things." Every unbeliever is a deep and hollow ravine, who, having believed in Christ, is filled with the fruits of the Spirit, that is, of virtues. And a mountain and hill brought low is the high-minded people of the Jews ...... Or mountains and hills are the opposing powers, which through the care of Christ were humbled; and ravines are the men, who have been filled with good works. Our life was rough, and our speech uneven. But our Lord, having come, has made all things smooth. And among the nations these things have happened; but among the people who were brought down, every mountain and hill will be humbled. For it was once a mountain and a hill; but they have been brought down and humbled. Rightly he calls all the unbelievers a brood of vipers. For he who does not abandon the habits within himself does not receive baptism well; but is still a brood of a viper, having in himself the venom of wickedness. By the same. He calls stones the gentiles, who have a heart of stone, and from great insensibility serve the creation rather than the creator, and worship stones. Therefore he prophesies the overthrow of that people and the calling of the gentiles. For to those boasting of Abraham he says: "Do not begin to say among yourselves: We have Abraham as our father"; but that God is able to make the gentiles children of Abraham. Of what stones? He was not pointing to lifeless stones, but to senseless men who were stones, since they worshiped stones. And that which was written came to pass for them: "May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them." And further, it is also written about the stones in the song in Exodus: "Let the nations be turned to stone, until this people pass over, whom you have acquired;" so that it is clear that after the people passed over, they would no longer be turned to stone. Verse 10. And the crowds asked him, saying: "What then shall we do?" Verse 11. And he answered and said to them: "He who has two tunics, let him share with him who has none." What they are saying is something like this: What shall we do with the customs given to us by Moses and the fathers concerning sacrifices, concerning places of sprinkling, or are you introducing to us a way of another manner of life? For if the Jewish customs do not benefit us at all, tell us, what must we do? For we do not know the way of another manner of life. What then does the Baptist do? Not daring as a servant to move away the shadow, and to introduce the worship in spirit and truth, he leads them to the fulfillment of the law, that is, love, the fruit of which is to be sociable and generous, and a lover of the poor. For the Jews had a boast in the love of brethren, and the distinction of love for the poor; 17.329 not having the entirety of the Gospel, but introducing the beginning of the New Testament. He introduces three things, and the rest. CHAP. 1. Verse 22. See the type in Zechariah. For having cast out the word from themselves, and not being able to give an account of any legal or prophetic word, they remain deaf and speechless. Verse 63. And having asked for a tablet he wrote, "John is his name." For since Zechariah is interpreted "remembrance of God," and John "the one who shows"; and one remembers what is absent, but shows what is present; for this reason the parents of this child did not consent to call him Zechariah, but rather wished to name him John. Because he was about not just to remember God as absent, but that very one with the
ποταμοῦ; Καταβαίνων γάρ ἐστιν ὡς ἀλη θῶς ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἀληθινὸν, τὸ ὕ δωρ τὸ σωτήριον. Καὶ κηρύσσει, φησὶν, εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν βάπτισμα. Εἰς ἄφεσιν δὲ ἁμαρτιῶν, τίνι; ἢ τῷ μηκέτι ἁμαρτάνοντι. Εἶτα τὸν Ἡσαΐαν παρ ίστησι τοῦτο αὐτὸ βοῶντα; Τί γάρ; φησι Φωνὴ βο ῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Τοῦτο δέ φησιν· ὡς ἂν Ἡσαΐου αὐτοῦ ἀκούοντος τῶν λόγων Ἰωάννου. Ἐπίλεκτος γὰρ ἦν εἰς ἀποστολὴν Ἰωάννης, καὶ τέλειος προφη τῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης πρόδρομος ἦν τοῦ Λόγου, εἰκότως φωνὴ ὠνόμασται, οὐ λόγος. Προλαμβάνει γὰρ ἡ φωνὴ τὸν λόγον. Τὸ δέ· Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν 17.328 Κυρίου, τί ἐστιν, εἰ μὴ ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εὐτρεπίσθητε πρὸς παραδοχὴν ὧν ἂν βούλοιτο νομοθετεῖν; Εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Παύσασθε ποιεῖν τὰ διεστραμμένα. Φάραγξ ἐστὶ βαθεῖα καὶ κοίλη πᾶς ἄπιστος, ὃς, πιστεύσας εἰς Χριστὸν, πληροῦται τῶν τοῦ Πνεύ ματος καρπῶν, τουτέστι τῶν ἀρετῶν. Ὄρος δὲ καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθείς ἐστιν ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὑψηλό φρων λαός ...... Ἢ ὄρη καὶ βουνοὶ αἱ ἀντικεί μεναι δυνάμεις, αἳ διὰ τῆς Χριστοῦ ἐπιμελείας ἐτα πεινώθησαν· φάραγγες δὲ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οἳ πεπλή ρωνται ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς. Τραχὺς ἦν ἡμῶν ὁ βίος, καὶ ἀνώμαλος ὁ λόγος. Ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν λεῖα πάντα πεποίηκε. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἐθνῶν ταῦτα γεγένηται· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ καθαιρεθέντος τὸ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσε ται. Ὄρος γὰρ ἦν ποτε καὶ βουνός· καθῃρέθησαν δὲ καὶ τεταπείνωνται. Εἰκότως γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν πάντας τοὺς ἀπί στους καλεῖ. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ καταλιμπάνων τὰ ἐν αὑτῷ ἔθη, οὐ λαμβάνει καλῶς τὸ βάπτισμα· ἀλλ' ἔτι γέννη μα ἐχίδνης, ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν ἰὸν τῆς πονηρίας ἔχων. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Λίθους ὀνομάζει τοὺς ἐθνικοὺς, τοὺς λι θίνην ἔχοντας καρδίαν, καὶ ἐκ πολλῆς ἀναισθησίας τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα δουλεύοντας, καὶ λίθους προσ κυνοῦντας. Προφητεύει τοίνυν τὴν καθαίρεσιν ἐκείνου τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν. Ἐκείνοις γὰρ αὐ χοῦσι τὸν Ἀβραάμ φησι· Μὴ ἄρξησθε λέγειν ἐν ἑαυ τοῖς· Πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν Ἀβραάμ· τὰ δέ γε ἔθνη δύνασθαι τὸν Θεὸν ποιῆσαι τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Ποίων λίθων; Οὐ λίθους ἐδείκνυεν ἀψύχους, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπους ἀναισθήτους ὄντας λίθους, ἐπειδήπερ λίθοις προσεκύνουν. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπ' αὐτῶν τὸ γε γραμμένον· Ὅμοιοι αὐτῶν γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ, καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν λίθων γέγραπται ἐν τῇ ᾠδῇ τῇ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ· Ἀπολιθωθήτωσαν τὰ ἔθνη, ἕως οὗ παρέλθῃ ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, ὃν ἐκτήσω· ὡς δῆλον, ὅτι με τὰ τὸ παρελθεῖν τὸν λαὸν μηκέτι ἀπολιθωθείησαν. Στίχ. ιʹ. Καὶ ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ ὄχλοι, λέγοντες· Τί οὖν ποιήσομεν; Στίχ. ιαʹ. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ὁ ἔχων δύο χιτῶνας μεταδότω τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι. Ὃ λέγουσι, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Τὰ δεδομένα ἡμῖν ἐκ Μωϋσέως καὶ τῶν πατέρων ἔθη περὶ θυσιῶν, ἃ περὶ ῥαντιστηρίων ποιήσομεν, ἢ ἑτέρας ἡμῖν πολιτείας εἰσ άγεις ὁδόν; Εἰ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ ὠφε λεῖ, εἰπὲ ἡμῖν, τί χρὴ ποιεῖν; Οὐ γὰρ ἴσμεν ἑτέρας πολιτείας ὁδόν. Τί οὖν ὁ Βαπτιστής; Μὴ τολμῶν ὡς οἰκέτης ἀποκινῆσαι τὴν σκιὰν, καὶ τὴν ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ λατρείαν εἰσαγαγεῖν, ἄγει αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ νόμου, τουτέστι τὴν ἀγάπην, ἧς ὁ καρ πὸς τὸ κοινωνικὸν εἶναι καὶ εὐμετάδοτον, καὶ φιλό πτωχον. Ἦν γὰρ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐπὶ ἀδελφῶν ἀγαπήσει καύχησις, καὶ τὸ τῆς φιλοπτωχίας ἐξαίρετον· τὸ 17.329 μὲν ὁλόκληρον τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου οὐκ ἔχουσα, ἀρχὴν δὲ τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης εἰσάγουσα. Τρία πράγματα εἰσάγει, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. ΚΕΦ. Αʹ. Στίχ. κβʹ. Βλέπε τὸν τύπον ἐν τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ. Ἐκβαλόντες γὰρ τὸν λόγον ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι περὶ μη δενὸς λόγον ἀποδοῦναι νομικοῦ ἢ προφητικοῦ λόγου, κωφοὶ καὶ ἄλογοι μένουσι. Στίχ. ξγʹ. Καὶ αἰτήσας πινακίδιον ἔγραψεν, Ἰωάννης ἐστὶν τοὔνομα αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται Ζαχαρίας μὲν μνήμη Θεοῦ, Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ δεικνύς· μέμνηται δέ τις τοῦ ἀπόντος, δείκνυσι δὲ τὰ παρόντα· διὰ τοῦτο οἱ τοῦ παιδὸς τούτου γεννήτορες οὐκ ἀνέσχον αὐτὸν καλεῖν Ζαχαρίαν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον Ἰωάννην ὀνομάζειν ἤθελον. ∆ιότι ἔμελλεν μονονουχὶ μνημονεύειν Θεοῦ ὡς ἀπόν τος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τῷ