the prophecy presents: «For a vineyard was planted on a horn». On what horn? On this Christ, concerning whom it says: «he has raised up a horn for us». «He has raised up,» it says, for us God and the Father «a horn of salvation,» Christ, according to the foretelling «of his holy prophets»; for to all the prophets the mystery concerning Christ was announced; who delivered «us from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us», enemies not perceptible, but intelligible. For Christ came «the Lord, mighty in battle», to abolish all our enemies. And the phrase: «to show mercy with our fathers» I think this means, that perhaps in the advent of Christ our fathers Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the whole choir of his holy prophets and righteous men also enjoyed the mercy of God. For I am not saying that they were benefited before, but were not benefited in the advent of Christ. But why do I say this concerning the fathers? for I will ascend in my discourse and I will say, persuaded by the scriptures, that at the coming of Christ not only things on earth benefited from his advent and his economy, but also things in the heavens. The apostle at any rate says: «making peace through the blood of his cross, whether things on earth or things in heaven»; and if he made peace, why do you hesitate to accept that the visitation to the fathers also happened at the advent of Christ and his arrival in Hades accomplished this, so that this might be fulfilled: «to show mercy with our fathers; to remember the covenant made with Abraham». «To grant us,» it says, «to be delivered without fear from the hand of our enemies». Often some are delivered from the hand of enemies, but with fear. But now the advent of Christ has made us to be delivered «without fear from the hand of our enemies»; for we did not perceive the plot of the enemies, but it took us as if by surprise, we who did not perceive the plot of the enemies; and if it is necessary to speak this way, he transferred us while we were unperceiving from them «to his lot and his portion». Therefore we also ought «to serve him in holiness and righteousness before him», which happens through the fulfillment of all his holy commandments, not for a short time only, but «all the days of our life». «And you, child,» it says; I was seeking by myself why he did not speak the prophecy concerning John as about him, but as to him; for it says: «and you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High». For it is superfluous to speak to one who does not hear; why then does it say these things as to one who hears? Perhaps then John, having received a marvelous birth—since an archangel announced it and since Mary, after she had conceived the Lord, was present with Elizabeth and with him as he was being born—already had a marvelous understanding from the beginning. But if you disbelieve that John understood the prophecy as soon as he was born and heard, «And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High», see what is more marvelous, that «he leaped with joy in the womb, when the voice of the greeting came». But if being in the womb he leaped and rejoiced, why do you disbelieve that, having been born, as soon as he was born he heard his father prophesying and saying to him: «and you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways»? For this reason the father quickly prophesied to him while he was present, since he knew as a prophet that after a short time he was not going to have him with him being raised, but living «in the deserts». For «the child was in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel». For John was something marvelous, concerning whom it was also said: «I send my messenger before your face»; as a messenger sent, therefore, he heard his father prophesying the things that have been written. For «to grow» is twofold; the one, bodily, where human choice does not cooperate, the other, spiritual, where choice lies as the cause for the growth. Therefore, he wrote of the better growing; for the whole saying is of this kind: «he grew in spirit»; for not

παριστᾷ ἡ προφητεία· «Ἀμπελὼν γὰρ ἐγεννήθη ἐν κέρατι». Τίνι κέ ρατι; Τῷ Χριστῷ τούτῳ, περὶ οὗ λέγει· «ἤγειρεν κέρας ἡμῖν». «Ἤγειρε», φησίν, ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ «κέρας σωτηρίας» τὸν Χρι στόν, κατὰ τὴν «τῶν ἁγίων» αὐ τοῦ «προφητῶν» προαγόρευσιν· πᾶσι γὰρ τοῖς προφήταις τὸ περὶ Χριστοῦ κατήγγελται μυστήριον· 10.60 ὃς ἐρρύσατο «ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν ἐχ θρῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς πάντων τῶν μισούντων ἡμᾶς», ἐχθρῶν δὲ οὐκ αἰσθητῶν, ἀλλὰ νοητῶν. Ἦλθε γὰρ Χριστὸς «κύριος, δυνατὸς ἐν πο λέμῳ», καταργῆσαι πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν. Τὸ δέ· «ποιῆσαι ἔλεος μετὰ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν» τοῦτο οἶμαι δηλοῦν, ὡς τάχα ἐν τῇ Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίᾳ καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ ὅλος ὁ χορὸς τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ προφητῶν καὶ δι καίων ἀπέλαυσαν τοῦ ἐλέους τοῦ θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ λέγω, ὅτι πρότερον μὲν ὠφέληντο, ἐν δὲ τῇ Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίᾳ οὐκ ὠφέληντο. Τί δὲ λέγω τοῦτο περὶ τῶν πατέρων; ἀναβήσο μαι γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἐρῶ πεισθεὶς ταῖς γραφαῖς, ὅτι ἐν τῇ Χριστοῦ παρουσίᾳ οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ὤνατο αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐπιδημίας καὶ τῆς 10.61 οἰκονομίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ὁ ἀπόστολος γοῦν φησιν· «εἰρηνοποιήσας διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς, εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς»· εἰ δὲ εἰρηνο ποίησεν, τί ὀκνεῖς παραδέξασθαι, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἡ ἐπι σκοπὴ γέγονε ἐν τῇ Χριστοῦ ἐπι δημίᾳ καὶ τοῦτο ἡ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην αὐτοῦ ἄφιξις ἐπραγματεύσατο, ἵνα πλη ρωθῇ τό· «ποιῆσαι ἔλεος μετὰ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν· μνησθῆναι δὲ δια θήκης τῆς πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ γενο μένης». «Τοῦ δοῦναι ἡμῖν», φησίν, «ἀφόβως ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν ῥυσθῆναι». Πολλάκις ῥύονταί τινες ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν, μετὰ φόβου δέ. Νυνὶ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἡ Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημία πεποίηκεν 10.62 «ἀφόβως ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν» ῥυσθῆναι· οὐ γὰρ ᾐσθάνθημεν τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ αἰφνίδιον ἡμᾶς ἔλαβεν οὐκ αἰσθαν θέντας τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν· καὶ εἰ δεῖ οὕτως εἰπεῖν, ἀναισθητοῦν τας μετέστησεν ἀπ' ἐκείνων «ἐπὶ τὸν κλῆρον καὶ τὴν μερίδα» αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν «λατρεύειν αὐτῷ ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ», ὅπερ γίνεται διὰ τῆς ἐκπληρώσεως πασῶν τῶν ἁγίων αὐ τοῦ ἐντολῶν, οὐ πρὸς ὀλίγον μόνον καιρόν, ἀλλὰ «πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν». «Καὶ σύ, παιδίον», φησίν· ἐζήτουν κατ' ἐμαυτόν, διὰ τί 10.63 τὴν περὶ Ἰωάννου προφητείαν οὐκ εἶπεν ὡς περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὡς πρὸς αὐτόν· λέγει γάρ· «καὶ σύ, παιδίον, προφήτης ὑψίστου κληθήσῃ». Περισσὸν γάρ ἐστι τὸ λέγειν τῷ μὴ ἀκούοντι· τί δήποτε οὖν ὡς πρὸς ἀκούοντα ταῦτά φησιν; Μήποτε οὖν παράδοξον γένεσιν ἀναλαβὼν ὁ Ἰω άννης-ἅτε ἀρχαγγέλου ταύτην κη ρύξαντος καὶ ἅτε τῆς Μαρίας μετὰ τὸ συνειληφέναι τὸν κύριον παρούσης τῇ Ἐλισάβετ καὶ αὐτῷ ἤδη γεννω μένῳ- παράδοξον ἤδη καὶ τὴν παρα 10.64 κολούθησιν εἶχεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς. Εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς, εἰ παρακολουθεῖ ὁ Ἰωάννης ἅμα τῷ γεννηθῆναι τῇ προ φητείᾳ καὶ ἤκουεν τοῦ· «Καὶ σύ, παι δίον, προφήτης ὑψίστου κληθήσῃ», ἴδε τὸ παραδοξότερον, ὅτι «ἐσκίρτη σεν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ, ὡς ἐγένετο ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ ἀσπασμοῦ». Εἰ δὲ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ ὢν ἐσκίρτησεν καὶ ἠγαλλίασεν, τί ἀπιστεῖς, εἰ γε γεννημένος ἅμα τῷ γεννηθῆναι ἤ κουεν τοῦ πατρὸς προφητεύοντος καὶ λέγοντος αὐτῷ· «καὶ σύ, παιδίον, προφήτης ὑψίστου κληθήσῃ· προπο ρεύσῃ γὰρ πρὸ προσώπου κυρίου ἑτοιμάσαι ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ»; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάχιον αὐτῷ παρόντι ὁ πατὴρ προ εφήτευσεν, ἐπειδήπερ ᾔδει ὡς προ 10.65 φήτης, ὅτι μετ' ὀλίγον οὐ μέλλει ἔχειν αὐτὸν παρ' ἑαυτῷ τρεφόμε νον, ἀλλ' «ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις» διαιτώ μενον. «Τὸ» γὰρ «παιδίον ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις ἦν ἕως ἡμέρας ἀναδείξεως αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραήλ». Παράδοξον γάρ τι χρῆμα ἦν Ἰω άννης, περὶ οὗ καὶ ἐλέχθη· «ἀπο στέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσ ώπου σου»· ὡς οὖν ἄγγελος ἀπο σταλεὶς ἤκουεν τοῦ πατρὸς προφη τεύοντος τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα. 11.66 ∆ιττὸν γὰρ τὸ «αὐξάνειν»· τὸ μὲν σωματικόν, ἔνθα οὐδὲ προαίρεσις ἀνθρώπου συνεργεῖ, τὸ δὲ πνευμα τικόν, ὅπου προαίρεσις αἰτία τῇ αὐξήσει κεῖται. Τὸ οὖν κρεῖττον αὐξάνειν ἀνέγρα ψεν· ὅ<λ>ον γὰρ τὸ λεγόμενον τοι οῦτον· «ηὔξανεν πνεύματι»· οὐ γὰρ