he passed over in silence in his histories. 10.21 The text of Matthew has it thus: For Herod, having seized John, bound him in prison. Concerning these things, therefore, it seems to me that, just as "the law and the prophets were until John," after whom the prophetic grace from the Jews ceased, so also the authority of those who reigned among the people, which included the power to put to death those they considered worthy of death, lasted until John, and when the last of the prophets was unlawfully put to death by Herod, the king of the Jews was deprived of the authority to put to death. For if Herod had not been deprived of it, Pilate would not have judged Jesus for the death penalty, but Herod would have been sufficient for this, with the council of the chief priests and elders of the people for this purpose. And then, I think, was fulfilled what was spoken by Jacob to Judah in this way: "A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from Israel, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations." And perhaps the Jews were also deprived of this authority, with divine providence providing pasture for the teaching of Christ among the people, so that, even if it were hindered by the Jews, it might not proceed as far as the killing of the believers, which would seem to be according to the law. But Herod, having seized John, bound him and put him in prison, making a symbol of binding and shutting up the prophetic word—as far as it was in his power and in the wickedness of the people—and of preventing it from remaining any longer a herald of the truth with freedom, as before. Herod did this because of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother; for John said to him: It is not lawful for you to have her. And this Philip was tetrarch "of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis." Some, therefore, think that after Philip died leaving a daughter, Herod married Herodias, his brother's wife, since the law allows the marriage in the case of childlessness. But we, finding nowhere clearly that Philip was dead, reckon that Herod's transgression was even greater, because he took his brother's wife away while he was still alive. 10.22 Therefore John, adorned with prophetic boldness and not being dismayed by Herod's royal dignity, nor through fear of death keeping silent about so great a sin, filled with divine understanding, said to Herod: It is not lawful for you to have her; for "it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." <And> Herod, having seized John, bound him and put him in prison, not daring to kill "the prophetic word" outright and remove it from the people; but the wife of the king of Trachonitis, being a certain wicked opinion and evil teaching, gave birth to a daughter of the same name, whose seemingly graceful movements, pleasing to Herod who loves the things of generation, became the cause of there no longer being a prophetic head among the people. And to this day I think that the movements of the Jewish people that seem to be according to the law are nothing other than the daughter of Herodias. But the dancing of Herodias was contrary to the holy dancing, for which those who have not danced will be reproached, hearing: "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance." And they dance at the birthday festival of the unlawful reason reigning over them, so that their movements are pleasing to that reason. One of those before us observed the birthday of Pharaoh recorded in Genesis and related that the wicked man who loves the things of generation celebrates a birthday. But we, having found this starting point from him, have found in no scripture a birthday being celebrated by a righteous person. For Herod is more unrighteous than that Pharaoh; for by the former a chief baker is killed on a birthday, but by the latter, John, of whom "among those born of women none greater has arisen," concerning whom the Savior says: "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet." But we must give thanks to God that, although the prophetic grace has been taken from the people, one greater than all that was poured out upon the nations through our Savior Jesus, "who was in
παρεσιώπησεν ἱστορίας. 10.21 Ἔχει δὲ οὕτως ἡ τοῦ Ματθαίου λέξις· Ὁ γὰρ Ἡρώδης κρατήσας τὸν Ἰωάννην, ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ. Εἰς ταῦτ' οὖν δοκεῖ μοι ὅτι, ὥσπερ «ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται μέχρι Ἰωάννου» μεθ' ὃν ἔληξεν ἡ προφητικὴ ἀπὸ Ἰουδαίων χάρις, οὕτως ἡ τῶν βασιλευσάντων ἐν τῷ λαῷ ἐξουσία μέχρι τοῦ ἀναιρεῖν τοὺς νομιζομένους ἀξίους θανάτου αὐτοῖς ὑπάρχουσα ἕως Ἰωάννου ἦν, καὶ ἀναιρεθέντος τοῦ τελευταίου τῶν προφητῶν παρανόμως ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἡρώδου ἀφῃρέθη ὁ Ἰουδαίων βασιλεὺς τῆς τοῦ ἀναιρεῖν ἐξουσίας. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἀφῄρητο αὐτὴν ὁ Ἡρώδης, οὐκ ἂν ἐδίκασεν ὁ Πιλᾶτος τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ, ἀλλ' ἤρκεσεν ἂν εἰς τοῦτο Ἡρώδης μετὰ τῆς τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ εἰς τοῦτο βουλῆς. Καὶ τότε, οἶμαι, πεπλήρωται τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ πρὸς Ἰούδαν τοῦτον εἰρημένον τὸν τρόπον· «Οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν.» Τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀφῃρέθησαν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην Ἰουδαῖοι, τῆς θείας παρασχούσης προνοίας τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίᾳ ἐν τῷ λαῷ νομήν, ἵνα, κἂν κωλύηται ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων αὕτη, ἀλλὰ μὴ μέχρι ἀναιρέσεως τῶν πιστευόντων χωρῇ, δοκούσης κατὰ νόμον γίγνεσθαι. Ἡρώδης δὲ κρατήσας τὸν Ἰωάννην ἔδησεν ἐν φυλακῇ καὶ ἀπέθετο σύμβολον ποιῶν τοῦ-τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ-καταδῆσαι καὶ κατακλεῖσαι λόγον τὸν προφητικὸν καὶ κωλῦσαι αὐτὸν ἔτι μένειν τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκα ἐπ' ἐλευθερίᾳ, ὡς τὸ πρότερον. Τοῦτο δὲ πεποίηκεν Ἡρώδης διὰ Ἡρωδιάδα τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ· ἔλεγε γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης· οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν αὐτήν. Οὗτος δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος ἦν τετράρχης «τῆς Ἰτουραίας καὶ Τραχωνίτιδος χώρας». Τινὲς μὲν οὖν οἴονται ὅτι, ἀποθανόντος Φιλίππου θυγατέρα καταλιπόντος, Ἡρωδιάδα ἔγημε τὴν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ γυναῖκα ὁ Ἡρώδης, τοῦ νόμου τὸν γάμον ἐν ἀπαιδίᾳ συγχωροῦντος. Ἡμεῖς δέ, μηδαμῆ σαφῶς εὑρίσκοντες τεθνηκέναι τὸν Φίλιππον, μεῖζον ἔτι τὸ παρανόμημα τῷ Ἡρώδῃ λογιζόμεθα γεγονέναι, ὅτι καὶ ζῶντος ἀπέστησε τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα. 10.22 ∆ιόπερ προφητικῇ παρρησίᾳ κεκοσμημένος ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ μὴ καταπληττόμενος τὸ βασιλικὸν ἀξίωμα τοῦ Ἡρώδου, μηδὲ διὰ τὸ δέος τοῦ θανάτου παρασιωπῶν περὶ τοῦ τηλικού του ἁμαρτήματος, ἔλεγε τῷ Ἡρώδῃ θείου πληρωθεὶς φρονήματος· Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν αὐτήν· οὐ γὰρ «ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου». <Καὶ> ὁ μὲν Ἡρώδης, κρατήσας τὸν Ἰωάννην, δήσας ἀπέθετο ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ, μὴ τολμῶν πάντη ἀποκτεῖναι «τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον» καὶ ἀνελεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ· ἡ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς Τραχωνίτιδος γυνή, πονηρά τις οὖσα δόξα καὶ μοχθηρὰ διδασκαλία, θυγατέρα ἐγέννησεν ὁμώνυμον, ἧς τὰ δοκοῦντα εὔρυθμα κινήματα ἀρέσαντα τῷ Ἡρώδῃ τὰ γενέσεως ἀγαπῶντι πράγματα, αἴτια γεγένηται τοῦ μηκέτι εἶναι ἐν τῷ λαῷ κεφαλὴν προφητικήν. Μέχρι δὲ τοῦ δεῦρο νομίζω τὰ δοκοῦντα κατὰ τὸν νόμον εἶναι κινήματα τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μὴ ἄλλο τι τυγχάνειν ἢ τῆς Ἡρωδιάδος θυγατρός. Ἀλλ' ἡ Ἡρωδιάδος ὄρχησις ἐναντία ἦν ὀρχήσει ἁγίᾳ, ἣν οἱ μὴ ὀρχησάμενοι ὀνειδισθήσονται ἀκούοντες· «Ηὐλήσαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ὠρχήσασθε.» Καὶ ἐν γενεθλίοις δὲ παρανόμου βασιλεύοντος αὐτῶν λόγου ὀρχοῦνται, ὡς ἀρέσκειν ἐκείνῳ τῷ λόγῳ τὰς κινήσεις αὐτῶν. Ἐτήρησε μὲν οὖν τις τῶν πρὸ ἡμῶν τὴν ἀναγεγραμμένην ἐν Γενέσει τοῦ Φαραὼ γενέθλιον καὶ διηγήσατο ὅτι ὁ φαῦλος τὰ γενέσεως ἀγαπῶν πράγματα ἑορτάζει γενέθλιον. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀπ' ἐκείνου ταύτην εὑρόντες ἀφορμὴν ἐπ' οὐδεμιᾶς γραφῆς εὕρομεν ὑπὸ δικαίου γενέθλιον ἀγομένην. Ἄδικος γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐκείνου τοῦ Φαραὼ ὁ Ἡρώδης· καὶ γὰρ ὑπ' ἐκείνου μὲν ἐν γενεθλίῳ ἀρχισιτο ποιὸς ἀναιρεῖται, ὑπὸ δὲ τούτου Ἰωάννης, οὗ «μείζων ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν οὐδεὶς ἐγήγερται», περὶ οὗ ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει· «Ἀλλὰ τί ἐξεληλύθατε; προφήτην ἰδεῖν; ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, καὶ περισσότερον προφήτου.» Ἀλλὰ εὐχαριστητέον τῷ θεῷ ὅτι, εἰ καὶ ἡ προφητικὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ ἦρται χάρις, ἡ πάσης ἐκείνης μείζων ἐξεχύθη εἰς τὰ ἔθνη διὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ, «ὃς ἐγένετο ἐν