John Chrysostom, On John

was said? What then shall we say to the Prophet who says, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way"? The "my" and "your" indicates two persons. He came for a testimony, to bear witness to the light. What is this? The servant bears witness to the master, someone might perhaps say? When therefore you see him not only being testified to by the servant, 59.60 but also coming to him, and being baptized by him with the Jews; will you not be even more astounded and perplexed? But one must not be disturbed or troubled, but be astonished at the ineffable goodness. But if someone should persist, still dizzy and troubled, he will say this to him also, which he also said to John: "Permit it for now; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." And if he should be even more disturbed, he will again say what he said to the Jews and to him, that "I do not receive testimony from man." If, then, he does not need this testimony, why was John sent from God? Not because he needed testimony (for this is the greatest blasphemy), but why? John himself teaches, saying: "That all might believe through him." And Christ himself, having said, "I do not receive testimony from man," so that he might not seem to the foolish to be contradicting himself; at one time saying, "There is another who bears witness of me; and I know that his testimony is true;" for he was referring to John; and at another time saying, "I do not receive testimony from man;" he quickly added the solution, saying: "But I say these things for your sake, that 59.61 you may be saved;" as if he said: That I am God, and the genuine Son of God, and of that unblemished and blessed essence, [and] I need no one to bear witness. For even if no one is willing to do this, my nature is in no way diminished by it. But since I care for the salvation of the many, for this reason I descended to this humility, so as to entrust my testimony even to a man. For because of the lowliness and weakness of the Jews, faith in him was thus going to be more acceptable and easier for them. Just as, then, he clothed himself in flesh, so that by approaching with his naked divinity, he would not destroy everyone; so also he sent out a man as a herald, so that those hearing a kindred voice, those who were then listening, might more easily draw near. For since he needed no testimony from him, it would have been sufficient to show himself alone for who he was in his naked essence, and to astound everyone. But he did not do this, for the reason I have already stated; for he would have annihilated everyone, as no one could bear that inaccessible assault of light. For this reason also, as I have already said, he put on flesh, and entrusts the testimony to one of our fellow servants; since he managed everything for the salvation of mankind, looking not only to his own worthiness, but also to what was acceptable and beneficial to his hearers. Which he himself, hinting at, also said: "I say these things for your sake, that you may be saved." And the evangelist, uttering the same things as the Master, after saying, "to bear witness to the light," added, "that all might believe through him," all but saying: Do not suppose that John the Baptist came to bear witness for this reason, to add something to the Master's trustworthiness; not for this reason, but so that his kinsmen might believe through him. For that he said this in his haste to eliminate this suspicion beforehand is clear also from what follows; for he added, "He was not," saying, "the light." But if he had not repeated this while standing against this supposition, what was said would have been simply superfluous, and it would have been tautology rather than clarity of teaching. For having said that he was sent, 59.62 "to bear witness to the light," why does he say again, "He was not the light"? Not simply nor in vain; but since for the most part among us the one who bears witness is greater than the one being witnessed to, and often seems to be more credible; so that no one might suspect this also in the case of John, from the very beginning he straightway does away with this wicked suspicion, and having pulled it up by the roots, he shows who this one is who bears witness, and who that one is who

εἴρηται; Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν τῷ Προφήτῃ λέγοντι, ὅτι Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου; Τὸ μὲν ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ, δύο προσώπων ἐστὶ δηλωτικόν. Οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός. Τί τοῦτο; ὁ δοῦλος τῷ δεσπότῃ μαρτυρεῖ, ἴσως εἴποι τις ἄν; Ὅταν οὖν μὴ μόνον ὑπὸ τοῦ δούλου μαρτυρούμενον αὐτὸν, 59.60 ἀλλὰ καὶ παραγινόμενον ἴδῃς πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ μετὰ Ἰουδαίων βαπτιζόμενον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· ἆρ' οὐ μᾶλλον ἐκστήσῃ καὶ διαπορήσεις; Ἀλλ' οὐ χρὴ ταράττεσθαι οὐδὲ θορυβεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐκπλήττεσθαι τὴν ἄφατον ἀγαθότητα. Ἂν δὲ ἐπιμένῃ τις ἔτι ἰλιγγιῶν καὶ θορυβούμενος, ἐρεῖ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦτο, ὃ καὶ πρὸς Ἰωάννην εἶπεν· Ἄφες ἄρτι· οὕτω γὰρ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ταραχθείη, πάλιν ἐρεῖ ἃ πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἔφησε καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτι Παρὰ ἀνθρώπου τὴν μαρτυρίαν οὐ λαμβάνω. Εἰ τοίνυν μὴ δεῖται τῆς μαρτυρίας ταύτης, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀπεστάλη παρὰ Θεοῦ ὁ Ἰωάννης; Οὐχ ὡς αὐτοῦ δεομένου μαρτυρίας (τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς ἐσχάτης βλασφημίας ἐστὶν), ἀλλὰ διατί; Αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰωάννης διδάσκει λέγων· Ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσι δι' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς εἰπὼν, ὅτι Παρὰ ἀνθρώπου τὴν μαρτυρίαν οὐ λαμβάνω, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ παρὰ τοῖς ἀνοήτοις ἑαυτῷ περιπίπτειν· νῦν μὲν λέγων, Ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ ἐμοῦ· καὶ οἶδα ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία αὐτοῦ· τὸν γὰρ Ἰωάννην ἐδήλου· νῦν δὲ λέγων, Παρὰ ἀνθρώπου τὴν μαρτυρίαν οὐ λαμβάνω· ἐπήγαγε τὴν λύσιν ταχέως, εἰπών· Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγω δι' ὑμᾶς, ἵνα 59.61 σωθῆτε· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν· Ὅτι μὲν Θεός εἰμι, καὶ Θεοῦ γνήσιος Υἱὸς, καὶ τῆς οὐσίας ἐκείνης τῆς ἀκηράτου καὶ μακαρίας, [καὶ] οὐδενὸς δέομαι τοῦ μαρτυρήσοντος. Κἂν γὰρ μηδεὶς ἐθέλῃ τοῦτο ποιεῖν, οὐδὲν ἐγὼ παρὰ τοῦτο εἰς τὴν φύσιν ἠλάττωμαι τὴν ἐμήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῆς σωτηρίας μοι μέλει τῆς τῶν πολλῶν, τούτου χάριν εἰς τοῦτο κατέβην ταπεινότητος, ὡς καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐπιτρέψαι τὴν ἐμήν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὸ χαμαίζηλον καὶ ἀσθενὲς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, οὕτως εὐληπτοτέρα αὐτοῖς καὶ εὐκολωτέρα ἔμελλεν ἡ εἰς αὐτὸν γίνεσθαι πίστις. Ὥσπερ οὖν σάρκα περιεβάλετο, ἵνα μὴ γυμνῇ τῇ θεότητι προσβαλὼν, ἅπαντας ἀπολέσῃ· οὕτω καὶ κήρυκα ἄνθρωπον ἐξέπεμψεν, ἵνα τῆς συγγενοῦς ἀκούοντες φωνῆς, εὐκολώτερον οἱ τότε ἀκούοντες προσέρχωνται. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε τῆς ἐκείνου οὐδὲν ἐδεῖτο μαρτυρίας, ἤρκει δεῖξαι μόνον ἑαυτὸν ὅστις ἦν γυμνῇ τῇ οὐσίᾳ, καὶ καταπλήξασθαι πάντας. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐποίησε, δι' ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπών· πάντας γὰρ ἂν ἠφάνισε, μηδενὸς δυναμένου τὴν ἀπρόσιτον ἐκείνην τοῦ φωτὸς προσβολὴν ἐνεγκεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ σάρκα, καθάπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, ὑπέδυ, καὶ ἑνὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων ὁμοδούλων ἐγχειρίζει τὴν μαρτυρίαν· ἐπειδὴ πάντα πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπραγματεύσατο σωτηρίαν, οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν μόνον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ εὐπαράδεκτον καὶ ὠφέλιμον τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ὁρῶν. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς αἰνιττόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ταῦτα λέγω δι' ὑμᾶς, ἵνα σωθῆτε. Καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ φθεγγόμενος, μετὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν, Ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτὸς, ἐπήγαγεν, Ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσι δι' αὐτοῦ, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Μὴ νομίσῃς ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο μαρτυρήσων ἦλθεν ὁ Βαπτιστὴς Ἰωάννης, ἵνα τι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ προσθῇ εἰς ἀξιοπιστίας λόγον· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἵνα οἱ ὁμόφυλοι πιστεύσωσι δι' αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι γὰρ ταύτην προανελεῖν τὴν ὑποψίαν σπεύδων τοῦτο εἴρηκε, καὶ ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα δῆλον· ἐπήγαγε γὰρ, Οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος, λέγων, τὸ φῶς. Εἰ δὲ μὴ πρὸς τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ταύτην ἱστάμενος ἐπανέλαβε τοῦτο, παρεῖλκεν ἁπλῶς τὸ λεγόμενον, καὶ ταυτολογία μᾶλλον, ἢ σαφήνεια διδασκαλίας ἦν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ὅτι ἀπεστάλη, 59.62 Ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτὸς, τί πάλιν λέγει, Οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς; Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ μάτην· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ παρ' ἡμῖν μείζων ὁ μαρτυρῶν τοῦ μαρτυρουμένου, καὶ ἀξιοπιστότερος πολλάκις εἶναι δοκεῖ· ἵνα μή τις καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰωάννου τοῦτο ὑποπτεύσῃ, ἐκ προοιμίων εὐθέως τὴν πονηρὰν ταύτην ὑποψίαν ἀναιρεῖ, καὶ πρόῤῥιζον αὐτὴν ἀνασπάσας, δείκνυσι τίς μὲν οὗτος ὁ μαρτυρῶν, τίς δὲ ἐκεῖνος ὁ