John Chrysostom, On John

burning; and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. And his answer again made him more worthy of belief. For he who does not seek his own glory, he says, is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him. But this one did not seek it, but sends them on to another. And those who were sent were among the most trustworthy among them and held the chief places, so that there was no refuge for them from anywhere, nor excuse for the unbelief with which they disbelieved in Christ. For why did you not accept the things spoken about him by John? You sent those holding the chief places; you asked through them; you heard what the Baptist answered. They showed all diligence, they investigated everything, and mentioned all whom you suspected; and yet with great boldness he confessed that he was neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet. And he did not stop there, but he also taught who he was, and discoursed also concerning the nature of his own baptism, that it was small and of little account, and had nothing more than water, showing the superiority of the baptism given by Christ. And he brought forward also Isaiah the prophet testifying from of old and long before; calling one Lord, and naming the other his servant and minister. What then was needed? Was it not to believe in the one testified to, and to worship, and to confess him God? For that the testimony was not of flattery, but of truth, was shown both by the character and the philosophy of the one testifying. And this is also clear from this, that no one puts his neighbor before himself, nor, when it is in his power to bestow an honor, would he wish to yield it to another, and that when it is so great. So that not even John would have departed from this testimony if Christ were not God. For even if he had rejected this for himself as being greater than his own nature, yet he would not in turn have assigned it to another, lesser nature. But there stands one among you, whom you do not know. This he said, because it was likely that he was mingled with the people as one of the many, since he taught everywhere what was without pride and without boasting. Here he speaks of 'knowing' as precise knowledge; for example, who he is, and from where. And the phrase, 'He who comes after me,' he uses continuously, as if to say: Do not think that everything consists in my baptism. If this were perfect, another would not have come after me to offer another; but this is a preparation and a making of the way for that one. But ours is a shadow and an image; another must come who will establish the truth. So that the very fact of his coming after me, this most of all shows 59.106 his dignity. For if this were perfect, there would be no place sought for a second. He was before me; that is, more honorable, more glorious. Then, lest they should think the superiority was a matter of comparison, wishing to present what is incomparable, he added: Whose strap I am not worthy to loose; that is, he was not simply before me, but in such a way that I am not worthy to be numbered even among the least of his servants; for to loose the sandal is a matter of the most menial service. But if John is not worthy to loose the strap, John, than whom no one greater has been born of women, where shall we place ourselves? If he who is a match for the whole world, or rather greater (For the world, he says, was not worthy of them), says he is not worthy to be counted even among the last of those who ministered; what shall we say, who are full of countless evils, who are as far short of the virtue of John as the earth is from heaven? 4. He, then, says that he is not even worthy to loose the strap of his sandal. But the enemies of the truth have been driven to such madness as to say they are worthy of knowing him as he knows himself. What is worse than this frenzy? What is more mad than this arrogance? A certain wise man said well, that the beginning of pride is not to know the Lord. The devil would not have been cast down and become the devil, not having been the devil before, if he had not been sick with this disease. This cast him out from that boldness, this into Gehenna

καιόμενος· καὶ ὑμεῖς ἠθελήσατε πρὸς ὥραν ἀγαλλιασθῆναι ἐν τῷ φωτὶ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἡ ἀπόκρισις δὲ αὐτοῦ πάλιν ἀξιοπιστότερον αὐτὸν ἐποίει. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ ζητῶν τὴν δόξαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, φησὶν, ἀληθής ἐστιν, καὶ ἀδικία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν. Οὗτος δὲ οὐκ ἐζήτησεν, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἕτερον αὐτοὺς παραπέμπει. Καὶ οἱ ἀποσταλέντες δὲ, τῶν ἀξιοπίστων παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ πρωτεῖα ἐχόντων, ὥστε μηδαμόθεν αὐτοῖς εἶναι καταφυγὴν, μηδὲ παραίτησιν εἰς τὴν ἀπιστίαν, ἢν ἠπίστησαν τῷ Χριστῷ. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐδέξασθε τὰ εἰρημένα περὶ αὐτοῦ παρὰ Ἰωάννου; Ὑμεῖς ἀπεστάλκατε τοὺς τὰ πρωτεῖα ἔχοντας· ὑμεῖς ἠρωτήσατε δι' αὐτῶν· ὑμεῖς ἠκούσατε ἅπερ ἀπεκρίνατο ὁ Βαπτιστής. Πᾶσαν ἐκεῖνοι περιεργίαν ἐπεδείξαντο, πάντα ἠρεύνησαν, καὶ οὓς ὑπωπτεύετε πάντας εἶπον· καὶ ὅμως μετὰ παῤῥησίας πολλῆς ὡμολόγησε μὴ εἶναι μήτε ὁ Χριστὸς, μήτε Ἠλίας, μήτε ὁ προφήτης. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐδίδαξε τίς εἴη, καὶ διελέχθη καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ οἰκείου βαπτίσματος φύσεως, ὅτι μικρὸν καὶ εὐτελὲς, καὶ ὕδατος πλέον ἔχον οὐδὲν, δεικνὺς τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος, τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδομένου. Παρήγαγε δὲ καὶ Ἡσαΐαν τὸν προφήτην μαρτυροῦντα ἄνωθεν καὶ πρὸ πολλοῦ τοῦ χρόνου· καὶ τὸν μὲν Κύριον καλοῦντα, τὸν δὲ διάκονον αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑπηρέτην ὀνομάζοντα. Τί λοιπὸν ἔδει; οὐχὶ πιστεῦσαι τῷ μαρτυρηθέντι, καὶ προσκυνῆσαι, καὶ ὁμολογῆσαι Θεόν; Ὅτι γὰρ οὐχὶ κολακείας ἦν ἡ μαρτυρία, ἀλλ' ἀληθείας, ἐδείκνυ μὲν καὶ ὁ τρόπος καὶ ἡ φιλοσοφία τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος. ∆ῆλον δὲ κἀκεῖθεν τοῦτο, ὅτι οὐδεὶς τὸν πλησίον ἑαυτοῦ προτίθησιν, οὐδὲ ἐξὸν αὐτῷ χαρίσασθαι τιμὴν, ἑτέρῳ ταύτης παραχωρεῖν ἐθέλοι, καὶ ταῦτα τοσαύτης οὔσης. Ὥστε οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ Ἰωάννης μὴ Θεῷ ὄντι τῷ Χριστῷ ταύτης ἂν ἐξέστη τῆς μαρτυρίας. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ταύτην ὡς μείζονα οὖσαν τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως διεκρούσατο, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἑτέρᾳ φύσει πάλιν αὐτὴν ἀνέθηκε ταπεινοτέρᾳ. Μέσος δὲ ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν, ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε. Τοῦτο εἶπεν, ὅτι εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀναμεμίχθαι τῷ λαῷ ὡς ἕνα τῶν πολλῶν, ἅτε πανταχοῦ τὸ ἄτυφον καὶ ἀκόμπαστον διδάσκοντα. Εἴδησιν δὲ ἐνταῦθα, γνῶσίν φησι τὴν ἀκριβῆ· οἷον, τίς ἐστι, καὶ πόθεν. Τὸ δὲ, Ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, συνεχῶς τίθησι, μονονουχὶ λέγων· μὴ νομίσητε τὸ πᾶν ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ κεῖσθαι βαπτίσματι. Οὐκ ἂν, εἰ τοῦτο τέλειον ἦν, ἕτερος ἂν ἦλθε μετ' ἐμὲ παρέξων ἕτερον· ἀλλὰ παρασκευὴ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐκείνου καὶ προοδοποίησις. Τὰ δὲ ἡμέτερα σκιὰ καὶ εἰκών· ἄλλον χρὴ τὸν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπιθήσοντα παραγενέσθαι. Ὥστε αὐτὸ τὸ ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτοῦ δείκνυσι 59.106 τὸ ἀξίωμα. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν τέλειον, οὐκ ἂν δευτέρου ἐζητεῖτο τόπος. Ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονε· τουτέστιν, ἐντιμότερος, λαμπρότερος. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν ἀπὸ συγκρίσεως εἶναι τὴν ὑπεροχὴν, τὸ ἀσύγκριτον παραστῆσαι θέλων, ἐπήγαγεν· Οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα· τουτέστιν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἔμπροσθεν γέγονεν, ἀλλ' οὕτως ὡς ἐμὲ μηδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις τῶν τούτου διακόνων ἀριθμηθῆναι ἄξιον εἶναι· τὸ γὰρ ὑπόδημα λῦσαι, τῆς ἐσχάτης διακονίας ἐστὶ πρᾶγμα. Εἰ δὲ Ἰωάννης οὐκ ἄξιος τὸν ἱμάντα λῦσαι, Ἰωάννης, οὗ μείζων οὐδεὶς ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν γέγονε, ποῦ τάξομεν ἡμεῖς ἑαυτούς; Εἰ ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀντίῤῥοπος, μᾶλλον δὲ μείζων (Οὐκ ἦν γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος), οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις τῶν διακονησαμένων ἑαυτὸν καταλέγεσθαί φησιν ἄξιον εἶναι· τί ἐροῦμεν ἡμεῖς οἱ μυρίων γέμοντες κακῶν, οἱ τοσοῦτον ἀποδέοντες τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ Ἰωάννου, ὅσον ἡ γῆ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; δʹ. Οὗτος μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ τὸ λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος ἄξιον εἶναι ἑαυτὸν λέγει. Οἱ δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὶ τοσαύτην ἐμάνησαν μανίαν, ὡς καὶ τοῦ εἰδέναι αὐτὸν, ὡς αὐτὸς οἶδεν ἑαυτὸν, ἀξίους εἶναι λέγειν ἑαυτούς. Τί ταύτης τῆς παραπληξίας χεῖρον; τί ταύτης τῆς ἀλαζονείας μανικώτερον; Καλῶς τις ἔλεγε σοφὸς, ὅτι Ἀρχὴ ὑπερηφανίας, τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι τὸν Κύριον. Οὐκ ἂν κατηνέχθη καὶ διάβολος γέγονεν ὁ διάβολος, οὐκ ὢν διάβολος πρότερον, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο τὸ νόσημα ἐνόσησε. Τοῦτο αὐτὸν τῆς παῤῥησίας ἐξέβαλεν ἐκείνης, τοῦτο εἰς τὴν γέενναν