John Chrysostom, On John

1. A great good is boldness and freedom of speech, and to count all things secondary to the confession of Christ; so great and wonderful, that the only-begotten Son of God should proclaim such a one before the Father, although the recompense is not equal. For you confess on earth, but He confesses in heaven; and you in the presence of men, but He before the Father and all the angels. Such was John, not regarding the crowd, nor reputation, nor anything else human, but trampling all these things underfoot, and with fitting liberty proclaiming to all the things concerning Christ. For for this reason also the Evangelist marks the place, that he might show the boldness of the great-voiced herald. For not in a house, nor in a corner, nor in the wilderness, but occupying the Jordan in the midst of the crowd, in the presence of all those being baptized by him (for the Jews came to him as he was baptizing), he proclaimed that wonderful confession concerning Christ, full of high and great and secret doctrines, and that he was not worthy to loose the latchet of His shoe. How then does he do this? By adding and saying: These things were done in Bethany. But as many of the more accurate copies have it, In Bethabara, it says. For Bethany was not beyond the Jordan, nor in the wilderness, but somewhere near Jerusalem. And he marks the places for another reason also. For since he was about to narrate not ancient matters, but things that had happened a short time before, he makes those present and who saw them witnesses of what was said, and provides proof also from the places. For confident that he added nothing of his own to what was said, but simply related all the existing facts with truth, he adduces the testimony from the places, a proof, as I said, that would be no ordinary one of the truth. The next day he sees Jesus coming to him, and says: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. The Evan 59.108 gelists have divided the times; and Matthew, having abridged the times before John the Baptist was bound, hastens to what follows; but the evangelist John not only does not abridge them, but even dwells on them especially. And he, after Jesus came from the wilderness, having passed over in silence the intervening events, such as what John uttered, what the Jews said when they sent, and having condensed all the other things, immediately passed on to the imprisonment; For having heard, he says, that John was delivered up, Jesus departed from there. But John did not so, but passed over in silence the journey into the wilderness, since it was told by Matthew; but he relates the events that occurred after the descent from the mountain, and having gone through many things, then adds: For John was not yet cast into prison. And for what reason, he says, does Jesus now come to him, and not once, but does this a second time? For Matthew says His presence became necessary on account of the baptism; wherefore Jesus, showing this, adds and says, that Thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. But John shows that He came again after the baptism; and he indicated this from this, saying: I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove, and it remained on Him. For what reason then does He come to John? For He did not simply come, but was going to him. For, he says, coming to him, he sees him. For what reason then was He coming? Because he himself had baptized Him with many, so that no one might suspect that He hastened to John for the same reason as the others, that is, as one about to confess sins, and to be washed in the river unto repentance. For this reason He comes, giving John the opportunity to correct this suspicion again. For by saying, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, he removes all this suspicion. He, therefore, who is so pure as to even [take away] the sins of others

αʹ. Μέγα ἀγαθὸν παῤῥησία καὶ τὸ ἐλευθεροστομεῖν, καὶ πάντα δεύτερα τίθεσθαι τῆς ὁμολογίας τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστόν· οὕτω μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν, ὡς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀνακηρύττειν ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς, καίτοι γε οὐκ ἴση ἡ ἀντίδοσις. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογεῖς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, αὐτὸς δὲ ὁμολογεῖ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· καὶ σὺ μὲν ἀνθρώπων παρόντων, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἁπάντων. Τοιοῦτος ὁ Ἰωάννης ἦν, οὐ πλῆθος, οὐ δόξαν, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ὑφορώμενος, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα καταπατῶν, καὶ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ἐλευθερίας τὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πᾶσιν ἀνακηρύττων. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν τόπον ἐπισημαίνεται ὁ Εὐαγγελιστὴς, ἵνα τὴν παῤῥησίαν δείξῃ τοῦ μεγαλοφώνου κήρυκος. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν οἰκίᾳ, οὐδὲ ἐν γωνίᾳ, οὐδὲ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἰορδάνην καταλαβὼν ἐν μέσῳ τῷ πλήθει, παρόντων ἁπάντων τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ βαπτιζομένων (βαπτίζοντι γὰρ ἐπέστησαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι), τὴν θαυμαστὴν ἐκείνην ἀνεκήρυξεν ὁμολογίαν περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν τῶν ὑψηλῶν καὶ μεγάλων καὶ ἀποῤῥήτων γέμουσαν δογμάτων, καὶ ὡς οὐκ εἴη ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος αὐτοῦ. Πῶς οὖν τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Ἐπάγων καὶ λέγων· Ταῦτα ἐγένετο ἐν Βηθανίᾳ. Ὅσα δὲ τῶν ἀντιγράφων ἀκριβέστερον ἔχει, Ἐν Βηθαβαρᾷ, φησίν. Ἡ γὰρ Βηθανία οὐχὶ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου ἦν, ἀλλ' ἐγγύς που τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων. Τοὺς δὲ τόπους καὶ δι' ἑτέραν αἰτίαν ἐπισημαίνεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πράγματα οὐ παλαιὰ διηγεῖσθαι ἔμελλεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸ μικροῦ συμβάντα τοῦ χρόνου, τοὺς παρόντας καὶ θεωμένους μάρτυρας ποιεῖται τῶν λεγομένων, καὶ ἀπόδειξιν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων παρέχεται. Θαῤῥῶν γὰρ ὅτι οὐδὲν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ προσετίθει τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὄντα ἁπλῶς ἅπαντα μετὰ ἀληθείας ἐξηγεῖτο, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων μαρτυρίαν παραλαμβάνει, ἀπόδειξιν, ὅπερ ἔφην, οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσομένην. Τῇ ἐπαύριον βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ λέγει· Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. ∆ιενείμαντο τοὺς καιροὺς οἱ εὐαγ 59.108 γελισταί· καὶ ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος τοὺς πρὶν ἢ δεθῆναι τὸν Βαπτιστὴν Ἰωάννην χρόνους ἐπιτεμὼν, ἐπείγεται πρὸς τοὺς ἑξῆς· ὁ δὲ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπιτέμνει, ἀλλὰ τούτοις μάλιστα καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει. Κἀκεῖνος μὲν μετὰ τὸ ἐλθεῖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου, τὰ μεταξὺ σιωπήσας, οἷον ὅσα ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐφθέγξατο, ὅσα οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀποστείλαντες ἔλεγον, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα συντεμὼν, μετεπήδησεν εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον· Ἀκούσας γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι παρεδόθη Ἰωάννης, ἀνεχώρησεν ἐκεῖθεν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ὁδὸν ἀπεσιώπησεν, ἅτε ὑπὸ τοῦ Ματθαίου λεχθεῖσαν· τὰ δὲ μετὰ τὴν κάθοδον τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους γενομένην διηγεῖται, καὶ πολλὰ διελθὼν, τότε ἐπάγει· Οὔπω γὰρ ἦν βεβλημένος ὁ Ἰωάννης εἰς τὴν φυλακήν. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, φησὶ, νῦν παραγίνεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεύτερον τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ματθαῖος ἀναγκαίαν αὐτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν γεγενῆσθαι λέγει διὰ τὸ βάπτισμα· διὸ τοῦτο δεικνὺς καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐπάγει καὶ λέγει, ὅτι Οὕτω πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸν παραγεγονέναι δείκνυσι μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα· καὶ τοῦτο ἐντεῦθεν ἐδήλωσεν λέγων· ἐγὼ Τεθέαμαι τὸ Πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν, καὶ μένον ἐπ' αὐτόν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν παραγίνεται πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἦλθεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπορεύετο. Ἐρχόμενον γὰρ, φησὶ, πρὸς αὐτὸν, βλέπει αὐτόν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἤρχετο; Ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἐβάπτισε μετὰ πολλῶν, ὥστε μηδένα ὑποπτεύειν ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας ἀφ' ἧς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην ἠπείγετο, οἷον ὡς ἁμαρτήματα ἐξομολογησόμενος, καὶ εἰς μετάνοιαν λουσόμενος ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παραγίνεται, διδοὺς ἅμα καὶ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ταύτην πάλιν διορθώσασθαι τὴν ὑπόνοιαν. Καὶ γὰρ τῷ εἰπεῖν, Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, πᾶσαν ταύτην ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ὑποψίαν. Ὁ τοίνυν οὕτω καθαρὸς ὡς καὶ τὰ ἑτέρων ἁμαρτήματα