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hair, yet showing a face worthy of God, and clothed in a strange form of garment, appearing suddenly from some unseen and desert place, and after his preaching withdrawing again into the desert and into the unseen, and without drink, without food, unsociable to the many, they were naturally astonished, not even supposing him to be a man? For how could one who was not even in need of food? Wherefore they also supposed him to be an angel, that very one indicated through the prophet according to the text, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you"; at any rate Mark the evangelist has used the citation of this scripture also. 9.5.13 And the Savior also bears witness, saying: John came to you neither eating nor drinking, "and you say, 'He has a demon'"; 9.5.14 For it was likely that those who disbelieved and were difficult and unyielding toward the truth would blaspheme him in such a way on account of the aforementioned life of John, just as, conversely, those who were conscious of his virtue would suppose him to be an angel. At any rate, I think these things caused wonder about him to those who saw John; wherefore they also ran together from all sides to the purification of the soul preached by him. 9.5.15 Josephus also mentions the history concerning him in the eighteenth book of the Jewish Antiquities, writing in this manner: "But to some of the Jews it seemed that the army of the Jews was destroyed by God, and very justly paying the penalty on account of John who was called the Baptist. For Herod killed him, a good man and one who commanded the Jews to practice virtue and, by employing righteousness toward one another and piety toward God, to come together for baptism. For thus, indeed, would baptism also appear acceptable to him." 9.6.1 From the same. "Rejoice, thirsty desert, let the desert exult and blossom as a lily, and the deserts of the Jordan will blossom and exult; and the glory of Lebanon was given to it and the honor of Carmel, and my people will see the glory of the Lord." 9.6.2 To which he adds: "Be strong, you weary hands and feeble knees; be encouraged, you of fainthearted mind; be strong, fear not; behold, our God repays judgment and will repay, he himself will come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will hear. Then the lame man will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless will be clear, because water has broken forth in the desert and a ravine in a thirsty land." 9.6.3 And these things were manifestly fulfilled through the miraculous works of our Savior after the preaching of John. See, therefore, how he proclaims good news to the desert, not just any desert, but that one specifically and only the one beside the Jordan river, 9.6.4 since John, while staying beside it, was baptizing, as the scripture bears witness, saying: "John was in the desert baptizing," "and all the country of Judea went out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan." 9.6.5 The desert, then, which was formerly desolate of all good things according to God, I mean the church of the Gentiles, I believe to contain a symbol, and the river in the desert that cleanses all who are washed in it to be an image of a certain purification considered intellectually, about which the scriptures speak, saying: "The streams of the river make glad the city of God." 9.6.6 And this signifies the ever-flowing influence of the divine Spirit, springing from above and watering the city of God, the community according to God being so called. This river of God, then, has come down even to the desert, that is, the church of the Gentiles, and to this it still now supplies its life-giving streams. In addition to these things, the prophecy says that to the aforementioned desert will be given the glory of Lebanon and the honor of Carmel. 9.6.7 But what is "the glory of Lebanon" if not the worship performed through sacrifices according to the law of Moses, which

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τρίχα, θεοπρεπὲς δὲ πρόσωπον ὑποφαίνοντα, σχῆμά τε ξένον περιβολῆς ἠμφιεσμένον, ἀθρόως ποθὲν ἐξ ἀφανοῦς καὶ ἐρήμου φαινόμενον, καὶ μετὰ τὸ κήρυγμα πάλιν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀφανὲς ὑποχωροῦντα, καὶ ἄποτον, ἄτροφον, ἀκοινώνητον τοῖς πολλοῖς, εἰκότως ἐξεπλήττοντο, μηδ' ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν ὑπονοοῦντες ὑπάρχειν; πῶς γὰρ τὸν μηδὲ ἐν χρείᾳ τροφῆς γινόμενον; διὸ καὶ ἄγγελον αὐτὸν ὑπειλήφεσαν εἶναι, τοῦτον αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου δηλούμενον κατὰ τὸ «ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου ἔμπροσθέν σου»· κέχρηται γοῦν τῇ παραθέσει καὶ ταύτης τῆς γραφῆς Μάρκος ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. 9.5.13 καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ δὲ μαρτυρεῖ λέγων· ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰωάννης πρὸς ὑμᾶς μήτε ἐσθίων μήτε πίνων, «καὶ λέγετε, δαιμόνιον ἔχει»· 9.5.14 τοὺς γὰρ ἀπιστοῦντας καὶ πρὸς τἀληθῆ δυσχερεῖς καὶ δυσενδότους εἰκὸς ἦν διὰ τὸν εἰρημένον τοῦ Ἰωάννου βίον τοιαῦτα αὐτὸν βλασφημεῖν, ὡς ἔμπαλιν τοὺς συνῃσθημένους τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν ἀρετῆς ἄγγελον ὑπολαμβάνειν. ταῦτα γοῦν ἡγοῦμαι τοῖς τὸν Ἰωάννην ὁρῶσιν θαῦμα περὶ αὐτοῦ παρασχεῖν· διὸ καὶ συνέτρεχον πανταχόθεν ἐπὶ τὴν δι' αὐτοῦ κηρυττομένην τῆς ψυχῆς κάθαρσιν. 9.5.15 μέμνηται δὲ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν ἱστορίας Ἰώσηπος ἐν ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς Ἀρχαιολογίας τοῦτον γράφων τὸν τρόπον· «τισὶν δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐδόκει ὀλωλέναι τὸν Ἰουδαίων στρατὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ μάλα δικαίως τιννυμένου κατὰ ποινὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ καλουμένου βαπτιστοῦ. κτείνει γὰρ τοῦτον Ἡρώδης, ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις κελεύοντα ἀρετὴν ἐπασκοῦσι καὶ τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ πρὸς θεὸν εὐσεβείᾳ χρωμένοις βαπτισμῷ συνιέναι. οὕτω γὰρ δὴ καὶ τὴν βάπτισιν ἀποδεκτὴν αὐτῷ φαίνεσθαι.» 9.6.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ. «Εὐφράνθητι, ἔρημος διψῶσα, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον, καὶ ἐξανθήσει καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ ἔρημα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου· καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου ἐδόθη αὐτῇ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ Καρμήλου, καὶ ὁ λαός μου ὄψεται τὴν δόξαν κυρίου.» 9.6.2 οἷς ἐπιλέγει· «ἰσχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα· παρακαλέσατε, οἱ ὀλιγόψυχοι τῇ διανοίᾳ· ἰσχύσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε· ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κρίσιν ἀνταποδίδωσι καὶ ἀνταποδώσει, αὐτὸς ἥξει καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς. τότε ἀνοιχθήσονται ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν, καὶ ὦτα κωφῶν ἀκούσονται. τότε ἁλεῖται ὡς ἔλαφος ὁ χωλός, καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογιλάλων, ὅτι ἐρράγη ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὕδωρ καὶ φάραγξ ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ». 9.6.3 Καὶ ταῦτα διὰ τῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προφανῶς παραδόξων ἔργων ἐπληροῦτο μετὰ τὸ Ἰωάννου κήρυγμα. ὅρα τοιγαροῦν ὅπως τὴν ἔρημον εὐαγγελίζεται, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἀλλ' ἐκείνην ἀφωρισμένως καὶ μόνην τὴν παρὰ τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ, 9.6.4 ἐπειδήπερ παρὰ ταύτῃ διατρίβων ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐβάπτιζεν, ὡς ἡ γραφὴ μαρτυρεῖ λέγουσα· «ἐγένετο Ἰωάννης ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ βαπτίζων», «καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ Ἰουδαία χώρα, καὶ οἱ Ἱεροσολυμῖται πάντες, καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ». 9.6.5 τὴν μὲν οὖν ἔρημον τῆς πάλαι πάντων τῶν κατὰ θεὸν ἀγαθῶν ἐρήμου, λέγω δὴ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίας, σύμβολον περιέχειν ἡγοῦμαι, τὸν δὲ ποταμὸν τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου καθαίροντα πάντας τοὺς ἀπολουομένους ἐν αὐτῷ καθαρσίου τινὸς εἶναι κατὰ διάνοιαν θεωρουμένου εἰκόνα, περὶ οὗ διαλαλοῦσιν αἱ γραφαὶ λέγουσαι· «τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ θεοῦ». 9.6.6 σημαίνει δὲ τοῦτο τὴν ἀέναον ἐπιρροὴν τοῦ θείου πνεύματος ἄνωθεν πηγάζοντος καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ πόλιν ἄρδοντος οὕτω καλουμένης τῆς κατὰ θεὸν πολιτείας. οὗτος δὴ οὖν ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἐρήμου κατελήλυθεν, δηλαδὴ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ταύτῃ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ζωτικῶν ναμάτων εἰσέτι νῦν ἐπιχορηγεῖ. Πρὸς τούτοις ἡ προφητεία τῇ δηλωθείσῃ ἐρήμῳ δοθήσεσθαί φησιν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Λιβάνου καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ Καρμήλου. 9.6.7 τίς δὲ ἔστιν «ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου» ἢ ἡ διὰ θυσιῶν κατὰ τὸν Μωσέως νόμον ἐπιτελουμένη λατρεία, ἣν