John Chrysostom, On Matthew

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And this is a soldier’s opinion and an irrational one. For many also rose from the dead, and no one did any such thing. But it seems to me that the words are also of ambition and of fear. For such are irrational souls; they often admit a mixture of contrary passions. But Luke says that the crowds were saying, 'This is Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the ancient prophets'; but this man, as if saying something wiser than the others, said this. And it is likely that at first he denied it to those who said he was John (for many were saying this too), and said, 'I killed him,' being ambitious and vainglorious. For both Mark and Luke say this, that he was saying, 'I beheaded John.' But when the rumor spread, he himself then says the same things as the 58.489 many. Then the evangelist also relates the story to us. And why did he not introduce it before? Because their whole business was to speak about Christ; and they made nothing else a side-issue to this, unless it was going to contribute to the same thing again. Therefore, they would not even now have mentioned the story, if it were not for Christ, and because Herod said that he had risen. But Mark says that Herod greatly honored the man, and this while being rebuked. Such is virtue. Then relating the story, he says thus: For Herod, having seized John, bound him, and put him in prison, on account of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother. For John was saying to him: It is not lawful for you to have her. And wanting to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they held him as a prophet. And for what reason does he say nothing to her, but to the man? Because he was the one in authority. But see how he makes the accusation inoffensive, relating it more as a story than introducing an accusation. But when Herod's birthday was being celebrated, he says, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod. O diabolical banquet! O satanic theater! O lawless dance, and a more lawless reward for the dance! For the most accursed murder of all murders was being dared, and he who was worthy to be crowned and proclaimed was being slaughtered in the midst; and the trophy of demons was being set on the table. And the manner of the victory was worthy of what was done. For, he says, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod. Wherefore with an oath he swore to give her whatever she might ask. But she, being prompted by her mother, says, 'Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.' The crime is twofold, both that she danced, and that she pleased, and pleased in such a way as to receive murder for her reward. Did you see how cruel? How unfeeling? How foolish? For he makes himself liable by an oath; but he makes her the mistress of the request. But when he saw the evil that had come of it, he was grieved, he says; and yet from the beginning he had bound him. For what reason, then, is he grieved? Such is virtue; even among the wicked it is worthy of wonder and praise. But O the mad woman! when she ought to have admired, when she ought to have revered him, because he defended her when she was being insulted, she instead helps orchestrate the drama, and sets a trap, and asks for a satanic favor. But he was afraid because of the oaths, he says, and those who were reclining with him. And how did you not fear the more difficult thing? For if you feared to have witnesses of perjury, much more ought you to have feared to have so many witnesses of so lawless a slaughter. 3. But since I think that many are ignorant of the grounds of the charge, from which the murder arose, it is necessary to state this also, that you may learn the wisdom of the lawgiver. What then was the old law, which Herod trampled on, but which John defended? The wife of one who died childless had to be given to his brother. For since 58.490 death was an inconsolable evil, and everything was arranged for the sake of life, he legislates that the living brother should marry her, and should call the child that is born by the name of the deceased, so that his house might not perish. For if the deceased was not even going to leave behind children, which is the greatest consolation for death, it was going to be an irreparable loss

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καὶ αὕτη ἡ δόξα στρατιωτικὴ καὶ παράλογος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ πολλοὶ ἀνέστησαν ἀπὸ νεκρῶν, καὶ οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον εἰργάσατο. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι καὶ φιλοτιμίας εἶναι καὶ φόβου τὰ ῥήματα. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ αἱ ἄλογοι ψυχαί· ἐναντίων μίξιν δέχονται παθῶν πολλάκις. Ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς φησιν, ὅτι οἱ ὄχλοι ἔλεγον· Οὗτός ἐστιν Ἠλίας, ἢ Ἱερεμίας, ἢ τῶν προφητῶν εἷς τῶν ἀρχαίων· οὗτος δὲ, ὡς δή τι τῶν ἄλλων σοφώτερον λέγων, τοῦτο εἴρηκεν. Εἰκὸς δὲ αὐτὸν πρότερον μὲν πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Ἰωάννην (πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἔλεγον) ἀρνεῖσθαι, καὶ λέγειν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ αὐτὸν ἀπέκτεινα, φιλοτιμούμενον καὶ ἐναβρυνόμενον. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Μάρκος καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς φησιν, ὅτι ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ Ἰωάννην ἀπεκεφάλισα. Τῆς δὲ φήμης ἀρθείσης, λοιπὸν καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ αὐτὰ λέγει τοῖς 58.489 πολλοῖς. Εἶτα καὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἡμῖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς διηγεῖται. Καὶ τί δήποτε οὐ προηγουμένως αὐτὴν εἰσήγαγεν; Ὅτι καὶ ἡ πᾶσα πραγματεία αὐτοῖς, τὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰπεῖν· καὶ οὐδὲν ἐποιοῦντο τούτου πάρεργον ἕτερον, πλὴν εἰ μὴ πάλιν εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ συντελεῖν ἔμελλεν. Οὐκοῦν οὐδ' ἂν νῦν ἐμνημόνευσαν τῆς ἱστορίας, εἰ μὴ διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ διὰ τὸ λέγειν Ἡρώδην, ὅτι ἀνέστη ἐκεῖνος. Ὁ δὲ Μάρκος φησὶν, ὅτι σφόδρα ἐτίμα τὸν ἄνδρα ὁ Ἡρώδης, καὶ ταῦτα ἐλεγχόμενος. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετή. Εἶτα διηγούμενος οὕτω φησίν· Ὁ γὰρ Ἡρώδης κρατήσας τὸν Ἰωάννην,ἔδησεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔθετο ἐν φυλακῇ, διὰ Ἡρωδιάδα τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἔλεγε γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης· Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν αὐτήν. Καὶ θέλων αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι, ἐφοβήθη τὸν ὄχλον, ὅτι ὡς προφήτην αὐτὸν εἶχον. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐδὲν ἐκείνῃ διαλέγεται, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀνδρί; Ὅτι κυριώτερος οὗτος ἦν. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς ἀνεπαχθῆ ποιεῖται τὴν κατηγορίαν, ὡς ἱστορίαν διηγούμενος μᾶλλον, ἢ κατηγορίαν εἰσάγων. Γενεσίων δὲ ἀγομένων τοῦ Ἡρώδου, φησὶν, ὠρχήσατο ἡ θυγάτηρ τῆς Ἡρωδιάδος ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, καὶ ἤρεσε τῷ Ἡρώδῃ. Ὢ συμπόσιον διαβολικόν! ὢ θέατρον σατανικόν! ὢ παράνομος ὄρχησις, καὶ μισθὸς ὀρχήσεως παρανομώτερος! Φόνος γὰρ ὁ πάντων φόνων ἐναγέστερος ἐτολμᾶτο, καὶ ὁ στεφανοῦσθαι καὶ ἀνακηρύττεσθαι ἄξιος ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κατεσφάττετο· καὶ τὸ τῶν δαιμόνων τρόπαιον ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης ἵστατο. Καὶ ὁ τρόπος δὲ τῆς νίκης τῶν γενομένων ἄξιος. Ὠρχήσατο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ θυγάτηρ τῆς Ἡρωδιάδος ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, καὶ ἤρεσε τῷ Ἡρώδῃ. Ὅθεν μεθ' ὅρκου ὤμοσεν αὐτῇ δοῦναι ὃ ἂν αἰτήσηται. Ἡ δὲ προβιβασθεῖσα ὑπὸ τῆς μητρὸς, ∆ός μοι, φησὶν, ὧδε ἐπὶ πίνακι τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ. ∆ιπλοῦν τὸ ἔγκλημα, καὶ ὅτι ὠρχήσατο, καὶ ὅτι ἤρεσε, καὶ οὕτως ἤρεσεν ὡς καὶ φόνον λαβεῖν τὸν μισθόν. Εἶδες πῶς ὠμός; πῶς ἀναίσθητος; πῶς ἀνόητος; Ἑαυτὸν μὲν γὰρ ὅρκῳ ὑπεύθυνον ποιεῖ· ἐκείνην δὲ κυρίαν τῆς αἰτήσεως καθίστησιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶδε τὸ κακὸν ὅτι ἐξέβη, ἐλυπήθη, φησί· καίτοιγε ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔδησεν αὐτόν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν λυπεῖται; Τοιοῦτον ἡ ἀρετή; καὶ παρὰ τοῖς κακοῖς θαύματος καὶ ἐπαίνων ἀξία. Ἀλλ' ὢ τῆς μαινομένης! δέον καὶ αὐτὴν θαυμάζειν, δέον προσκυνεῖν, ὅτι ἤμυνεν ὑβριζομένῃ, ἡ δὲ καὶ συγκατασκευάζει τὸ δρᾶμα, καὶ παγίδα τίθησι, καὶ αἰτεῖ χάριν σατανικήν. Ὁ δὲ ἔδεισε διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς συνανακειμένους. Καὶ πῶς τὸ χαλεπώτερον οὐκ ἔδεισας; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ μάρτυρας ἔχειν ἐπιορκίας ἐδεδοίκεις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον φοβηθῆναι ἐχρῆν σφαγῆς οὕτω παρανόμου μάρτυρας ἔχειν τοσούτους. γʹ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοὺς ἡγοῦμαι καὶ τοῦ ἐγκλήματος, ὅθεν ὁ φόνος ἐτέχθη, τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἀγνοεῖν, ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τοῦτο ἐξειπεῖν, ἵνα μάθητε τοῦ νομοθέτου τὴν σύνεσιν. Τίς οὖν ἦν ὁ παλαιὸς νόμος, ὃν κατεπάτησε μὲν ὁ Ἡρώδης, ἐξεδίκησε δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης; Τοῦ τελευτήσαντος ἄπαιδος τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀδελφῷ δίδοσθαι ἔδει. Ἐπειδὴ 58.490 γὰρ ἀπαραμύθητον κακὸν ὁ θάνατος ἦν, καὶ πάντα ὑπὲρ ζωῆς ἐπραγματεύετο, νομοθετεῖ γαμεῖν τὸν ζῶντα ἀδελφὸν, καὶ ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ τετελευτηκότος τὸ τικτόμενον καλεῖν παιδίον, ὥστε μὴ διαπεσεῖν τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἐκείνου. Εἰ γὰρ μηδὲ παῖδας ἔμελλε καταλιμπάνειν ὁ τετελευτηκὼς, ὅπερ μεγίστη τοῦ θανάτου ἐστὶ παραμυθία, ἀνήκεστον ἔμελλεν εἶναι