John Chrysostom, On the Birth of John the Baptist

De nativitate Joannis Baptistae

Of our father among the saints, John, Archbishop of Constantinople, Chrysostom, on the birthday of Saint John the Forerunner and

Baptist.

The word of teaching today is inescapable, for the discourse has John the Baptist, the unsilenced voice of the desert; for he says, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. And where the memory of a voice is brought forth, necessarily the honor of words is owed. But what honor shall we pay to this just man? We are surrounded on all sides by his achievements; for he preaches the gospel while still being carried in the womb, he works miracles as soon as he is born, he progresses while practicing asceticism in the deserts, he is nourished by the Spirit as he is led forth, he mediates between law and grace, he preaches the baptism of repentance, he baptizes the Lord when he arrives, while baptizing he beholds also the grace of the Trinity, he bears witness to the truth by crying out, he points out the prophesied Lord, he confesses the one mightier than himself, he guides the faithful to him, he proclaims that He gives the end, he brings forth peoples who thirst to recognize him, he runs to announce the Lord, he urges to run to him, he teaches the crowds what is profitable, he admonishes even the tax collectors being baptized, he reproves even Herod for his lawlessness, and he receives a blessed end. With what words shall we admire these things? What tongue shall we move in these matters? What of these things shall we omit, what shall we even have the strength to say about them? What hope rouses these? For great is the breadth of the praises, great the sea of his achievements. The mere memory of the deeds astounds those who speak, it puts cowardice into the soul of the one who marvels. But let Zacharias, the father of the just one, now come, he who was condemned to silence and spoke because of this one. He will narrate to us the things concerning him; let him say how he spoke when his tongue was restrained, how he talked when his mouth was bridled, how John is born and the angel's decree is loosed, how the punishment is brought on and the healing is provided. And, if it seems good, let us come then to the very explanation of the miracle that contains the conception of the just one. For the evangelist, introducing a brief proclamation about both Zacharias and Elizabeth his wife, first signifies their names and nature and worth, then adds praise of their life and manner, in which he both shows the condemnation of silence and makes known the grace of eloquence. And hear the words of the gospel: He says, they had no child. Now not only do I see their childlessness, but I also recognize the ancient image of the just, I speak of Abraham and Sarah. But I also learn of barrenness giving birth, another childbearing of grace and of nature, a strange mystery of childbearing. For this is also the manner of this promise: He says, an angel appeared standing at the right side of the altar of incense. The place of the vision is worthy of belief, showing the sight to be truth and not a delusion. But, he says, Zacharias was troubled when he saw it, and fear fell upon him. O cowardice, the prelude to unbelief, the unsoundness of the mind, the slipperiness of the soul. Which the angel himself, correcting, said: Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer has been heard. He casts out fear and brings in desire in its place; for having said "do not be afraid," he did not fall silent, but also announced the gain of the prayer. He says, your prayer has been heard. And what prayer? The increase of his Levitical tribe. For your wife, he says, Elizabeth

De nativitate Joannis Baptistae

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰωάννου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου εἰς τὸ γενέθλιον τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰωάννου τοῦ προδρόμου καὶ

βαπτιστοῦ.

Ἀπαραίτητος σήμερον τῆς διδασκαλίας ὁ λόγος, ἔχει γὰρ Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστὴν ἡ ἐξήγησις, τὴν ἀσίγητον τῆς ἐρήμου φωνήν· ἐγὼ γάρ φησι φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Ὅπου δὲ φωνῆς ἄγεται μνήμη, ἀναγκαίως ἡ τῶν λόγων τιμὴ κεχρεώστηται. Ἀλλὰ ποίαν ἡμεῖς τῷ δικαίῳ τούτῳ τιμὴν ἀποτίσωμεν; Κυκλούμεθα πανταχόθεν τοῖς αὐτοῦ κατορθώμασιν· εὐαγγελίζεται γὰρ ἔτι κυοφορούμενος, θαυματουργεῖ παραυτίκα τικτόμενος, προκόπτει ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις ἀσκούμενος, τρέφεται τῷ πνεύματι προαγόμενος, μεσιτεύει νόμῳ καὶ χάριτι, κηρύττει μετανοίας τὸ βάπτισμα, βαπτίζει τὸν δεσπότην παραγενόμενον, θεωρεῖ βαπτίζων καὶ τῆς τριάδος τὴν χάριν, μαρτυρεῖ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ βοῶν, ὑποδείκνυσι τὸν προφητευθέντα δεσπότην, ὁμολογεῖ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἰσχυρότερον, ὁδηγεῖ πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς πιστεύοντας, ἐκεῖνον διδόναι κηρύττει τὸ τέλος, προσάγει λαοὺς τοὺς διψῶντας αὐτὸν ἐπιγινώσκειν, δεσπότην τρέχων μηνύει, αὐτῷ προστρέχειν ἐπείγει, ἐκδιδάσκει τὸ συμφέρον τοὺς ὄχλους, νουθετεῖ καὶ βαπτιζομένους τελώνας, ἐλέγχει καὶ τὸν Ἡρώδην παρανομοῦντα, δέχεται καὶ μακαριζόμενον τέλος. Ποίοις ταῦτα θαυμάσωμεν λόγοις; Ποίαν ἐν τούτοις κινήσωμεν γλῶτταν; Τί τούτων παραλίπωμεν, τί καὶ εἰπεῖν περὶ τούτων ἰσχύσωμεν; Ποία τούτους ἐλπὶς διεγείρει; Μέγα γὰρ τῶν ἐγκωμίων τὸ πλάτος, μέγα τῶν κατορθωμάτων τὸ πέλαγος. Ἐκπλήττει καὶ μόνη τοὺς λέγοντας τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ μνήμη, δειλίαν ἐντίθησι τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ θαυμάζοντος. Ἀλλ' ἔλθῃ καὶ νῦν Ζαχαρίας ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ δικαίου, ὁ καὶ τὴν σιωπὴν κατακριθεὶς καὶ διὰ τοῦτον φθεγξάμενος. Ἐκεῖνος ἡμῖν τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν διηγήσεται· εἴπῃ πῶς ἐφθέγξατο κατασχεθείσης τῆς γλώττης, πῶς ἐλάλησε χαλινωθέντος τοῦ στόματος, πῶς Ἰωάννης γεννᾶται καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἀπόφασις λύεται, πῶς ἡ τιμωρία ἐπάγεται καὶ ἡ θεραπεία παρέχεται. Καί, εἰ δοκεῖ, ἐπ' αὐτὴν λοιπὸν ἔλθωμεν τοῦ θαύματος τὴν ἐξήγησιν ἔχουσαν τοῦ δικαίου τὴν σύλληψιν. Ὁ γὰρ εὐαγγελιστὴς σύντομον αὐτοῦ τε τοῦ Ζαχαρίου καὶ Ἐλισάβετ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ εἰσάγων τὸ κήρυγμα, πρότερον μὲν τὰς προσηγορίας αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὴν ἀξίαν σημαίνει, εἶτα πολιτείας ἔπαινον καὶ τρόπον ἐπάγει, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τῆς σιωπῆς τὴν κατάκρισιν δείκνυσι καὶ τῆς εὐγλωττίας τὴν χάριν γνωρίζει. Καὶ ἄκουε τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν ῥημάτων· Οὐκ ἦν φησιν αὐτοῖς τέκνον. Νῦν οὐ μόνον ἐγὼ τὴν τούτων ἀτεκνίαν ὁρῶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν εἰκόνα τῶν δικαίων γινώσκω, Ἀβραὰμ λέγω καὶ Σάρρας. Ἀλλὰ μανθάνω καὶ στείρωσιν τίκτουσαν, ἑτέραν παιδοποιΐαν χάριτος καὶ φύσεως, ξένον τεκνογονίας μυστήριον. Οὗτος γὰρ καὶ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ὁ τρόπος ταύτης· Ὤφθη φησὶν ἄγγελος ἑστὼς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυμιάματος. Ἀξιόπιστος τῆς ὀπτασίας ὁ τόπος, ἀλήθειαν δεικνὺς καὶ οὐ πλάνην τὴν θέαν. Ἀλλ' ἐταράχθη φησὶ Ζαχαρίας ἰδὼν καὶ φόβος ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτόν. Ὦ δειλία, τὸ τῆς ἀπιστίας προοίμιον, τὸ τῆς γνώμης σαθρόν, τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ εὐόλισθον. Ὅπερ αὐτὸς ὁ ἄγγελος διορθούμενος ἔφη· Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία, διότι εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου. Ἐκβάλλει τὸν φόβον καὶ ἀντεισάγει τὸν πόθον· εἰπὼν γὰρ τὸ μὴ φοβοῦ οὐκ ἐσιώπησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς τὸ κέρδος ἐμήνυσεν. Εἰσηκούσθη φησὶν ἡ δέησίς σου. Καὶ ποία ἡ δέησις; Ἡ τῆς λευιτικῆς φυλῆς αὐτοῦ αὔξησις. Ἡ γυνή σου γάρ φησιν Ἐλισάβετ