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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. Today the demand for what is owed is upon us, the day is here that contrives the debt for us, the sharp deadline for what was lent is at hand; for we have truly borrowed both the present time and what is lacking in our words. But why do I say what is lacking, when even being paid back it increases the debt, and being fulfilled it produces for us another beginning of obligation. For such are the words spoken about Saint John the Baptist; striving to pay the debt, but always falling subject to the obligation. For what can one say about the greatness of the righteous one's deeds, or about such splendor of his accomplishments? Or perhaps it is just to use only that voice: “Amen I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” For this is the memorial worthy of praise, this is the truth of the honor owed; for it is the Lord who speaks truthfully and praises worthily. There has not risen, he says, among those born of women one greater than John the Baptist. For none among the righteous born of women has risen so. Jeremiah the prophet was sanctified from the womb, but John the Baptist was honored even more than this. But he is also filled with the Holy Spirit while being carried in the womb; for, it says, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. Therefore, leaping in the womb he proclaims the good news, and at his birth he immediately works the healing upon his father. Indeed, it says, all who heard said: What then will this child be? For they are perplexed seeing the Baptist working miracles before his time, they marvel at the infant's worth beyond his power. They see the child superior both to his years and to his ways. Learning what was before the birth, they are astounded; seeing what was after the birth, they are amazed. And being at a loss they have cried out: “What then will this child be?” Do you wish to learn the progress of the child? Do you wish to know the worth accruing to him? Listen to the angel who cried out concerning him: “He will be, it says, great before the Lord.” Behold, again the greater is bestowed on the righteous one, on the beloved of the desert. He had not yet learned the complexity of things, and yet he anticipated and kept the simplicity of his soul. For he does not endure trafficking in human wealth, he does not love glory that is dissolved in life, he does not give his belly insatiable taste, he does not know variety in foods, he does not put on ornamental clothing. For he had, it says, his clothing of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist. For his clothing was the proper form of asceticism in the desert, suitable to his manliness. For he wore the hair of a beast of burden, signifying that he himself also bore lightly the weight laid upon him in the desert; for the life in the desert was truly heavy. And he had a leather belt, by which he showed both the mortified desire of the belly and at the same time manifested the manliness of his soul. And his food, it says, was locusts and wild honey. And this was sweeter in the desert than the most sumptuous fare. But since the Lord and Maker declared that among those born of women none has risen greater than John the Baptist, and

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De nativitate Joannis Baptistae

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

βαπτιστοῦ. Ἐπέστη σήμερον ἡ τῶν χρεωστουμένων ἀπαίτησις, πάρεστιν ἡ μεθοδεύουσα ἡμέρα ἡμᾶς τὸ ὄφλημα, ἐπίκειται ἡ ἐμπρόθεσμος τῶν δανεισθέντων ὀξύτης· δεδανείσμεθα γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν καὶ τὸ λεῖπον τοῖς λόγοις. Τί δὲ λέγω τὸ λεῖπον, ὅπου καὶ ἀποδιδόμενον αὔξει τὸ χρέος καὶ πληρούμενον ἑτέραν ἡμῖν ἀρχὴν ὀφλήματος ἀπεργάζεται. Τοιοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστὴν γινόμενοι λόγοι· φιλονεικοῦντες μὲν ἀποδιδόναι τὸ χρέος, ὑποπίπτοντες δὲ ἀεὶ τῷ ὀφλήματι. Τί γὰρ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ μεγέθει τῶν τοῦ δικαίου πραγμάτων ἢ ἐπὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ τῶν κατορθωμάτων λαμπρότητι; Ἢ μόνον τάχα ἐκείνῃ χρήσασθαι δίκαιον τῇ φωνῇ· «Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐκ ἐγήγερται ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν μείζων Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ.» Αὕτη γὰρ ἀξία τῶν ἐγκωμίων ἡ μνήμη, αὕτη τῆς ὀφειλομένης τιμῆς ἡ ἀλήθεια· δεσπότης γάρ ἐστιν ὁ καὶ λέγων ἀψευδῶς καὶ ἐπαινῶν ἐπαξίως. Οὐκ ἐγήγερταί φησιν, ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν μείζων Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐν γεννητοῖς τῶν δικαίων οὕτως ἐγήγερται· Ἰερεμίας ὁ προφήτης ἐκ μήτρας ἡγίασται, ἀλλὰ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστῆς καὶ τούτου πλέον τετίμηται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος πληροῦται κυοφορούμενος· πνεύματος γάρ φησιν, ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔνδον τῆς γαστρὸς σκιρτήσας εὐαγγελίζεται καὶ τικτόμενος τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ πατρὶ εὐθὺς θεραπείαν ἐργάζεται. Ἀμέλει πάντες φησιν, οἱ ἀκούσαντες ἔλεγον· τί ἄρα τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο ἔσται; Ἀδημονοῦσι γὰρ θαυματουργοῦντα τὸν βαπτιστὴν πρὸ τοῦ καιροῦ θεωροῦντες, θαυμάζουσι τὴν τοῦ βρέφους ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἀξίαν. Βλέπουσι τὸ παιδίον καὶ χρόνων τοῦ βίου καὶ τρόπων ἀνώτερον. Τὰ πρὸ τοῦ τόκου μαθόντες ἐκπλήττονται, τὰ μετὰ τὸν τόκον ὁρῶντες ξενίζονται. Καὶ ἀποροῦντες κεκράγασιν· « Τί ἄρα τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο ἔσται;» Θέλετε μαθεῖν τὴν προκοπὴν τοῦ παιδίου; Θέλετε τὴν προσγινομένην αὐτῷ γνῶναι ἀξίαν; Ἀκούσατε τοῦ ἀγγέλου περὶ αὐτοῦ κεκραγότος· «Ἔσται φησί, μέγας ἐνώπιον κυρίου.» Ἰδοὺ καὶ πάλιν τὸ μεῖζον ἀπονέμεται τῷ δικαίῳ, τῷ τῆς ἐρήμου ποθεινῷ. Οὔπω ἐμάνθανε τὴν πλοκὴν τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ προλαμβάνων φυλάττει τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἁπλότητα. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνέχεται τὸν ἀνθρώπινον ἐμπορεύεσθαι πλοῦτον, οὐκ ἐρᾷ δόξης λυομένης ἐν βίῳ, οὐ παρέχει τῇ γαστρὶ τὴν ἀκόρεστον γεῦσιν, οὐ τὴν τῶν βρωμάτων ποικιλίαν γινώσκει, οὐκ ἐσθῆτος καλλωπισμὸν περιβάλλεται. Εἶχε γάρ φησι, τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τριχῶν καμήλων καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ. Τὸ γὰρ ἴδιον τῆς ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἀσκήσεως σχῆμα πρόσφορον τῆς ἀνδρείας αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔνδυμα. Ἀχθοφόρου γὰρ ζῴου τὰς τρίχας ἐφόρει, σημαίνων ὡς τὸ ἐπικείμενον αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον βάρος φέρειν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνέχεται κούφως· βαρὺς γὰρ ἦν ἀληθῶς ὁ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον βίος. Εἶχε δὲ καὶ δερματίνην ζώνην, δι' ἧς τήν τε νενεκρωμένην τῆς γαστρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐδήλου καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν ταὐτῷ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐνέφηνεν. Ἡ δὲ τροφὴ ἦν αὐτῷ φησιν, ἀκρίδες καὶ μέλι ἄγριον. Καὶ τοῦτο τῆς πολυτελεστάτης ἥδιον ἐν ἐρήμῳ. ∆εσπότου δὲ καὶ ποιητοῦ ἀποφηναμένου μὴ ἐγηγέρθαι ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν μείζω Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ, καὶ