John Chrysostom, On Zechariah's Prophecy

In oraculum Zacharia

Homily on the oracle of Zacharias, and on the conception of Elizabeth.

50.785

Nothing is insubordinate to the Lord's decrees; for all things yield and are subject to the divine command. For He set a command, it says, and it shall not pass away; for He who established all things in the beginning by a word, can again remake His creations by a word. He once said for the waterless rock to become flowing with water; and it immediately gushes forth rivers of water; For He struck the rock, and waters flowed, and rivers gushed forth; and the dry rock, before without a taste of water, became a spring of rivers and a mother of waters; for nothing is barren to which God commands fruitfulness. He, then, who at that time changed the barren rock into a lake, now also commanded the barren Elizabeth to be shown a childbearing mother, and He showed the fruitless to be fruitful, and she who was burdened with old age to be like a newly-married maiden.

When she was hastening toward the grave, then she was being prepared for childbirth; when old age had withered her body, then God renewed her womb; and what she had lost on account of time, she recovered on account of the Creator; and what her youth had lost, her old age was asked to produce; when she became a neighbor of death, then she was named mother of a child; and surpassing the years of a grandmother, she fell into maternal care, and she carried an infant in her arms, she who needed a staff to walk because of old age; and the old woman touched a firstborn child, and the barren one gave birth paradoxically, so that a virgin giving birth against nature might be believed. Both are new and paradoxical; for a barren woman and a virgin are unexpected mothers. And as a messenger of this paradoxical birth, 50.786 the archangel Gabriel was sent to the old man Zacharias; and standing on the right side of the altar he appeared to him; And Zacharias, it says, was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. For he saw what he had never seen, speaking fire, a bodiless man, an intangible form, an incomparable sight, an unparalleled vision, a runner treading the air, a winged man-shaped being; and seeing, he was troubled. And the angel, seeing him troubled, puts the fear to flight with gracious promises: Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer has been heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. Do not be afraid, Zacharias; I have not come brandishing fear, but I have arrived as a messenger of joy to you; what joy? Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John; this one, as a morning star, will shine upon the world, and will drive away the darkness of ignorance, calling upon the sun of righteousness. For he who comes after me has become before me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. And he will go before in the spirit and power of Elias. The spirit of Elias dwelt also in John; for the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; and in almost all things we find John similar to Elias.

That one dwelt in the mountains, and this one lived in the wilderness; that one ravens fed, 50.787 and this one ate locusts of plants; that one was clothed in a sheepskin, and this one in camel's hair; that one was austere and censorious, and this one likewise; that one rebuked Ahab the king of the Jews, and Jezebel his wife; You are the one, he says, who troubles Israel, and your father's house; and John [rebuked] Herod and Herodias; It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife

In oraculum Zacharia

Ὁμιλία εἰς τὸν χρηματισμὸν Ζαχαρίου, καὶ εἰς τὴν σύλληψιν τῆς Ἐλισάβετ.

50.785

Οὐδὲν τοῖς ∆εσποτικοῖς ἀνυπότακτον ὅροις· πάντα γὰρ εἴκει καὶ δουλεύει τῷ θείῳ προστάγματι. Πρόσταγμα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔθετο, καὶ οὐ παρελεύσεται· ὁ γὰρ λόγῳ τὴν ἀρχὴν τὸ πᾶν συστησάμενος, καὶ αὖθις δύναται μεταποιῆσαι τὰ ποιήματα λόγῳ. Εἶπέ ποτε τὴν ἄνυδρον πέτραν γενέσθαι κατάῤῥυτον· ἡ δὲ ποταμοὺς ὕδατος εὐθέως ἐρεύγεται· Ἐπάταξε γὰρ πέτραν, καὶ ἐῤῥύησαν ὕδατα, καὶ ποταμοὶ κατεκλύσθησαν· καὶ ἡ ξηρὰ πέτρα τὸ πρὶν καὶ ἄγευστος ὕδατος, πηγὴ ποταμῶν καὶ μήτηρ ὑδάτων ἐγίνετο· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄγονον, ᾧ γονὴν ἐπιτάττει Θεός. Ὁ τότε τοίνυν τὴν ἄγονον πέτραν μεταβαλὼν εἰς λίμνην, καὶ νῦν τὴν στείραν Ἐλισάβετ παιδογόνον ἐκέλευσεν ἀναδειχθῆναι μητέρα, καὶ τὴν ἄκαρπον κατάκαρπον ἔδειξε, καὶ τὴν τῷ γήρᾳ βεβαρημένην ὡς νεόγαμον κόρην.

Ὅτε πρὸς τάφον ἠπείγετο, τότε πρὸς τοκετὸν εὐτρεπίζετο· ὅτε τὸ σῶμα τὸ γῆρας ἐμάρανε, τότε τὴν μήτραν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνενέωσε· καὶ ὅπερ διὰ τὸν χρόνον ἀπέβαλε, διὰ τὸν Πλάστην ἀνέλαβε· καὶ ὅπερ ἡ νεότης ἀπώλεσε, τὸ γῆρας ἀπητεῖτο· ὅτε γείτων ἐγένετο τοῦ θανάτου, τότε παιδὸς ὠνομάζετο μήτηρ· καὶ τοὺς τῆς μάμμης ὑπερβαίνουσα χρόνους, εἰς μητρικὴν ἐνέπιπτε φροντίδα, καὶ βρέφος ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγκάλης ἐβάσταζεν, ἡ βακτηρίας διὰ τὸ γῆρας πρὸς ἐπίβασιν χρῄζουσα· καὶ πρωτότοκον ἡ γραῦς ἐψηλάφα παιδίον, καὶ στείρα παραδόξως ἐγέννησεν, ἵνα παρθένος τίκτουσα παρὰ φύσιν πιστευθῇ. Ἀμφότερα καινὰ καὶ παράδοξα· στείρα γὰρ καὶ παρθένος ἀπροσδόκητοι μητέρες. Τούτου δὲ τοῦ παραδόξου τοκετοῦ μηνυτὴς τῷ γέ 50.786 ροντι Ζαχαρίᾳ ὁ ἀρχάγγελος ἐπέμφθη Γαβριήλ· καὶ στὰς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ὤφθη αὐτῷ· Καὶ ἐταράχθη, φησὶ, Ζαχαρίας ἰδὼν, καὶ φόβος ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτόν. Εἶδε γὰρ ὅπερ οὐκ εἶδέ ποτε, πῦρ φθεγγόμενον, ἀσώματον ἄνθρωπον, ἀψηλάφητον σχῆμα, ἀσυνείκαστον θέαν, ὄψιν ἀσύγκριτον, ἀεροβάτην δρομέα, πτηνὸν ἀνθρωπόμορφον· καὶ Ἰδὼν ἐταράχθη. Ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὸν ταραττόμενον ὁ ἄγγελος, χρησταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις φυγαδεύει τὸν φόβον· Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία, διότι εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου· καὶ ἡ γυνή σου Ἐλισάβετ γεννήσει υἱόν σοι, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην· καὶ ἔσται χαρά σοι καὶ ἀγαλλίασις· καὶ πολλοὶ ἐπὶ τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ χαρήσονται. Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία· οὐ φόβον ἐπισείων ἐλήλυθα, ἀλλὰ χαρᾶς σοι μηνυτὴς παραγέγονα· ποίας χαρᾶς; Ἡ γυνή σου Ἐλισάβετ γεννήσει σοι υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην· οὗτος ὡς ἑωσφόρος ἐπιφαύσει τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ τὸ σκότος τῆς ἀγνωσίας διώξει, τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐπικαλούμενος ἥλιον. Ὁ ὀπίσω γάρ μου ἐρχόμενος, ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν· οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος. Καὶ αὐτὸς προελεύσεται ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει τοῦ Ἠλίου. Τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ Ἠλίου κατῴκησε καὶ εἰς τὸν Ἰωάννην· πνεύματα γὰρ προφητῶν προφήταις ὑποτάσσεται· καὶ σχεδὸν ἐν πᾶσιν εὑρίσκομεν ὅμοιον τῷ Ἠλίᾳ τὸν Ἰωάννην.

Ἐκεῖνος ἐν ὄρεσι διῃτᾶτο, καὶοὗτος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διέτριβεν· ἐκεῖνον κόρακες ἔτρε 50.787 φον, καὶ οὗτος ἀκρίδας βοτανῶν ἤσθιεν· ἐκεῖνος μηλωτὴν περιεβάλλετο, καὶ οὗτος τρίχας καμήλων· ἐκεῖνος αὐστηρὸς ἦν καὶ ἐλεγκτικὸς, καὶ οὗτος ὁμοίως· ἐκεῖνος τὸν Ἀχαὰβ ἤλεγχε τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ Ἰεζάβελ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ· Σὺ εἶ, φησὶν, ὁ διαστρέφων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου· καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης τὸν Ἡρώδην καὶ Ἡρωδιάδα· Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ