On the Conception of the Venerable Forerunner · §4

Baptism of Jesus

As they were bringing and supplying what was needed, the people hastened to the fountain of baptism, and the Redeemer himself wanted to follow them like a shepherd with sheep, to participate in the fountain which he had shown to the lambs.

The Baptist's fingers were striking, his hands were numb, each of his limbs was trembling from head to foot.

The Savior said to the Baptist, 'I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me.'

The Baptist asked, 'How can I cleanse the clean one? How can I grasp the uncontainable one? How can I whiten light? How can I anoint the sun?' He wondered what his hand needed, what word he needed to say while baptizing, what he would say to the Jordan, to the dove from heaven, to the cloud which proclaims the message of his Father, and what he would say to you, baptizing?

The Baptist asked if the Savior was unaware of what he was, or why he had come.

The Savior replied, 'Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15).'

The Baptist asked if he had been conceived in iniquities, or if his mother had conceived him in sins, if his birth was corruption or if his conception was a mixture, if the womb was a bride or the belly a farmer, if milk came from a man, if someone had touched his mother's breast, or if the Virgin had fallen under the curse of Eve.

Let go now, what are you doing to those who are not yet ready, what are you revealing that should still be hidden??

You are disturbing the Jews and shooting at the devil's ears, driving away the demons from the earth before the cross, and making the servants of the cross sacrifice against their will.

Let go now, what are you doing to yourself, what are you depriving your nature of?

If I am not baptized, how will I hear the voice of God, and if I do not hear the voice, how will I learn the Father's plan and be confident in the Son's mysteries?

I was born of a woman and paid the debt of Eve, I took the form of a servant and freed Adam from debt, I sat on a manger and the one who became beastly is freed from curse and shame.

I wore swaddling clothes and healed the wound of nakedness, I was circumcised for the sake of Israel, and now I am baptized again for the nations, and thus all righteousness is sealed to my laws and works.

Emboldened by the ministry of the mystery and the vision of the dove, he became even more confident and acquired a more radiant boldness, speaking out against tyrants and rebuking the lawless Herod.

With the voice of the Father, he spoke to the king with a loud voice, saying, 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother (Leviticus 18:16, 20:21).'

If you do not keep the law, you will not be able to hold the scepter.

If you transgress the commandment, you must take off the purple.

If you despise God, you must come down from the throne you took from him.

He warned the king not to be proud of his arms, for the laws protect the king.

He urged him not to neglect virtue, for it is more honorable than the golden throne.

Again, he said, 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother.'

He pleaded with him to spare the succession of his family and not to corrupt the order of the royal seed.

He asked, 'Whose child will the one born from Herodias, who was corrupted by you, be called, the former husband's or the second adulterer's, the one who lawfully mounted the bed or the one who unlawfully seized it? Shall we call the son born from her Philip's?'

The one born from her is a stranger to him.

Greek

εἰσφερόντων ἀλλήλοις καὶ χορη γούντων τὰ δέοντα. 15 Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς σωρηδὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πηγὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἔσπευδεν καὶ μετ' αὐτοὺς ὁ λυτρωτὴς αὐτὸς ὡς προβάτοις ποιμὴν ἐπακολουθῆσαι βουλόμενος καὶ τῆς πηγῆς μετασχεῖν ἧς αὐτὸς τοῖς ἀμνοῖς ἐνεφάνισεν. Ἔπαλλον οἱ τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ δάκτυλοι, αἱ χεῖρες ἐνάρκων, ἕκαστον αὐτῷ τῶν μελῶν τῆς στολῆς ἀπὸ κεφαλῆς μέχρι ποδῶν ἔτρεμεν. Καὶ μήτε ἀντειπεῖν ὡς οἰκέτης δεσπότῃ δυνάμενος, μήτε διακονῆσαι χωρῶν τῷ τοσούτῳ προσ τάγματι, οὔτε παραιτεῖσθαι ἐτόλμα τῷ μεγάλα προστάττοντι. «Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με.» Πῶς, φησίν, πλυνῶ τὸν καθαρόν; Τίνα δὲ τρόπον κρατήσω τὸν ἀχώρητον; Πῶς λευκανῶ τὸ φῶς; Πῶς ἀποσμύξω τὸν ἥλιον; Τί μου χρῄζει τῆς χειρός; Τί σοι δεῖ γλώττης ἣν αὐτὸς ἐκεράμω σας; Τί πρὸς σὲ βαπτίζων εἴπω; Τί πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰορδάνην φθέγξομαι; Τί πρὸς τὴν περιστερὰν τὴν ἐξ οὐρανῶν αὐτομο λοῦσαν τοῦ πνεύματος; Τί πρὸς τὴν νεφέλην ᾗ τοῦ σοῦ πατρὸς ἐποχεῖται τὸ κήρυγμα; Ἆρα μὴ ἀγνοεῖς τί ὑπάρχω, δέσποτα; Ἆρα δὲ οὐκ οἶδας διὰ τί παραγέγονα;» 16 «Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με.» Μὴ γὰρ «ἐν ἀνομίαις συνελήφθης», ὥσπερ ἐγώ; Μὴ γὰρ «ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησέ σε ἡ μήτηρ σου» ἢ σπόρον ἔσχεν ὁ τό κος; Μὴ φθορὰν ἡ κύησις ἢ συμπλοκὴν ἡ σύλληψις; Μὴ νυμ φίον ἡ μήτρα ἢ γεωργὸν ἡ γαστήρ; Μὴ τὸ γάλα ἐξ ἀνδρός; Μὴ τῆς σῆς μητρὸς τὸν μασθόν τις ἐψηλάφησεν; Μὴ τῇ κατάρᾳ τῆς Εὔας ἡ παρθένος ὑπέπεσεν;» Ἀλλὰ τί πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ λυτρωτὴς ἐπήγαγεν; «Ἄφες ἄρτι· οὕτως γὰρ πρέπον ἡμῖν ἐστι πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. Ἄφες ἄρτι», τουτέστιν τί γυμνοῖς πρὸ καιροῦ τὰ λανθάνοντα; Τί ἐκκαλύπτεις τὰ δεόμενα τέως κρύπτεσθαι μέχρι καιροῦ; Τί 4 θορυβεῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἀκοήν; Τί τοξεύεις τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ ὦτα; Τί φυγαδεύεις ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοὺς δαίμονας; Τί δειλοὺς κατασκευάζεις τοὺς διακονεῖν τῇ θυσίᾳ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ παρὰ γνώμην μέλλοντας;» 17 «Ἄφες ἄρτι.» Τί σαυτὸν μεγάλα ζημιοῖς; Τί τὴν φύ σιν ὑπέρογκον ἀποστερεῖς; Ἐὰν μὴ βαπτισθῶ, πῶς φωνῆς ἀκούσει; Ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ φωνῆς, πῶς μαθήσει τοῦ Πατρὸς τὴν βουλήν, πῶς θαρρήσει τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὰ μυστήρια, πῶς τὴν ἄφι ξιν κατοπτεύσεις τοῦ Πνεύματος, πῶς τὸν οὐρανὸν θεωρήσεις ἀνοιγόμενον; Ἐὰν μὴ βαπτισθῶ, τίς ἁγιάσει τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, τίς συντρίψει τὰς κεφαλὰς τοῦ δράκοντος, πῶς λευκαίνεται τὰ στοιχεῖα, πῶς ἡ κτίσις καθαίρεται, πῶς τὰ ῥυ πωθέντα σκεύη τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἀποπλύνεται; «Ἄφες ἄρτι· οὕτως γὰρ ἡμῖν πρέπον ἐστὶ πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην», ἣν ὁ νό μος ἐντέλλεται καὶ οἱ προφῆται κηρύττουσι καὶ ἡ χάρις εἰσ ηγεῖται καὶ τὸ καινὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιζητεῖται κήρυγμα. Ἐτέχθην ἐκ γυναικὸς καὶ τὸ χρέος τῆς Εὔας ἀποδέδοται· δούλου μορφὴν ἐφόρεσα καὶ τῆς ὀφειλῆς τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἠλευθέρωσα· ἐπὶ φάτνης ἐκάθισα καὶ ὁ γεγονὼς κτηνώδης τῆς ἀρᾶς ἐλύθη καὶ τῆς αἰσχύνης ἀπήλλακται· ἐνεδυσάμην σπάργανα καὶ τῆς γυμνώ σεως τὴν πληγὴν ἐθεράπευσα. Ἕνεκα τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ περιετμήθην· ἰδοὺ πάλιν διὰ τὰ ἔθνη βαπτίζομαι, καὶ οὕτως πᾶσα δικαιοσύνη τοῖς ἐμοῖς νόμοις ὁμοῦ καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις σφραγίζεται.» 18 Αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἦν καὶ τοιαύτη τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Λόγου καὶ θεοῦ ἐμφωνηθέντων ἡ δύναμις· αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ διακονίᾳ τοῦ μυστη ρίου θαρρήσας καὶ τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῆς περιστερᾶς γεγονὼς ὑψηλό τερος καὶ τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ πατρὸς ἔτι μᾶλλον λαμπροτέραν τὴν παρρησίαν κτησάμενος, καὶ κατὰ τυράννων τὴν γλῶσσαν ἐκίνει καὶ παρανομοῦντα τὸν Ἡρῴδην ἤλεγχεν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα φωνῇ μεγάλῃ φθέγγεται· «Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου.» Εἰ μὴ τὸν νόμον φυλάττεις, οὐ δυνήσει τὸ σκῆπτρον ἔχειν. Εἰ τὴν ἐντολὴν παραβαίνεις, τὴν πορφύραν ἀπόδυσαι. Εἰ τοῦ θεοῦ καταφρονεῖς, τοῦ θρόνου οὗ ἔλαβες παρ' αὐτοῦ κατάβηθι. Μὴ ἐπαίρου τοῖς ὅπλοις», φησίν· «οἱ γὰρ νόμοι τὸν βασιλέα φυλάττουσιν. Μὴ ἀμέλει τῆς ἀρετῆς· εὐπρεπεστέρα γὰρ ὑπάρχει τοῦ χρυσολίθου βήματος. «Οὐκ ἔξ εστί σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου.» 19 «Φεῖσαι τῆς τοῦ γένους διαδοχῆς», φησίν. «Μὴ διαφθεί ρῃς τὴν τάξιν τοῦ βασιλικοῦ σπέρματος. Τίνος, εἰπέ, βούλει καλεῖσθαι τὸν ἐξ Ἡρῳδιάδος παρὰ σοῦ μοιχευομένης τικτό μενον, τοῦ προτέρου νυμφίου ἢ τοῦ δευτέρου μοιχοῦ, τοῦ νομίμως τὴν κοίτην ἀναβάντος ἢ μᾶλλον τοῦ ταύτην παρανόμως ἁρπά σαντος; Φιλίππου καλέσομεν υἱὸν τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς τικτόμενον; Ἀλλότριος αὐτοῦ ὁ τεχθείς.

About this text

Hesychius of Jerusalem, In conceptionem venerabilis praecursoris (Greek).

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 93 (Khazarzar) (Greek)

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