John Chrysostom on John the Baptist

Anthony Alcock

The following contains English versions of two texts on John the Baptist attributed to John Chrysostom, one in Copric
and one in Greek:

(1) a Coptic text, Brit. Mus, Or. 7024, published in E.A. Wallis Budge Coptic Apocrypha (1913) pp. 128-145 and
described in the proemium as an 'encomium' that was 'delivered' by John Chrysostom but the location of the delivery is
not specified. I have been unable to locate any Greek text from which it may have been translated. A striking feature of
the text is the lengthy quotation, which occupies pp. 19 to 32 from a book 'written the apostles' discovered in a library
in Jerusalem, with an excursus on the Third Heaven that is said to have been granted to John the Baptist. In addition to
being an encomium it also contains an exegesis of a gospel passage, in which the congregation is addressed directly.
Comments on the content of the text are provided in footnotes;

(2) a Greek text entitled On the Beheading of the Forerunner Baptist John, published in Patrologia Graeca 59, cols
483-490. It is located in the section labelled Spuria. The first line of the text is quoted by Socrates Historia
Ecclesiastica (6, 18) and Sozomen HE (8, 20). The text has two sections: section one is about evil women, starting with
but not confined to Herodias, and section two features good women and various OT stories, including a rather elaborate
account of conditions in the story of Elijah and the widow of Sarepta (3 Kg. 17, 9ff.). The basis of the comparison
between wicked and good women seems to be Sirach 25 and 26, quoted extensively in the text.

There is also an Ethiopic text with the English title Discourse of John Chrysostom in praise of John the Baptist, but the
text itself is quite late (though it may be easily based on a much earlier text in another language) and, as far as I can tell,
it has been neither published nor translated.1

There is also a panegyric on John the Baptist attributed to Theodosius of Alexandria (mid-6th cent,), 2 but it is quite
different from the encomium attributed to Chrysostom both in content and length.

The numbers in brackets in the translation from the Coptic are those of the manuscript. The abbreviation CD is to W. E.
Crum Coptic Dictionary (1939). The only division in the Greek text marks the two sections of 'good women' and 'bad
women'.

1 https://www.rct.uk/collection/1005080/discourse-of-john-chrysostom-in-praise-of-john-the-baptist-geez. It
has 106 folios, written in a clear hand, which can easily be read on the website by those able to read Ethiopic.
It is part of the Royal Collection Trust (acquired by the British monarch in 1868).

2 K. H. Kuhn Panegyric of John the Baptist (1973), delivered by Theodosius of Alexandria (c. 536).

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 Text 1

Alpha Omega Jesus Christ Amen

An encomiun delivered by our holy father, revered in every way, the holy Apa John Archbishop of
Constantinople and holy Chrysostom, to the glory and honour of Saint John the Baptist and the holy
predecessor and kinsman3 of Christ, than whom no man born of woman is greater,4 whom God has elevated
in honour and glory above all the saints, the one who has surpassed the angels in purity. Chrysostom has
delivered this encomium about the passage in the Gospel of Matthew that explains the words: 'What have
you come to the desert to see ?'5 In the peace of God, his holy blessing will come upon us and we will all be
saved together. Amen.

My beloved, I wish to say a little in honour of the successful achievements (2) of the holy baptist
and the revered forerunner, Saint John the Baptist, kinsman of Jesus, but I am very sad that my
tongue is unable to utter his virtues and honours as he deserves. The holy bishops who went before
us, Athanasius, Theophilus, Cyril and Innocent,6 all spoke your praises, John the Baptist, than
whom no man born of woman before you was greater.

Which of our ancient fathers has not spoken in praise of you, priest and son of the priest, prophet
and son of the prophet, virgin and angelic martyr, companion of the true bridegroom Christ, Saint

3 The word suggenhs is used of John more than a dozen times, as if in somewhat laboured affirmation of the
relationship between Elizabeth and Mary (Lk. 1, 36)

4 For example, Matth. 11, 11. The description appears 4 times in the text.

5 Matth. 11, 7. This text deal with the same material as Homily 37 of Chrysostom but not in the same way. It may
perhaps have inspired the writer of the text to use it as the basis for the construction of this encomium.

6 Innocent I (d. 417). When he was first exiled (for unknown reasons) after the Synod of the Oak in
Constantinople, Chrysostom wrote to Innocent for support. For the text of the letter cf. Palladius de vita
Johannis c. 2. Theophilus is identified by John in this letter as one of those responsible for his exile, the reason
being perhaps John had supported Egyptian monks expelled by Theophilus. which had provoked a certain
animosity on the part of Theophilus towards John. I am not familiar with any of these texts.

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John (3) the Baptist. Truly, your name and the commemoration of you have become a medicine that
cures all illness, I mean John, whose conception bridled the tongue of his father and whose birth
opened his mouth.7 When Zachary was asked what he wanted to call him, he made a sign with his
hands that he be given a writing board and wrote the three miraculous letters: iota, omega and
alpha.8 When he wrote the, his mouth opened, his became became loose and he spoke and was able
to say in a loud voice: "His name is John."

The name of John is truly worthy of wonder (4), for he is the light of the whole world. But my
tongue is very weak in the face of his myriad virtues. I therefore wish to embark on the thought in
depth.9 For when it was the accursed Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for the
pleasure of Herod and his dinner guests. He agreed to give her whatever she asked for. She went to
her mother for instructions, and Herodias said to her: "Ask for the head of John the Baptist and have
it brought to you on a plate." She turned10 to the king and said to him: "Give me the head of John
the Baptist on a plate." The king ordered it so. He sent a speculator11 to the prison (5) to decapitate
John. He brought it on the plate and gave it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

His disciples set off to take the body and bury it. They brought news to Jesus. When he heard, he
withdrew to the desert and went to be on his own. When the people heard this, they followed Jesus.
But when he saw the multitudes, he took pity on them. At evening time, the disciples came to him
and said: "The place is a desert. Dismiss the people that they might return to the surrounding

7 For the whole episode cf. Lk. 1, 5-25.

8 iwa: in Lk. 1, 13 Zachary is instructed by an angel to call him John. The writing may or may not be significant:
iwta auw w mNalva. The Sahidic form of the name is iwxannhs, so iota. omega and alpha do not 'work' as the
first three letters, but the translator clearly did not regard this as an obstacle, any more than the writer of
Theodosius' panegyric did. The encomiast goes on to explain that John is a 'wonderworthy' name because it is
'the lamp of the world.' (presumably alluding to John 5, 35). In Kuhn Panegyric p. 64 the three letters are
explained within the framework of the entire Greek form of name, the seven letters of which are seven seals
with God controls heaven and earth.

9 ppelagos mpnohma.

10 This passage is described quite differently by Theodosius (Kuhn p. xix-xx), but there may be some word play
that links the two: here the verb used of Salome's approach to her stepfather is askots, while the Theodosius
text reads: 'When the king heard this (her request), he was sad, but because of the oath he had made before
his dinner guests, he did not turn her away (mpefouw< ektos ebol followed by the encomiast's
commentary w luph nnouj w kots ef<oueit 'o mendacious source of grief ! o vain turning !' where the verb
and the noun derive from the same word kwte 'turn' CD 125ff.). The phrase kots ef<oueit may of course
also contain an allusion to the dance Salome had performed, which must have involved a certain amount of
seductive turning. A similar wordplay could of course be made in English.

11 Possibly a member of the royal bodyguard.

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villages and get something to eat." Jesus said: "Do you have nothing here for them to eat " And they
replied: "We have only five loaves of barley bread and two fishes." Jesus said to them (6): "Bring
them here. He ordered the crowd to throw them on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two
fishes. He looked up to heaven, blessed them, broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they
gave them to the crowd. Everybody ate and was satisfied. What was left over filled twelve baskets.
Those who ate would be about12 5000 men, not counting women and children.

My beloved, I wish to tell you of the honour of John and what sort of agapê13 Jesus performed for
him, his companion and kinsman,14 what sort of love he felt for John,15 for it was with these five
loaves and two fishes that he fed these 5000 men, not counting women and children.

The crowd assembled (7) to weep for John, to weep and grieve with Jesus, who distributed the
agapê for him, as he was his kinsman and companion. For this reason, when the disciples said to
him, "Dismiss the crowds that they may go home for something to eat", he refused to let them go
away hungry. Mark what is said here !16 At first, when Jesus heard about John the Baptist, he
withdrew, and the crowd quickly followed him. Then, when merciful Jesus saw them, he took pity
on them, as a good shepherd always does. So, when the disciples asked him to let the crowd go and
home and get something to eat, the Saviour said: "No". He was thinking (8) : "What thanks would I
get from my kinsman John if17 they came to me for his sake and suffered distress ? If they go home
hungry like this, they will faint on the way." As Joseph the patriarch performednan agapê on the
12 neunaR- a-- The Greek uses the Imperfect, while the Coptic uses a tense Greek does not have: Imperfect Future.
On this use cf. W. Till Koptische Grammatik (1961) §307 For this use of a cf. CD 1a: according to the various
etymological dictionaries it comes from the earlier word meaning 'region'.

13 ἀγάπη: the use in Jud. 1, 12 refers to a concrete event while in 1 Cor. 13, 3ff. it refers to an emotional state, and
for this reason I have used agapê throughout. It is combined in this text several times with Coptic mntna.
The term is attested not infrequently, always in a concrete sense, in the 4th cent. Kellis Coptic letters and
Greek accounts, cf. A. Alcock, W-P Funk and I. Gardner Coptic Documentary Texts from Kellis I ( 1999) and R.
Bagnall Kellis Agricultural Account Book (1998) in the indices of both volumes . The custom of performing an
act of charity following someone's death is also recorded in medieval England, cf. B. Harvey Living and dying
in England 1100-1540 (1993) pp. 23ff. The custom of marking the death of a well-known person was
celebrated in Mycenean and continued into Classical Greece with the substantial public display of 'funeral
games'.

14 Lk. 1, 36

15 N+xe thrS. The combination of the two words, one Greek (agapê) and one Coptic (the verb mere- CD 182b),
appears to express rather neatly why Jesus did what he did: the concrete agapê is a reflection of the emotional love
(mere-).

16 An abrupt injunction from the encomiast to the congregation.

17 Nne: one should probably understand ene, cf. Till §456

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death of the death of his father Jacob,18 so also did Jesus perform an agapê on behalf of his kinsman
John. This custom of performing an agapê19 became established for everyone for the sake of family
members that they might perform an agapê on their behalf when they die. I now wish to tell you of
another elevated and profound thought.20 The holy evangelist said: "John heard of the deeds of
Christ when he was in prison and called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, 'Are you the
one who is to come or are we to look out for another ?'"21 (9) When they came to Jesus, they said:
"John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask if you are the one who is coming or if we are to look out
for another ?" At that moment, he had just healed a crowd of people, and he said to the messengers:
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard, for the blind can see, the lame walk, the dead rise,
the gospel is brought to the poor. and blessed is the one who does not find me a stumbling block.
For I am the one who granted you your father Zachary and Elizabeth your mother and came to you
when you were in the womb of your mother Elizabeth. When I myself was in the womb of my
mother Mary, I greeted you and you leapt in (10) yours. I am also the one who came to you at the
tenth hour of the night of 11 Tôbe22 and received baütism at your holy hands. Truly, John, which
means 'grace', 23 you obtained a great honour above all honour when you became worthy to baptize
me. I am the one who is coming, and it is from you that I have received baptism. I am the one who
will take away the sin of the world. You, John, are the one whom I have chosen, I and my Father in
heaven and the Holy Spirit. I have sent you as forerunner to prepare the way for me. Now, tell the
people to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,24 that which men do not think of, as it is
written: 'I will perform a deed in your days, a wondrous deed. When you hear of it, (11) you will not
believe it.'"25 Jesus said to the messengers of John: "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard,
for the blind can see, the lame walk, the dead rise, the gospel is brought to the poor. and blessed is
the one who does not find me a stumbling block."

18 Gen. 1, 1-12

19 I think much better sense is obtained if au+sunhcia is emended to a+ . . . Lit. 'This custom and this almsgiving
became . . .'

20 As in note 8.

21 Matth, 11, 3ff.

22 The western equivalent: 4 a.m. on 6 January, which corresponds to 11 Tôbe. I am unable to find any other
tradition in which the 'tenth hour' is specified.

23 ‫' יוחנן‬graced by God'. Read akmate nounoq < Ntaio > efNtpe . . . Budge's version is unecessarily complicated.

24 Matth. 3, 2

25 Hab. 1, 5

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After they had left, Jesus started to tell the crowd about John: "What did you come to the desert to
see ? A reed bending with the wind ? What did you come to see ? A man wearling soft garments ?
Look, those who wear soft garments belong to royal households. Did you come to see a prophet ? I
tell you that he is more than a prophet. For it is (12) written of him: 'I will send my angel before you
and he will make straight your way.'26 Amen, I say to you that no man born of woman has ever been
greater than John the Baptist, but even those who are least in the kingdom of heaven are greater
than he is."27

We have to explain this passage to you, for many of those not convinced by Scripture who think of
this say: "Was it truly a reed that was bent by the wind ? Or all trees on earth, whether fig, date,
sycamore, persea,28 acacia down to the produce of the field: when they grow and are moved by the
wind, they sway this way and that. Is this not known to every simpleton and, more especially, the
intelligent ? The Saviour meant the flute sounding in the wilderness:29 nobody is playing it30 (13)
but its sound can be heard, so that those in the distance say: "What is happening ? Has this flute
made a sound ?"

Thereupon they gather to see what has happened and they know that so-and-so son of so-and-so
has prevailed in the games or that so-and-so son of so-and-so has said 'Write' in the school.31 It was
for this reason that a flute could be heard in the place where the prophet was prophesying. All
gathered32 together to receive instruction, and this is why the Saviour said: "What have you come to
see in the desert ? A reed bent by the wind ? But what have you come to see ? A man dressed in soft
garments ? Those who wear soft garments belong to the royal palace. This question I have
26 Mal. 3, 1

27 Matth. 11, 11

28 For the various spellings of this word, cf. CD 603a.

29 CD 602b refers to an article by E.O. Winstedt 'Coptic Fragment attributed to James' Journal of Theological
Studies 8 (1907) pp. 240ff., in which this conceit, in slightly different wording, also occurs. I do not have access
to the full text of Winstedt's article, so I can make no further useful comment on the relationship between it
and the Budge text.

30 I take this to be the meaning of emNlaau xiwwf.

31 Budge suggests in the translation that the phrase 'the name of' has been omitted and that sxai is passive,
neither of which I find easy to accept. My translation is based on reading: anim p<hre Nnim < joos > jesxai.
My understanding is that in both spheres of activity (the games and school) the sound of the flute is a signal.

32 Typographical error: read < au > swoux.

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explained to you, my beloved. I will now, God willing, tell you another story. 33

When there was (14) a cataclysmic flood on the earth in the days of Noah, the amount of water bore
away the body of Adam and carried and deposited it in the middle of Jerusalem, where it was
covered34 by muddy waters. When the Saviour came walking from that place, teaching and saying:
"If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him. My Father, save me from this hour".35 He said
this, the toe of his right foot striking36 the head of Adam. That is the story so far. There is much to
benefit us in this story, but now is not the time for it, for the feast of the kinsman of the true
bridegroom of Christ is before us.

If you look, you will see a number of people crying out to Christ from hell, saying: "Have mercy on
us." You will also hear many crying jubilantly (15): "Lord, let your strength arise and come and
save us, our God. the good and lover of men, Christ. You have drawn all purity to you today and
saved those in hell. From the beginning you drew all sinners from their life. You made a harlot into
a virgin. You forgave her sin. You took a thief into paradise. You made an evangelist of a tax
collector. You made an apostle of a persecutor. You redeemed those who were captive, You raised
those who had fallen. You gathered together those who had strayed. You cried out to everyone with
the voice of God: "Come to me, all those who are distressed and burdened. I will relieve you."
Behold, today37 you ordered your apostles, saying to them: 'You will start (16) from Jerusalem to the
end of the world. You are witnesses of what the Jews did to me. Now go and preach the salvation of
the remission of sins. Do not cast aside a sinner. But accept them to you for repentance. Forgive the
tax collectors and the harlots.'

You have seen today, my beloved, how Christ more than honoured his kinsman, the holy forerunner
John the Baptist. He has honoured him in heaven and more than honoured him on earth. When Our
Lord Jesus was born on earth in the Bethlehem refuge, the slaughter of infants was instigated by the
impious Herod. When the archangel Gabriel instructed Joseph in a dream, he Joseph took the child
33 διήγημα

34 Read afxo< b > Sf

35 John 12, 26

36 Read: ou{n}hx. I can find no other reference to this incident. It is not clear to me why the encomiast has used this
device of starting on one subject, abruptly stopping, in a sort of aposiopesis, to shift to another subject.

37 The feast of the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles celebrates the start of the Christian mission on 4 Jan. This
feast is absent from the Coptic Synaxary for this date.

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Jesus and His mother and (17) they went to Egypt. Elizabeth then took John in panic and fled with
him to the desert, and the agents of Herod pursued her and her son to kill him.38 She turned around
and saw them getting nearer, and she reached the rock of the desert and cried out: "Rock, take my
son and myself into you." At that moment, the rock burst asunder to reveal an opening and received
them. It became a monastic refuge and untroubled place for her.When it became necessary for them
to go to the place of the rock, it opened for them and then closed itself. By divine providence, the
opening was wide enough for them to enter and leave. Whatever they needed they found. If they
wanted locusts or wild honey, they39 (18) came in thus. The door of their apartment40 opened and
closed of its own accord. On summer days there was a cool breeze so that they were not bothered by
the heat and in winter the warm air prevented the cold from causing them discomfort. This was their
life with the wild beasts, which were tame with them until the day when John appeared on the
Jordan.

Let us now turn and speak of the some of the gifts bestowed by God on His beloved John, as we
have found in ancient books, which our fathers the apostles wrote and deposited in the library of the
holy city Jerusalem. I was in Jerusalem,41 living in a church that was being tended by a venerable
God- (19) loving elder until the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Feast of
the Holy Cross42 and I was looking at the books, comforting myself, when I found a short book
written by the apostles: 43

And so we the apostles were gathered together with the Saviour on the Mount of Olives after his

38 This story. albeit in a slightly different version, occurrs in the Protevangelium of James 22, 3. In the PJ Zachary
is sought by Herod to find out where Elizabeth and John are, but he denies knowledge of their whereabouts
and is murdered. Elizabeth is unable to climb the mountain, which obligingly provides an opening for them to
take refuge and they are protected by an angel. There is no mention of a monastic refuge in PJ. In fact. I can
find no evidence of a shrine of any sort that commemorates this spot. John's birthplace at Ein Karem. south of
Jerusalem, is well known, as is the monastery that grew up on the site of his baptism of Jesus, not far away at
Even Sapir.

39 Presumably the insects.

40 κατάγειον

41 An otherwise undocumented visit.

42 Also known as the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, to celebrate the rediscovery of the Cross by
Constantine's mother Helen in 326. The usual date for the celebration is 14 Sept.

43 I have italicized the following long passage to indicate that it is (meant to be) a quotation from this book. This
'book', as far as I know, has not been identified, but it would seem that James was the author of at least one
section of the book.

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resurrection, where he spoke with us and instructed us to go forth and preach the gospel of the kingdom
throughout the world. He spoke wih us about John the Baptist and the honours bestowed on him in heaven,
We said to him: 'We should know about your beloved kinsman John (20) because you bore witness to us that
you would grant him the Third Heaven 44 as a gift with the good things in it in return for the blood he shed for
you. So, Lord, tell us all 45 about him and tell us about that heaven which you granted to John your beloved
and all the goods you prepared in it. And tell us about him, John, for you told us that there is no-one in
heaven like him in the glory and honour which my Father granted to him.'

At that moment Our Saviour ordered and brought down a cloud of light. He boarded it and instructed us the
apostles to board it with him, and he took us to the first heaven and then the second. When he reached the
Third Heaven. he did not let us go in but took us to the fourth, fifth (21), sixth and seventh heavens, but he
did not let us go in. After he had told us all this, he took us into the Third Heaven, and we were amazed by its
beauty, abundance and great glory.

We saw John the Baptist with Zachary his father and Elizabeth his mother, clothed in great glory and
wearing precious stones of kikas46 and stones of various colours. Our Saviour made us stand before John
and John stand in our midst, Zachary on his right and Elizabeth on his left. We apostles were made to stand
according to rank, from our father Peter to Matthew. The Saviour walked before us and told us everything
about heaven, the good things and the delights prepared (22) in it, the same that he had granted to his
beloved John, saying that he would grant them to all those on earth who commemorate John, for he was his
kinsman and forerunner.

I James the brother of the Lord, I who am telling these thing, I swear to you that I will conceal from you
none of the good things or delights prepared in the Third Heaven, the things that God granted to Saint John
that he might give them to all those on earth who commemorate him. Now, 47 Paul. Luke and Mark too were
with us. The good Saviour then called the seven archangels from Michael the great archangel and
archistrategos of the forces of heaven to Sedekiel 48 amd he called us the apostles in order of rank and by
name from our (23) father Peter the great apostle to Mark the evangelist and he said to us: "You are my
archangels and holy assistants and my apostles. You are witnesses of my birth, 49 my tribulations and my
44 The Third Heaven is a concept common to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is first mentioned in Christianity
in 2 Cor. 12, 2ff. There is no reference to the Pauline text in the excerpt quoted.

45 xNouwrj 'with certainty'.

46 kikas. I cannot identify this stone

47 The adverb εῖτα often indicates succession, of which this is the second unit and the words of Jesus (mnnsws) the
third.

48 The archangel of benevolence and mercy, cf. G. Davidson Dictionary of Angels (1967).

49 tqinjpo (birth and life) is to be distinguished from tqinmise (moment of birth).

9
crucifixion.50 You are my witnesses that I am giving this Third Heaven as a gift to John the Baptist, my
companion and kinsman. Now go and preach to the whole world that any man 51 who commemorates this
beloved John, either with an offering, an agapê or alms to be given to the poor or to his shrine in his name
or who writes a book commemorating you52 and donates it to the church or who covers the table of your
shrine with costly (24) food offerings, you will receive them into the Third Heaven which I have granted you
and cover them with celestial coverings.

I say to you, my beloved John, who was worthy to baptize me with his holy hands: "If someone gives an
offering53 to your shrine in your name or feeds the hungry 54 gives drink to the thirsty or clothes the naked in
your name, I will not show 55 them hell but you will receive them to eternal life. And I will make the angels
cover them with their wings of light and grant them every good thing in my kingdom. My Father will bless
your right hand, which you placed on my head. My tongue will bless your mouth and your (25) tongue, with
which you said: "Behold the lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world." 56

Yes, I am truly he. Anyone who commemorates you on earth, indeed I say to you, my kinsman John, that I
will never show them to hell or its punishments even to the river of fire which everyone will cross, just and
unjust. Behold, another gift I will grant to you so that the crossing of the river of fire, that is the golden
boat,57 so that those who commemorate you on earth will be ferried by you in it." We apostles said to
him:"Lord, how wide is that lake of fire ? Tell us so that we may tell people how fearful it is." The Lord said:
"I will tell you the size of it and the size of the golden boat I gave to my beloved John. The lake of fire is

50 taqins7ou mmoi: if one understands the verb as transitive, the literal translation of this must be 'my crucifying me'.
If one understands the verb to be passive, mmoi is surplus to requirements or has to be supplemented by < mmin >.
Alternatively, one could emend the passage to read tqintaus7ou mmoi (CD 819b).

51 For the syntagm laau nrwme nim cf, Till §220 note

52 In the first part of this longish sentence Jesus is speaking about John and in the second part he addresses John
directly.

53 aparyh 'offering' in the sense of 'first fruit'.

54 afxkoeit is a typographical error for efxkoeit.

55 The verb tsabo (CD 434b) is used here in the sense of 'point someone in the direction of' cf. Acts 7, 3 ngei
exrai epkax e+natsabok erof.

56 John 1, 29

57 The river being crucial to the existence of Egypt, boats are ubiquitous in life as they were in death. Budge (pp.
lxx-lxxii) points out that a ferryman is mentioned in funerary texts starting with the Pyramid Texts, where he
has names such as m33-Hr.f 'one who sees behind him' and Hr.f-H3.f 'his face is behind him'. Whether this
means that he was constantly changing his focus from forwards to backwards or, like Janus, was able
simultaneously to look in both directions I cannot say. The dimensions of the boat, though promised, are not
given.

10
thirty xoeim from shore to shore and from xhme to xhme there are thirty stades 58 per xoeim.59 I give60 the
golden boat to John my kinsman that he might ferry across the lake of fire in it those commemorate him.
including small breaking of bread and a cup of cold water. When they reach the final wave, I baptize them in
the lake of fire. When they come, everyone who commemorates John is baptized and the river of fire becomes
like bath (27) water; it looks to them like boiling water, except only for the place where man immerses
himself in the river of fire.61

Concerning everyone who commemorates you on earth, John my companion and kinsman, whether with an
offering or first fruits or a gift for your shrine to the memory of your holy name, I order you to ferry them
across the river of fire in the golden boat that I have given you and to take them to the Third Heaven that
they might enjoy all the good things prepared for them that will endure forever."

When our good Saviour said this to us, we rejoiced greatly over the honour that God had paid to John the
Baptist. He said to us: "Come and I will show the way to the paradise (28) of the Third Heaven. He made us
walk among the divine fragrance62 of that place which bore fruit of various kinds that diffused fragrance;
and among the orchards in this way together with all the trees in that place, of various kinds, from their
roots to their heads: divine fragrance, cinnamon, amomum, mastix and muscat, 63 each one fragrant and
choice.

Thomas64 said to the Saviour: "Lord, you have told us about all the fragrant trees of paradise, the orchards
and the date palms. Tell us how many bunches 65 of dates there are and how many dates there are per tree or
in a bunch and how many bunches of grapes there are on a vine." The Saviour said: "I will conceal nothing

58 A stade is approx. 200 metres. An echo perhaps of John 6, 19.

59 I can only guess at the meaning of this passages: the lake is measured in waves (xoeim/pl. xhme CD 674a), each
one an obstacle of some sort. It seems odd that the writer has used the sing. and pl. for mof the noun. It is
possible that xhme means 'fare' (CD 675b), here perhaps in the sense of a 'stage' of the journey that has to be paid
for, in which case wordplay is intended.

60 Tense seems odd: ai+ 'I gave' ?

61 Budge's translation is quite free: 'but the wicked were consumed by it' is undoubtedly in the spirit of the
description but not in the wording.
62 Possibly di(os)-osmh. In Thomas Mawe and John Abercrombie The Universal Gardener and Botanist (1797) there
is a section on 'Diosma'. Budge understands xupwraon as a term that is related to ὑπορρέω, but I wonder if it is not
connected with ὀπωράριον 'orchard'.

63 mousyatwn: the word for this spice in German is 'Muskat' and in English 'nutmeg'. Both are derived from the
Late Latin nux muscata/nux maga, referring to the fragrance emitted by the musk animal.

64 Thomas had a reputation for 'scepticism' (in its etymological sense) in the NT (John 29, 20ff.), so perhaps his
searching questions are not surprising.

65 loou cf. CD 147b

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from you in everything you ask. Concerning the vine (29) you asked me about, each bunch has ten thousand
grapes and each grape yields six measures 66 of wine. Concerning the dates of paradise, each bunch has ten
thousand, each one the size of a man. There are also ten thousand figs on a branch, a single fig satisfying
three men. A single ear of wheat in paradise has ten thousand grains, and there are four measures of wheat
to each one. The citrus trees too are similar: there are ten thousand per very high tree. The apples and the
peach trees67 are of the same size, ten thousand on each branch. Three men can eat of one and be satisfield.
These are the good things I have prepared for everyone who commemorates my beloved and my kinsman
John on earth. Blessed are all those who are worthy to inherit these good things, (30) which the eye has not
seen nor the ear heard nor have they entered into the heart of men, the things that God has prepared for
those who love Him and those who love John his companion and kinsman, these things which no-one in
heaven or upon earth has achieved 68 together with the honour he has achieved. He is the one who became
worthy to baptize the Son of God with his holy hands. He gazed upon the Holy Trinity. As he baptized the
Son with his hands, he heard the voice of the Father 69saying: "You are my beloved son, through whom my
will has been done." 70The Holy Spirit that came from heaven settled on his head in the form of a dove.

Peter then said to the Saviour: "Our Lord and God, tell us about the arrangement of these oars and these
lamps." The (31) Saviour said: "There is a lamp per oar and seven holes per lamp, seven holes that burn 71
and emit light. Everone who lights a candle in the shrine for St John or before his image, he will be ferried
across the lake of fire in the golden boat which I have given to my beloved John and these lights will burn
before them, illuminating the way until they have passed by the ways of darkness and reach the Third
Heaven which I gave as a gift to John and they will inherit the good things in it forever.

When the good Saviour said this, he mounted a cloud and ordered us to mount it with him. He took us back
down and deposited us on the Mount of Olives. He stood (32) and prayed with us and said: "Peace be with
you." Having said this, he ascended to heaven in great glory, to the accompaniment of angels singing.

Truly, my beloved there is no.one to compare with John the Baptist in heaven or on earth. There is
no-one more exalted in glory than the one of whom the truthful mouth of Christ said: "No man has

66 μετρητής (almost 40 litres)

67 duracinus: on its connection with the peach cf. Pliy Natural History Bk 15 ch. 11.

68 It would make better sense to read Mpeouo as Mmoou (the resumptive pronoun after the antecedent defined
relative)

69 Syntax looks bit odd but I think the meaning is fairly clear.

70 Matth. 3, 17

71 CD 210a.

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ever been born of woman more exalted than John the Baptist. You also should do your best to give
alms, agapê and offerings in his holy name. You know. my brothers, that the life of man on earth is
nothing. If you wish to be saved and inherit eternal life, hasten to redeem your sins with alms and
your wrongdoings with alms (33) to the poor and the needy that you may enjoy yourself among the
good things in the places of gladness and joy. If you have sinned, turn and repent and He will
forgive you your sins, for God is merciful. God loves man. He is merciful towards the wickedness
of those who turn to Him. He has said through Ezekiel the prophet: "I do not so much want the
death of any sinner as that he turn from his wicked ways and repent and live." 72 "If there is a
wrongdoer in his wickedness and he does the right things, I will not think of the wrongs he has
committed," says the Lord. "The right things he does, he will live through them." He also says in
another passage: "Turn to me, children who have wandered, and I will heal your wounds." 73
Elsewhere: "I have not come to summon the just to repentance but the sinners." 74 You know, my
beloved, that alms are good, agapê is excellent. Let none of us therefore stop giving, according to
his ability, alms and agapê to the poor and those in need.

Give offerings to the Church in the name of the saints. Above all of these thing let us glorify God
and His holy forerunner John the Baptist, virgin, martyr and kinsman of Jesus Christ who granted
him these great honours, to whom all glory and honour are fitting together with his holy Father
and the Holy Spirit. forever and ever. Amen.

Text 2

72 Ez. 18, 21ff.

73 Jer. 3, 22

74 For example, Matth. 9, 13

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 On the beheading of John the Baptist and on Herodias

Again Herodias is raving. again she is making a disturbance, again she is dancing and again she is trying to
have John the Baptist beheaded by Herod. Again Jezabel is going around trying to seize the vineyard of
Naboth75 and chase Elijah ito the hills. I think that I am not only one to have fallen into a trance, but all of
you listening to the voice of the Gospel are as astonished as I am at John's frankness of speech and Herod's
empty-headedness and the animal frenzy of the godless women. What do we hear ? Herod has John arrested
and thrown him into prison. Why ? Because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 76

The empty-headedness of Herod induced by the wretched women is contemptible. What is one to say ? How
is one to describe the wickedness of those unchastised women ? It seems to me that there is no wild beast in
the world to match an evil woman. I mean, of course, the evil woman and not the good and reasonable
woman. I know modest and good women, whose lives I must recount for the edification and love of the
good.

There is no wild beast in the world to match an evil woman. Among the quadrupeds is there anything fiercer
than lion ? No. Among the reptiles is there anything more cruel than the serpent ? No. But the lion and the
serpent are much less evil, as the wise Solomon in confirmation of my claim is wítness: I preferred to live
with a lion and a serpent than with an evil and garrulous woman.77And lest you think that the prophet has
spoken insincerely, learn from these examples: Daniel was treated respectfully in the den by the lions, but the
righteous Naboth was slaughtered by Jezabel. Jonah was kept alive in the whale's belly, but Samson was
shorn, bound and handed over to the enemy by Delilah.

John was plagued by serpents, snakes and vipers in the wilderness, but murdered by Herodias at dinner.
Elijah was nourished by crows in the hills, but she hounded him to death after the boon of rain. What did she
say ? "If you are Elijah, I am Jezabel. May the gods do to me whatever is fitting if by this time tomorrow I
have not killed you."78

Elijah was afraid. He turned this over in his mind and walked off into the wilderness, a journey of forty days.
He walked from Rathmen, begging to die, and said: "Lord, let this be enough for me. Take my life. I am not
better than my fathers." Alas ! Was Elijah afraid of a woman ? The one who brought rain to the world with

75 1 Kg. 20, 6 (LXX)

76 The NT tradition that he was married to Herodias seems to be confined to Mark 6, 17. I am reluctant to pursue
the complicated marital arrangements of the Herodian family any further
77 Sir. 25, 16.

78 3 Kg. 19, 2

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his tongue ? The one who brought down fire from heaven and raised the dead ? Afraid of a woman ? Yes, he
was afraid. There is no wickedness to compare with an evil woman. Wisdom bears witness to my homily that
there is no head above the head of a snake, 79 and no evil above that of a woman, the most evil and sharpest
weapon of the devil. It was through a woman at the beginning that he overcame Adam in paradise; through a
woman that he drove the most gentle David to the treacherous murder of Uriah; through a woman that he
forced the wise Solomon's disobedience; through a woman that he shaved and blinded the brave Samson;
through a woman that he dashed the children of Elias the priest to the ground; through a woman that he
bound and incarcerated the noble Joseph; through a woman that he beheaded John the light of the whole
world. And I am speaking only of human beings. Through a woman he cast down the angels from heaven
and through a woman he slaughters and kills, dishonours and violates all. For woman is shameless and
spares no-one. She does not honour the Levite, respect the priest or revere the prophet. A wicked woman is
the worst possible evil. Even if she is poor, she is rich in evil. If she is wicked and wealthy, she is a double
evil, an unbearable creature, an incurable disease, an untameable wild beast. I know that snakes can be
coaxed into submission and lions and tigers and leopards can be treated gently and tamed. An evil woman
insulted becomes frenzied and flattered becomes excited. And if she is married, she can work on her
husband night and day to sharpen his appetite for guileful murder, as Herodias did with Herod. If her
husband is poor, she can rouse him to anger and fighting. If she is a widow, she can dishonour all men by
herself. Her tongue is not bridled by fear of the Lord, she does not look towards any future judgement, she
does not look up to God and she does not know how to keep legitimate friendships. It is nothing for an evil
woman to hand over her own husband to death. The righteous Job's own wife carelessly handed him over to
death of blasphemy when she said: "Say something against the Lord and die." 80 O one of wicked nature and
unholy disposition, she had no pity when she saw the insides of her husband covered with seething blisters,
like burning coals, and all his flesh consumed by worms. She was not moved to pity when she saw him
utterly contorted, labouring and struggling and barely able to breathe. She remained pitiless when she saw
one who had formerly worn royal purple lying naked in the dirt. She paid no mind to their former intimacy or
to any of the fine glorious things that had adorned her because of him. But how could this happen ? "Say
something against the Lord and die." O woman's grace, remedy for mitigating pain, law of marital love - did
she ever say anything of the sort when you were ill ? Did she not heal your illness with prayers and good
works ? Is not this temporary chastisement enough for him, or do you wish to consign him to eternal
punishment for his blasphemy ?81 Do you not know that all blasphemy and sin will be removed from man ?
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be cancelled in this life or the one to come. 82 Do you want to see

79 Sir. 25, 12

80 Job 2, 9

81 I take it that the speaker switches pronouns in this passage because he is alternately addressing Job and his
wife.

82 Matth. 12, 31

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another companion of this wickedness ? Show me Delilah. For she shaved the brave Samson, handed him
over to the enemy, her own husband who had shared her bed, whom she cared for, caressed and loved more
than herself, whom she loved one day and deceived the next, whom she lovingly cared for one and
deceitfully buried the next. Was he not handsome ? Indeed, who at that time was more handsome ? He had
seven curls on his head, the beautiful image of the seven-lamps. 83 Was he not brave ? Who was braver ? He
strangled the fearsome lion alone on the road and destroyed thousands of foreign enemies with a single
jawbone of an ass. And was he not holy ? He was so holy that when he was thirsting in a drought he prayed
and water sprang forth to relieve the drought from the jawbone of a dead ass that he was holding in his hand.
And this handsome. brave and holy man was bound by his own wife and handed over like an enemy to
foreigners. How is it that a woman can overpower such a strong man ? From the innate goodness of the
man ? For she stole the secret of his strength one night used strong potions to overcome him when he was
naked. This is why Wisdom instructs you: Be wary of your wife lest you entrust her with anything.84 Tell me
what sort of beast has ever contrived such a thing against her mate ? What reptile wants to destroy her own
partner ? What sort of lionness wants to deliver her mate to be slaughtered ? Consider the apposite words of
Wisdom: There is no head above the head of the serpent and no wickedness above the wickedness of
woman ? In a word, he who has an evil wife let him know that he has been paid in full for his lawless acts.
There is evidence of this. Listen to what Wisdom says: A wicked woman will be given to a lawless man in
return for his evil deeds. But let that be an end of the homily about the wicked woman.

2.

Let us now talk of the good woman, especially since there are such women present. For good women see the
virtues of the good as theirs and regard their labours as their own crowns. An example of a good and
hospitable woman was the blessed Shunamite, who encouraged her husband to build a home for Elisha so
that he might have peace and quiet. She put a bed, table and lamp there for him. 85 The bed was not devoid of
garments but had sheets suitable for a prophet and the lamp not without light but with light from burning oil,
the table not without bread but laden with food. What is one to say of that blessed widow who received the
prophet Elijah ? For whom poverty was not an embarrassment because of the wealth of her good will, who
had no bread or wine or food or anything else to comfort her in her poverty. She had no land to grow food.
She had no vineyard where she could grow the sweet grape. She had no tree to provide her with delicious
fruit at harvest time. How could she when she had no land for food or vines. But always at harvest she would
walk behind the reapers gleaning whatever she could and in this way store food for a year. It was to her that
Elijah went during the famine when the entire earth had become almost dessicated for lack of rain, when the

83 The menora, the construction of which was ordained by God, cf. Ex. 25, 31

84 An allusion to Mic. 7, 5

85 4 Kg. 4, 10

16
sky had become deep red, when the air was brazen and the clouds bridled, when there was no plant, no
flower, no seed, no dew, no ears swaying, when the rivers began to dry up and the sources of the waters in
the springs were being choked by the heat. The salt waters of the sea began to increase because there was no
influx of sweet water, the rainfall and showers having stopped. At that point Elijah went to the poor widow.
You know how much she suffered even in times of plenty. The prophet left the wealthy who had enough
bread and came down the hill to visit her. Why did he who could bring down fire from heaven with his words
not bring down bread for himself ? Was he not able ? Yes, he was. But he did not do this. Why ? So that he
would not deprive the widow of the benefits of hospitality. And, besides, he would replenish her handful
of flour and tiny amount of oil by blessing them. The prophet did not go so much to be fed by as to
feed the poor widow and reveal the hidden goodness of her heart. God who is able nourishes all the
saints in the world by His own will. He retains the gift of being able to distinguish the well-disposed
hearts at the time of hospitality by their fruits. For there may be times when there is no-one to take
care of them, for example when He provides nourishment through birds, as with Elijah in the
mountains, or through a foreign prophet, as with Daniel in the pit, or through a sea creature, as with
Jonah and the whale, or He rains down food, as with our fathers in the desert, when there was no-
one there to take care of them and He rained down manna from heaven and made water flow from
rocks. With the saints living harmoniously with others in the world, He keeps back His right hand.
But if He sees that they are in difficulty, He releases it to help them achieve salvation through His
benefactions. Elijah went off to the widow, who had nothing but a handful of flour, which, with
difficulty, served as a meal for her and her children. What did he say to her ? "Give me a little water
in a cup, and I will drink." As she went to get it, he called after her: "And a little bread." She said
what she did not have and confessed what she had. "What !" "As the Lord lives, I wish I had
hearth cakes, but I have only a handful of flour and a smallcruse of oil." "Amazing that amid such
shortage you do not refuse to offer what little you have !" How many of the filthy rich, when asked
by friends for favours, refuse them, blandly asserting that they have nothing ? And even if they can
be persuaded to give, they draw up iron-clad agreements, in which they bind the receiver with the
fine print and they require cast-iron security. But she unhesitatingly was willing to offer the handful
of flour. And what did the prophet say to her ? "Hasten and get me some hearth cakes, first for me
and then for you and the children." What the prophet said was a trial, a test of the heart and proof of
her willing disposition. The heart of the blessed woman was, as it were, under a yoke and she was
being tested.What was she disposed to do ? To be good to her own children or entertain the
prophet ? She chose to stint herself and her children and receive the prophet. For she knew that
those who receive prophets in the name of a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet. Those

17
who provide a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple will not lose their reward.86 What is that
the prophet said ? Hasten ? Was he so hungry that he needed to hasten ? No of course not. But
benefaction is serious, joyful and warm, without grief or compulsion. God loves the joyful giver.
Hasten and confer your benefit first upon me and last upon yourself and your children. Hasten, as
Abraham hastened at the arrival of the angels to his cattle for a calf to fetch a lamb. And as Sara
hastened to the hearth to get the bread concealed in the heavens.87 Hasten and make your sacrifices
to God as Abraham has done. And not for yourself first and then for me, like Cain, Ophni and
Phineas, the sons of Eli the priest, who insulted God by being the first to take the first fruits from
the offerings made to God. Sara zealously did what was prescribed. Abraham, looking at the rich
hearth bread, received it and spoke and filled her house with good things.The handful of flour, he
says, will not run out from the barrel or the oil from the cruse until the Lord brings rain down upon
the earth. Why until then ? It has to be. New grace was needed, as of rain falling, to complete the
old law. The word was followed by the deed.88 Do you see how good women enjoyed the fruits of
hospitality ? For the fruits of good deeds are illustrious and the root of practical wisdom
unshakeable.

Women, you have heard about the deeds of wicked women and the virtues of good women. Love
the latter and want not the former. Imitate the latter, despise the former, that you may follow in their
footsteps, I mean those of the good, and be counted among the chorus of the saints in Jesus Christ,
for his is the power and the glory forever. Amen

86 Matth. 10, 41ff.

87 This and the previous sentence refer to Gen. 18, 6-7. but the wording in each case is quite different from the
scriptural wording.

88 The passage seems to be a metaphor for Christianity ('new grace') superseding Judaism ('old law').

18