ACC ~ John 1 v26

THE PURPOSE OF JOHN’S BAPTISM

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: The Baptist teaches those who were sent from the Pharisees now even against their will that Christ was within the doors. For I, he says, am bringing an introductory baptism, washing those defiled by sin with water for a beginning of repentance and teaching them to go up from the lower to the more perfect. COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 1.10. [1]

[1] LF 43:129*.

JOHN DOES NOT BAPTIZE WITH THE SPIRIT

GREGORY THE GREAT: John did not baptize with the Spirit but with water, since he was unable to take away the sins of those being baptized. He washed their bodies with water but not their hearts with pardon. Why did one whose baptism did not forgive sins baptize, except that he was observing his vocation as forerunner? He whose birth foreshadowed greater birth, by his baptizing foreshadowed the Lord who would truly baptize. He whose preaching made him the forerunner of Christ, by baptizing also became his forerunner, using a symbol of the future sacrament. With these other mysteries he makes known the mystery of our Redeemer, declaring that he has stood among people and not been known. The Lord appeared in a human body: he came as God in flesh, visible in his body, invisible in his majesty. FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 4. [1]

[1] CS 123:23-24.

JOHN’S BAPTISM INFERIOR TO JESUS’ BAPTISM

ORIGEN: We must note that John’s baptism was inferior to Jesus’ baptism, which was given through his disciples. [1] Those, therefore, in Acts who have been baptized into John’s baptism, who have not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit, are baptized a second time by the apostle. [2] For the washing of regeneration did not come about at the hands of John but at the hands of Jesus through his disciples. And the so-called bath of rebirth takes place with the renewal of the Spirit, [3] which even now is borne above the water, [4] since it is from God. But it does not appear in everyone after the water. COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 6.168-69. [5]

[1] Jn 4:2.

[2] Acts 19:2-5.

[3] Tit 3:5.

[4] See Gen 1:2.

[5] FC 80:216*; SC 157:256-58.

UNSEEN IN DIVINITY, BUT PRESENT IN THE WORLD

APOLLINARIS OF LAODICEA: They object to John, “Why then do you baptize, if you are none of these things?” They do not know that not even the Christ—who himself was the prophet—baptized, but rather his disciples. Elijah did not baptize the wood of the altar that needed dousing in the matter of Ahab, but he ordered the priests to do this. [1] Now then, to address the words “Why then do you baptize?” John sets forth his own bodily baptism. But to address the words “if you are not the Christ,” he praises the preexisting nature of Christ, saying that he is unseen in his divinity but is present to all the world. He upbraids them for their low opinion about the Christ, and he unites the Word “in the beginning” by his incarnation, as he joins the phrase “whom you do not know” with the words “the one coming after me.” He shows the superiority of Christ to himself through the sentence “I am not worthy.” And if he is “in the midst” either of the whole world so as to reach every rational creature, or in the midst only of us who have dominion over the world, then in any case the Word is in each person. But if his earlier presence among us remained unperceived, his coming after John would not. As John speaks about the nature of the Word, he also adds some words about his sojourn after him, mentioning that Christ will come after him. FRAGMENTS ON JOHN 5. [2]

[1] 1 Kings 18:33. Priests are not specified.

[2] JKGK 6.

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