ACC ~ Luke 1 v5 - 7

BORN FOR PROPHECY, MURDERED FOR TRUTH

MAXIMUS OF TURIN: I do not know what is the most important thing that we should preach—that he [John the Baptist] was wonderfully born or more wonderfully slain—for he was born as a prophecy and murdered for truth. By his birth he announced the coming of the Savior, and by his death he condemned the incest of Herod. [1] This holy and righteous man, who was born in an uncommon way as the result of a promise, merited from God that he should depart this world by an uncommon death—that he should by confessing the Lord lay aside his body, which he had received as a gift from the Lord. Therefore John did everything by the will of God, since he was born and died for the sake of God’s work. SERMON 5.1-2. [2]

[1] Mt 14:3-12.

[2] ACW 50:22-23**.

JOHN’S PRIESTLY BACKGROUND

AMBROSE: Holy Scripture tells us that not only the character of those who are praiseworthy but also their parents must be praised, so that the transmitted inheritance of immaculate purity, as it were, in those whom we wish to praise, may be exalted. What other intention is there in this passage of the holy Evangelist, except that St. John the Baptist be renowned for his parents, his wonders, his duty and his passion? Thus Hannah, the mother of St. Samuel, [1] is praised. Thus Isaac received from his parents nobility of piety, which he handed down to his descendants. Therefore the priest Zechariah is not only a priest but also of the course of Abijah, that is, a noble among his wife’s ancestors. “And his wife,” it says, “was of the daughters of Aaron.” So St. John’s nobility was handed down not only from his parents but also from his ancestors—not exalted through worldly power but venerable through the religious succession. For the forerunner of Christ ought to have such ancestors, that he be seen to preach a faith in his Lord’s advent that is not suddenly conceived but received from his ancestors and imparted by the very law of nature. EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 1.15-16. [2]

[1] 1 Sam 1:2.

[2] EHG 15*; CSEL 32 4:20.

ELIZABETH’S BARRENNESS

ORIGEN: Consider why many holy women in the Scriptures are said to have been barren, as Sarah herself, [1] and now Rebecca. [2] Also Rachel, Israel’s beloved, was barren. [3] Hannah also, the mother of Samuel, is recorded to have been barren. [4] Also in the Gospels, Elizabeth is said to have been barren. In all these instances this term is used, for after sterility they all gave birth to a holy person. HOMILIES ON GENESIS 12.1. [5]

[1] Gen 11:30.

[2] Gen 25:21.

[3] Gen 29:31.

[4] 1 Sam 1:2.

[5] FC 71:176**.

THE APPEARANCE IN THE TEMPLE

BEDE: We must note that the angel bore witness to the grace about which he had come to give the good news—not only by the power of the words which he brought forward but also by the point in time and the location of the place in which he appeared. He appeared at the time when the priest was making an offering to express the fact that he was proclaiming the coming of the true and eternal high priest, who would be the true sacrificial offering for the salvation of the world. He stood beside the altar of incense to teach that he had come as the herald of a new covenant. There were two altars in the temple, [1] which expressed the two covenants in the church. The first, the altar of burnt offerings, which was plated with bronze and was situated in front of the doors of the temple, [2] was for the offering up of victims and sacrifices. It signified the fleshly-minded worshipers of the old covenant. Then there was the altar of incense, which was covered with gold [3] and set near the entrance of the Holy of Holies, and was used to burn fragrant gums. This signified the interior and more perfect grace of the new covenant and its worshipers. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 2.19. [4]

[1] Ex 27:1; 30:1.

[2] Ex 27:2; 1 Kings 8:64; 2 Chron 8:12.

[3] Ex 30:3.

[4] CS 111:195-96*.

JOHN HERALDS THE END OF OLD TESTAMENT WORSHIP

EPHREM THE SYRIAN: John, herald of the Lord of the right, was announced from the right of the altar. It was at the time of worship that he was announced to show he was the end of the former worship. It was in the middle of the sanctuary that Zechariah became dumb, to show that the mysteries of the sanctuary had become silent, for he who was to fulfill these mysteries had come. Because Zechariah did not believe that his wife’s barrenness had been healed, he was bound in his speech. COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON 1.10. [1]

[1] ECTD 45*.

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