IV. 60 John's saying "I knew Him not," how to be reconciled HOMIL. plain, did not descend upon the Lord, till after He had gone up from the water of Baptism. The Lord, having been baptized, went up from the water, the heavens were opened, and he saw the dove upon Him. If then it was after the baptism that the dove descended, yet before the baptism that John said unto Him, Comest Thou to me? I have need to be baptized of Thee; and consequently knew Him before the baptism, since he said to Him, Comest Thou to me? I have need to be baptized of Thee; how then said he, And I knew Him not, but He that sent me to baptize with water, the Sume said unto me, Upon Whom thou shall see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon Him, the Same is He Which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost? It is no slight question, my brethren. If you have seen the question, it is not a little that you have seen. It remains that the Lord give the solution of it. Yet this I say, if you have seen the question, it is not a little. Behold, there have you John before your eyes, John the Baptist standing by the river. Behold, there is the Lord come, as yet to be baptized, not yet baptized: hear the voice of John, Comest Thou to me? I have need to be baptized of Thee. Behold, already he recognises the Lord, by Whom he would fain be baptized. Being baptized, the Lord goes up from the water, the heavens open, the Spirit descends, and then John recognises Him. If the recognition came then for the first time, why did he say before, I have need to be baptized of Thee? But if the recognition was not then first, because he knew Him already, what is this which he said, I knew Him not, but He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon Him as a dove, the Same is He Which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost? 16. Brethren, this question, if it should be resolved to-day, would be more than you can bear, I doubt not, for already many words have been spoken. But know, that such is its nature, that it is of itself sufficient to annihilate the sect of Donatus. I tell you, beloved, as is my wont, that I may induce you to attend, and also that ye may pray for us and for yourselves, that both the Lord may give to us to speak what is meet, and that you may be counted worthy to receive what is meet. Meanwhile, be pleased to defer the question with the history of the Baptism in S. Matthew? 61 I. 31-34. to-day. But this I say, briefly, in the interim, until it be JOHN resolved: ask peaceably, without quarrelling, without contention, without wrangling, without animosities; both seek by yourselves, and also ask others, and say, "Here is a question our Bishop propounded to us to-day, intending some time or other, if the Lord permit, to give the answer." But, be it solved or not, account that I have propounded what strikes me as a difficulty; for it does strike me as a considerable difficulty. John says, I have need to be baptized of Thee; implying that he knew Christ already. For if he did not know Him by Whom he wished to be baptized, he spoke at random, when he said, I have need to be baptized of Thee. He knew Him therefore. If He knew Him, what then is this that he saith; I knew Him not; but He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon Him as a dove, the Same is He Which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost? What shall we say? That we know not the precise time when the dove came? Lest peradventure they hide here, let the other Evan-1 The gelist, whose narrative touching this point is plainer, tists be read: and we find most unequivocally, that the time at which the dove descended was when the Lord went from the water. For it was when He was baptized that the heavens were opened upon Him, and He saw the Spirit Matt. 3, descending. If it was when He was now baptized that John first knew Him, how saith he to Him when coming to baptism, I have need to be baptized of Thee? Ponder this, in the mean while, with yourselves, confer upon it, discuss it, one with another. The Lord our God vouchsafe, before you hear the explanation from me, to reveal it to some of you first. Yet, brethren, know this, that the result of the solution of this question will be, touching the sect of Donatus, and in the matter of the grace of Baptism, wherein now they are wont to raise mists before the uninstructed, and to spread nets before birds as they fly, that if they have any sense of shame, they will not have one word to say more their mouths will be stopped altogether. up 16. HOMILY V. 44. JOHN i. 33. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding upon Him as a dove, the Same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. WHAT NEW KNOWLEDGE JOHN LEARNT BY THE DOVE. 1. As the Lord hath willed, we have arrived at the day of our promise: He will vouchsafe this likewise, that we may arrive at the performance of the same promise. For then, what we say, if it prove useful both to us and to you, is from Him: whereas that which is from man is false; even as John 8, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself hath said, He that speaketh a lie, speaketh of his own. No man hath of his own but falsehood and sin. If a man hath ought of truth and righteousness, it is from that fountain, which it behoves us to thirst after in this desert, that (being, so to speak, bedewed with some of its drops, and refreshed the while in this our pilgrimage so that we may not faint by the way) we may be able to reach His rest and satisfying fulness. If therefore he that speaketh a lie, speaketh of his own, he that speaketh truth, speaketh of that which is God's. John is true, Christ the Truth; John is true, but every one that is true is so from the Truth; if then, John is true, and a man cannot be true save from the Truth; from whom was he true but from Him Who said, I am the Truth? It is impossible therefore, either that the Truth should contradict the true man, or the true man John14, 5. con I. 33. 30. tradict the Truth. The true man, the Truth sent; that he JOHN 2. Was this spoken to John, that he might know Him, Whom he knew not, or that he might more fully know Him Whom he knew already? For if he knew Him not at all, he would not have said to Him when He came to the water to be baptized, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Matt. 3, Thou to me? He knew Him, therefore. But when did the 14. 64 but there was a regard in which he "knew Him not." HOMIL. dove descend? When the Lord was now baptized, and was V. going up from the water. But, if He Who sent him said, Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending as a dove, and abiding upon Him, the Same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost, and he knew Him not, but when the dove descended he learnt to know Him, and the time at which the dove descended was when the Lord was going up from the water; and yet John had already learnt to know the Lord when the Lord was coming to him to the water; it is made evident to us that John in one respect knew, in another respect did not as yet know the Lord. For unless we suppose this, he was a liar. How was he true in acknowledging the Lord, in that he saith, Comest Thou to me to be baptized? and, I have need to be baptized of Thee? Is he true when he saith this? And again, how is he true when he saith, I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending as a dove, and abiding upon Him, the Same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost? The Lord was made known by the dove, not to one who knew Him not, but to one who, in one respect, knew Him, in another respect, knew Him not. It is for us therefore to enquire what there was in Him, which John as yet knew not, and which he learnt by the dove. 3. Why was John sent to baptize? Already, as I recollect, I have explained that to you, beloved, to the best of my ability. Namely, if John's baptism was necessary to our salvation, it ought still to be used. For it is not to be imagined that men are not saved now, or not now more men saved, or that there was one salvation then, another now. If Christ is changed, salvation is changed too; if salvation is in Christ, and Christ is still the same, our salvation is the same. But why was John sent to baptize? Because it behoved Christ to be baptized. Why did it behove Christ to be baptized? Why behoved Christ to be born? Why behoved Christ to be crucified? Why, if He came to point out the way of humility, and to become Himself that way, it behoved Him to fulfil all humility in all things. He vouchsafed to give authority to His own baptism from this, that His servants might learn with what cheerful readiness they ought to run to the Lord's baptism, seeing that He did not think scorn to |