Caput 14
Chapter 14
Opera Christi
Works of Christ
Lectio 1
Lecture 1
Mors Ioannis Baptistae
Death of John the Baptist
14:1 In illo tempore audivit Herodes tetrarcha famam Iesu, [n. 1216]
14:1 At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus. [n. 1216]
14:2 et ait pueris suis: hic est Ioannes Baptista, ipse surrexit a mortuis, et ideo virtutes operantur in eo. [n. 1219]
14:2 And he said to his servants: this is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works are performed in him. [n. 1219]
14:3 Herodes enim tenuit Ioannem, et alligavit eum, et posuit in carcerem propter Herodiadem uxorem fratris sui. [n. 1221]
14:3 For Herod had apprehended John, and bound him, and put him into prison, because of Herodias, his brother’s wife. [n. 1221]
14:4 Dicebat enim illi Ioannes: non licet tibi habere eam. [n. 1223]
14:4 For John said to him: it is not lawful for you to have her. [n. 1223]
14:5 Et volens illum occidere, timuit populum, quia sicut prophetam eum habebant. [n. 1224]
14:5 And he wanted to put him to death, but he feared the people: because they esteemed him as a prophet. [n. 1224]
14:6 Die autem natalis Herodis saltavit filia Herodiadis in medio, et placuit Herodi, [n. 1225]
14:6 But on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. [n. 1225]
14:7 unde cum iuramento pollicitus est ei dare quodcumque postulasset ab eo. [n. 1227]
14:7 Upon which, he promised with an oath to give her whatever she would ask of him. [n. 1227]
14:8 At illa praemonita a matre sua, da mihi, inquit, hic in disco caput Ioannis Baptistae. [n. 1228]
14:8 But she, being instructed before by her mother, said: give me here, in a dish, the head of John the Baptist. [n. 1228]
14:9 Et contristatus est rex; propter iuramentum autem et eos qui pariter recumbebant, iussit dari, [n. 1229]
14:9 And the king was struck sad, but because of his oath, and because of those who sat with him at table, he commanded it to be given. [n. 1229]
14:10 misitque, et decollavit Ioannem in carcere. [n. 1231]
14:10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. [n. 1231]
14:11 Et allatum est caput eius in disco, et datum est puellae, et illa attulit matri suae. [n. 1233]
14:11 And his head was brought in a dish, and it was given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. [n. 1233]
14:12 Et accedentes discipuli eius tulerunt corpus eius, et sepelierunt illud, et venientes nuntiaverunt Iesu. [n. 1234]
14:12 And his disciples came and took the body, and buried it, and came and told Jesus. [n. 1234]
14:13 Quod cum audisset Iesus, secessit inde in navicula in locum desertum seorsum. Et cum audissent turbae, secutae sunt eum pedestres de civitatibus. [n. 1235]
14:13 When Jesus had heard, he retired from there by boat, into a desert place which was set apart. And the multitudes, having heard of it, followed him on foot out of the cities. [n. 1235]
14:14 Et exiens vidit turbam multam, et misertus est eis, et curavit languidos eorum. [n. 1238]
14:14 And, coming out, he saw a great multitude, and had compassion on them, and healed their sick. [n. 1238]
1215. Supra, ostendit Dominus virtutem evangelicae doctrinae sub quibusdam parabolis, hic ostendit factis; et tria facit.
1215. Above, the Lord showed the power of the evangelical teaching under certain parables; here he shows it by deeds. And he does three things:
Primo ostendit ad quos effectus se extendat per similitudinem factorum;
first, he shows to what effects it extends itself, through the likeness of deeds;
secundo ostendit sufficientiam evangelicae doctrinae;
second, he shows the sufficiency of the evangelical teaching;
tertio quomodo in puritate conservanda sit.
third, how it should be preserved in purity.
Secundum in cap. XV tertium in cap. XVI.
The second is in chapter fifteen; the third, in chapter sixteen.
Circa primum
Concerning the first,
primo ponitur falsa opinio;
first, a false opinion is set down;
secundo occasio;
second, the occasion;
tertio improbatur opinio.
third, the opinion is disproven.
Secunda ibi Herodes tenuit Ioannem etc.; tertia ibi quod cum audisset Iesus, secessit inde.
The second is at for Herod had apprehended John; the third, at when Jesus had heard, he retired from there.
1216. Dicit ergo in illo tempore audivit Herodes tetrarcha famam eius. Et non est retorquenda ad illum diem, sed ad tempus in generali; quia Marcus VI, 1 et Lucas c. IV, 16 non eodem ordine narrant, quia istud narrant post missionem discipulorum, ut habetur Marci VI. Unde incertum est qui servent ordinem historiae. Tamen quod dicitur in illo tempore, dicitur, ut denotetur negligentia Herodis, quia post miracula tunc primo audivit famam de Iesu: haec enim desidia solet esse in divitibus, quod non curant de parvis rebus. I Tim. ult., 17: divitibus huius saeculi praecipe non sublime sapere, neque sperare in incerto divitiarum et cetera.
1216. It says then, at that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the fame of Jesus. And it should not be referred to that very day, but to that general time, because Mark and Luke do not tell it in the same order, since these both tell it after the sending out of the disciples (Mark 6:14; Luke 9:7). Hence it is uncertain who preserves the order of history. Nonetheless, it says, at that time, to point out Herod’s negligence, because it was after the miracles that he first heard the fame of Jesus; for this laziness is common among the rich, that they have no care of little things. Charge the rich of this world not to be highminded, nor to trust in the uncertainty of riches (1 Tim 6:17).
1217. Audivit Herodes tetrarcha, ad differentiam Herodis regis, sub quo natus est Christus, ut habetur supra cap. II. Unde, illo defuncto, reversus est Christus de Aegypto. Iste Herodes fuit filius eius, et fuit tetrarcha. Pater eius constitutus est rex a Romanis, et habuit sex filios, quorum duos interfecit in vita sua, alium primogenitum interfecit in morte, cum iam faceret se proferri in regem, patre adhuc vivente. Ipso mortuo, Archelaus accepit sibi regnum, et sequens malitiam paternam, non potuit tolerari a Iudaeis. Tunc accesserunt ad Romanos, et divisum est regnum in quatuor partes: duae partes traditae sunt Archelao, alia Herodi, et alia pars Philippo. Unde iste erat tetrarcha et princeps super quartam partem regni.
1217. Herod the tetrarch, to distinguish him from Herod the king, under whom Christ was born, as is said above (Matt 2). Hence, when that man died, Christ returned from Egypt. This Herod was his son, and was a tetrarch. His father was made a king by the Romans, and had six sons, two of whom he killed during his life; another, the firstborn, he killed at his own death, since he would have made himself be exalted to the kingship while his father was still living. With this one dead, Archelaus took the kingship for himself, and following his father’s malice, he could not be tolerated by the Jews. Then they approached the Romans, and the kingdom was divided into four parts: two parts were handed over to Archelaus, another to Herod, and another part to Philip. Hence this man was the tetrarch and prince over a fourth part of the kingdom.
1218. Audivit famam Iesu. Ex hoc reprehensibilis erat, quod tanto tempore iam vixerat, et miracula fecerat, et tamen tunc primo audivit; unde impletur illud Iob XXVIII, v. 22: perditio et mors dixerunt: auribus nostris audivimus famam eius.
1218. Herod the tetrarch heard the fame of Jesus. And for this he was worthy of blame, because Jesus had lived such a long time, and had done miracles, and yet now he first heard; hence Job is fulfilled, destruction and death have said: with our ears we have heard the fame of it (Job 28:22).
1219. Et ait pueris suis: hic est Ioannes Baptista et cetera. Aliqui dixerunt quod ipse tenuit dogma de transfusione animarum: Plato enim et Pythagoras posuerunt, quod anima exiens ab uno corpore subintrat aliud corpus. Hanc opinionem Herodes tenens, ut dicunt, credebat quod anima Ioannis transisset in animam Christi. Sed hoc non potest esse, quia parum ante interfecerat eum; Iesus autem erat triginta annorum; unde hoc non credidit. Item iam miracula fecerat ante decollationem, et ante incarcerationem, ut habetur Io. III. Herodes tamen laudandus est, quia resurrectionem credidit, de qua Iob XIV, v. 14: putasne homo mortuus rursum vivat? Item aliam bonam conditionem habuit, quod credidit quod fiat resurrectio in meliori statu; ideo credidit quod tunc operaretur miracula, quae ante resurrectionem non fecerat; ideo dicit et ideo virtutes operantur in eo, quia ad altiorem statum advenit; unde resurgent homines in meliori statu. Unde Apostolus I Cor. XV, 43: seminatur in infirmitate, resurget in virtute.
1219. And he said to his servants: this is John the Baptist. Some have said that this man held the doctrine of the transfusion of souls, for Plato and Pythagoras claimed that the soul, leaving one body, entered into another body. Herod, holding this opinion, as they say, believed that John’s soul had passed over into Christ’s soul. But this cannot be, because he had killed him only a little before, while Jesus was thirty years old; hence he did not believe this. Likewise, he had already worked miracles before the beheading and before the imprisonment (John 3). Yet Herod should be praised, because he believed in the resurrection, about which Job says, will man that is dead, do you think, live again? (Job 14:14). Likewise, he had another good condition, namely that he believed that there would be a resurrection to a better state; for this reason, he believed that miracles were worked then which John had not done before his resurrection; so he says, and therefore mighty works are performed in him because he has come to a higher state. Hence men will rise in a better state. Hence the Apostle: it is sown in dishonour, it will rise in glory (1 Cor 15:43).
1220. Sed hic est quaestio, quia dicit Lucas, quod audivit et dubitavit; unde dixit, Ioannem ego decollavi; hic autem dicit sine dubitatione, dum dicit, hic est Ioannes.
1220. But there is a question here, because Luke says that he heard and doubted (Luke 9:7); hence he says, John I have beheaded; but who is this of whom I hear such things? (Luke 9:9). But here he speaks without doubt when he says, this is John.
Solvit Augustinus, quod non a se, sed audivit ab aliis. Unde cum primo audivit, dubitavit, sed crescente fama consensit. Unde Lucas primum recitavit, sed secundum Matthaeus. Vel aliter potest dici quod etiam Matthaeus dubitationem Herodis tangit, ita quod legatur interrogative hic est Ioannes?
Augustine solves it, saying that he did not know of Christ on his own, but heard from others. Hence when he first heard, he doubted; but as Christ’s fame grew, he agreed. Hence Luke recounts the first, but Matthew the second. Or in another way, it can be said that Matthew also touches upon Herod’s doubt, so that it would be read interrogatively: is this John?
1221. Herodes enim tenuit Ioannem. Haec facta sunt ante; unde non sequitur ordinem, sed ex incidenti determinat de morte Ioannis.
1221. For Herod had apprehended John. These things were done before; hence the order is not followed, but from the incident of Herod’s hearing about Christ he describes John’s death.
Sed est quaestio, quare Evangelistae ex incidenti determinant de Ioanne, et hoc quaerit Chrysostomus. Solvit autem, quia principaliter facta Christi intenderunt, alia vero solum secundum quod referebantur ad Christum.
But there is a question as to why the Evangelists tell about John from an incident. Chrysostom asks this, and solves it, saying that the Evangelists aimed primarily at the deeds of Christ, and at others only according as they were referred to Christ.