3. And what else do we learn from the Son, as being in the bosom of the fathers? What do we learn from the Only-begotten? First, that this very thing constitutes His active power. Then, we received a clearer teaching and knowledge that God is Spirit, and that those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth; also that it is impossible to see God, that no one knows Him except the Son, and that He is the Father of the true Only-begotten; and also all the rest that is narrated about Him. The very word "revealed" expresses the clearest and most obvious teaching, which He transmitted not only to the Jews, but to the entire world, and which He Himself fulfilled. Not all the Jews listened to the prophets, but the whole world submitted to the Only-begotten Son of God and believed. Thus, confession here means a special clarity of teaching. That is why he is called both the Word and the Angel of the great council. But if we are worthy of the highest and most perfect teaching, after God in the last days has spoken to us not only through the prophets, but also through the Only-begotten Son, then we also must show a life more exalted and worthy of such honor. Since He condescended to us to the point where He wanted to converse with us not through slaves, but directly with Himself, it would be incongruous for us not to show in ourselves anything better than former times. The Jews had Moses as their teacher, and we himself had the Lord Moses. Therefore let us show wisdom worthy of this honor, and let us have nothing to do with the earth. He brought us the teaching from above, from heaven, in order to raise our thought there, so that we might become, to the best of our ability, imitators of our Teacher. And how, you will say, can we become imitators of Christ? Doing everything for the common good and not seeking your own. "For Christ also," it is said, "did not please Himself, but, as it is written, The reproaches of those who curse Thee have fallen upon Me" (Romans 15:3). Let no one seek his own. And let everyone, in seeking his own, have his neighbors in mind; what is ours is theirs. We are one body and members and parts of each other. (Romans 12:5). Let us not be in relation to one another as divided. Let no one say so-and-so to me, not a friend, not a relative, not a neighbor; I have nothing to do with it: how do I approach it? How to start a conversation? Even if he is not a relative, not a friend to you, he is still a man, of the same nature as you, has one Lord, a co-servant, a cohabitant, because he lives in the same world with you. And if it still contains one faith, then it is your member. What kind of friendship can produce such unity as the affinity of faith? We must show not such closeness, not such communion with each other, as friends with friends, but as members with members. No one will ever find any other higher friendship and fellowship than this. You can't say, "Where do I get my intimacy and connection with so-and-so," just as you can't say that about your brother, because that would be ridiculous. "We were all baptized into one body," it is said (1 Cor. 12:13). Why "into one body"? In order not to be divided, but to preserve the bond of the whole body by mutual agreement and friendship. Therefore, let us not despise one another, lest we despise ourselves, for it is said: "No man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and warms it" (Ephesians 5:29). For this purpose, God has given us one house – this world; He divided everything equally: He kindled the sun for all, He spread out one shelter – the sky; He arranged one meal – the earth; He also gave another meal, which is much more important than this one, but also one: the partakers of the sacrament know what I am saying; He gave everyone one spiritual form of birth; we all have one fatherland in heaven; we all drink from the same cup. Neither to the rich did He give anything greater and more precious, nor to the poor anything less and of little value; but He called all equally, and communicated both carnal and spiritual (goods) equally. Why is there such inequality in life? From the covetousness and arrogance of the rich. But, brethren, let it not be in the future. Since we have something in common and most necessary, which unites us into one, let us not be divided because of earthly and insignificant deeds - I mean wealth, poverty, carnal kinship, enmity, friendship. All this is a shadow, and even more insignificant is the shadow for those who are united by the bonds of supreme love. Let us keep these bonds indissoluble, and no blasphemous spirit will be able to penetrate into us to destroy such unity. Therefore, may it be in all of us, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 16

"And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites out of Jerusalem, to ask him, Who art thou" (John 1:19).

1. A dangerous passion, beloved, is envy; dangerous and disastrous for the envious themselves, and not for those who are envied. First of all, it causes harm and destruction to themselves, like some deadly poison that has penetrated into their souls. And if it ever harms those who are envied, it is a small and insignificant injury, and it also benefits them, much more important than the loss. And so it is not only with envy, but with all other passions: it is not the one who tolerates evil, but the one who does evil who receives harm. Otherwise, if it were not so, Paul would not have impressed upon his disciples that it is better to tolerate injustice than to do it, saying, "Why would it be better for you not to be wronged? why would it be better for you not to endure deprivation" (1 Cor. 6:7)? He knew well that destruction everywhere follows not the one who suffers evil, but the one who does evil. All this I say about the envy of the Jews. People who flocked from the cities to John and, in repentance for their sins, received baptism, - the same ones, after baptism, as if changing their minds again, send to ask him: "Who are you?" Truly are the offspring of vipers, serpents, if not worse than them.

And why he did this, it is worth knowing that the wickedness of the Jews may be evident and obvious to all. John often testified before the Jews about Christ, and when he baptized, he often reminded those who came about Him and said: "I baptize you in water for repentance, but He who comes after me is stronger than I; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire" (Matt. 3:11). But they showed human weakness in relation to John: having in mind worldly glory and looking at appearances, they thought that it was unworthy of John to submit himself to Christ. John was elevated by many things in their eyes: first, by his noble and noble birth, because he was the son of a high priest; secondly, the austerity of life and contempt for everything human, because he, neglecting clothing, and home, and food itself, had previously spent all his time in the wilderness. In Christ, everything was the opposite, the origin was despised, which the Jews often exposed, saying: "Is he not the son of carpenters? is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers James and Josiah" (Matt. 13:55)? And His imaginary homeland was in such disgrace that Nathanael also said: "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth" (John 1:46)? His way of life was ordinary, with clothes no different from others; He did not wear a leather belt, He did not have a hairshirt, He did not eat honey or locus; He lived like everyone else, was present in the meetings of wicked people and tax collectors, only to attract them. The Jews, not understanding this, reproached Him, as He Himself says: "The Son of Man is come, eating and drinking; and they say, Behold, a man who loveth to eat and drink wine, a friend of publicans and sinners" (Matt. 11:19). And just as John often sent them away from him to Him who, in their opinion, was inferior to him, they, being ashamed and vannoyed at this, and desiring better to have John as their teacher, did not dare to express it openly; but they send an embassy to him, hoping by flattery to dispose him to declare himself Christ. And they do not send any contemptible people to him, as to Christ, when, wishing to seize Him, they sent servants, then Herodians and similar people; but priests and Levites, and priests from Jerusalem, i.e. the most honorable (the Evangelist noted this not without reason). And they send to ask John, "Who art thou?" And yet his birth was known to all, so that all said: "What shall this child be" (Luke 1:66)? – and the rumor about him spread throughout the mountainous country. Again, when he came to the Jordan, the inhabitants of all the cities hurried to him, and from Jerusalem and from all Judea they went to be baptized by him. This, then, is what men now ask, not because they do not know him (how could they not know a man who has become so famous?); But they wanted to bring him to what I said.

2. Listen, then, to how this blessed man answers the very thought with which they asked him, and not to the question itself. When they asked, "Who art thou"? – he did not suddenly say what should have been said: "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Mark 1:3). And what? He destroys their assumption - to the question: "Who are you?" He "declared, and did not deny it, and declared that I was not the Christ" (v. 20). Notice the wisdom of the evangelist. Three times he says the same thing, in order to show both the virtue of the Baptist and all the cunning and senselessness of the Jews. Luke also says that when the people assumed that it was not he who was the Christ, they destroyed this assumption. Such is the characteristic of a well-meaning servant, not only not to steal the honor that belongs to the master, but also to reject it, even in such a case when others would offer it. However, the common people came to this assumption from simplicity and ignorance; and they asked him, as I have said, with malicious intent, hoping to lead him by flattery to what they wanted. And if this had not been what they had in mind, they would not have immediately passed on to another question, but would have been vexed that he says something completely different and does not answer the question; They would have said to him, "Do we suppose this? Have you come to ask about this? But as if caught and caught, they pass on to another subject and say: "What then? Are you Elijah? He said, "No." Prophet? He answered, No" (v. 21). They were expecting Elijah to come, just as Christ had said. To the disciples' question: "How then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first"? He said: "Elijah must come first and arrange all things" (Matt. 17:10,11). Then they asked: "prophet"? And he answered, "No." However, he was a prophet. Why did he renounce? Again, because he looked at the goal of those who asked. They were expecting a chosen prophet to come, for Moses had said, "The Lord thy God shall raise up for thee a prophet from among thee, from among thy brethren, like me, and hear him" (Deuteronomy 18:15). And that was Christ. Is that why they don't even say, "prophet"? meaning one of the many prophets, but with the addition: "Are you not the prophet of whom Moses foretold"? That is why he denied – not that he was a prophet, but that he was the (foretold) prophet. "And they said unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to those who sent us, What shalt thou say of thyself" (v. 22). Do you see how they approach and insist even harder, repeat questions and do not lag behind? But John, with meekness, first rejects their false assumptions, and then gives a real idea of himself: "I," he says, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Straighten the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said" (v. 23). Since he has already said something great and lofty about Christ, then, as if in response to their thoughts, he immediately hastens to turn to the prophet and thus confirms his words. "And the messengers were of the Pharisees; And they asked him, Why do you baptize, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet" (vv. 24, 25)? Do you see how wrong I say that this is exactly what they wanted to bring him to? And at first they did not say this, so as not to be subjected to a common reproach from all. Then, when he said, "I am not the Christ," they, wishing to conceal what they were up to in their hearts, pass on to Elijah and to the (promised) prophet. When John said that he was neither one nor the other, they were at last, perplexed, throwing off their masks, and openly exposed their evil plan and said: "Why do you baptize if you are not Christ"? Then, again wishing to cover themselves, they add other persons, Elijah and the prophet. Since they could not shake his honor, they think that by the prosecution they will force him to confess something that did not happen. But they could not do this either. Oh, madness! Oh, arrogance and timeless fussiness! You have been sent to find out from him who he is and where he comes from: do you not want to prescribe laws for him also? And this is precisely what they wanted, forcing him to declare himself Christ. Yet even now he is not indignant, nor does he say anything of the sort, though it would be just, such as, "Do you want me to command and give laws?" But again he shows great meekness. "I baptize in water; but there stands among you [Someone] whom you do not know. He is He who follows me, but He who stands before me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His shoes" (v. 26, 27).

3. What might the Jews say to this? Here the accusation against them is irrefutable, the condemnation is merciless; they pronounced judgment on themselves. How? They considered John worthy of all faith and so truthful that they believed him not only when he testified about others, but also when he spoke about himself. If they had not had such an opinion of him, they would not have sent to inquire from him about himself. It is known that we believe only those people when they talk about themselves, whom we recognize as the most truthful people. But it is not only this that blocks their mouths, but also the very disposition with which they approached it; they came to him with special zeal, although later they changed. pointing to both, Christ said: "He was a lamp, burning and shining; but you wanted to rejoice a little time in his light" (John 5:35). And John's very answer showed in him even more a man worthy of faith. Whoever does not seek his glory, it is said, is "true, and there is no iniquity in Him" (John 7:18). And he did not seek; but he sent them to another. Meanwhile, those sent were trusted and honorable, so that there was no refuge or justification for their unbelief in Christ. Why did you not accept what John said about Him? You sent your elders, through them you questioned him, you heard what the Baptist answered; they, for their part, showed all their zeal, all their curiosity, and pointed out all the persons whom you supposed in him, and yet he confessed with complete freedom that he was neither Christ, nor Elijah, nor a prophet. Not limiting himself to this, he also said who he himself was talking about the essence of his baptism, namely, that it is unimportant and imperfect, and has nothing in it but water, thus showing the superiority of the baptism granted by Christ. He also added the testimony of Isaiah the prophet a long time before, and called one the Lord, and the other His servant and servant. What was left to do after that? Shall we not believe in Him of whom (John) testified, and worship Him and confess Him to be God? And that this testimony was not a matter of flattery, but of truth, was shown by the temper and wisdom of the witness. This is also understandable because no one prefers his neighbor, and when he can get honor for himself, no one would want to give it to another, especially when the honor is so great. Thus John would not have given such a witness to Christ if He had not been God. If he had rejected this honor from himself, as one that was higher than his nature, he would certainly not have ascribed it to another, inferior being. "There stands among you [Someone] whom you do not know." He said this because (Christ) used to intervene in the crowd of people, as a simple man, and always taught against pride and vanity. And by knowledge here John calls precise knowledge, namely, who He is and whence He comes. And the expression: "He who comes after me" is often used by John, saying, as it were: "Do not think that everything consists in my baptism. If it had been perfect, then another would not have come after me with the establishment of another baptism. And my baptism is only a preparation and indication of the way to that baptism. Our business is a shadow and an image. There must come another person to show the truth." Thus, the words: "He who comes after me" most indicate His worthiness. If (the baptism of John) had been perfect, there would have been no need to seek a second. "He has gone before me," that is, He is more honorable, more glorious than I. And lest it be thought that this superiority is only comparative, then, wishing to show His incomparable dignity, John adds: "I am not worthy to untie the strap of His shoes," i.e., He is not simply "standing before me," but in such a way that I am not worthy to be among even His last servants: to untie shoes is the work of the lowest ministry. If John is not worthy to untie the belt, John, "of those born of women there is not one prophet more," then where are we to place ourselves? If he who is worthy of the whole world, or rather greater than it (for it is said, "of whom the whole world was not worthy"), if he acknowledges himself unworthy to be among His last servants, what shall we, who are burdened with a thousand vices, say, we who are as far removed from the virtue of John as the earth is from heaven?

4. So John says of himself that "I am not worthy to untie the strap of His shoes"; and the enemies of the truth go so mad that they consider themselves worthy to know Him as He knows Himself. What could be worse than such madness? What is more extravagant than such self-boasting? A wise man said it well: "The beginning of pride is the departure of a man from the Lord, and the turning away of his heart from his Maker" (Sir. 10:14). The devil, who was not a devil before, would not have been cast down and would not have become a devil if he had not fallen ill with this very disease. She deprived him of his former dignity, they brought him down to hell, she served as the cause of all evil for him. This vice in itself can damage any virtue of the soul – whether almsgiving, prayer, fasting, or anything else. It is said that the loftiness of people is not pure before the Lord.

It is not only fornication and adultery that defiles those who give themselves over to it, but also pride, and even much more. Why? For although fornication is an unpardonable evil, at least another person can refer to desire; and arrogance has no cause, no pretext under which to deserve even a shadow of excuse; it is nothing but the corruption of the soul and the most grievous disease, arising from nothing else but recklessness. Truly, there is no man more reckless than arrogant, even though he possesses great wealth, even though he receives a vast external education, even though he is placed in the highest degree of power, even though he has everything that seems enviable to people. If he who prides himself on real advantages is miserable and miserable, and loses the reward of all his perfections, is it not the most ridiculous of all who is puffed up with insignificant goods, with the shade and color of the grass (such is the glory of this age), since he acts as if a poor man, a beggar, constantly oppressed by hunger, accidentally had a pleasant dream in one night and thereby became vain? Miserable and miserable! Your soul is eaten away by the most cruel illness, and you, wretched by extreme poverty, dream that you have so many talents of gold and a multitude of servants? Yes, this is not yours. And if you do not believe my words, then be convinced by the experiences of the former rich. If you are so intoxicated that you do not understand the adventures of others, then wait a little and you will learn from your own experience that there is no benefit for you from these blessings, when, with your last breath, not being in control of a single hour or a single minute, you will unwittingly leave them to the people around you and, as often happens, to people to whom you would not like to leave. Many did not even have the opportunity to dispose of them, but departed unexpectedly, still wishing to enjoy them, but they were no longer allowed to do so, and being carried away, departing from the world involuntarily, out of necessity, left their goods to those to whom they would not have wished. In order that this may not happen to us, we, while we are alive and well, will send them to our (coming) city. only in this way will we put them in a safe and secure place. Nothing, nothing can steal them from there: neither death, nor trust certificates, nor heirs, nor slander and slander; but whoever has brought with him as much as he departs from here will enjoy it all continuously. And who is so unhappy that he would not want to be forever consoled by his acquisition? But he has transferred his wealth and will put it there. For this transfer we need neither donkeys, nor camels, nor chariots, nor ships - and God has delivered us from this trouble - we will only need the poor, the lame, the blind, the infirm. It is to them that this transportation is entrusted, it is they who send wealth to heaven, it is they who lead the owners of wealth into the inheritance of eternal blessings, which may we all attain, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom the Father, with the Holy Spirit, is glorified now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 17

"It was at Bethabara by the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:28,29).

1. The great virtue is the bold, open confession of Christ and the preference of this confession to everything else; so great and wondrous that the Only-begotten Son of God confesses such a person before His Father, although this recompense is disproportionate. You confess on earth, and He confesses in heaven; you are before men, He is before the Father and all the angels. Such was John. He did not look at the people, nor at glory, nor at anything human, but, despising all this, with due freedom he preached to everyone about Christ. Therefore the Evangelist also signifies the very place (of his sermon) in order to show the boldness of the eloquent preacher. Not in a house, not around the corner, not in the wilderness, but on the Jordan, in the midst of a multitude of people, in the presence of all who had been baptized by him (and the Jews stood before John baptizing), he proclaimed this wondrous confession of Christ, filled with great, sublime and ineffable dogmas, and said of himself that he was not worthy to untie the strap of His boots. How does the Evangelist express this? Adding the words, "This was in Bethany." And in the corrected lists it says: "in Bethabara." Phiphania was not on the other side of the Jordan, nor in the wilderness, but near Jerusalem. But these passages mean (the evangelist) for another reason as well. He did not wish to relate events of antiquity, but events that had not happened long before, and therefore he calls as witnesses to his words people who were in those places and were eyewitnesses, and thus presents proofs from the very places. Being sure that he adds nothing of his own in his narrative, but speaks simply as it was, he borrows evidence from the very passages, which, as I have said, may be no small proof of the truth. "On the morrow John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." The Evangelists, as it were, divided the times among themselves. Matthew, having briefly reviewed the time before the imprisonment of John the Baptist, hastens to the circumstances that follow; and the Evangelist John not only does not briefly present that time, but dwells on it in particular. Matheas, after the coming of Jesus from the wilderness, having kept silent about intermediate circumstances, such as what John preached, what the Jews sent (to him) said, and having shortened everything else, immediately goes to prison. "And when Jesus heard," he says, "that John was put [into custody], he departed" from there (Matt. 4:12). But John did not do so; and having kept silent about the departure into the wilderness, of which Matthew spoke, he narrates the circumstances after Jesus' descent from the mountain, and after telling many things, then adds: "For John was not yet locked up in prison" (John 3:24). But why, you will say, does Jesus now come to John, not once, but also another time? Matthew says He had to come to be baptized. Pointing to this, Jesus Himself adds: "For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). And John shows that He came again after His baptism, and this he remarks in the words of the Baptist: "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and dwelling upon Him" (v. 32). So, why does he come to John? After all, He did not just come there, but came to him. "John sees," it said, "Jesus coming to him." Since John baptized Him with many others, and many could assume that he came to John for the same reason as the others, that is, to confess his sins and wash in the river with repentance, Jesus comes again to give John himself the opportunity to correct this situation. And indeed John, when he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (v. 29), completely destroyed such a suspicion. If He is so pure that He can even absolve the sins of others, then it is clear that He does not come to confess His sins, but to give the miraculous preacher an opportunity to repeat what has been said before even more accurately to impress upon the hearers what was said about Him before, and to add to it something else. The particle: here is used because many have long wanted, as a result of John's words, to see Him. Wherefore John also points out Him when He appeared, and says, Behold, by this he signifies that he is the one whom they have long awaited. "Behold the Lamb." He calls Him the Lamb, reminding the Jews of the prophecy of Isaiah and the foreshadowing from the time of Moses, in order to bring them closer to the truth through the type. But the lamb of the Old Testament never took upon himself anyone's sins, but this one took upon himself the sins of the whole world, delivered him from the wrath of God when he was threatened with destruction. "This is the man of whom I said, A man is coming after me, who has gone before me, because he was before me" (v. 30).

2. Do you see how the Evangelist explains the expression "ahead of me" here? Calling Him a lamb and saying that He will take away the sin of the world, then He says: "He has gone before me," and thus shows that "before me" means taking up the sins of the world, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. "My coming had no other purpose than to preach the common universe of the Benefactor and to communicate the baptism by water; and His coming has as its goal the purification of all people and the granting of the grace-filled powers of the Comforter." "He stood before me," that is, he appeared more glorious than I, "because he was before me." Let the followers of the folly of Paul of Samosata be ashamed, who oppose such an obvious truth. "I did not know him" (v. 31). See how he deflects all suspicion from his testimony, showing that it was given to them not by human partiality, but by the revelation of God. "I did not know Him," says John. How can you be a reliable witness? How will you teach others if you don't know yourself? How could he be partial to someone he didn't know? "For this reason he came to baptize in water, that he might be manifested to Israel" (v. 31). Thus, He Himself had no need of baptism, and this washing had no other purpose, namely, to pave the way for others to faith in Christ. John did not say, "I have come to baptize to cleanse those who are being baptized, or to forgive sins," but "that He may be manifested to Israel." Tell me, then, was it really impossible to preach and attract people without baptism? It was not so convenient. If the sermon had been without baptism, then everyone would not have flocked like this; they would not know the superiority of one baptism over another without comparing them. The people came out to John not only to listen to what he said, but for what purpose? To be baptized with a confession of one's sins. Meanwhile, when they came to be baptized, they learned about Christ and about the difference between baptism. And although John's baptism was more important than the Jewish one, and therefore everyone hastened to him, nevertheless it was not perfect. But how did you recognize Him? Through the descent of the Spirit, says John. And lest anyone think that Christ, like us, had need of the Spirit, listen to how John destroys this suspicion as well, showing that the descent of the Spirit took place solely for the proclamation of Christ. Having said, "I did not know him," John adds, "But he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, On whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding upon him, that is he who baptizes with the Holy Ghost" (v. 33). Do you see that the purpose of the descent of the Holy Spirit was only to point out Christ? Of course, John's testimony was certain; but wishing to make it still more certain, he raises it to God and the Holy Spirit. As John testified of a subject so great and wondrous that it could astonish all his hearers, that is, that (Jesus) alone takes upon himself the sins of the world, and that the greatness of (His) gift is sufficient atonement for this, he prepares for such a thought. And the preparation is the teaching that He is the Son of God, that He has no need of baptism, and that the Spirit descended only to indicate Him. John himself did not have the power to communicate the Spirit. This is shown by those who were baptized by him when they say: "Have you received the Holy Spirit when you believed" (Acts 19:2).

Christ did not need baptism, neither this nor any other, or rather, baptism had need of the power of Christ. For the most important of all blessings was that the baptized should be worthy of the Spirit. That is why Christ, when He came, added this gift of the Spirit. "And John testified, saying, I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove, and abide upon him. I did not know Him; but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, On whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding upon Him, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I saw and testified that this is the Son of God" (vv. 32-34). John often uses the words, "I did not know Him," not without reason or purpose, but because He was His kinsman in the flesh. "Behold, Elizabeth thy kinswoman, and she conceived a son" (Luke 1:36). And so, in order not to give the impression that he has partiality for the sake of kinship, he often says: "I did not know Him." And indeed it was. All the time he lived in the wilderness, outside his father's house. But how did he keep Christ from being baptized, saying: "I must be baptized of Thee" (Matt. 3:14), if he did not know Him before the descent of the Spirit, and then recognized Him only for the first time? This was evidence that he knew Him well. However, it is true that he did not learn before or long before that time. The miracles that occurred in the childhood of Jesus, such as the incidents with the Magi and others, happened much earlier, when John himself was still in infancy. And for such a long time, of course, Jesus was not known to everyone. And if He had been known, John would not have said, "That he came to baptize in water, that He might be manifested to Israel."