Sermon 293A augm

Sermon 293/A augmented

Sermon of Saint Augustine
on the day of the birth of Saint John the Baptist
both of voice and word

Augustine speaks the sermon by obeying the will of God.

Since the Lord has willed on this day to return to your charity our voice and presence - and He has done this not according to our disposition, but according to His will -, we give thanks to Him with you and render to you the service of a sermon, which is our ministry, in which it is both necessary and fitting for us to serve you. However, it is yours, dearest ones, to receive with charity the dispensation of whatever servants of God and to give thanks with us to Him, who has granted us this day to act together with you.

The gifts of God bestowed upon John the Baptist are recounted.

So where then shall we speak today, if not of him whose birthday is today? John the holy one, born of a sterile woman, precursor of the Lord born of a virgin, became the herald of his Lord from the womb, the announcer after the womb. The sterile woman who could not bear a child, the virgin from whom childbirth was not possible: the sterile woman gave birth to the herald, the virgin to the judge. But the Lord Jesus Christ himself, coming from the womb of a virgin, sent many heralds before him to men. All the prophets were sent by him, but he spoke in them, who came after them; yet he was before them. When therefore the Lord sent many heralds before himself, what did this one deserve so much, what superior excellence did he have, whose birthday is commended to us today? For neither is this without a sign of some greatness, that his birthday is not hidden, just as the birthday of his Lord is not hidden. We do not know when other prophets were born; it was not permissible to not know about John. Indeed this is also great for him, because other prophets foretold the Lord and desired to see him and did not see, and if they saw in the spirit, they saw him as future; but they were not here present to see him. However, the Lord himself said of them to his disciples, because many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Did he not send them? But in all there was a desire, if it were possible, to see Christ here in the flesh. But since they preceded him by dying, as they preceded by being born, Christ did not find them here, yet Christ redeemed them for eternal life. And to know what kind of desire was here to see Christ, remember that old man Simeon, to whom the Spirit of God announced it as no small good, that he would not leave this world before he had seen Christ. Christ was born: he recognized the infant in the hands of the mother, received him, held him in his hands, by whose divinity he himself was carried; and holding the infant Word in his hands, he blessed God saying: Now you dismiss your servant, Lord, in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation. So other prophets did not see him here: Simeon saw the infant; John recognized and greeted him as conceived, announced and saw him as a young man. Therefore, this one is more excellent than all the others.

Christ is greater than John.

Hear also from him about the Lord's testimony: he preferred him above all others. He was very great, to whom no one was preferred except Christ. Therefore, the Lord himself says thus: Among those born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist. And to prefer himself above him: But he who is least in the kingdom of heaven, he says, is greater than he. He said he was both lesser and greater: lesser in being born, greater in ruling. For the Lord was born after him, but in the flesh, but from a virgin; however, before him, in the beginning was the Word. A great thing: John after Christ. For all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made. Why then did John come? To show the way of humility, so that the presumption of man might be diminished, the glory of God increased. Therefore, John came great, commending the great; John came, the measure of man. What is the measure of man? No man could be more than John; whatever was more than John was already more than man. For if the measure of human greatness had been ended in John, you would no longer find a greater man, and yet you found a greater one: confess God, whom you were able to find greater than a perfect man. John was a man and Christ was a man, but John was only a man, Christ was God and man. According to his nature as God, he made John; according to his nature as man, he was born after John.

On the humility of the forerunner.

Yet behold how that forerunner of his Lord, God and man, humbles himself. He, than whom no one born of women has arisen greater, is asked whether he is the Christ. So great was he that men could be deceived. There was doubt concerning him, whether he was the Christ; and so there was doubt that he was questioned. Now, if he had been the son of pride, not the teacher of humility, he would not have opposed the erring men and would not have acted so that they might think it, but he would have accepted what they thought. Perhaps it was too much for him to want to persuade men that he was the Christ? If he tried to persuade and was not believed, he would have remained cast down and dejected, and scorned among men and condemned before God. But he did not need to persuade men, he already saw that they thought this: he could have accepted their error and increased his own honor. But far be it from the faithful friend of the bridegroom to wish that he be loved by the bride instead of him. He confessed that he was not what he was not, so that he would not lose what he was. For John was not the bridegroom. For when he was questioned, he said this: He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he who comes after me is mightier than I. How much mightier? Whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. See how much less he was if he was worthy; how humble he would be if he said this: "He is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am worthy to unloose"; for he would have said that he was worthy to bow at his feet. But now how high he commended it, when he said he was unworthy even of his feet, indeed even of his shoes! He came therefore to teach the proud humility, to announce the way of repentance.

Christ, the Word of God.

A voice comes before the word. How is a voice before the word? What is said about Christ? In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God; this was in the beginning with God. But so that the Word might come to us, the Word was made flesh, so that it might dwell among us. Therefore, because we have heard Christ the Word; because John is the voice, let us listen. While it was said to him: Who are you? he replied: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Therefore, beloved, let us briefly, briefly, as the Lord gives, discuss the voice and the word. Christ is the Word, the word that does not sound and pass away; for a sound that passes away is the voice, not the word. Therefore, the Word of God, through which all things were made, is our Lord Jesus Christ; John's voice is crying in the wilderness. Which is first? The voice or the word? Let us see what the word is and what the voice is, and there we will see which is first.

On the word of man and on the Word of God.

What do you think the word is, brothers? Let us leave aside the Word of God; let us talk for a moment about our words, if we can take some steps from lower things to higher ones by way of comparison. The Word of God, by which all things were made, who comprehends it? Who is worthy even to think about it, let alone speak of it? Therefore, let us set aside a little of that majesty, that ineffable eternity, and co-eternity with the Father; let us believe what we do not see, so that by believing we may deserve to see. Behold, let us discuss this word, as though of a matter which is daily engaged either in our hearts, or in our ears, or in our mouths. What is a word? Do we now think that this is the word which sounds into your ears? The word is that which you intend to say. You have conceived something in your heart to say: this conception is already a word made in your heart, but this word, that is, what you intend to say, the conception made in your heart, that which you have undertaken to express, you already know it, and it has been said within you. Let that Word which is the Son of God be present, so that I may declare to your ears what He has deigned to bestow upon our hearts to conceive, as is fitting. But if perchance I, unequal and infirm according to the magnitude of the subject, should fail and not express it as it is worthy, you have someone else to turn to from me: the Son of God Himself, the Word of God, may He reside in your hearts and fulfill within by speaking with you there, what I, as a man, could not fulfill in your ears. Nevertheless, assist my effort with your earnestness and prayer for me, so that I may be able to speak, and for you, that you may deserve to hear.

One word is expressed with many voices.

The word, therefore, is, as we have said, that which you have conceived in your heart to say, the thing itself which you wish to say, conceived in the heart to be spoken, is called a word. Therefore, when you have conceived the thing which you wish to say, and the word itself, the very thought, has been made in your heart, you consider to whom you speak and to whom you wish to say it; and if you see a Greek person, you seek a Greek word in which to evoke the word; if you see a Latin person, you seek a Latin word in which to speak the word; if you see a Hebrew person, a Hebrew word; if you see a Punic person, a Punic word, if you know these languages. But if you do not know, when you see someone standing before you who knows only the language you do not know, you do not fail in the word, you fail in the voice. Therefore, the word which you conceived in your heart preceded all voices and was before all voices, before Greek, before Latin, before Hebrew, before Punic, and whatever languages and whatever voices there are throughout the world, that conception preceded them, and was carried by the soul bearing it, the fetus of the soul, and how it would be expressed was sought, since it could not be expressed to another what was already held in the heart, except through some voice. However, that voice, unless it were distinct, how could it be recognized? The voice had to be distinguished by the diversity of languages, so that you speak Greek to a Greek, Hebrew to a Hebrew, Punic to a Punic. However, that word which you conceived before all voices was neither Latin nor Greek nor Punic nor anything like that. Consider, therefore, the great mystery. Indeed, if you were completely silent, would that mean the word in your heart would not live, and if there were no one to whom you could speak, would what you conceived in your heart lie open to you? It would indeed lie open without any difference in language in a simple knowledge.

God transcends human words.

Let us speak something by way of example, so that it may become clearer. God is a certain reality above all that He made, if indeed it is to be called a reality; therefore, God is something transcending all that He made, from whom and in whom and through whom all things exist. Is it so that all this which I have said, which is God, are two syllables, and all that great power is confined to these two syllables? But God was there even before I conceived this in my heart. How could I say this very thing as "God"? What in Latin is called "Deus," in Greek is called "theos," in Punic is called "ylim"—I have mentioned three languages—what I conceived in my heart was none of those languages; but when I wanted to express what I had conceived in my heart about God, if I found Punic, I said "ilim"; if I found Latin, I said "Deus"; if I found Greek, I said "theos"; before I found any of these, what was in my heart was neither Greek nor Punic nor Latin. Therefore that which I conceived to be expressed was the word, that which I used to express it was the voice.

The word in the speaker precedes the voice, in the listener it follows.

We have discussed voice and word: the word before all languages, the voice in some language. What then is first? The word or the voice? For me, the word is first. For unless I conceived the word in my heart, I would not use the voice to express the word. Thus, the word is conceived before the voice and uses the voice as a sort of vehicle by which it comes to you, not in which it is in me. For I know what I am about to say, even if I do not say it. Behold, before I speak, I have not used the voice, and the word is with me. But to convey it to you, I use the voice so that when you hear the voice, the word is also in you. Therefore, with me, to teach, the word precedes, and the voice follows. With you, to learn, the voice precedes, and the word follows. Pay careful attention and understand, with the Lord's help. For I know that I speak of hidden matters placed in the secret of mysteries, but I speak in whatever manner to faithful Christians who precede with faith what I am about to say. Therefore, with me, the word preceded, and the voice was applied to the preceding word. With you, my voice preceded, and then you understood the word that was in my heart.

Christ the Word of God, John the voice.

Therefore, if Christ is the Word, John is the voice, the Word preceded with God; but with us, the voice came first, so that the Word might come to us. Therefore the Word was with God, and the voice John was not yet. For was the Word not with God before the voice John existed? It was there, but for the Word to be spoken to us, John was taken as a voice. And to come to us, the Word was preceded by the voice. Thus, too, Christ was before John in eternity; and yet, John had to be born first, so that the voice might precede the Word to us. Blessed is the Lord our God, because I said what I could, and you understood what you could. May He increase and multiply your understanding, and may the Word that preceded the voice become clear to you.

The baptism of John was transitory.

But see, my brothers: the voice sounds and passes, the word remains. See what I say. Behold, I said "God"; first, I conceived in my heart what I would say, then those two syllables sounded and passed. Does what I conceived in my heart pass with those syllables? Again, when I said "God," it happened in your heart to think of God; in my heart, it preceded that I would say it, and in your heart, the thought of God was made when you heard those two syllables. Those two syllables fulfilled their service and passed; yet what I had conceived in my heart did not pass: it was in me, and after those two syllables were spoken, it remained in me; and what was made a thought in your heart, when those two syllables touched your ear, remained in your heart even after they passed. Therefore, brothers, the ministry of the man John was like a voice passing. He rightly received baptism, but the baptism of John was transitory and was called the baptism of John. The baptism of Christ and the baptism of John, but the baptism of John was like a passing voice, the baptism of Christ remaining and remaining forever, just as the word remains.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

And as much as we progress in God, so much more are voices diminished, the Word grows within us. But why do we have voices, if not to understand something? If the fullness of understanding were in us, voices would not be needed. If we could see our thoughts, would a tongue be necessary for us to converse with each other? Therefore, there will be a time when we will see the Word, as it is seen by angels, and your voices will not be needed. For it will not be necessary to preach the Word when we see it itself. All temporal things will pass away, because voice is from flesh, from grass; but the glory of flesh is like the flower of grass: the grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Therefore, as much as we progress in understanding, so much the less will there be need for voices through which we are led to understanding; hence John himself said: He must increase, but I must decrease. As the Word increases, the voice diminishes. What is it for the Word to increase? It is not that the Word itself increases, but we grow in it, we progress in it, we are magnified in it, so that we no longer need voices. This appeared also through the very births of the Word and the voice. The Word was born on the eighth day before the Kalends of January, from which the day begins to grow longer; the voice was born before the Word of God, when the day begins to decrease. He must increase, but I must decrease. And their very sufferings showed this: John diminished, struck in the head, Christ increased, elevated on the cross.

About the disciples baptized in the baptism of John (Acts 19:1-7).

Thus, let us celebrate the birth of the voice in honor of the Word, and neither focus on nor be deceived by the sophistries of vain men, who do not understand what they speak. For John had a baptism, and it is found in the Acts of the Apostles that those who only had John's baptism were baptized - for certain disciples were found having John's baptism and were ordered by the Apostle Paul to be baptized because they only had a temporary baptism, since they had the baptism of the voice, not yet of the Word; for now you seek John's baptism and do not find it: for the voice sounded and passed by, but the baptism of Christ remains today. Therefore, because of the mystery itself, the Apostle Paul ordered those who had John's baptism to be baptized, hence the heretics wanted to draw an argument for rebaptism, whose error we lament and whose liberation we rejoice in. Let us, therefore, briefly reply to this.

Of the baptism of John and of unworthy ministers baptizing.

Therefore, you think that a man who has received the baptism of Christ ought to be rebaptized because the Apostle Paul commanded that men who had the baptism of John should be baptized, and so you argue: "If after John the Baptist, about whom the Lord said: Among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist, if after him the apostles baptized, how much more ought one to be baptized after heretics!" I respond: You think an injury is being done to John the Baptist because people were baptized after him, if they are not baptized after heretics. And I too lament this injury, but I reply to you thus: If people were baptized after John, should they not have been baptized after Optatus? What are you saying to me here? Who was John? "Among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist." Do you have any presbyter or drunkard with you - I do not want to say "usurer", I do not want to say "adulterer" - but in the meantime, what abounds and what is publicly done, you have a drunken presbyter with you. "Okay." Why do you not rebaptize after him? If you baptize after John who did not drink wine, should you not baptize after a drunkard? Here surely he is confused and has nothing to say. So what? Listen to me.

The baptism of heretics is not to be repeated.

And Paul commands those who had the baptism of John and did not have Christ's to be baptized. But why do you not baptize after a drunk? Because the baptism is given by Christ alone. For it is Christ's baptism: let the sober give it, let the drunk give it, it is Christ's, it belongs neither to the sober nor to the drunk. This baptism was given by Peter: it is Christ's; it was given by Judas: it is Christ’s. For it is not called Peter’s baptism because Peter gave it. Why? Just as it was said to be the baptism of John, it was not said so for those baptized by Peter, by Paul, by John the Evangelist, or by Judas, it was not called the baptism of Peter, the baptism of Paul, the baptism of Judas; but for those baptized by Peter, by Paul, by John, by Judas, it is Christ’s baptism. However, the disciples of John whom he baptized were of John, because John received this dispensation and pre-ministry: the voice before the word. Therefore, you do not want to baptize after a drunk, nor do I after a heretic.

On the baptism of Christ administered by unworthy ministers.

And if perchance you think that a heretic does not enter the kingdom of heaven, the drunkard enters, the apostle Paul made it clear saying: Now the works of the flesh are evident; which are fornications, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, bursts of rage, dissentions, heresies, envies, drunkenness, carousings, and things like these; of which I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. There he listed heresies, where the drunkards, and concluded: Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Set before me a heretic and a drunkard: if he persists in heresy, he does not enter the kingdom of heaven; so too a drunkard, if he persists in drunkenness, does not enter the kingdom of heaven. Teach me. Both give baptism according to which? Both are outside the kingdom of heaven, but they give the thing of the kingdom of heaven. A herald pronounces the sentence, but does not liberate innocence. The judge liberates, who commanded the herald what to say. Sometimes the herald is guilty, and the innocent is freed through him. The guilty herald says: "I have ordered to release," and through the guilty, the innocent is freed. Why? Because the voice of the herald is the sentence of the judge. The drunkard baptizes: it is ministry; the heretic baptized: it is ministry. The gift of baptism is the gift of Almighty God. Certainly, if he baptized in the name of Donatus, it must be that he be baptized again. However, if I recognize there the baptism of Christ, if I recognize the words of the Gospel, if I recognize the form and character of my king, although you were a deserter and could be convicted and put to death through the character, come to the camp with the character of the Lord: you can earn pardon, the character for you cannot be changed.