John's Coming

In diebus illis venit Joannes Baptista praedicens... Sol appropians ad processum, antequem appareat, mittit radios suos, et facit albescere orientem, ut procedens aurora adventum diei demonstret. Sic Dominus natus in mundo, antequam appareat, Spiritus sui fulgore transmisso illuminavit Joannem, ut praecedens ille adventum Salvatoris annuntiet: ne forte subito veniens, et dicens se esse Filium Dei, propter ipsam magnam atque terribilem indicationem rei ipsius, magis se incredibiliorem ostenderet. Si enim Joannes praedicavit persona cognitus, genere dignitosus, erat enim fiilius Zachariae sacerdotis, et conversatione mirabilis, tamen infideles Judaei non acquieverunt credere Christo per illum: quanto magis non erant credituri, si nulla ante eum denuntiatio praecessisset? Nam quantumvis fuerit persona laubabilis, in sua causa non potest esse testis idoneus. Venit Joannes quasi magni regis praeparator fidelis. Qualis rex, talis et nuntius regis: natus ex gratia, non ex natura. Sicut Christi conceptionem ante angelus nuntiavit, sic et istius. Sicut illius nomen, antequam conciperetur, auditum est, sic et istius. Sicut illius potestas, antequam nasceretur, ostensa est: sic et istius virtus, anteuqam nasceretur, manifestata est. Haec fuit inter illos differentia: quia Christo concepto, fidelis mater confessa est gratiam Dei, dicens: Ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. Joanne autem concepto, incredulus pater obmutuit: quia Joanne nato, lex de caetero fuerat tacitura; Christo autem nascente postmodum, gratia fuerat loquutura. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia Tertia Source: Migne PG 56.646-647

In those days John came preaching... 1 When the sun nears its rising, before it appears, it sends forth its rays, and it lightens the east, and so the preceding dawn demonstrates the coming of the day. Thus for the Lord's birth in the world, before He appeared, the Spirit, with its light sent forth, illuminated John, so that coming before he might proclaim the advent of the Saviour, lest perhaps with Him suddenly coming, and saying that He was the Son of God, on account of the great and awesome revelation of such a thing, it appear to be more inconceivable. For if John preached as a person well known, and from a distinguished family, for he was the son of Zachariah the priest, and with wondrous conduct, and yet he did not convince the unfaithful of Judah to believe in Christ through him, how much more disbelief would there have been if no proclamation had preceded Him? For however great he was as a praiseworthy person, he was not an able witness in his own cause. John came as a faithful preparer of a great king. And as the king, so the messenger of the king, born from grace, not from nature. As the conception of Christ was announced beforehand, so was his. As His name was heard before His conception, so was his. As His power was shown before He was born, so was his made manifest before he was born. This was the difference among them, that at Christ’s conception, the faithful mother confessed the grace of God, saying: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.' 2 but at John's conception, an incredulous father was made mute, since with the birth of John the law became silenced for anything else, and after the birth of Christ, grace was to speak. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 3 1 Mt 8.5-6 2 Lk 1.38