05 — Greatest Born of Women
The Lord’s own assessment of His Forerunner and John’s assessment of himself: “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matt. 11:11); the embassy John sends from prison and Christ’s tribute to him (Matt. 11:2–19); and John’s self-effacing witness — “the friend of the bridegroom … rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice” (John 3:29) and “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Forerunner)
The greatness of the Forerunner and his humility are the same thing seen from two sides. This section treats the praise the Lord lavishes on John — greater than the prophets, the messenger of Malachi, the Elijah to come, greatest of those born of women — together with the puzzling rider that the least in the Kingdom is greater than he. The companion file treats the words in which John himself defines his whole vocation: he is not the Christ but the Bridegroom’s friend, and his joy is fulfilled precisely in decreasing so that Christ may increase. Together these passages give the Church its theology of the Forerunner’s place.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Greatest Born of Women | The embassy from prison, “Are you he who is to come?” (Matt. 11:2–6); Christ’s tribute — more than a prophet, the messenger of Mal. 3:1, the greatest born of women, the Elijah to come (Matt. 11:7–15); and the meaning of “the least in the kingdom … is greater than he” (Matt. 11:11). |
| The Friend of the Bridegroom | John’s witness in John 3:22–36: “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ” (3:28); “the friend of the bridegroom … rejoices greatly” (3:29); “He must increase, but I must decrease” (3:30); humility as the form of the Forerunner’s greatness. |
See Also
- Behold the Lamb of God — the witness John gives at the Jordan
- The Martyrdom — the imprisonment from which the embassy is sent
- The Forerunner in Hades — the Forerunner who decreases on earth and goes before Christ even into Hades
- Holy Scripture — the Gospel texts of the tribute and the witness
References
- The Gospel According to Matthew 11:2–19; Luke 7:18–35; John 3:22–36. Revised Standard Version.
- Malachi 3:1. Revised Standard Version.
- John Chrysostom. Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, Homilies 36–37; Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homilies 29–30. Trans. in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vols. 10 and 14.