By Fr. George Dorbarakis
From the earliest times, and by God’s guidance, we have celebrated on the day after the Holy Theophany the Synaxis of the all-holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist, Saint John, because he ministered the sacred mystery of divine baptism. This feast is also connected with the other celebrations of Saint John, so that nothing of his miracles is left unspoken.
On this same day, we also remember the translation of the venerable hand of Saint John to the “Queen of Cities,” which occurred as follows: In the city of Sebaste, where it is said that the body of the Forerunner was buried, the Evangelist Luke arrived. He took the right hand of John’s prophetic body and brought it to his own city, Antioch. There, the hand of the Forerunner performed countless miracles, including this remarkable one:
At the outskirts of the city lived a terrible dragon, a huge serpent, which the locals — and the pagans among them — honored with an annual sacrifice. Each year, a Christian was chosen by lot to offer his young daughter to the beast. The dragon would emerge from its lair, gaping with its enormous mouth, and devour its victim with terrifying speed. The father of one chosen girl prayed desperately to God and to the Forerunner, pleading to save his daughter from this cruel death.
Then a clever plan unfolded: The father asked to venerate the holy hand of the Forerunner. As he kissed it, he secretly bit off the thumb from the hand and quietly left the temple, having taken it with him.
When the day of the sacrifice came, and the people gathered to witness the event, the father brought his daughter before the dragon. As the serpent opened its jaws, seeking its prey, the father hurled the sacred finger into its throat. The dragon immediately died. The father returned with his daughter unharmed, recounting her miraculous deliverance. The people, astonished by this great miracle, gave thanks to God and the Forerunner, and they built a magnificent church in his honor.
It is said that during the feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross, the venerable hand is lifted by the high priest. At times it extends, at times it contracts: when extended, it signifies a fruitful harvest; when contracted, it warns of barrenness and poverty. Because of its power, many kings over the ages sought to possess the holy hand of the Forerunner, especially Constantine and Romanos Porphyrogenitos.
Finally, during their reign, a deacon of the Church of Antioch named Job requested the holy hand and received it during the evening service, a time traditionally set aside for blessing. The devout king cherished the holy hand of the great Prophet and placed it in the palace. To this day, the Synaxis of this hand is celebrated at Phorakion.
On this same day, we also remember the translation of the venerable hand of Saint John to the “Queen of Cities,” which occurred as follows: In the city of Sebaste, where it is said that the body of the Forerunner was buried, the Evangelist Luke arrived. He took the right hand of John’s prophetic body and brought it to his own city, Antioch. There, the hand of the Forerunner performed countless miracles, including this remarkable one:
At the outskirts of the city lived a terrible dragon, a huge serpent, which the locals — and the pagans among them — honored with an annual sacrifice. Each year, a Christian was chosen by lot to offer his young daughter to the beast. The dragon would emerge from its lair, gaping with its enormous mouth, and devour its victim with terrifying speed. The father of one chosen girl prayed desperately to God and to the Forerunner, pleading to save his daughter from this cruel death.
Then a clever plan unfolded: The father asked to venerate the holy hand of the Forerunner. As he kissed it, he secretly bit off the thumb from the hand and quietly left the temple, having taken it with him.
When the day of the sacrifice came, and the people gathered to witness the event, the father brought his daughter before the dragon. As the serpent opened its jaws, seeking its prey, the father hurled the sacred finger into its throat. The dragon immediately died. The father returned with his daughter unharmed, recounting her miraculous deliverance. The people, astonished by this great miracle, gave thanks to God and the Forerunner, and they built a magnificent church in his honor.
It is said that during the feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross, the venerable hand is lifted by the high priest. At times it extends, at times it contracts: when extended, it signifies a fruitful harvest; when contracted, it warns of barrenness and poverty. Because of its power, many kings over the ages sought to possess the holy hand of the Forerunner, especially Constantine and Romanos Porphyrogenitos.
Finally, during their reign, a deacon of the Church of Antioch named Job requested the holy hand and received it during the evening service, a time traditionally set aside for blessing. The devout king cherished the holy hand of the great Prophet and placed it in the palace. To this day, the Synaxis of this hand is celebrated at Phorakion.
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The Synaxis of Saint John the Forerunner gives the hymnography of our Church an opportunity to highlight his awe-inspiring personality and manifold virtues. First and foremost, the hymns emphasize that the Church’s glorification of Saint John is, in essence, a glorification of Jesus Christ Himself:
“Most blessed Forerunner of Christ… as we reverently bless you, we glorify Christ.”
Indeed, the greatness of Saint John in the life of the Church comes from his relationship with the Lord — as His prophet and forerunner, as His baptist, and as His martyr. From the Lord alone did John receive his light and worth, fully aware of this fact. Thus, he is the lamp that revealed the radiance of the Father, Jesus Christ:
“As a lamp shining to all, you revealed the radiance of the Father’s glory in your body.”
This is why the chief virtue of Saint John was humility — the essential prerequisite for receiving the grace of God. In the presence of Christ, he recognized his own utter littleness:
“I am not worthy to stoop and untie His sandals.”
“I need to be baptized by You, and You come to me?”
The prophetic and forerunner aspect of Saint John forms the core of the poetry of the Church’s hymnographers. John is sent by God to prepare the land for the coming of Christ:
“When the Forerunner saw our Enlightener, the One who illuminates all men, he showed Him and said to the peoples: ‘Behold the One who redeems Israel, the One who frees us from corruption.’”
“You prepared the paths of the Lord, walking before Him as a prophet.”
Even the hand of the Forerunner — the finger by which he pointed to the Lord to His disciples at the Jordan — becomes central in hymnography. Already on the eve of the Theophany, in the doxastikon of the Ninth Hour, the hymns use this imagery to show that John is truly the Lord’s Forerunner:
“Your hand, which touched the immaculate head of the Master, and with the finger of which you pointed Him out to us, O Baptist, lift it high for our sake, for you have great boldness before Him.”
Yet John’s forerunner role began very early. He did not point out Christ only in the wilderness or at the baptism. He recognized the Messiah even in his mother’s womb and proclaimed Him before birth. The moment when the Panagia and Mother of the Lord visited her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation, causing the unborn John to leap with joy in the womb of the elderly mother, marked the beginning of his mission as Forerunner. The Hymnographer notes:
“You became full of the Holy Spirit even while still in your mother’s womb, joyfully leaping and proclaiming the fruit of the Virgin’s womb, and you worshiped Him, most revered prophet.”
Even further, John prepared the way for Christ in Hades, when the Lord descended there for three days after His crucifixion:
“You joyfully proclaimed the God who appeared in the flesh to those in Hades.”
The hymns of the Church also emphasize the theoptic aspect of John’s life. Through his pure and righteous life, he was granted the grace to open the eyes of his soul and behold the glory of the Triune God at Christ’s baptism:
“From on high you looked, wise Forerunner John, and saw the ineffable glory of the Father, the Son in the water, and the Spirit descending like a dove, cleansing and illuminating all. As a minister of the mysteries of the Trinity, we honor your divine feast.”
This vision of the Theophany was unique to John (and the angels present); he alone heard the Father’s voice and saw the Holy Spirit descend like a dove upon the baptized Christ.
Hymnographers also emphasize other facets of John’s life - that the Lord praised him above all prophets and humans: “The Master declared you greater than all prophets, greater than all born of women;” that he was a great champion of truth, sacrificing his life for it as an innocent lamb: “Offered as a sacrifice, blameless lamb;” that he was the mediator of the Old and New Testaments: “We recognize you as the seal of the prophets, mediating both the Old and the New.”
Finally, the essence of his preaching remains our path to salvation: repentance.
“Adorned with the wisdom of God, you came to proclaim Christ; for you became the voice crying in the wilderness: ‘Repent!’”
Now, as Saint John watches over us from above, from the Kingdom of God, let us pray that through his intercessions he preserves us so that we may follow his divine preaching and remain steadfast in his sacred teachings and saving doctrines:
“Most blessed Forerunner, now watching over us from on high, preserve us through your intercessions, that we may follow your divine preaching and abide in your holy and saving doctrines.”
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
“Most blessed Forerunner of Christ… as we reverently bless you, we glorify Christ.”
Indeed, the greatness of Saint John in the life of the Church comes from his relationship with the Lord — as His prophet and forerunner, as His baptist, and as His martyr. From the Lord alone did John receive his light and worth, fully aware of this fact. Thus, he is the lamp that revealed the radiance of the Father, Jesus Christ:
“As a lamp shining to all, you revealed the radiance of the Father’s glory in your body.”
This is why the chief virtue of Saint John was humility — the essential prerequisite for receiving the grace of God. In the presence of Christ, he recognized his own utter littleness:
“I am not worthy to stoop and untie His sandals.”
“I need to be baptized by You, and You come to me?”
The prophetic and forerunner aspect of Saint John forms the core of the poetry of the Church’s hymnographers. John is sent by God to prepare the land for the coming of Christ:
“When the Forerunner saw our Enlightener, the One who illuminates all men, he showed Him and said to the peoples: ‘Behold the One who redeems Israel, the One who frees us from corruption.’”
“You prepared the paths of the Lord, walking before Him as a prophet.”
Even the hand of the Forerunner — the finger by which he pointed to the Lord to His disciples at the Jordan — becomes central in hymnography. Already on the eve of the Theophany, in the doxastikon of the Ninth Hour, the hymns use this imagery to show that John is truly the Lord’s Forerunner:
“Your hand, which touched the immaculate head of the Master, and with the finger of which you pointed Him out to us, O Baptist, lift it high for our sake, for you have great boldness before Him.”
Yet John’s forerunner role began very early. He did not point out Christ only in the wilderness or at the baptism. He recognized the Messiah even in his mother’s womb and proclaimed Him before birth. The moment when the Panagia and Mother of the Lord visited her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation, causing the unborn John to leap with joy in the womb of the elderly mother, marked the beginning of his mission as Forerunner. The Hymnographer notes:
“You became full of the Holy Spirit even while still in your mother’s womb, joyfully leaping and proclaiming the fruit of the Virgin’s womb, and you worshiped Him, most revered prophet.”
Even further, John prepared the way for Christ in Hades, when the Lord descended there for three days after His crucifixion:
“You joyfully proclaimed the God who appeared in the flesh to those in Hades.”
The hymns of the Church also emphasize the theoptic aspect of John’s life. Through his pure and righteous life, he was granted the grace to open the eyes of his soul and behold the glory of the Triune God at Christ’s baptism:
“From on high you looked, wise Forerunner John, and saw the ineffable glory of the Father, the Son in the water, and the Spirit descending like a dove, cleansing and illuminating all. As a minister of the mysteries of the Trinity, we honor your divine feast.”
This vision of the Theophany was unique to John (and the angels present); he alone heard the Father’s voice and saw the Holy Spirit descend like a dove upon the baptized Christ.
Hymnographers also emphasize other facets of John’s life - that the Lord praised him above all prophets and humans: “The Master declared you greater than all prophets, greater than all born of women;” that he was a great champion of truth, sacrificing his life for it as an innocent lamb: “Offered as a sacrifice, blameless lamb;” that he was the mediator of the Old and New Testaments: “We recognize you as the seal of the prophets, mediating both the Old and the New.”
Finally, the essence of his preaching remains our path to salvation: repentance.
“Adorned with the wisdom of God, you came to proclaim Christ; for you became the voice crying in the wilderness: ‘Repent!’”
Now, as Saint John watches over us from above, from the Kingdom of God, let us pray that through his intercessions he preserves us so that we may follow his divine preaching and remain steadfast in his sacred teachings and saving doctrines:
“Most blessed Forerunner, now watching over us from on high, preserve us through your intercessions, that we may follow your divine preaching and abide in your holy and saving doctrines.”
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
