very cradle removed with the whole household into a strange land, taking that long journey into a barbarous region? And this removal gave occasion to torrents of blood, and cruel murder and slaughter, and all the children of tender age were cut to pieces just as if they had been soldiers arrayed in battle, and infants torn from the breast were handed over to death, and even when the milk was in their throats, the sword was driven through their necks. What could be more distressing than this tragedy? And these things were done by him who sought to destroy Jesus, yet the long-suffering God endured this tragical cruelty, which caused so much bloodshed, and forbore to prevent it although He had the power, displaying his long-suffering for some inscrutably wise purpose. And when Jesus had returned from the foreign land and was grown up, war was rekindled against him on every side. First of all the disciples of John were envious of Him and tried to slander Him, although John himself behaved reverently to Him, and they said “He who was with thee beyond Jordan, behold the same baptizeth and all men come to Him.”914 For these were the words of men who were already irritated, and agitated by ill-will, and consumed by that passion. For the same reason also one of the disciples who said these things disputed with a certain Jew and raised a contentious argument about purifying, comparing one kind of baptism with another, the baptism of John with that of the disciples of Christ. “For there arose” it is said, “a ques- tioning on the part of John’s disciples with a certain Jew about purifying.”915 And when He began to work miracles how many calumniators He had! Some called Him a Samaritan and demoniac saying “Thou art a Samaritan and hast a Devil”916 others “a deceiver,” saying “This man is not of God but deceiveth the multitude”917 others “a sorcerer” saying “He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the prince of the Devils”918 and they continually said these things against Him and called Him an adversary of God, and a gluttonous, and greedy man, and a drunkard, and a friend of the wicked and depraved. “For” He said, “the Son of man came eating and drinking and they say behold a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.”919 And when he was conversing with the harlot they called Him a false prophet; “For had He been a prophet,” one said, “He would have known who this woman is which speaketh unto Him;”920 in fact every day they sharpened their teeth 914 John iii. 26. 915 John ii. 25. St. Chrysostom here follows the same reading which is found in the three oldest extant mss. of the New Testament, the Sinaitic, Vatican and Alexandrian. The textus receptus has μετ€ 'Ιουδαίων “with the Jews” instead of μετ€ 'Ιουδὰίου “with a Jew.” 916 John viii. 48. 917 John vii. 12. 918 Matt. ix. 34. 919 Luke vii. 34. 920 Luke vii. 39. 399 To My Lady.