Son,788 who should prepare His way, that is, that he should bear witness of that Light in the spirit and power of Elias.789 But, again, of what God was Elias the servant and the prophet? Of Him who made heaven and earth,790 as he does himself confess. John, therefore, having been sent by the founder and maker of this world, how could he testify of that Light, which came down from things unspeakable and invisible? For all the heretics have decided that the Demiurge was ignorant of that Power above him, whose witness and herald John is found to be. Wherefore the Lord said that He deemed him “more than a prophet.”791 For all the other prophets preached the advent of the paternal Light, and desired to be worthy of seeing Him whom they preached; but John did both announce [the advent] beforehand, in a like manner as did the others, and actually saw Him when He came, and pointed Him out, and persuaded many to believe on Him, so that he did himself hold the place of both prophet and apostle. For this is to be more than a prophet, because, “first apostles, second- arily prophets;”792 but all things from one and the same God Himself. 5. That wine,793 which was produced by God in a vineyard, and which was first con- sumed, was good. None794 of those who drank of it found fault with it; and the Lord partook of it also. But that wine was better which the Word made from water, on the moment, and simply for the use of those who had been called to the marriage. For although the Lord had the power to supply wine to those feasting, independently of any created substance, and to fill with food those who were hungry, He did not adopt this course; but, taking the loaves which the earth had produced, and giving thanks,795 and on the other occasion making water wine, He satisfied those who were reclining [at table], and gave drink to those who had been invited to the marriage; showing that the God who made the earth, and commanded it to bring forth fruit, who established the waters, and brought forth the fountains, was He who in these last times bestowed upon mankind, by His Son, the blessing of food and the favour of drink: the Incomprehensible [acting thus] by means of the comprehensible, and the Invisible by the visible; since there is none beyond Him, but He exists in the bosom of the Father. 788 Mal. iii. 1. 789 Luke i. 17. 790 This evidently refers to 1 Kings xviii. 36, where Elijah invokes God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, etc. 791 Matt. xi. 9; Luke vii. 26. 792 1 Cor. xii. 28. 793 The transition here is so abrupt, that some critics suspect the loss of part of the text before these words. 794 John ii. 3. 795 John vi. 11. 1087 Chapter XI—Proofs in continuation, extracted from St. John’s Gospel. The…