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Explanation for:
Matthew
14
:
11
And his head was brought in a dish: and it was given to the damsel, and she brought it to her mother.
11
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Look, the head, set like a lamp on a plate, illuminates all generations of humanity and condemns the sexual immorality of those who take lives. His lips were silenced, so they would utter no more, yet the message of their silence resonates with more power than that of spoken words."},{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"In the accounts from Roman history, it is recounted that Flaminius, the Roman leader, during a banquet succumbed to the influence of his mistress. She, present at the gathering, expressed her curiosity about seeing a decapitated individual and persuaded him to sanction the execution of a criminal as entertainment for the festivities. Consequently, he was expelled from the Senate due to his heinous act of mixing food with blood and endorsing the death of a man for the delight of another, even though it posed risks to others. This allowed for the intertwining of immoral desires and murder. In a far more egregious manner, Herod, Herodias, and the young girl who danced and sought the head of the prophet as a prize committed greater transgressions, motivated by the desire to silence the denunciation of an unlawful marriage. This interpretation aligns with the straightforward reading of the story. Moreover, we still witness, in the Gospel of John, the prophetic Christ, the ultimate Prophet, being put to death at the hands of the Jewish authorities."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"But she, influenced by her mother, requested, \\"Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist\\" (Matthew 14:8). This is a grave wrongdoing, for she not only danced but also pleased in such a manner that murder was rewarded. Can you perceive the inhumanity, the insensitivity, and the sheer folly of Herod? He binds himself with an oath and grants the young girl the authority to request whatever she desires. Yet, when he recognized the repercussions of his actions, he became distressed, as the Evangelist notes, despite having previously imprisoned John. Why does he mourn? Such is the essence of virtue! It astonishes and deserves acclaim even among wicked individuals. What an enraged response from Herodias! She ought to have admired John, should have held him in esteem, because he shielded her from humiliation, yet she conspired for his death, setting a trap and asking for a gift from the Devil. The Evangelist recounts that Herod was filled with fear, concerned about the oath and the guests at the banquet. But why did you not dread the most cruel act of all? If you were afraid of witnesses to your oath-breaking, you should have been even more terrified of having so many witnesses to a heinous murder."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"They presented his head on a platter, a repugnant and barbaric display. Why did his fellow Jews not express revulsion at the sight of a human head, oozing with warm blood, placed on the table like a meal? Why did they not recoil in horror? Then they handed it to the young girl, a cursed reward for an immoral act. She was a daughter deserving of such a mother: having scorned the virtues of modesty, shamelessly displaying herself before numerous men, and committing countless offenses, she had long since abandoned her humanity. She dared to grasp the dish filled with death and not only touched it but joyfully cradled it as a treasured gift, eagerly bringing it to her mother. It wasn’t sufficient for that accursed woman that John was slain; she craved to possess the head that had exposed her wickedness so she could mock and defile it further. Such are the ways of adulterous women: dishonorable, cruel, and deeply sinful. Consider the extent of her wickedness: she brought dishonor upon herself, her husband Philip, the seducer Herod, and her daughter. She even silenced the voice that condemned her adultery to continue her sinful ways, yet she became infamous, known by her descendants and throughout the world."},{"author-name":"Dimitri of Rostov","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b083687b06aec81fcf3_Dimitri%20of%20Rostov.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":17,"exegesis-text":"When the beautiful head of St. John the Baptist was severed, the daughter of Herodias carried it on a platter to her mother. This sinful woman, filled with malice, pierced the tongue of the holy prophet, who had condemned her wickedness. In her wickedness, she refused to allow the sacred head to be interred with the body of the saint, fearing that if John's body and head were united in burial, he would resurrect and proclaim her sins once more."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"He dispatched messengers, and they were brought: it is likely that the royal banquet did not take place in Tiberias, Herod Antipas's typical dwelling, but rather in Mahera or a nearby location. The distance from Tiberias to Mahera required at least a two-day journey, and the account suggests that the head of John the Baptist was delivered there during the feast or right after it had concluded (Matthew 14:8)."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"His sacred head still dripped with blood when it was brought into the banquet hall. They presented it on a platter, just like the feast's delicacies, and handed it to the young girl. “Who among us would not feel horror seeing this holy head soaked in blood at such a celebration?” St. Chrysostom asks. “Can we even imagine the feelings of those present as they witnessed blood pooling from a head newly severed amid the festivities?” Even the inebriated companions of Herod could barely bear the sight; yet the dancing girl showed no shame: she eagerly took the dish with John's head and presented it to her wicked mother. This woman, filled with malice, snatched the dish from her daughter and, as Blessed Jerome recounts, began to pierce the tongue that had exposed her wrongdoing with a needle. Indeed, St. Chrysostom exclaims, “a diabolical feast, a shameful spectacle! An unlawful dance, with an equally unlawful reward!” Let those young maidens and married women who do not hesitate to shame their own sex at others' weddings take heed; and let the men who indulge in lavish and drunken festivities do the same! May they be cautioned about the devil’s abyss. Although Herod acted immorally, his wife was even more wicked. The daughter, in obedience to her, danced disorderly, asking for a murder. Observe the truth of Christ’s words: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). Had Herodias' daughter honored this truth, she would not have perpetrated this terrible crime. God allowed it to occur, refraining from sending down fire or commanding the earth to open up and swallow the wicked gathering, so that the righteous might be more abundantly crowned and those who would thereafter suffer injustice could find ample comfort. “By allowing the innocent to endure suffering, the Lord also demonstrates the severe judgment He will exact on sinners, as He tests the lives of those He honors with praise” (St. Gregory the Great). Indeed, can St. John's sufferings even begin to compare with the glory that continues to be conferred upon him here on earth? The Holy Church finds itself at a loss for words to adequately honor the Forerunner and Baptizer of the Lord— the most esteemed prophet and the greatest born of women. Saint John, both in life and in death, served as the Forerunner of Christ the Savior. He descended into hell before the Lord, proclaiming the good news of God made flesh and comforting the souls of the righteous. “Although John's vessel was cast down,” Chrysostom notes, “the undiminished lamp of his spirit shone brightly with the light of faith, even to those in hell.” When hell was overcome, John ascended with Christ, receiving many crowns in Heaven: as a virgin, a hermit, a herald of repentance, a prophet, Christ’s Forerunner and Baptizer, and ultimately as a martyr. God’s judgment swiftly fell upon Herod and his evil family for killing the Forerunner and for disfiguring the Lord Himself on His day of suffering. Tradition holds that Herod found no peace, tormented by his guilty conscience. At feasts, amidst delectable dishes and bowls of wine, he imagined seeing John's head everywhere, hearing the condemning voice cry out: “You must not have your brother Philip’s wife!” His nephew, Herodias' brother, accused him of treason before the Roman emperor, resulting in Herod losing his kingdom and being exiled first to Gaul and then to Spain, with Herodias and Salome following him. One winter day, as Salome crossed the ice-covered Sycoris River, the ice broke beneath her, and she fell into the water, leading to her head being severed by the ice. Her body sank, while her severed head was brought to Herod and Herodias. According to legend, they were swallowed alive by the earth. In concluding his reflection on the beheading of the Lord's Forerunner, St. Chrysostom states: “The more you attempt to conceal sin, as Herodias did, the more you expose it. Sin is not concealed by compounding it with further sin, but through repentance and confession.” Notice how calmly the Evangelist recounts these events, even presenting details to justify them. He notes that Herod acted “for the sake of the oath and those who reclined with him,” noting his “grief,” and regarding the young girl, he clarifies that it was “at her mother’s instigation,” and that she “brought it to her mother,” as if to suggest she was merely acting at her mother’s command. The righteous do not suffer for those who commit evil, but for those who bring about evil, as the latter bear it more heavily. Thus, it was not John who engaged in wrongdoing, but those who condemned him to death. We should also strive to emulate the righteous, not only refraining from mocking our neighbor’s sins but endeavoring to cover them whenever possible. Despite addressing a promiscuous woman and a vile murderer, the evangelist did not react with indignation and refrained from labeling her a bloodthirsty criminal, instead simply referring to her as “mother,” using a term of respect. Likewise, when feelings of anger arise, do not think of your brother as the evangelist does of the harlot; do not call him a villain, scoundrel, or madman. Saints weep for those who sin more than they condemn them. Let us too express sorrow for Herodias and all who follow in her footsteps."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"...they severed John's head and presented it on a platter; Salome received it and delivered it to her mother. Regarding John's demise, tradition holds that Herodias ridiculed John's head, piercing his tongue with a needle to accuse him of lasciviousness, and commanded that his body be discarded into one of the gorges near Mahera..."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Antipas was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events and deeply saddened, as he held the prophet in high regard. However, his misplaced sense of honor in front of his guests, who had heard his foolish vow, overwhelmed his conscience. He then dispatched an executioner to the fortress of Maher, where John the Baptist was suffering, instructing him to deliver the prophet's head. In this way, the greatest among those born of women became a casualty of a woman's insatiable bloodlust for his prophetic messages. The prophet's head was presented and rediculed by Herodias, while his disciples laid his body to rest."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The squire went to the dungeon and severed John's head, presenting it to the king on a platter. The lifeless head then opened its mouth and proclaimed once more: \\"Herod, you must not have your brother Philip's wife.\\" After receiving the head, the young woman carried it to her mother. One can envision the wicked delight with which Herodias accepted this gruesome offering. The beautiful head of the Forerunner remained with her. According to tradition, Herodias ridiculed John's head, pierced its tongue with a needle in a display of her depravity, and afterwards concealed it, wrapped in cloth, in a dishonorable location within her palace."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"To understand the account of the Baptist's martyrdom, we must consider several key points: Herodias was the offspring of Aristobulus, the son of Herod the Great from his second union. Following her grandfather's desires, she wed his other son from a third marriage, referred to by Josephus Flavius as Herod (a family designation) and by the evangelists as Philip (his personal name). After the passing of his father, Philip lived a life of solitude in Jerusalem. While Philip was still alive, and after they had given birth to a daughter named Salome, Herodias abandoned him to marry Herod Antipas, another son of Herod the Great from a fourth marriage, who had previously divorced his lawful spouse, the daughter of the Arabian monarch Aretha, to facilitate this union. John the Baptist vocally reproached Herod for his incestuous relationship, explicitly prohibited by the Law (Lev. 18:16; 20:21). Josephus Flavius states that Herod confined John in the fortress of Maherna, situated near the Dead Sea. Not far from this fortress was the city of Julia, which served as Herod's preferred residence over Tiberias, his home in Galilee. The narrative of John's beheading suggests that, at the time when the martyr's head was presented during the ongoing festivities, Herod was residing in Perea. Given Herod’s distress at the reports of Jesus, it is plausible to deduce that from the time of John the Baptist's imprisonment until his execution, he primarily stayed in Julia, if not permanently. Therefore, upon his eventual return to Tiberias after the Baptist's demise, he may have been unaware of Jesus’s activities. However, upon his return to Galilee, he found the region agitated by the presence of a new prophet, Jesus, with varying opinions circulating among the populace, including the belief that Jesus was the resurrected John. This speculation deeply troubled Herod's guilty conscience regarding his actions."}]}
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