CatholicaAtkinson, The Passions and the Homilies from Leabhar Breac (1887) — Irish text, unedited
1 THE PASSION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, here.
2 There was a certain impious and merciless man in Jerusalem and in the land of Judah — Herod
3 Agrippa, son of Aristobulus, son of Herod, son of Antipater, son of Herod of
4 Ascalon, of the lands of India. It was by him that John the Baptist,
5 the holy martyr, was beheaded. And this is the cause of the death of this righteous man. There was a famous
6 judge in the kingdom of Herod himself — a faithful man who used to speak
7 true words and used to make peace between every tribe and kindred, declaring
8 to them their right and their due. Philip Stutter-head was his name — a wonderful man
9 who spoke truth and reproved falsehood. Great was his care and his esteem — lawful
10 judgement for all men; and heavy was his burden and his
11 power besides. Ardais was the name of the city in which he lived. Now a sickness came to this wonderful man,
12 to Philip Stutter-head, so that he died of it. Now Philip Stutter-head had a wonderful,
13 accomplished wife — Herodias was her name. Few on earth were women
14 like her for beauty and cheerfulness and good manners in truth. Herod loved her
15 exceedingly while her own husband Philip Stutter-head was still alive; and
16 even before Philip’s death it came into his mind to take her often.
17 What happened then was this: when the king of Ascalon — that is, in the
18 lands of India — Philip son of Aristobulus, son of Herod, son of Antipater, brother of
19 Herod Agrippa himself — heard that the noble lady Herodias was
20 a widow, he came with a great and splendid retinue to the place where the
21 queen was, and carried her off to the royal city, to Ascalon
22 in the lands of India; and he kept her in great love for a long time.
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23 A demon of lust and envy sprang into the heart of Herod when he heard that tale —
24 that the woman whom he loved so greatly was taken from him by his own brother;
25 and the demon gave him no rest, kindling his love in his heart.
26 Then Herod gathered a great host and went into Ascalon as though
27 on a royal progress, until he reached his brother’s house. Philip arose
28 against Herod, welcoming him, and kissed him, and the royal house
29 was prepared for him; and they ate food and precious wine until they were at ease.
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30 Now when they had eaten, the king Herod arose sorrowfully, with a
31 great band of armed soldiers with him, as he had instructed them before,
32 and came in that manner to the house where Philip and Herodias his
33 wife were; now Herod had no weapon at that time but a great dog-whip
34 with which he used to drive dogs and ravens, as was his custom.
35 When Herod came into the house, he sat in the royal seat with a
36 diadem of precious stones above it and gold upon it. In it was Philip,
37 and his wife Herodias on his shoulder. Herod grew angry at that,
38 and raised his hand and gave a deadly blow there upon the crown of
39 his brother’s head with the dog-whip that was in his hand, and dragged him
40 after that out of the chair; and he himself sat on the woman’s shoulder,
41 and kissed her; and he boasted of that deed in despite of his brother —
42 her own husband; and he carried her off the next day to Jerusalem and to the land of Judah,
43 and kept her thereafter in great love. Now when John the Baptist,
44 son of Zachary, heard that tale, it was evil and grievous to him that the sinful
45 woman should be with Herod, for near was the kinship of the two — John and Herod:
46 Casandra, daughter of Gomer, was the mother of Herod and Philip, and Elizabs, another
47 daughter of Gomer, was the mother of John the Baptist. Now John kept urging
48 upon Herod to put away the sinful woman, and he used to come often from the wilderness
49 of Jordan’s streams to tell him to put her away, and to preach to him; so that she was the
50 first sinful woman ever denounced in the world. Now that John was the
51 first martyr and the first hermit and the first monk and the first faithful
52 righteous man of the world, save only Abel son of Adam; for he had greatly
53 pleased God in youth and in martyrdom before John. Now John
54 in the wilderness of Jordan’s streams lived alone; small was his care for his
55 body either in food or clothing — a garment of palm-tree bark and sprigs of the olive-tree
56 was the most he wore about him. The bitter herbs of the wilderness and the fruits
57 of various trees were the food he chiefly ate, and unpalatable water his drink.
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58 He used to sleep alone among the wild beasts, and they did not hurt him. He used to be
59 teaching the beasts and the souls of the wilderness besides; and it was not
60 for his own sake he did that, for it was not necessary, but so that he should not
61 lack men to teach, and that he himself should not be without meditation on God in
62 his mind ever. This man John was a prophet among prophets,
63 a hermit among hermits, a soul-friend among soul-friends, a virgin among
64 virgins, an apostle among apostles, though he was not numbered among the apostles; for it is on
65 John that the Lord bestowed the great testimony when he said, Inter natos
66 mulierum non surrexit maior Iohanne Baptista — “among the sons of all
67 women there has not been born a son of woman greater and more venerable than John,” said
68 Jesus.
69 Then Herod came to the land of Judah after that, and a great feast was
70 made for his queens and his chieftains thereafter. Now Herodias,
71 Herod’s wife, had two daughters; Salvisa and Neptis were the names of those girls;
72 and they had many wonderful arts — one of them skilled in song and
73 melody and in various instruments and music besides, Neptis her
74 name. The other daughter, Salvisa, was skilled in juggling and
75 leaping and feats. Herod brought them into the royal house to exercise
76 their arts and to entertain the hosts, that they might make the minds glad
77 and might excite desire in the kings and chieftains of the children of Israel and of all the land of Judah.
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78 The women said they would not perform their entertainment unless their own reward
79 were given them. “you shall have it,” said the king. They bound him to it,
80 in the presence of the hosts. He promised them that thing. Then the
81 girls performed wonderful arts with graceful labour; and the kings and the
82 chieftains praised them greatly. Now when their entertainment was ended, they came to the place
83 where their mother, Herod’s wife, was, to take counsel of her what reward they should
84 ask of the king.
85 “Ask for the head of John the Baptist,” said the mother, “and take
86 no other reward but it, and it brought on a broad dish, like any food, from
87 the prison where he is to this place to you”: for Herod had put John
88 into prison under lock before that, through the instigation of the queen against him. Then the
89 girls came to the place where Herod was, and demanded John’s head of him.
90 Now Herod was angry at that demand, and said that he would sooner give them the
91 greatest share of his kingdom and his dominion than that head. But
92 they would take nothing of him save that his word be fulfilled to them. So he
93 granted them that thing; and John was beheaded thereafter, and his head was
94 brought on a dish upon the head of one of the women into the royal house. Now Herod was
95 sorrowful at that, for he feared the people on account of John’s slaying.
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96 Then the head was given to Herodias, Herod’s wife; and
97 John’s disciples asked for the body to bury it. It was given to
98 them, and they buried it honourably, with hymns and canticles and praises of
99 God about it, and with great sorrow on the hearts of the disciples thereafter. And the head
100 was buried by Herodias unknown to John’s friends.
101 Then two holy monks came from the east of the world after a long
102 journey to Jerusalem to fast in the name of the Lord. An angel of
103 God came to them on their way and said to them: “There is a certain house in
104 Jerusalem, and the head of John the Baptist in it, hidden under the earth,” said the
105 angel, “and I will tell you where it is, and take it away from there.” Then the
106 monks reached Jerusalem, and they go to the place the angel had
107 shown them, and they lifted up the head without change of colour
108 or form upon it, but as it was in the hour when it was cut off, though it had been long
109 hidden. The monks put the head in a book-satchel, in order
110 to carry it with them to their own country. Now Acherunda — that is, in Arabia — is the name of
111 the place where John was beheaded, and Sebaste the name of the city in which
112 his body was buried. When the monks went on their way towards their own
113 country, a certain man happened to meet them on the way — a wonderful smith he was; he had left
114 his own inheritance through poverty and want, and the monks put the satchel
115 upon his back, with John’s head in it. Then the monks went on to a certain
116 city that was on their way, and they lingered in it. Now John came in a
117 vision to the smith, and said to him: “I am
118 John the Baptist,” said he, “and it is my head that is on your back in the satchel;
119 arise,” said he, “and leave the monks, and take the head with you, and you shall find food
120 and clothing through it.” So the smith arose and left the monks, and took with him
121 the satchel and the head in it. Then he went on to the city that is
122 named Simissena, and he lived in it for a long time; and great was
123 the honour that he had in that city, until they loved him and
124 believed in him thereafter.
125 Now the smith made a golden shrine about the head, and an unpickable
126 lock upon it, save only when he wished it opened. Now the smith
127 died thereafter, and left his heir to take care of it — a pious widow
128 she was. Then the woman died, and left the shrine to her heirs.
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129 Now another man, named Eutrosius, took the shrine with the
130 head; and many signs and miracles were wrought for him because of the head
131 that was with him, and sicknesses and plagues were healed by it among the people.
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132 Then the fame of the signs and miracles of John the Baptist went over the whole world. It was known
133 concerning that man that it was on account of that deed, and he was driven out of the city.
134 And a certain holy man came into the house where he had been
135 instead: Marcellus was the name of that man. In that house was
136 John’s head, hidden in the earth: now John came in the night to Marcellus and
137 told him that the head was in the earth in that house; and
138 he showed him the very place where it was, and told him to lift up the head.
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139 Now when Marcellus heard that, he told it to the bishop of the city
140 — Laurabanus was his name — and he was lord in the city,
141 Simissena its name. Then the people of the city came together
142 with the bishop, and took John’s head with them out of the cave
143 where it was, and they sang psalms and hymns with them in its honour; and all
144 the people praised it, for they saw it perform a miracle for someone every day —
145 on behalf of the virgin and the holy martyr, etc.