120 (continued)
TRACTATE 5 121
14. Tell me clearly, that you may be confounded through that lamp by which his earlier enemies, the likes of you, the Pharisees, were also confounded. When they asked the Lord by what authority he did those things, he said, "I also shall ask you this question. Tell me, the baptism of John, from where is it? From heaven or from men?"^' And they, who were preparing to unleash their snide attacks were ensnared by this question; and they began to consider among themselves and to say, "If we shall say 'from heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why did you not believe him?'"^^ For John had said of the Lord, "Behold, the lamb of God; behold, he who takes away the sin of the world. "^^ Why then do you ask by what authority I act? O wolves, I do what I do by the authority of the Lamb. But that you might know the lamb, why did you not believe John who said, "Behold, the Lamb of God; behold, he who takes away the sin of the world"?
(2) Therefore, they, knowing what John has said of the Lord, said among themselves, "If we shall say that" the baptism of John "is from heaven, he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we shall say that it is from men, we shall be stoned by the people; for they hold John as a prophet."^*^ In one regard they feared men, in another they were confounded to admit the truth. The answer of darkness was darkness,^' but it was overpowered by light.
(3) For what did they answer? "We do not know." As regards what they did know, they said, "We do not know." And the Lord said, "Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things."^^ And his first enemies were confounded. From what? From the lamp. Who was the lamp? John. Do we have a proof that he was the lamp? We do have a proof. For the Lord said, "He was a lamp, burning and shining."''^ Do we have a proof that his enemies were also confounded from him? Hear the
27. Cf. Mt 21.24—25. This scriptural passage has also been discussed in Tractate 2.9.
28. Cf. Mt 21.26. 29. Cf. jn 1.29. 30. A conflation of Mt 2 1 .26 and Lk 20.6. 31. Cf. Jn 1.5. 32. Cf. Mt 21.27. 33. Cf.Jn5.35.