THE
FIRST AND SECOND FINDINGS OF THE VENERABLE HEAD OF THE BAPTIST
February 24th
Η
Πρώτη και Δευτέρα Εύρεσις της Τιμίας Κεφαλής του Τιμίου Προδρόμου
Αfter the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, his body was buried by
disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, and his venerable head was hidden by
Herodias in an unclean place. St. Joanna, the wife of King Herod's steward Chuza
(Lk 8:3), secretly took the holy head and placed it into a vessel and
buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod's properties.
After many years, this property passed into the
possession of a government official who became a monk with the name of Innocent.
He built a church and a cell there. When they started to dig the foundation, the
vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. Innocent
recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. Thus
occurred the First Finding of the Head. Innocent preserved it with great piety,
but fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, before his own
death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. Upon his death the
church fell into ruin and was destroyed.
During the days of St. Constantine the Great,
when Christianity began to flourish, the holy Forerunner appeared twice to two
monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and he revealed
the location of his venerable head.
The monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing
it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. Along the way they
encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. Not
knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. But the holy
Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy
monks, with what he held in his hands. The potter concealed himself from the
monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. Before his
death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister.
From that time the venerable head was
successively preserved by pious Christians, until the priest Eustathios
(infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. He beguiled a
multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their
cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. When his blasphemy
was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. After he buried the holy relic in a
cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for
disseminating falsehood. God, however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled
in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. In the year 452 St. John
the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, and indicated
where his head was hidden. This became celebrated as the Second Finding. The
holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.
Source:
OCA
