Church Fathers Commentary Mark 6:17-29

"For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip`s wife; for he had married her. For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother`s wife. And Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him; and she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was much perplexed; and he heard him gladly. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, and the high captains, and the chief men of Galilee; and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and them that sat at meat with him; and the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptizer. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou forthwith give me on a platter the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat, he would not reject her. And straightway the king sent forth a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring his head: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard [thereof], they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb." — Mark 6:17-29 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Evangelist Mark, taking his cue from what came before, here relates the death of the Forerunner, saying, “For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.”

The Venerable Bede: Ancient history relates that Philip—the son of Herod the Great, under whom the Lord fled into Egypt, and the brother of this Herod, under whom Christ suffered—married Herodias, the daughter of King Aretas. However, after some disagreements arose with his son-in-law, her father took his daughter away and, to the sorrow of her former husband, gave her in marriage to his enemy. Therefore, John the Baptist rebuked Herod and Herodias for contracting an unlawful union, because it was not permitted for a man to marry his brother's wife during his lifetime.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The law also commanded a brother to marry his brother's wife if he died without children, but in this case, there was a daughter, which made the marriage criminal.

There follows: “Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not.”

The Venerable Bede: For Herodias was afraid that Herod might repent at some point, or be reconciled to his brother Philip, and so the unlawful marriage would be dissolved.

It goes on: “For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man, and a holy.”

Glossa Ordinaria: He feared him, I say, because he revered him, for he knew him to be just in his dealings with people and holy toward God, and he made sure that Herodias did not kill him. “And when he heard him, he did many things,” for he thought that he spoke by the Spirit of God, “and heard him gladly,” because he considered what he said to be beneficial.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But see how great the fury of lust is, for although Herod had such awe and fear of John, he forgets it all so that he may cater to his fornication.

Remigius of Auxerre: For his lustful will drove him to seize a man whom he knew to be just and holy. And by this, we may see how a lesser fault became the cause of a greater one for him, as it is said, “He which is filthy, let him be filthy still” (Revelation 22:11).

It goes on: “And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee.”

The Venerable Bede: The only men we read of as celebrating their birthdays with festive joy are Herod and Pharaoh. But each, with an evil omen, stained his birthday with blood. Herod, however, did so with much greater wickedness, as he killed the holy and guiltless teacher of truth at the wish and request of a female dancer.

For there follows: “And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.”

Theophylact of Ohrid: For during the banquet, Satan danced in the person of the young woman, and the wicked oath was fulfilled.

For it goes on: “And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.”

The Venerable Bede: His oath does not excuse his murder, for perhaps his reason for swearing was so that he might find an opportunity to kill him. If she had demanded the death of his father or mother, he surely would not have granted it.

It goes on: “And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.”

Blood is a fitting reward to ask for a deed like dancing.

It goes on: “And she came in straightway with haste, etc.”

Theophylact of Ohrid: The malicious woman begged that the head of John be given to her immediately—that is, at once, in that very hour—for she feared that Herod might repent.

There follows: “And the king was exceeding sorry.”

The Venerable Bede: It is common in Scripture for the historian to relate events as they were believed by everyone at the time; thus, Joseph is called the father of Jesus by Mary herself. So now Herod is also said to be “exceeding sorry,” because that is what the guests thought, since the hypocrite wore sadness on his face when he had joy in his heart. He then excuses his wickedness with his oath, so that he might be impious under the pretense of piety.

Therefore, there follows: “For his oath's sake, and for their sakes who sat with him, he would not reject her.”

Theophylact of Ohrid: Herod, not being his own master but full of lust, fulfilled his oath and killed the just man. It would have been better, however, to break his oath than to commit so great a sin.

The Venerable Bede: In what is added, “And for their sakes who sat with him,” he wishes to make everyone a partaker in his guilt, so that a bloody feast might be set before luxurious and impure guests.

Therefore, it goes on: “But sending an executioner, he commanded his head to be brought in a charger.”

Theophylact of Ohrid: A “spiculator” is the public servant commissioned to put men to death.

The Venerable Bede: Now Herod was not ashamed to bring the head of a murdered man before his guests, but we do not read of such an act of madness in Pharaoh. From both examples, however, it is proven to be more useful to often call to mind the coming day of our death—through fear and chaste living—than to celebrate the day of our birth with luxury. For man is born into the world for toil, but the elect pass through death out of the world to rest.

It goes on: “And he beheaded him in prison, etc.”

St. Gregory the Great: I cannot, without the greatest wonder, reflect that he who was filled with the spirit of prophecy even in his mother's womb, and who was the greatest who had arisen among those born of women, was sent to prison by wicked men, beheaded for a girl's dance, and, though a man of such great austerity, met his death through such a foul instrument.

Are we to suppose that there was some evil in his life to be wiped away by so ignominious a death? When, however, could he have committed a sin even in his eating, when his food was only locusts and wild honey? How could he offend in his conduct, when he never left the wilderness? How is it that Almighty God so despises in this life those whom He has so sublimely chosen before all ages, if not for the reason, plain to the faithful, that He thus lowers them to the humblest place because He sees how He is rewarding them in the highest? Outwardly He casts them down among despised things, because inwardly He draws them up to what is incomprehensible. Let each person then infer from this what those whom He rejects will suffer, if He so grieves those whom He loves.¹

There follows: “And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.”

The Venerable Bede: Josephus relates that John was brought bound into the castle of Machaerus and there killed. Ecclesiastical history (Theodoret, Historia Ecclesiastica 3.3) says that he was buried in Sebaste, a city of Palestine, once called Samaria. The beheading of John the Baptist signifies the diminishing of the fame by which the people thought he was the Christ, just as the raising of our Savior on the cross typifies the advance of the faith, in that He Himself, who was first seen as a prophet by the multitude, was recognized as the Son of God by all the faithful.

Therefore, John, who was destined to decrease, was born when the daylight begins to grow short, but the Lord was born at that season of the year in which the day begins to lengthen.

Theophylact of Ohrid: In a mystical sense, however, Herod, whose name means “of skin,” represents the people of the Jews, and the wife to whom he was wedded represents vainglory. Their daughter—a false understanding of the Scriptures—even now encircles the Jews with her dance. Indeed, they beheaded John (that is, the word of prophecy) and hold to him without Christ, his head.

Pseudo-Jerome: Alternatively, the head of the Law, which is Christ, is cut off from His own body (that is, the Jewish people) and is given to a Gentile young woman (that is, the Roman Church). The young woman then gives it to her adulterous mother (that is, the synagogue), who in the end will believe. The body of John is buried and his head is put on a dish; thus the human Letter is covered over, while the Spirit is honored and received on the altar.

1. Mor., 3, 7