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Translation
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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
Theophylact of Ohrid
"To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children," that is, to turn the Jews to the apostles, for the Jews were the fathers, and the apostles were their children. He turned the hearts of the Jews to the apostles by his teaching and testimony about Christ; and he who testifies about Christ makes His disciples fully credible as well. He came "in the spirit... of Elijah," because just as grace was at work in Elijah, so also in John, and just as Elijah is the forerunner of the second coming, so John is of the first. …
Irenaeus
And that we may not have to ask, Of what God was the Word made flesh? he does himself previously teach us, saying, "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came as a witness, that he might bear witness of that Light. He was not that Light, but [came] that he might testify of the Light." By what God, then, was John, the forerunner, who testifies of the Light, sent [into the world]? …
Methodius of Olympus
In order that by the miracle of these the hearts of the fathers might be turned to the children, and the disobedient unto the wisdom of the just. ... O ye disobedient as regards the wisdom of the just, turn your hearts to your children. Learn the mysteries of God; the very thing itself which is being done bears witness that it is God that is thus hymned by uninstructed tongues. Search the Scriptures, as ye have heard from the Lord; for they are they which testify of Him, and be not ignorant of this miracle. …
Western Saints
Ambrose of Milan
But we need no testimony that St. John turned the hearts of many, for to this point we have the express witness of both prophetic and and evangelical Scriptures. For the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make His paths straight; and his baptisms thronged by the people, declare the rapid progress of conversion. For the forerunner of Christ preached, not himself, but the Lord; and therefore it follows, And he shall go before Him. …
Gregory the Dialogist
For the angel says to Zechariah concerning John: "He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah." He is said to be coming in the spirit and power of Elijah because just as Elijah will precede the second coming of the Lord, so John preceded the first. Just as the former will be the precursor of the Judge, so the latter was made the precursor of the Redeemer. John therefore was Elijah in spirit; he was not Elijah in person. What the Lord therefore declares concerning the spirit, John denies concerning the person.
Bede
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the disobedient, etc. To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children means to infuse the spiritual knowledge of the holy ancients into the people through preaching. But the wisdom of the just is not to presume righteousness from the works of the law but to seek salvation through faith. So that although they observe the commands of the law, they may understand that they are saved by the grace of God through Christ. For the just shall live by faith (Rom. 1). …
Translation