Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IX/Origen on John/Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John/Book VI/Chapter 16

16.&#160; Comparison of John&#8217;s Testimony to Jesus in the Different Gospels.

It may not be out of place, as we are examining the text, &#8220;I baptize with water,&#8221; to compare the parallel utterances of the evangelists with this of John.&#160; Matthew reports that the Baptist, when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, after the words of rebuke which we have already studied, went on: &#160; &#8220;I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.&#8221;&#160; This agrees with the words in John, in which the Baptist declares himself to those sent by the Pharisees, on the subject of his baptizing with water.&#160; Mark, again, says, &#8220;John preached, saying, There cometh after me He that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.&#160; I baptized you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.&#8221;&#160; And Luke says that, as the people were in expectation, and all were reasoning in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ, John answered them all, saying, &#8220;I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh one mightier than I, whose shoe-latchet I am not worthy to unloose; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.&#8221;