“And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.”
Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, what then is this child going to be? For the Lord's hand was with him — the theological conclusion of the community's wondering: what is this child going to be? The question anticipates the ministry that will be described in chapter 3. For the Lord's hand was with him: the hand of the Lord (the divine power accompanying prophetic figures) was already observable in John's unusual birth and naming.
Church Fathers on Luke 1:66
AS at the silence of Zacharias the people marveled, so likewise when he spoke. Hence it is said, And fear came upon all; that from these two circumstances all might believe there was something great in the child that was born. But all these things were ordained, to the end that he who was to bear witness of Christ might also be esteemed trustworthy. Hence it follows, And all they that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying What manner of child, &c.
For fore-running signs prepare the way for the forerunner of the truth, and the future prophet is recommended by auspices sent before him; hence it follows, For the hand of the Lord was with him.
For God worked miracles in John which he did not himself, but the right hand of God in him.
Read all 4 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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