to his envoys:

“Go back and report to him what you are witnessing: the blind regain their sight, the lame rise to their feet, and the deaf hear. Blessed is the one who is neither deluded by me nor stumbles on my account.”

He (the author) says:

We therefore find that John—despite his station and lofty standing with God Almighty, and despite the testimony the Messiah had already given concerning him, namely that “no woman has ever borne one like him”—still entertained doubts about him and thus felt compelled to inquire about his true status. Yet the Messiah’s reply contained nothing of the lordship you ascribe to him. He did not say, “I am your Creator and the Creator of all things,” as your creed maintains. Rather, he warned against error and self-delusion regarding him, and his words went no further than pointing to the signs God had manifested through his prophethood—signs many previous prophets had likewise displayed.

Nor do we see that John, when he praised and extolled him—despite his own uncertainty and need to question him—elevated him beyond saying: “He is mightier than I, and I am not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandal,” and he did not say that he