7.1 Immediately through "water and spirit" is the regeneration, just as also 7.2 all of creation. "For the spirit of God was hovering over the abyss." And for this reason the Savior was baptized, though He Himself had no need, that He might sanctify all water for those being regenerated. In this way, therefore, we are cleansed not only in body, but also in 7.3 soul. At any rate, it is a sign of our invisible parts being sanctified that even unclean spirits entwined with the soul are filtered out by the new and spiritual birth.

8.1 "Water above the heaven"; since baptism comes about through "water and spirit," being a defense against the twofold fire, both that which touches the invisible and that which touches the visible, it is necessary that of the water, some be intelligible and some perceptible, as a defense against the twofold nature of the 8.2 fire; and the earthly water washes the body, but the heavenly water, because it is intelligible and invisible, is allegorized as the Holy Spirit, the purifier of invisible things, being water for the spirit just as that other is for the body.

9.1 God mixed fear with goodness out of goodness. For He provides what is advantageous to each one, as a physician to one who is sick, 9.2 as a father to a disorderly child. "For he who spares his rod hates his son." And the Lord and His apostles 9.3 lived in fear and labors. When, therefore, the body of a believer is sick, it is either because the Lord is chastising for some previously committed sin, or guarding against a future one, or even by not preventing an external attack * * occurring by some power for something useful, both for him and for his neighbors, for the sake of an example.

10.1 Indeed, those dwelling in a decaying body, just like those sailing in an old ship, are not supine, but always pray stretched out toward God. The elders were greatly vexed if they were not suffering something in the body at any given time; for they feared lest, not receiving here the wages of their sins, many of which accompany those in the flesh through ignorance, they might receive their whole sentence there all at once, so that they deemed it right to be healed 11.2 here. Therefore, one must fear not the external sickness, but the sins for which the sickness comes, and the sickness of the soul, not of the body, because "all flesh is grass," and bodily and external goods are "temporary, but the things not seen are eternal."

12.1 Of the things of knowledge, some we already partake of, and others we firmly hope for through what we have; for we have neither received everything nor are we deprived of everything, but we have received, as it were, a "pledge" of the eternal good things and of the paternal wealth; and the provisions for the Lord's way are the beatitudes 12.2 of the Lord. "Seek," for He said, "and be anxious for the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you; for the 12.3 Father knows what you need." Thus He circumscribes not only our occupations, but also our anxieties. "For you cannot," He says, "by worrying 12.4 add anything to your stature." For God knows clearly what it is advantageous for us to have, and what to lack. He deems it right, therefore, that those who have emptied themselves 12.5 of worldly cares be filled with that which is toward God. "For we groan, longing to be clothed upon" with incorruptibility, before putting off 12.6 corruption. For when faith is poured in, unbelief flows away. Likewise also in the case of knowledge and righteousness. One must, therefore, not only empty the 12.7 soul, but also fill it with God. For it is no longer evil, since that has ceased, nor yet good, since it has not yet received; but that which is neither good nor 12.8 evil is nothing. "For he returns to the cleansed and empty house," if none of the saving things

7.1 Αὐτίκα δι' "ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος" ἡ ἀναγέννησις, καθάπερ καὶ 7.2 ἡ

πᾶσα γένεσις. "πνεῦμα γὰρ θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο τῇ ἀβύσσῳ." καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ σωτὴρ ἐβαπτίσατο μὴ χρῄζων αὐτός, ἵνα τοῖς ἀναγεννωμένοις τὸ πᾶν ὕδωρ ἁγιάσῃ. ταύτῃ τοι οὐ μόνον τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν 7.3 ψυχὴν καθαιρόμεθα. σημεῖον γοῦν τοῦ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα ἡμῶν ἁγιάζε σθαι τὸ καὶ πνεύματα ἀκάθαρτα συμπεπλεγμένα τῇ ψυχῇ διυλίζεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς γενέσεως τῆς καινῆς τε καὶ πνευματικῆς.

8.1 "Ὕδωρ ἐπάνω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ"· ἐπεὶ τὸ βάπτισμα γίνεται δι' "ὕδατος καὶ

πνεύματος", ἀλεξητήριον ὂν πυρὸς τοῦ δισσοῦ, τοῦ τε τῶν ἀορά των ἁπτομένου καὶ τοῦ τῶν ὁρατῶν, ἀνάγκη καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος τὸ μέν τι νοητόν, τὸ δὲ αἰσθητὸν ὑπάρχειν, ἀλεξητήριον τῆς διπλόης τοῦ 8.2 πυρός· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐπίγειον ὕδωρ τὸ σῶμα ἀπορρύπτει, τὸ δὲ ἐπου ράνιον ὕδωρ διὰ τὸ εἶναι νοητὸν καὶ ἀόρατον πνεῦμα ἀλληγορεῖται ἅγιον, τῶν ἀοράτων καθαρτικόν, οἷον τοῦ πνεύματος ὕδωρ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνο τοῦ σώματος.

9.1 Ὁ θεὸς καὶ τὸν φόβον τῇ ἀγαθότητι συνέμιξεν δι' ἀγαθότητα. τὸ γὰρ

συμφέρον ἑκάστῳ τοῦτο ἤδη παρέχει, ὡς ἰατρὸς ἀρρωστοῦντι, 9.2 ὡς πατὴρ ἀτακτοῦντι τῷ παιδί. "ὁ γὰρ φειδόμενος τῆς βακτηρίας αὐτοῦ μισεῖ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ." καὶ ὁ κύριος δὲ καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι αὐ 9.3 τοῦ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ πόνοις ἀνεστράφησαν. ὅταν οὖν πιστοῦ σῶμα νοσῇ, ἢ δι' ἁμάρτημά τι προημαρτημένον ἐπιτιμῶντος τοῦ κυρίου, ἢ διὰ μέλλοντα προφυλαξαμένου, ἢ καὶ κατ' ἐνέργειαν * * προσβολὴν ἔξωθεν γινομένην οὐ κωλύσαντος διά τι χρήσιμον καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς πέλας παραδείγματος χάριν.

10.1 Ἤδη δὲ οἱ ἐν σαθρῷ οἰκοῦντες σώματι καθάπερ ἐν πλοίῳ πλέ οντες

παλαιῷ οὐκ εἰσὶν ὕπτιοι, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ εὔχονται ἀνατεταμένοι πρὸς τὸν θεόν. Οἱ πρεσβύτεροι σφόδρα ἤχθοντο, εἰ μή τι πάσχοιεν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἑκάστοτε· ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ μή πως ἐνταῦθα οὐ κομιζόμενοι τὰ ἐπί χειρα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἃ πολλὰ τοῖς ἐν σαρκὶ κατ' ἄγνοιαν παρα κολουθεῖ, ἀθρόαν ἐκεῖ κομίσωνται τὴν δίκην, ὥστε ἐνθάδε θερα 11.2 πεύεσθαι ἠξίουν. φοβητέον ἄρα οὐχὶ νόσον τὴν ἔξωθεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, δι' ἃ ἡ νόσος, καὶ νόσον ψυχῆς, οὐ σώματος, ὅτι "πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος", τὰ δὲ σωματικὰ καὶ τὰ ἐκτὸς καλὰ "πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα αἰώνια".

12.1 Τὰ τῆς γνώσεως τὰ μὲν ἤδη μετέχομεν, τὰ δὲ δι' ὧν ἔχομεν βεβαίως

ἐλπίζομεν· οὔτε γὰρ πᾶν κεκομίσμεθα οὔτε παντὸς ὑστε ροῦμεν, ἀλλ' οἷον "ἀρραβῶνα" τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τοῦ πατρῴου πλούτου προσειλήφαμεν· τὰ δὲ ἐφόδια τῆς κυριακῆς ὁδοῦ οἱ μακα 12.2 ρισμοὶ τοῦ κυρίου. "ζητεῖτε", γὰρ εἶπεν, "καὶ μεριμνᾶτε τὴν βασι 12.2 λείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν· οἶδεν γὰρ ὁ 12.3 πατὴρ ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε." οὕτως οὐ μόνον τὰς ἀσχολίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς φροντίδας περιγράφει. "οὐ γὰρ τῇ ἡλικίᾳ", φησίν, "ἐκ τοῦ φρον 12.4 τίζειν προσθεῖναί τι δύνασθε." ὁ γὰρ θεὸς οἶδεν σαφῶς τίνα μὲν ἡμῖν ἔχειν, τίνων δὲ ἀπορεῖν συμφέρει. κενώσαντας οὖν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς 12.5 τῶν κοσμικῶν φροντίδων ἀξιοῖ πληροῦσθαι τῆς εἰς θεόν. "ἡμεῖς γὰρ στενάζομεν ἐπενδύσασθαι ποθοῦντες" τὰ ἄφθαρτα, πρὶν ἐκδύσασθαι 12.6 τὴν φθοράν. ἐπιχεομένης γὰρ τῆς πίστεως ἀπορρεῖ ἡ ἀπιστία. ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ γνώσεως καὶ δικαιοσύνης. οὐ χρὴ οὖν μόνον κενῶσαι τὴν 12.7 ψυχήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πληρῶσαι θεοῦ. οὔτε γὰρ ἔτι κακόν, ἐπεὶ πέπαυται, οὔτε ἤδη ἀγαθόν, ἐπεὶ μηδέπω εἴληφεν· τὸ δὲ μήτε ἀγαθὸν μήτε 12.8 κακὸν οὐδέν ἐστιν. "ἐπάνεισι γὰρ εἰς τὸν κεκαθαρμένον οἶκον καὶ κενόν", ἐὰν μηδὲν τῶν σωτηρίων