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of the devil, to introduce sin concealed, and just as one mixes poison with customary food, so he contrives to hide the oath in the preconception of men. What then? Shall we spend all our teaching and time on the oath? By no means; for indeed I suppose that there are some who have succeeded.

For just as when the sower went out, not all the seed fell among the thorns, nor all on the rocks, but much also fell on the good ground, so also now it is impossible, with so much teaching having been given among so great a multitude, that there should be no one able to show the fruit. Therefore, since many have succeeded, but not yet all, let us also divide our discourse. For it was necessary 157 for those who have not succeeded not to hear mystical words at all; but lest those be spitefully treated, let us grant a favor to the more careless for the sake of the more zealous; for it is much better to grant a favor to these for the sake of those, than to spitefully treat the more zealous for the sake of the more careless. But I wish to remind you of a debt, which in the former discourse I promised, but did not pay, as the discourse hurried us on to more necessary things. What then was that debt? I sought to tell you, for what reason our fathers, having passed over all the time of the year, have legislated at this time that your souls should be initiated into the mysteries; and I was saying, that not simply nor at random has the observance of the season occurred. For the grace is always the same and is not hindered by time; for the grace is divine; but this observance of the season also has something mystical. For what reason then have the fathers legislated this feast now? Now our king has conquered the war against the barbarians; for barbarians they are, and more savage than barbarians, all the demons. Now He has abolished sin, now He has quenched death and has subjected the devil, He has taken the captives. Therefore, as memorials of those victories we celebrate the present day. For this reason the fathers have legislated now that the royal gifts should be distributed; for this is the law of victories. Thus also do worldly kings; they honor the days of victories with many honors. But the manner of that honor is full of dishonor; for what honor is there in theaters and the things done and said in theaters? Is not everything filled with shame and much laughter? But this honor is worthy of the great gift of Him who honored it. For this reason they have legislated now, so that they might remind you through the season of the victory of the Lord, so that in the victory celebrations there might be some who wear the bright garments and enter in to honor the king; but not for this reason only, but so that 158 you might also share in the season with the Lord. He was crucified, it says, on the tree; be crucified you through baptism; for a cross, it says, is both baptism and death, but a death of sin, but a cross of the old man.

Hear, then, what Paul says, how he says both concerning baptism, that it is a death of sin and the cross; "or are you ignorant that as many of you as were baptized into Christ, were baptized into his death"? And again; "Our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with". Therefore, lest having heard of death and having heard of a cross you should be afraid, he added that the cross is a death of sin. Have you seen how baptism is a cross? Learn that Christ also called the cross a baptism, giving you in return and receiving in exchange the name of baptism. Your baptism he called a cross; my cross, he says, I call a baptism. And where does he say this? "I have a baptism to be baptized with, which you do not know". And from where is it clear that he speaks concerning the cross? The sons of Zebedee came to him, or rather "the mother of the sons of Zebedee" saying; "Grant that these my two sons may sit, one on your right and one on your left in your kingdom". The request of a mother, even if inconsiderate. What then Christ? "Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized"? Do you see that

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τοῦ διαβόλου, συγκεκαλυμμένην εἰσάγειν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ὥσπερ συνήθει τροφῇ δηλητήριον μιγνύς, οὕτω τῇ προλήψει τῶν ἀνθρώπων μηχανᾶται ἐγκατακρύψαι τὸν ὅρκον. τί οὖν εἰς τὸν ὅρκον ἅπασαν ἀναλώσομεν τὴν διδασκαλίαν καὶ τὸν χρόνον; οὐδαμῶς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ στοχάζομαι εἶναί τινας τοὺς κατωρθωκότας.

ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ σπείροντος ἐξελθόντος οὐχ ἅπας ὁ σπόρος εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας ἔπεσεν, οὐδὲ ἅπας εἰς τὰς πέτρας, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν κατηνέχθη τὴν καλήν, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ἀδύνατον τοσαύτης διδασκαλίας γενομένης ἐν πλήθει τοσούτῳ μηδένα εἶναι τὸν δυνάμενον ἐπιδείξασθαι τὸν καρπόν. οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ μὲν κατώρθωσαν, οὔπω δὲ πάντες, μερίσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν λόγον. ἔδει μὲν 157 γὰρ τοὺς μὴ κατωρθωκότας μηδὲ ὅλως ἀκοῦσαι μυστικῶν λόγων· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἐπηρεάζωνται ἐκεῖνοι, χαρισώμεθα τοῖς ῥᾳθυμοτέροις διὰ τοὺς σπουδαιοτέρους· πολλῷ γὰρ βέλτιον τούτοις δι' ἐκείνους χαρίσασθαι, ἢ τοὺς σπουδαιοτέρους ἐπηρεάσαι διὰ τοὺς ῥᾳθυμοτέρους. Ἀναμνῆσαι δὲ βούλομαι χρέους ὑμᾶς, ὃ τῇ προτέρᾳ διαλέξει ὑπεσχόμην μέν, οὐ κατέβαλον δέ, πρὸς ἀναγκαιότερα τοῦ λόγου κατεπείξαντος ἡμᾶς. τί οὖν ἦν τὸ χρέος ἐκεῖνο; ἐζήτουν πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν, τίνος ἕνεκεν οἱ πατέρες οἱ ἡμέτεροι πάντα τὸν χρόνον τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ παραδραμόντες ἐν τούτῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἐνομοθέτησαν τὰς ὑμετέρας μυσταγωγεῖσθαι ψυχάς· καὶ ἔλεγον, ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ εἰκῇ ἡ τοῦ καιροῦ παρατήρησις γέγονεν. ἀεὶ μὲν γὰρ ἡ αὐτὴ χάρις καὶ οὐκ ἐμποδίζεται χρόνῳ· θείᾳ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ χάρις· ἔχει δὲ μυστικόν τι καὶ ἡ τοῦ καιροῦ παρατήρησις. τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν νῦν ἐνομοθέτησαν τὴν ἑορτὴν ταύτην οἱ πατέρες; νῦν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν ἐνίκησε τὸν πόλεμον τὸν πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους· βάρβαροι γάρ εἰσι καὶ βαρβάρων ἀγριώτεροι πάντες οἱ δαίμονες. νῦν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κατέλυσε, νῦν τὸν θάνατον ἔσβεσε καὶ τὸν διάβολον ὑπέταξε, τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἔλαβε. τῶν ἐπινικίων τοίνυν ἐκείνων ὑπομνήματα ἄγομεν τὴν παροῦσαν ἡμέραν. διὰ τοῦτο νῦν ἐνομοθέτησαν οἱ πατέρες τὰς βασιλικὰς δωρεὰς διανέμεσθαι· οὗτος γὰρ ἐπινικίων ὁ νόμος. οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν βασιλεῖς ποιοῦσι· τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν ἐπινικίων πολλαῖς τιμῶσι τιμαῖς. ἀλλ' ἐκείνης μὲν τῆς τιμῆς ὁ τρόπος ἀτιμίας γέμει· ποία γὰρ τιμὴ θέατρα καὶ τὰ ἐν θεάτροις πραττόμενα καὶ λεγόμενα; οὐχὶ πάντα αἰσχύνης ἐμπέπλησται καὶ πολλοῦ τοῦ γέλωτος; αὕτη δὲ ἡ τιμὴ τῆς τοῦ τιμήσαντός ἐστιν ἀξία μεγαλοδωρεᾶς. διὰ τοῦτο νῦν ἐνομοθέτησαν, ἵνα σε ἀναμνήσωσι διὰ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς νίκης τοῦ δεσπότου, ἵνα ἐν τοῖς ἐπινικίοις ὦσί τινες οἱ τὰ λαμπρὰ φοροῦντες ἱμάτια καὶ εἰσιόντες εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ βασιλέως· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα 158 καὶ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν κοινωνῇς τῷ δεσπότῃ. ἐσταυρώθη, φησίν, ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ· σταυρώθητι σὺ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος· σταυρὸς γάρ φησι καὶ βάπτισμα καὶ θάνατος, ἀλλὰ θάνατος ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ σταυρὸς τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀνθρώπου.

Ἄκουσον γοῦν, τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος, πῶς ἀμφότερα λέγει περὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ὅτι θάνατος ἐστιν ἁμαρτίας καὶ ὁ σταυρός· "ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε ὅτι ὅσοι εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθητε"; καὶ πάλιν· "ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη, ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας". ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἀκούσας θάνατον καὶ ἀκούσας σταυρὸν φοβηθῇς, ἐπήγαγεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίας θάνατός ἐστιν ὁ σταυρός. εἶδες, πῶς σταυρὸς τὸ βάπτισμα; μάθε, ὅτι καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν βάπτισμα ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Χριστός, ἀντιδιδούς σοι καὶ ἀντιλαμβάνων τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ βαπτίσματος. τὸ βάπτισμα τὸ σὸν ἐκάλεσε σταυρόν· τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν ἐμόν, φησί, καλῶ βάπτισμα. καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο φησί; "βάπτισμα ἔχω βαπτισθῆναι, ὃ ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε". καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, ὅτι περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ λέγει; προσῆλθον αὐτῷ υἱοὶ Ζεβεδαίου, μᾶλλον δὲ "ἡ μήτηρ τῶν υἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου" λέγουσα· "Εἰπέ, ἵνα οὗτοι οἱ δύο υἱοί μου καθίσωσιν, εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου". μητρὸς ἡ αἴτησις, εἰ καὶ ἀπερίσκεπτος. τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; "δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον, ὃ ἐγὼ μέλλω πίνειν, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθῆναι"; ὁρᾷς, ὅτι