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saying: "All the glory of the king's daughter is within". Do you wish to see her shoes also? These too are not stitched from tangible material, nor composed of common leathers, but of the gospel and peace; for it says, "having shod your feet in the preparation of the gospel of peace". Do you want me to show you also the very face of the bride, flashing with light and having an indescribable beauty, with a great multitude of angels, of archangels, around her? But let us take the hand of the bridesman Paul, who, cutting through the crowd, will be able to lead us in to her. What then does he say? "Husbands, love your own wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her with the washing of water by the word". Have you seen her body, pure and radiant? Have you seen her, beautiful, flashing beyond the rays of the sun; 169 then he adds, "that she might be holy and blameless, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing". Have you seen the very flower of her youth, the very prime of her life? Do you wish to learn her name also? She is called faithful and holy. For Paul says, "an apostle of Christ Jesus to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus".

But having heard the name of the bride, I reminded myself of an old debt; for I had promised you why we are called faithful. For what reason then are we called so? We, the faithful, have been entrusted with things which our bodily eyes cannot see; so great and awesome are they, and they transcend our nature. For neither reason can discover them nor can human speech interpret them, but only the teaching of faith knows them well. For this reason God made for us two sets of eyes, those of the flesh, and those of faith. When you enter into the holy mystagogy, the eyes of the flesh see the water, but the eyes of faith behold the Spirit; and the former observe the body being baptized, but the latter, the old man being buried; the former, the flesh being washed, the latter, the soul being cleansed; the former, the body ascending from the waters, the latter behold the new man, shining brightly, ascending from this sacred purification. And the former see the priest from above placing his right hand and touching the head, but the latter behold the great High Priest from the heavens extending his invisible right hand and touching the head; for it is not a man who then baptizes, but the only-begotten Son of God himself. And what happened to the Master's flesh, this also happens to ours; for just as with that flesh, in appearance John held it by the head, but the Word of God led it down into the streams of the Jordan and baptized it, and from above the Father's voice saying, "This is my beloved Son," so also the Holy Spirit through his coming. 170 This also happens to your flesh; for the baptism takes place in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. For this reason John also said, teaching us that it is not a man who baptizes us, but God: "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire". For this reason also the priest, when baptizing, does not say, "I baptize so-and-so," but "So-and-so is baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," showing that it is not he who baptizes, but the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, whose name has also been invoked. For this reason also our recitation today is called faith, and we permit you to say nothing else before, until you say, "I believe." This word is an unshakable foundation, having an immovable structure above. For this reason Paul also says: "For he who comes to God must believe that he exists". For this reason you also, when coming to God, first believe and then you utter this word; for if this is not so, you can neither say nor understand any of the other things. And that the ineffable

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λέγων· "πᾶσα ἡ δόξα τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἔσωθεν". βούλει καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα αὐτῆς ἰδεῖν; οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἀπὸ αἰσθητῆς ὕλης ἐστὶν ἐρραμμένα, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ κοινῶν συγκείμενα δερμάτων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ εὐαγγελίου καὶ εἰρήνης· "ὑποδήσασθε" γάρ φησι "τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης". θέλεις σοι δείξω καὶ τὴν ὄψιν τῆς νύμφης αὐτὴν ἀπαστράπτουσαν καὶ κάλλος ἀμήχανον ἔχουσαν, πολὺ μὲν περὶ αὐτὴν πλῆθος ἀγγέλων, ἀρχαγγέλων; πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπιλαβώμεθα τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ νυμφαγωγοῦ Παύλου, ὃς τὸ πλῆθος διατεμὼν εἰσαγαγεῖν ἡμᾶς πρὸς αὐτὴν δυνήσεται. τί οὖν οὗτος φησίν; "οἱ ἄνδρες, ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησε τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, ἵνα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσῃ καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι". εἶδες αὐτῆς τὸ σῶμα καθαρὸν καὶ φαιδρόν; εἶδες ὡραίαν ὑπὲρ τὰς ἡλιακὰς ἀστράπτουσαν ἀκτῖνας· 169 εἶτα ἐπάγει, "ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία καὶ ἄμωμος, μὴ ἔχουσα σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων". εἶδες αὐτὸ τῆς νεότητος τὸ ἄνθος, αὐτὴν τῆς ἡλικίας τὴν ἀκμήν; βούλει καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς μαθεῖν; πιστὴ καλεῖται καὶ ἁγία. "Παῦλος" γάρ φησιν "ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ καὶ πιστοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ".

Ἀλλὰ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς νύμφης ἀκούσας ἀνέμνησα ἐμαυτὸν ὀφλήματος παλαιοῦ· καὶ γὰρ ἤμην ὑποσχόμενος ὑμῖν, τίνος ἕνεκεν πιστοὶ λεγόμεθα. τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν λεγόμεθα; πράγματα ἐπιστεύθημεν οἱ πιστοί, ἅπερ οἱ τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν ὀφθαλμοὶ ἰδεῖν οὐ δύνανται· οὕτως ἔστι μεγάλα καὶ φρικώδη καὶ τὴν φύσιν ὑπερβαίνει τὴν ἡμετέραν. οὔτε γὰρ λογισμὸς εὑρεῖν οὔτε λόγος ἀνθρώπινος ἑρμηνεῦσαι αὐτὰ δυνήσεται, μόνη δὲ ἡ τῆς πίστεως οἶδεν αὐτὰ διδασκαλία καλῶς. διὰ τοῦτο διπλοῦς ἡμῖν ἐποίησεν ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁ θεός, τοὺς μὲν τῆς σαρκός, τοὺς δὲ τῆς πίστεως. ὅταν εἰσέλθῃς εἰς τὴν ἱερὰν μυσταγωγίαν, οἱ μὲν ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς σαρκὸς τὸ ὕδωρ ὁρῶσιν, οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς πίστεως τὸ πνεῦμα βλέπουσι· κἀκεῖνοι μὲν τὸ σῶμα θεωροῦσι βαπτιζόμενον, οὗτοι δὲ τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον θαπτόμενον· ἐκεῖνοι τὴν σάρκα λουομένην, οὗτοι τὴν ψυχὴν καθαιρομένην· ἐκεῖνοι τὸ σῶμα ἀναβαῖνον ἀπὸ τῶν ὑδάτων, οὗτοι τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἀποστίλβοντα βλέπουσιν ἀναβαίνοντα ἀπὸ τῆς ἱερᾶς ταύτης καθάρσεως. κἀκεῖνοι μὲν τὸν ἱερέα βλέπουσιν ἄνωθεν ἐπιτιθέντα τὴν χεῖρα τὴν δεξιὰν καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἁπτόμενον, οὗτοι δὲ τὸν ἀρχιερέα τὸν μέγαν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν θεωροῦσι τὴν δεξιὰν τὴν ἀόρατον ἐκτείνοντα καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἁπτόμενον· οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ τότε βαπτίζων, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ θεοῦ παῖς. καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἐγένετο σαρκός, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας γίνεται· καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκείνην τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν Ἰωάννης ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς κατεῖχεν, ὁ δὲ θεὸς λόγος εἰς τὰ Ἰορδάνεια ῥεῖθρα κατῆγε καὶ ἐβάπτιζε καὶ ἄνωθεν ἡ πατρικὴ φωνὴ λέγουσα, "οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός", οὕτω καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ τῆς ἐπιφοιτήσεως. 170 τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σῆς γίνεται σαρκός· εἰς γὰρ ὄνομα πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος τὸ βάπτισμα γίνεται. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ Ἰωάννης ἔλεγε παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἄνθρωπος ἡμᾶς βαπτίζει, ἀλλ' ὁ θεός· "ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος αὐτοῦ. αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί". διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς βαπτίζων οὐ λέγει "Βαπτίζω τὸν δεῖνα", ἀλλὰ "Βαπτίζεται ὁ δεῖνα εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος", δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων, ἀλλ' ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὧν καὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἐπικέκληται. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ σήμερον ἡμῶν ἀπαγγελία πίστις λέγεται, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ὑμῖν ἐπιτρέπομεν εἰπεῖν πρότερον, ἕως ἂν εἴπητε ὅτι "Πιστεύω". τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο θεμέλιος ἄσειστος, οἰκοδομὴν ἔχων ἄνωθεν ἀσάλευτον. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος φησί· "πιστεῦσαι γὰρ δεῖ τὸν προσερχόμενον τῷ θεῷ, ὅτι ἔστι". διὰ τοῦτο καὶ σὺ προσερχόμενος τῷ θεῷ πρῶτον πιστεύεις καὶ τότε τοῦτο φθέγγει τὸ ῥῆμα· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ᾖ, οὐδὲν τῶν ἄλλων οὔτε εἰπεῖν οὔτε νοῆσαι δύνασαι. καὶ ἵνα τὴν ἄρρητον