John Chrysostom, On the river Jordan

he cut the teacher's mantle. For since mortal nature was not sufficient in itself to stop the stream, Jesus enters first, bearing the name of the Master, and bringing with him the ark, the symbol of the master's body. And the Jordan appears to have honored neither Jesus, that mere man, 61.726 I mean the son of Nun, nor revered the Jews, nor been abashed by the priests. And that it might be shown that it does not yield to the people, but reveres the ark, Jesus says: Behold, the ark of the Lord of all the earth is crossing the Jordan. And it shall be, when the feet of the priests who carry the ark enter, the Jordan will fail, not out of reverence for the priests, but for the ark. And from where is this? Listen. David asks it, saying: What is it to you, O sea, that you fled? And you, Jordan, that you were turned back? To these things creation answers, saying: At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved. And the form of the ark was the face of the Lord.

For what the ark was to the law and the tablets and the jar and the rod, this the master's flesh was to the incomprehensible divinity, bearing the divinity as in an ark. Concerning this holy ark, the blessed David said: Arise, O Lord, into your rest, you and the ark of your holiness. And see what it does: that the Jordan was dried up, not by destroying its streams, but by turning them back to their ancient sources, Jesus, it says, took up twelve large stones from the Jordan, and set them up beyond the river; and he placed in their stead twelve other stones in the river. What does this mean, that twelve stones were taken away, and twelve others were placed in their stead? Since, as I have already said, he was holding back mortal nature; or rather, he wishes to show that he is drawing humanity up from the depths, and leading it up to heaven. For the stones that had never seen a ray of the sun, nor received the sight of light, he spread out into the light, and they were drawn up from the deep onto the land. But why did he take twelve stones from there? Because through the twelve apostles he was about to draw humanity up from mortal nature. So be it, he took away the stones that were below, that he might show to the sun and the light and to the people after them a clear sight of how they crossed the Jordan; for indeed he also indicated the reason; If your son, he says, should ask you, saying: What are these stones? say to him that, We crossed the Jordan on dry land, for God stopped the water before our face. But so be it, the stones that were brought up were placed there, that they might appear to those who came after; why were the others placed in their stead? He took from the depths those who were submerged, and gave to the depth again pledges of salvation. The stones placed were pledges, those taken were security.

And great is the contemplation concerning these things, both why stones were placed, and why stones were taken away. Christ both takes and gives. He came into the world, and took up our body, having given us his own power. Through the apostles he places in the river twelve stones, a pledge of salvation, and an earnest of things to come. For one who has given something to someone for some matter, gives him a pledge for the future. Since therefore this name was about to be kept for him again, when he was about to be baptized by John, he beforehand deposited the pledges of his epiphany, and set up the stones, those whom he took from there, the patriarchs, whom he raised up then; and those whom he set up in their place, the apostles, whom he gave instead of them. For instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you. Thus he crossed the Jordan, and the Jordan becomes for Jesus son of Nun the beginning of the possession of the land. Until he had passed over the Jordan, he did not inherit the promised land; until Christ had passed over the Jordan, he did not begin to preach the kingdom. The beginning of the possession of the land is the Jordan, the beginning of the possession of the kingdom of heaven is the Jordan. For this reason the prophet

μηλωτὴν τοῦ διδασκάλου ἔτεμεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ θνητὴ φύσις οὐκ ἤρκει καθ' ἑαυτὴν στῆσαι τὸ ῥεῖθρον, εἰσέρχεται Ἰησοῦς πρῶτος φέρων μὲν τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν προσηγορίαν, ἐπαγόμενος δὲ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν κιβωτὸν, τὸ σύμβολον τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ σώματος. Καὶ φαίνεται ὁ Ἰορδάνης οὔτε τὸν Ἰησοῦν τιμήσας, τὸν ψιλὸν ἄνθρω 61.726 πον ἐκεῖνον, λέγω τὸν τοῦ Ναυῆ, οὔτε τοὺς Ἰουδαίους αἰδεσθεὶς, οὔτε τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἐντραπείς. Καὶ ἵνα δειχθῇ ὅτι οὐ τῷ λαῷ ὑποχωρεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν κιβωτὸν αἰδεῖται, λέγει Ἰησοῦς· Ἰδοὺ ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ κυριεύοντος πάσης τῆς γῆς διέρχεται τὸν Ἰορδάνην. Καὶ ἔσται, ὅταν εἰσέλθωσιν οἱ πόδες τῶν ἱερέων τῶν βασταζόντων τὴν κιβωτὸν, ὁ Ἰορδάνης ἐκλείψει, οὐ τοὺς ἱερεῖς αἰδούμενος, ἀλλὰ τὴν κιβωτόν. Καὶ πόθεν τοῦτο, ἄκουε. Ἐρωτᾷ αὐτὸν ὁ ∆αυῒδ λέγων· Τί σοί ἐστι, θάλασσα, ὅτι ἔφυγες; καὶ σὺ, Ἰορδάνη, ὅτι ἐστράφης εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω; Πρὸς ταῦτα ἀποκρίνεται ἡ δημιουργία λέγουσα· Ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου ἐσαλεύθη ἡ γῆ. Πρόσωπον δὲ Κυρίου ἦν τὸ σχῆμα τῆς κιβωτοῦ.

Ὃ γὰρ ἦν ἡ κιβωτὸς τῷ νόμῳ καὶ ταῖς πλαξὶ καὶ τῇ στάμνῳ καὶ τῇ ῥάβδῳ, τοῦτο ἦν τῆς ἀκαταλήπτου θεότητος ἡ σὰρξ ἡ δεσποτικὴ, ὡς ἐν κιβωτῷ φέρουσα τὴν θεότητα. Περὶ ταύτης τῆς ἁγίας κιβωτοῦ ἔλεγεν ὁ μακάριος ∆αυΐδ· Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου, σὺ καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ ἁγιάσματός σου. Καὶ ὅρα τί ποιεῖ· ὅτι ἐξηράνθη ὁ Ἰορδάνης, οὐκ ἀπολέσας τὰ ῥεῖθρα, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰς ἀρχαίας ῥίζας ἀναποδήσας, Ἐπῆρε, φησὶν, Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰορδάνουδώδεκα λίθους μεγάλους, καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτοὺς πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ· ἔθηκε δὲ ἀντ' αὐτῶν ἄλλους δώδεκα λίθους ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ. Τί βούλεται τοῦτο εἶναι τὸ περιαιρεθῆναι δώδεκα λίθους, καὶ τεθῆναι ἀντ' αὐτῶν ἄλλους δώδεκα; Ἐπειδὴ, ὡς ἔφθην εἰπὼν, τὴν θνητὴν φύσιν ἀνεχαίτιζε· μᾶλλον δὲ βούλεται δεῖξαι ὅτι ἀνασπᾷ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ἐκ τῶν βυθῶν, καὶ ἀνάγει εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. Τοὺς γὰρ λίθους τοὺς μηδέποτε θεασαμένους ἡλιακὴν ἀκτῖνα, μήτε φωτὸς δεξαμένους ὄψιν, ἥπλωσεν εἰς φῶς, καὶ ἦσαν εἰς γῆν ἐκ βυθοῦ ἀνασπασθέντες. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ δώδεκα λίθους ἔλαβεν ἐκεῖθεν; Ἐπειδὴ διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων ἔμελλεν ἀνασπᾷν τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ἀπὸ τῆς θνητῆς φύσεως. Ἔστω δὲ, τοὺς ὄντας κάτω λίθους περιεῖλεν, ἵνα δείξῃ τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ τῷ φωτὶ καὶ τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνθρώποις ἐναργῆ ὄψιν, πῶς διέβησαν τὸν Ἰορδάνην· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐσήμανεν· Ἐὰν ἐρωτήσῃ σε, φησὶν, ὁ υἱός σου, λέγων· Τί εἰσιν οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι; εἰπὲ αὐτῷ, ὅτι, Ἐπὶ ξηρᾶς διέβημεν τὸν Ἰορδάνην, κωλύσαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ πρὸ προσώπου ἡμῶν. Ἀλλ' ἔστω, οἱ ἀνενεχθέντες λίθοι ἐτέθησαν, ἵνα φανῶσι τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα· οἱ ἀντιτεθέντες διὰ τί ἀντετέθησαν; Ἔλαβεν ἐκ τῶν βυθῶν τοὺς βεβυθισμένους, καὶ ἔδωκε τῷ βυθῷ πάλιν ἐνέχυρα σωτηρίας. Οἱ τεθέντες λίθοι ἐνέχυρα, οἱ ληφθέντες ἀσφάλεια.

Καὶ πολλὴ ἡ περὶ τούτων θεωρία, καὶ διὰ τί ἐτέθησαν λίθοι, καὶ διὰ τί περιῃρέθησαν λίθοι. Χριστὸς καὶ λαμβάνει, καὶ δίδωσιν. Ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, καὶ ἀνέλαβε τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἡμέτερον, δεδωκὼς ἡμῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν. ∆ιὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀντιτίθησι τῷ ποταμῷ δώδεκα λίθους, ἐνέχυρον σωτηρίας, καὶ ἀῤῥαβῶνα τῶν μελλόντων. Ὁ γὰρ δεδωκώς τινί τι εἴς τι πρᾶγμα, ἐνεχυριάζει αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ μέλλον. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἔμελλε τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα πάλιν αὐτῷ τηρεῖσθαι, ὅτε ἔμελλε βαπτίζεσθαι ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου, προλαβὼν ἀπέθετο τὰ ἐνέχυρα τῆς ἐπιφανείας, καὶ ἔστησε τοὺς λίθους, οὓς μὲν ἔλαβεν ἐκεῖθεν, τοὺς πατριάρχας, οὓς ἤγειρε τότε· οὓς δὲ ἀντέθηκε, τοὺς ἀποστόλους, οὓς ἔδωκεν ἀντ' ἐκείνων. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τῶν πατέρων σου ἐγεννήθησάν σοι υἱοί. Οὕτω διέβη τὸν Ἰορδάνην, καὶ γίνεται ὁ Ἰορδάνης Ἰησοῦ τῷ τοῦ Ναυῆ ἀρχὴ τῆς κατασχέσεως τῆς γῆς. Ἕως ὅτε παρῆλθε τὸν Ἰορδάνην, οὐκ ἐκληρονόμησε τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην γῆν· ἕως ὅτε Χριστὸς παρῆλθε τὸν Ἰορδάνην, οὐκ ἤρξατο κηρύσσειν τὴν βασιλείαν. Ἀρχὴ τῆς κατασχέσεως τῆς γῆς ὁ Ἰορδάνης, ἀρχὴ τῆς κατασχέσεως τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ὁ Ἰορδάνης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ προφήτης