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Baptism by fire is a reproof of all wickedness, but receptive of the righteousness according to Christ, implanting a hatred of wickedness, and a desire for virtue; and through faith by the blood of Christ we were cleansed from all sin, and being baptized in water into the death of the Lord, we deposited, as it were, a written confession; to have been put to death to sin and to the world, but to have been made alive to righteousness, and thus being baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit, we were born from above; and having been born and baptized in the name of the Son, we put on Christ; and having put on the new man, created according to God, we were baptized in the name of the Father and declared children of God.

There is need, then, henceforth, for us to be nourished with the food of eternal life, which the same only-begotten Son of the living God again delivered to us, saying: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." And how this might happen, He taught by saying: "My food is to do the will of the Father who sent me;" and again: "Truly, truly, I say to you." For the confirmation of what follows and the full assurance of the hearers, setting this forth a second time, He says that, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." And a little after it is written: "Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can listen to it? But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, Does this offend you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. My words are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who believed, and who it was that would betray him. And he said, For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my Father." And toward the end: "So Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it 31.1437 to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." And the Apostle: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death."

What then are these words, and what is the benefit from them? That, by eating and drinking, we may always remember Him who died for us and was raised, and thus be necessarily instructed to keep that apostolic command given to us, which says: "For the love of Christ constrains us, because we have concluded this: that if one died for all, then all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." For he who eats and drinks, clearly for an indelible memory of the obedience unto death of the Lord and Creator, and who for my sake became that which was created. But it is not simply commanded to eat, but we are also urged to discern such a body of the Lord; that is, having put away defilement of flesh and spirit, and having prepared a vessel for the spiritual myrrh, thus to approach the pure sacrifice, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power now and for ever and ever. Amen.

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πυρὶ βάπτισμα ἐλεγκτικὸν μέν ἐστι πάσης κακίας, δεκτικὸν δὲ τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν δικαιοσύνης, μῖσος μὲν ἐμποιοῦν τῆς κακίας, ἐπιθυμίαν δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς· διὰ δὲ τῆς πίστεως ὑπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκαθαρίσθημεν ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας, ἐν δὲ τῷ ὕδατι βαπτισθέντες εἰς τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Κυρίου, ὥσπερ ἔγγραφον ὁμολογίαν κατεθέμεθα· νενεκρῶσθαι μὲν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ καὶ τῷ κόσμῳ, ἐζωοποιεῖσθαι δὲ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ οὕτως ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος βαπτισθέντες, ἄνωθεν ἐγεννήθημεν· γεννηθέντες δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Υἱοῦ βαπτισθέντες, τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνεδυσάμεθα· ἐνδυσάμενοι δὲ τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον, τὸν κατὰ Θεὸν κτισθέντα, ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐβαπτίσθημεν καὶ τέκνα Θεοῦ ἀπηγορεύθημεν.

Χρεία οὖν λοιπὸν τρέφεσθαι ἡμᾶς τροφὴν ζωῆς αἰωνίου, ἥντινα παρέδωκεν ἡμῖν πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ ζῶντος Θεοῦ, εἰπών· «Οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ.» Καὶ πῶς τοῦτο γένηται, ἐδίδαξεν ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν· «Ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν, ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με Πατρός·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν.» Πρὸς βεβαίωσιν τῶν ἐπιφερομένων καὶ πληροφορίαν τῶν ἀκουόντων, ἐκ δευτέρου τοῦτο προθεὶς, φησὶν, ὅτι «Ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. Ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα, καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα, ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Ἡ γὰρ σάρξ μου ἀληθής ἐστι βρῶσις· καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ἀληθής ἐστι πόσις. Ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα, καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα, ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει, κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα γέγραπται· «Πολλοὶ οὖν, ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, εἶπον· Σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος. Τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν; Εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ὅτι γογγύζουσι περὶ τούτου οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει; Ἐὰν οὖν ἴδητε τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνοντα ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον; Τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστι τὸ ζωοποιοῦν· ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν. Τὰ ῥήματά μου πνεῦμά ἐστι καὶ ζωή ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' εἰσί τινες ἐξ ὑμῶν, οἳ οὐ πιστεύουσιν. Ἤδει γὰρ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐξ ἀρχῆς, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ πιστεύοντες, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδώσων αὐτόν. Καὶ ἔλεγεν· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα ὑμῖν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρὸς μὲ, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός μου.» Καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει· «Λαβὼν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἄρτον, καὶ εὐχαριστήσας, ἔκλασε, καὶ ἐδίδου 31.1437 τοῖς μαθηταῖς, καὶ εἶπε· Λάβετε, φάγετε· τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κλώμενον· τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν. Καὶ λαβὼν ποτήριον, εὐχαριστήσας, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς εἰπών· Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ αἷμά μου τὸ τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης, τὸ περὶ πολλῶν ἐκχυνόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν.» Καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· «Ὁσάκις γὰρ ἂν ἐσθίητε τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον, καὶ τὸ ποτήριον πίνητε, τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Κυρίου καταγγέλλετε.»

Τί οὖν τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, καὶ τί τὸ παρ' αὐτῶν ὄφελος; Ἵνα, ἐσθίοντές τε καὶ πίνοντες, ἀεὶ μνημονεύωμεν τοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντος καὶ ἐγερθέντος, καὶ οὕτω παιδευθῶμεν ἀναγκαίως φυλάξαι τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἡμῖν δεδομένον παράγγελμα, τὸ φάσκον· «Ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνέχει ἡμᾶς, κρίναντας τοῦτο, ὅτι, εἰ εἷς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν, ἄρα οἱ πάντες ἀπέθανον· καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν, ἵνα οἱ ζῶντες μηκέτι ἑαυτοῖς ζῶσιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀποθανόντι καὶ ἐγερθέντι.» Ὁ γὰρ ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων, δηλονότι εἰς ἀνεξάλειπτον τῆς μέχρι θανάτου ὑπακοῆς μνήμην τοῦ ∆εσπότου καὶ πλάστου, καὶ δι' ἐμὲ ὅπερ ἦν τὸ πλασθὲν γεγονότος. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐσθίειν προστέτακται, ἀλλὰ καὶ διακρίνειν τὸ τοιοῦτον τοῦ Κυρίου παρακελευόμεθα σῶμα· δηλονότι σαρκὸς μολυσμὸν καὶ πνεύματος ἀποθεμένους, καὶ δοχεῖον τοῦ πνευματικοῦ μύρου παρασκευάσαντας, οὕτως τῇ καθαρᾷ προσεγγίσαι θυσίᾳ, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος νῦν καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.