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having transformed the invisible soul for the better by power and grace. And thus directing your mind to many things, you will see the visible things as easy to despise, but the things accomplished by them as great, especially when you gather from ancient history things akin and similar to what you are seeking. The rod of Moses was a rod of nut-wood, and what else than a common piece of wood, which any hand cuts and carries and shapes as it seems fit and gives to the fire at will? But when God willed to perform through it the high miracles beyond description, the wood was changed into a serpent; and again elsewhere striking the waters it sometimes made the water blood, and sometimes it made a brood of frogs spring forth; and again it cut the sea, parting it down to the depths and not letting it flow back together. Similarly the sheepskin of one of the prophets, being the skin of a goat, made Elisha famous throughout the inhabited world. But the wood of the cross is salvation for all men, being a piece, as I hear, of a sycamore, a contemptible plant and less honored than most. And a thorn bush showed the theophanies to Moses, and the 9.227 relics of Elisha raised a dead man, and clay gave light to the man blind from the womb; and all these things, being lifeless and senseless matter, mediated the great miracles, having received the power of God.

And according to the same sequence of thoughts, water, being nothing other than water, renews man into the spiritual regeneration of the grace from above which blesses it. But if someone, again hesitating and doubting, makes trouble for me by continually asking and inquiring, how does water regenerate and the mystery celebrated upon it, I will say to him most justly: explain to me the manner of generation according to the flesh, and I will narrate to you the power of the regeneration according to the soul. You might say, giving some kind of reason: the cause of seed makes the man. Hear in reply then also from us, that blessed water purifies and enlightens man. And if you again object to me "how?", I will shout back at you more vehemently: how does the wet and formless substance become a man? And so the argument, proceeding through all of creation, will be exercised on each thing: how heaven? how earth? how sea? how each particular thing? For everywhere human reasoning, being at a loss for the discovery, flees to this syllable as those unable to walk flee to a chair. And to speak concisely, everywhere the power and energy of God is incomprehensible and unexplainable by art, bringing into existence with ease whatever it may wish, but having hidden from us the detailed knowledge of its energy. Therefore the blessed David also, having once fixed his mind on the magnificence of creation and being filled in his soul with unutterable wonder, uttered that 9.228 which is sung by all.

How magnified are your works, O Lord, in wisdom you have made them all. For he understood the wisdom, but he did not find the art of the wisdom. Leaving behind, then, the being overly curious about what is beyond human power, let us rather seek that which also suggests a partial comprehension: for what reason is the purification through water, and for what need are the three immersions received? Therefore, what the fathers taught and what our mind, agreeing, has accepted, is this. We know four elements, from which the world has its composition, known to all, even if their names are unspoken, but if it is fitting for the simpler to say the names also: fire and air, earth and water. Our God and savior, therefore, fulfilling the economy for our sake, went under the fourth of these, the earth, so that from there he might cause life to arise; but we, receiving baptism in imitation of our Lord and teacher and guide, are not buried in the earth (for this becomes the covering of the completely dead body, concealing the weakness and corruption of our nature), but coming to the element akin to earth, to water, in that

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δυνάμει καὶ χάριτι τὴν ἀόρατον ψυχὴν μεταμορφωθεὶς πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον. καὶ οὕτως ἐπὶ πολλὰ τῶν πραγμάτων φέρων τὸν νοῦν εὐκαταφρόνητα μὲν ὄψει τὰ φαινόμενα, μεγάλα δὲ τὰ ἀπ' ἐκείνων τελούμενα, μάλισθ' ὅταν ἐκ τῆς παλαιᾶς ἱστορίας ἀναλέζῃ τὰ συγγενῆ τοῦ ζητουμένου καὶ ὅμοια. τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἡ ῥάβδος ῥάβδος ἦν καρυΐνη, καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλο ἢ ξύλον κοινόν, ὃ πᾶσα χεὶρ κόπτει καὶ φέρει ῥυθμίζει τε πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν καὶ τῷ πυρὶ κατ' ἐξουσίαν δίδωσιν; ἡνίκα δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἠθέλησεν ἐπιτελέσαι δι' ἐκείνης τὰ ὑψηλὰ καὶ λόγου κρείττονα θαύματα, μετεβάλ λετο τὸ ξύλον εἰς ὄφιν· καὶ πάλιν ἑτέρωθι τύπτον τὰ ὕδατα ποτὲ μὲν αἷμα τὸ ὕδωρ ἐποίει, ποτὲ δὲ βατράχων γονὴν ἀνέβλυζεν· καὶ πάλιν τὴν θάλατταν ἔτεμνε μέχρι βυθῶν διακοπτομένην καὶ μὴ συρρέουσαν. ὁμοίως ἑνὸς τῶν προφητῶν μηλωτὴ αἰγὸς οὖσα δέρμα λόγον τῆς οἰκου μένης τὸν Ἐλισαῖον εἰργάσατο. τὸ δὲ τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶ σωτήριον μέρος ὄν, ὡς ἀκούω, συκομο ρέας εὐκαταφρονήτου φυτοῦ καὶ τῶν πολλῶν ἀτιμοτέρου. καὶ θαμνὸς βάτου τῷ Μωϋσεῖ τὰ θεοφάνια ἔδειξε, καὶ τοῦ 9.227 Ἐλισαίου τὰ λείψανα νεκρὸν ἀνέστησε, καὶ πηλὸς τὸν τυφλὸν τὸν ἐκ κοιλίας ἐφώτισε· καὶ ταῦτα πάντα ὕλαι τυγχάνοντα ἄψυχοι καὶ ἀναίσθητοι τοῖς μεγάλοις θαύμασιν ἐμεσίτευσαν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δεξάμενα δύναμιν.

Κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὁμοίαν ἀκολουθίαν τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ οὐδὲν ἄλλο τυγχάνον ἢ ὕδωρ ἀνακαινίζει τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἰς τὴν νοητὴν ἀναγέννησιν τῆς ἄνωθεν χάριτος εὐλογούσης αὐτό. ἐὰν δέ μοι πάλιν διστάζων τις καὶ ἀμφιβάλλων πράγματα παρέχῃ συνεχῶς ἐρωτῶν καὶ διαπυνθανόμενος, πῶς ὕδωρ ἀναγεννᾷ καὶ ἡ ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ τελουμένη μυσταγωγία, λέξω πρὸς αὐτὸν δικαιότατα· στῆσόν μοι τὸν τρόπον τῆς γεννήσεως τῆς κατὰ σάρκα κἀγώ σοι διηγήσομαι τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν παλιγγενεσίας τὴν δύναμιν. ἐρεῖς τυχὸν ὥς τινα λόγον ἀποδιδούς· σπέρματος αἰτία ποιεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ἀντάκουε τοίνυν καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν, ὡς ὕδωρ εὐλογούμενον καθαίρει καὶ φωτίζει τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ἂν δέ μοι πάλιν ἀνθυποκρούσῃς τὸ πῶς, ἀντιβοήσομαί σοι σφο δρότερον· πῶς ἡ ὑγρὰ καὶ ἄμορφος οὐσία ἄνθρωπος γίνεται; καὶ κατὰ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως οὕτως ὁ λόγος προβαίνων ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ πράγματι γυμνασθήσεται· πῶς οὐρανός; πῶς γῆ; πῶς θάλασσα; πῶς τὰ καθέκαστον; πανταχοῦ γὰρ ὁ λογισμὸς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπορῶν πρὸς τὴν εὕρεσιν πρὸς ταύτην καταφεύγει τὴν συλλαβὴν ὡς πρὸς καθέδραν οἱ τῷ βαδίζειν ἀδύνατοι. καὶ ἵνα συνελὼν εἴπω, πανταχοῦ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ ἐνέργεια ἀκατάληπτός ἐστι καὶ ἀτεχνολόγητος ὑφιστῶσα μὲν εὐκόλως ἅπερ ἂν ἐθέλῃ, τὴν δὲ λεπτομερῆ γνῶσιν τῆς ἐνεργείας ἡμῖν ἀποκρύψασα. διὸ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ ἐπιστήσας ποτὲ τὸν νοῦν τῇ μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ τῆς κτίσεως καὶ θαύματος ἀπόρου πληρωθεὶς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκεῖνο 9.228 τὸ παρὰ πάντων ᾀδόμενον ἀπεφθέγξατο.

Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου κύριε, πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας. τὴν μὲν γὰρ σοφίαν ἐνενόησε, τὴν δὲ τέχνην τῆς σοφίας οὐχ εὗρεν. Καταλιπόντες τοίνυν τὸ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἀνθρωπικὴν πολυ πραγμονεῖν ἐκεῖνο μᾶλλον ζητήσωμεν, ὃ καὶ μερικὴν ὑποφαίνει κατάληψιν· τίνος ἕνεκεν δι' ὕδατος ἡ κάθαρσις, καὶ πρὸς ποίαν χρείαν αἱ τρεῖς καταδύσεις παραλαμβάνονται; ὃ τοίνυν καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἐδίδαξαν καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος νοῦς συντιθέμενος κατεδέξατο, τοῦτο τυγχάνει. τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα γνωρίζομεν, ἀφ' ὧν ὁ κόσμος ἔχει τὴν σύστασιν, γνώριμα πᾶσι, κἂν σιωπηθῇ τὰ ὀνόματα, εἰ δὲ προσῆκε διὰ τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους καὶ τὰς προσηγορίας εἰπεῖν· πῦρ καὶ ἀήρ, γῆ καὶ ὕδωρ. ὁ τοίνυν θεὸς ἡμῶν καὶ σωτὴρ τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οἰκονομίαν πληρῶν τὸ τέταρτον τούτων ὑπῆλθε τὴν γῆν, ἵν' ἐκεῖθεν τὴν ζωὴν ἀνατείλῃ· ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸ βάπτισμα παραλαμβάνοντες εἰς μίμησιν τοῦ κυρίου καὶ διδασκάλου καὶ καθηγεμόνος ἡμῶν εἰς γῆν μὲν οὐ θαπτόμεθα (αὕτη γὰρ τοῦ νεκρωθέντος παντελῶς σώματος γίνεται σκέπη τὴν ἀσθένειαν καὶ φθορὰν τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν περιστέλλουσα), ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ συγγενὲς τῆς γῆς στοιχεῖον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐρχόμενοι ἐκείνῳ