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illumination, and Paul called it this again: For remember the former days, in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings; and again, For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and then have fallen away, to be restored again to repentance. It is also called baptism: For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. It is called burial: For you were buried with Him, he says, through baptism into death. It is called circumcision: In whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh. It is called a cross: For our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with. It is possible to mention other names more numerous than these, but so that we do not spend49.226 all our time on the names of this gift, come, let us go to the first name, and having stated its meaning, let us end the discourse; but for now let us draw our teaching a little from higher up. There is the common bath of all men, that of the public baths, which is accustomed to wipe away the filth of the body; and there is also a Jewish bath, more venerable than that one, but much inferior to that of grace; for it too wipes away bodily filth, but not simply bodily, but also that which touches a weak conscience. For there are many things which are not by nature unclean, but from the weakness of the conscience they become unclean. And just as with children, masks and other bugbears are not by nature fearful, but they seem fearful to children because of the weakness of their nature, so also is it with these things of which I have spoken; for example, touching dead bodies is not by nature unclean, but when it takes hold of a weak conscience, it makes the one who touches it unclean. For that the thing is not unclean by nature, Moses himself who decreed these things showed, carrying the entire corpse of Joseph with him, and remaining clean. For this reason Paul also, discoursing to us about this uncleanness which comes not by nature but through the weakness of the conscience, says something like this: Nothing is common of itself, except to him who considers anything to be common. Do you see that the uncleanness comes not from the nature of the thing, but from the weakness of the reasoning? And again, All things indeed are clean, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. Do you see that not the eating, but the eating with offense, is the cause of uncleanness?

3. Such a stain the Jewish bath cleansed away; but that of grace cleanses not such a stain, but the truly real uncleanness, the great stain impressed on the soul as well as the body; for it makes clean not those who have touched dead bodies, but those who have touched dead works. Even if someone is effeminate, or a fornicator, or an idolater, or has done any terrible thing, or possesses all the wickedness among men, when he falls into the pool of waters, he comes up from the divine streams purer than the rays of the sun. And lest you think what is said is a boast, listen to Paul speaking about the power of the bath: Do not be deceived; neither idolaters, nor fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor covetous, not drunkards, not revilers, not swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. And what has this to do with what was said? he says. For the question is to show if the power of the bath cleanses all these things. Therefore, listen to what follows: And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. We indeed promise to show you that those who approach the bath are made clean from all fornication; but the word has shown more, that they have become not only clean, but also holy and just; for he did not say, "You were washed," only, but also, "You were sanctified and you were justified." What could be more wonderful than this,

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φώτισμα, καὶ τοῦτο Παῦλος αὐτὸ πάλιν ἐκάλεσεν· Ἀναμιμνήσκεσθε γὰρ τὰς πρότερον ἡμέρας, ἐν αἷς φωτισθέντες πολλὴν ἄθλησιν ὑπεμείνατε παθημάτων· καὶ πάλιν, Ἀδύνατον γὰρ τοὺς ἅπαξ φωτισθέντας καὶ γευσαμένους τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου, καὶ παραπεσόντας, πάλιν ἀνακαινίζειν εἰς μετάνοιαν. Καλεῖται καὶ βάπτισμα· Ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε. Καλεῖται ταφή· Συνετάφητε γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶ, διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον. Καλεῖται περιτομή· Ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ, ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ σώματος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκός. Καλεῖται σταυρός· Ὁ παλαιὸς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἡμῶν συνεσταυρώθη, ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἔστι καὶ ἕτερα πλείονα τούτων εἰπεῖν ὀνόματα, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ τὸν καιρὸν ἅπαντα εἰς τὰς προσηγορίας τοῦ χαρίσματος ἀνα49.226 λώσωμεν, φέρε ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν προσηγορίαν ἐλθόντες, καὶ ταύτης τὴν σημασίαν εἰπόντες καταπαύσωμεν τὸν λόγον· τέως δὲ ἀνωτέρω μικρὸν τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἑλκύσωμεν. Ἔστι τὸ κοινὸν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων λουτρὸν τὸ διὰ τῶν βαλανείων, ὃ τὸν τοῦ σώματος ἀποσμήχειν εἴωθε ῥύπον· ἔστι δὲ καὶ λουτρὸν Ἰουδαϊκὸν, ἐκείνου μὲν σεμνότερον, τοῦ δὲ τῆς χάριτος πολὺ κατώτερον· καὶ αὐτὸ μὲν γὰρ σωματικὸν ἀποσμήχει ῥύπον, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς σωματικὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνειδότος ἁπτόμενον ἀσθενοῦς. Ἔστι γὰρ πολλὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, ἃ φύσει μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκάθαρτα, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀσθενείας τοῦ συνειδότος ἀκάθαρτα γίνεται. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν παιδίων τὰ προσωπεῖα καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ μορμολύκεια φύσει μὲν οὐκ ἔστι φοβερὰ, φοβερὰ δὲ εἶναι τοῖς παιδίοις δοκεῖ διὰ τὴν τῆς φύσεως ἀσθένειαν, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων ὧν εἶπον· οἷον τὸ νεκρῶν ἅψασθαι σωμάτων, φύσει μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκάθαρτον, ὅταν δὲ ἀσθενοῦς ἐπιλάβηται συνειδότος, ἀκάθαρτον ποιεῖ τὸν ἁψάμενον. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκάθαρτον φύσει τὸ πρᾶγμα, αὐτὸς ὁ ταῦτα διαταξάμενος Μωϋσῆς ἐδήλωσεν, ὁλόκληρον ἐπιφερόμενος μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ νεκρὸν τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ μένων καθαρός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ἡμῖν περὶ τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας ταύτης διαλεγόμενος τῆς οὐ φύσει γινομένης, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀσθένειαν τοῦ συνειδότος, οὑτωσί πώς φησιν· Οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι' ἑαυτοῦ, εἰ μὴ τῷ λογιζομένῳ τι κοινὸν εἶναι. Ὁρᾷς τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ πράγματος φύσεως, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσθενείας τοῦ λογισμοῦ γινομένην; Καὶ πάλιν, Πάντα μὲν καθαρὰ, ἀλλὰ κακὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ διὰ προσκόμματος ἐσθίοντι. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ τὸ ἐσθίειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ διὰ προσκόμματος ἐσθίειν. τοῦτο αἴτιον ἀκαθαρσίας;

γʹ. Τὴν τοιαύτην κηλῖδα τὸ Ἰουδαϊκὸν ἐξεκάθαρε λουτρόν· τὸ δὲ τῆς χάριτος οὐ τοιαύτην, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὄντως ἀκαθαρσίαν τὴν μετὰ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ πολλὴν ἐντεθεῖσαν τὴν κηλῖδα· οὐ γὰρ τοὺς νεκρῶν ἁψαμένους σωμάτων, ἀλλὰ τοὺς νεκρῶν πράξεων ἁψαμένους τούτους ποιεῖ καθαρούς. Κἂν μαλακὸς, κἂν πόρνος ᾖ τις, κἂν εἰδωλολάτρης, κἂν ὁτιοῦν εἰργασμένος δεινὸν, κἂν ἅπασαν τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις πονηρίαν ἔχων ᾖ, ἐμπεσὼν εἰς τὴν τῶν ὑδάτων κολυμβήθραν, τῶν ἡλιακῶν καθαρώτερος ἀκτίνων ἄνεισιν ἀπὸ τῶν θείων ναμάτων. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς κόμπον εἶναι τὰ λεγόμενα, ἄκουσον Παύλου λέγοντος περὶ τῆς τοῦ λουτροῦ δυνάμεως· Μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι, οὔτε πόρνοι, οὔτε μοιχοὶ, οὔτε μαλακοὶ, οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται, οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὐ μέθυσοι, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐχ ἅρπαγες βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσι. Καὶ τί τοῦτο πρὸς τὰ εἰρημένα, φησί; τὸ γὰρ ζητούμενον δεῖξαι, εἰ πάντα ἐκκαθαίρει ταῦτα ἡ τοῦ λουτροῦ δύναμις. Οὐκοῦν ἄκουσον τῶν ἑξῆς· Καὶ ταῦτά τινες ἦτε, ἀλλ' ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλ' ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλ' ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν ὑπισχνούμεθα δεῖξαι ὑμῖν, καθαροὺς πορνείας γινομένους ἁπάσης τοὺς τῷ λουτρῷ προσιόντας· ὁ δὲ λόγος πλέον ἀπέδειξεν, οὐ καθαροὺς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἁγίους καὶ δικαίους γενομένους· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἀπελούσασθε, μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ, Ἡγιάσθητε καὶ ἐδικαιώθητε. Τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν παραδοξότερον,