John Chrysostom, On the river Jordan

he says; I will remember you, Lord, from the land of Jordan. For 61.727 it is an indelible memory. Thus Jesus, having crossed over, parted the Jordan, showing it the ark; but Elijah parted it with his mantle, with a dead skin, and the living waters obeyed the deadness of the mantle. Elijah parted the Jordan with the mantle; and so he crossed over to ascend into the heavens. The blessed Elisha returned, having taken the mantle of his teacher, as he had asked him, saying: Let a double portion of the spirit that is on you be upon me. He says to him, You have asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken up, it will be so for you. In order to be deemed worthy to have a double portion of the Holy Spirit's power.

Then he was taken up. The mantle was lifted up, and fell upon the disciple; he received the pledge, and reached 61.728 the river; he tried to part the Jordan, and the water did not obey. Elisha, seized with perplexity, says: Where is the God of Elijah, aphpho? and after saying this, he struck the water a second time, and the Jordan was parted. But why did the water not obey him at first? So that he might not think that it obeyed because of his former worthiness, which he had; but that he called upon God and says: Where is the God of Elijah, aphpho? But why did he say, Where is God? Did the prophet not know that God is in heaven and on earth and everywhere? But because Elijah had said to him: If you see me when I am taken up, it will be so for you.

λέγει· Μνησθήσομαί σου, Κύριε, ἐκ γῆς Ἰορδάνου. Μνήμη γάρ 61.727 ἐστιν ἀνεξάλειπτος. Ὁ μὲν Ἰησοῦς οὕτω διαβὰς ἔτεμε τὸν Ἰορδάνην, τὴν κιβωτὸν αὐτῷ δείξας· Ἠλίας δὲ τῇ μηλωτῇ ἔτεμε, δέρματι νεκρῷ, καὶ τὰ ζῶντα ὕδατα τῇ νεκρώσει τῆς μηλωτῆς ὑπήκουσεν. Ἔτεμεν Ἠλίας τῇ μηλωτῇ τὸν Ἰορδάνην· καὶ οὕτω διέβη ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνελθεῖν εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς. Ὑπέστρεψεν ὁ μακάριος Ἑλισσαῖος λαβὼν τὴν μηλωτὴν τοῦ διδασκάλου, ὡς ἠξίου αὐτὸν λέγων· Τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐπὶ σοὶ γενέσθω διπλοῦν ἐπ' ἐμοί. Λέγει αὐτῷ, Σκληρῶς ᾔτησας· πλὴν ἐὰν ἴδῃς με ἀναλαμβανόμενον, ἔσται σοι. Ἀντὶ τοῦ καταξιωθῆναι διπλῆν ἔχειν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τὴν ἐνέργειαν.

Εἶτα ἀνελήφθη. Ἐμετεωρίσθη ἡ μηλωτὴ, καὶ ἐπέπεσε τῷ μαθητῇ· ἔλαβεν ἐνέχυρον, καὶ ἔφθα 61.728 σεν ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμόν· ἐπείρασε τεμεῖν τὸν Ἰορδάνην, καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσε τὸ ὕδωρ. Ἀπορίᾳ ληφθεὶς ὁ Ἑλισσαῖος λέγει· Ποῦ ὁ Θεὸς Ἠλία ἀπφώ; καὶ μετὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν, ἐπάταξεν ἐκ δευτέρου τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἐμερίσθη ὁ Ἰορδάνης. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ ἐν πρώτοις τὸ ὕδωρ; Ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃ, ὅτι διὰ τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ ἀξίαν, ἣν εἶχε, διὰ τοῦτο ὑπήκουσεν· ὅτι μέντοι ἐκάλεσε τὸν Θεὸν καὶ λέγει· Ποῦ ὁ Θεὸς Ἠλία ἀπφώ; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ εἶπε, Ποῦ ὁ Θεός; οὐκ ᾔδει ὁ προφήτης, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ πανταχοῦ ἐστιν; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἠλίας· Ἐὰν ἴδῃς με ἀναλαμβανόμενον, ἔσται σοι οὕτως.