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of your leaven through you; You too gain from my baptism the name Baptist.

Let it be so now; for now baptize, and then theologize; for now baptize, and then worship; For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. 50.804 Nothing so dignifies the high one, as voluntary condescension; for true loftiness is not glorified by gentle deeds. Then John lets him, crying out to him: Behold, I minister to your command, Master; for what I learned in my ignorance, these things I perform with joy. Behold, I bring my right hand to your head, since you commanded this; and I am your servant, and the son of your handmaid; and my hand is your creation, and this river an outflow of your dominion, and these streams are your works, and this baptism is your gift; and you alone know what mystery you are working. Be baptized, be baptized, I pray; and save, as you will, those whom you have formed. Blessed am I, born wondrously because of you, and raised strangely in the desert, and now deemed worthy of this ministry; blessed am I, approved by you to serve so great a mystery. O right hand, how you have been exalted! o earthen instrument, how you have been honored! O Lord, lover of mankind and giver of great gifts, after mixing grace into the waters, and giving to them your descent as a kind of leaven of sanctification, having come up from the waters (I fall on my knees, Master), run up and take hold of humanity as its soul gives way and it grows weary, visit the one who is willfully feverish, raise up the one stretched out on the earth as on a bed, and sick with a manifold passion; as a physician, drive out the diseases.

The lame await you, so that when you speak they may run; the blind await you, for the recovery of their sight; all the dead await your voice, for resurrection; those who are burning with the heat of misfortunes thirst for your presence; come upon all as a dew of healing. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and coming upon him. O strange and wonderful mysteries! heaven from above worships him whom the river just now overwhelmed; and the Holy Spirit declares as God him whom the servant baptized. And behold, a voice from the heavens, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This is the one who was baptized, not for his own need, but through love for mankind alone, the one who is testified to by the Holy Spirit, the one who is proclaimed by me who clearly saw him; the one who was begotten of me before the ages, and now born in the flesh from Mary, the one who is of one substance with me and with you; the one who is co-eternal with me, and conformed to your form; the maker of Adam, and descendant of David; the creator of the Virgin, and son of the Virgin; the one who is perceived by the mind and who is seen; the one who is beheld by faith and by sight; the one who is perfect in divinity, and perfect in humanity. This is my beloved Son. This one, both working miracles as God, and suffering as man, is my Son; for a cross does not separate from me the one who is by nature inseparable. This one, even when pierced with nails, is my Son; for nails do not harm his divine substance. This one, even when suffering, is my Son; for suffering does not have the strength to overcome his divinity. This one, even when voluntarily put to death according to that which is by nature mortal, is my Son; for it is not in the nature of divinity to die, nor does it wish to, nor can it; for death does not conquer life, and death does not get the better of immortality. This one, even when rising from the dead, is my Son; for as creator of all, he will raise the temple of his body, which he permitted to be destroyed by his enemies. This one, ascending with this flesh into the heavens, from which he was not absent, is my Son.

He who receives this one, receives me with him; he who worships this one, worships me; he who believes in this one, believes in me; he who belittles this one, me

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τοῦ σοῦ φυράματος διὰ σέ· κέρδανον ἐκ τοῦ βα πτίσματός μου καὶ σὺ τὸ Βαπτιστὴς ὀνομάζεσθαι.

Ἄφες ἄρτι· τέως βάπτισον, καὶ τότε θεολόγησον· τέως βάπτισον, καὶ τότε προσκύνησον· Οὕτω γὰρ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. 50.804 Οὐδὲν οὕτω σεμνύνει τὸν ὑψηλὸν, ὡς ἡ ἐθελούσιος συγκατάβασις· ὕψος γὰρ ἀληθὲς οὐ σεμνύνει πράξεις ἐπιεικεῖς. Τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰωάννης, βοῶν πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἰδοὺ διακονῶ τῷ σῷ προστάγματι, ∆έσποτα· ἃ γὰρ ἀγνοῶν ἔμαθον, ταῦτα χαίρων ἐπιτελῶ. Ἰδοὺ προσάγω τὴν ἐμὴν δεξιάν σου τῇ κεφαλῇ, ἐπειδὴ σὺ τοῦτο προσέταξας· κἀγὼ δοῦλος σὸς, καὶ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης σου· καὶ ἡ χείρ μου δημιούργημα σὸν, καὶ ὁ ποταμὸς οὗτος τῆς σῆς δεσποτείας ἀπόῤῥοια, καὶ τὰ νάματα ταῦτα ποιήματα σὰ, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα τοῦτο δῶρον σόν· καὶ σὺ μόνος ἐπίστασαι ὃ κατεργάζῃ μυ στήριον. Βαπτίσθητι, βαπτίσθητι, δέομαι· καὶ σῶσον, ὡς θέλεις, οὓς ἔπλασας. Μακάριος ἐγὼ, διὰ σὲ πα ραδόξως τεχθεὶς, καὶ ξένως ἐν ἐρήμῳ τραφεὶς, καὶ νῦν τῆς διακονίας ταύτης ἀξιωθείς· μακάριος ἐγὼ παρὰ σοῦ δοκιμασθεὶς τηλικούτῳ ὑπουργῆσαι μυστη ρίῳ. Ὦ δεξιὰ, πόσον ὑψώθης! ὦ πήλινον ὄργανον, πόσον τετίμησαι! Φιλάνθρωπε καὶ μεγαλόδωρε Κύ ριε, μετὰ τὸ κεράσαι τὴν χάριν τοῖς ὕδασι, καὶ δοῦ ναι τούτοις ὥσπερ τινὰ ζύμην ἁγιασμοῦ τὴν κατάδυ σιν, ἀνελθὼν τῶν ὑδάτων (γονυπετῶ, ∆έσποτα), ἀνά δραμε καὶ κατάλαβε τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ψυχοῤῥαγοῦ σαν καὶ κάμνουσαν, ἐπίσκεψαι τὴν ἑκουσίως πυρέτ τουσαν, ἀνάστησον τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὡς ἐπὶ κλίνης ἐξηπλωμένην, καὶ νοσοῦσαν πάθει διαφόρῳ· ὡς ἰατρὸς τὰς νόσους ἀπέλασον.

Σὲ περιμένουσιν οἱ χωλοὶ, ἵνα σοῦ λαλήσαντος δράμωσι· σὲ περιμένουσιν οἱ τυφλοὶ, πρὸς ἀνάβλεψιν· τὴν σὴν προσδέχονται φωνὴν οἱ νε κροὶ πάντες, πρὸς ἀνάστασιν· τὴν σὴν παρουσίαν δι ψῶσιν οἱ φλεγόμενοι τῷ καύσωνι τῶν συμφορῶν· ἐπίστηθι πᾶσιν ὡς δρόσος ἰάσεως. Καὶ βαπτισθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἠνεῴ χθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοὶ, καὶ εἶδε τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ καταβαῖνον, ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν, καὶ ἐρχόμε νον ἐπ' αὐτόν. Ὢ ξένων καὶ παραδόξων μυστηρίων! ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄνωθεν προσκυνεῖ, ὃν ὁ ποταμὸς πρὸ βρα χέων ἐπέκλυσε· καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον θεολογεῖ, ὃν ὁ δοῦλος ἐβάπτισε. Καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτισθεὶς, οὐ διὰ χρείαν ἰδίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ μόνην φιλανθρωπίαν, ὁ παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μαρτυρούμενος, ὁ παρ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ σαφῶς ἰδόντος αὐτὸν κηρυττόμενος· ὁ πρὸ τῶν αἰώ νων ἐξ ἐμοῦ γεννηθεὶς, καὶ νῦν ἐκ Μαρίας σαρκὶ τε χθεὶς, ὁ ὁμοούσιος ἐμοὶ καὶ ὑμῖν· ὁ συναΐδιος ἐμοὶ, καὶ σύμμορφος τῆς ὑμετέρας μορφῆς· ὁ ποιητὴς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, καὶ ἀπόγονος τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· ὁ δημιουργὸς τῆς Παρ θένου, καὶ υἱὸς τῆς Παρθένου· ὁ νοούμενος καὶ φαινό μενος· ὁ πίστει καὶ ὄψει κατοπτευόμενος· ὁ τέλειος ἐν θεότητι, καὶ τέλειος ἐν ἀνθρωπότητι. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός. Οὗτος, καὶ θαυματουργῶν ὡς Θεὸς, καὶ πάσχων ὡς ἄνθρωπος, Υἱός ἐστιν ἐμός· σταυ ρὸς γὰρ οὐ χωρίζει μου τὸν κατὰ φύσιν ἀχώριστον. Οὗτος καὶ τοῖς ἥλοις κεντούμενος, Υἱός ἐστιν ἐμός· ἧλοι γὰρ τούτου τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν οὐ βλάπτουσιν. Οὗτος καὶ πάσχων Υἱός ἐστιν ἐμός· τὴν γὰρ τούτου θεότητα πάθος οὐκ ἰσχύει καταλαβεῖν. Οὗτος καὶ νεκρούμενος ἑκουσίως, κατὰ τὸ νεκροῦσθαι πεφυκὸς Υἱός ἐστιν ἐμός· ἀποθανεῖν γὰρ εἰς θεότητα οὐ πέφυκεν, οὔτε βούλεται, οὔτε δύναται· ζωὴν γὰρ νέκρωσις οὐ νικᾷ, καὶ θάνατος ἀθανασίας οὐ περιγίνεται. Οὗτος καὶ ἀνιστάμενος ἐκ νεκρῶν Υἱός ἐστιν ἐμός· ὡς γὰρ δημιουργὸς τοῦ παντὸς ἀναστήσει τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ τὸν ναὸν, ὃν λυθῆναι παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ συν εχώρησεν. Οὗτος μετὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ταύτης ἀνιὼν εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, ὧν οὐκ ἀπέστη, Υἱός ἐστιν ἐμός.

Τοῦτον ὁ δεχόμενος, ἐμὲ δέχεται σὺν αὐτῷ· τοῦτον ὁ προσκυνῶν, ἐμὲ προσκυνεῖ· εἰς τοῦτον ὁ πιστεύων, εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύει· τοῦτον ὁ σμικρύνων, ἐμὲ