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And the Son of God accepts both to become and to be called the son of man; not by changing what He was (for He is unchangeable), but by assuming what He was not (for He is the lover of mankind), that the Uncontainable might be contained, conversing with us through the medium of flesh, as through a veil; since to bear His pure divinity was not for a nature subject to generation and corruption. For this reason the unmingled are mingled: not only God with birth, nor mind with flesh, nor the timeless with time, nor the uncircumscribed with measure; but also birth with virginity, and dishonor with Him Who is higher than all honor, and suffering with the impassible, and the immortal with the corruptible. For since the sophist of wickedness thought himself invincible, having lured us with the hope of divinity, he is lured by the screen of flesh; that, attacking Adam, he might fall upon God, and so the new Adam might save the old, and the condemnation of the flesh might be loosed, death having been put to death by the flesh.

14. So, for the birth we have duly celebrated the prelude, both I, the leader of the feast, and you, and all that is in the world and above the world. With a star we ran, and with the Magi we worshipped, with shepherds we were enlightened, and with angels we glorified, with Simeon we took Him in our arms, and with Anna, the aged and temperate, we made our response; and thanks to Him Who came to His own in a strange manner, because He glorified the stranger. But now there is another action of Christ, and another mystery. I cannot contain the pleasure, I become inspired, and almost, like John, I preach the good news, though not a forerunner, yet from the wilderness. Christ is illumined, let us shine forth with Him; Christ is baptized, let us go down with Him, that we may also go up with Him. Jesus is baptized; is this all? Or is it necessary also to observe the other things carefully? Who is He? And by whom? And at what time? The pure One, and by John, and at the beginning of His signs? That we may learn what, and be taught what? To be purified beforehand, and to be humble, and to preach in perfection, both of spiritual and of bodily age. That for those who rush to baptism, and do not prepare themselves beforehand, nor grant safety to their redemption 36.352 through a disposition for good. For even if the gift has remission of past sins (for it is a gift), yet then it is more worthy of caution, that we may not return to the same vomit. This for those who exalt themselves against the stewards of the mystery, if they have some pre-eminence in worth. The third for those who are confident in their youth, and think any time is the right time for teaching or for presiding. Jesus is purified; and you despise purification? By John; and you rise up against your preacher? Being thirty years old; and you, before you have a beard, teach the old, or do you believe you can teach, having perhaps no claim to reverence either from your age or your character? Then Daniel is brought up here, and so-and-so, young judges, and the examples are on the tongue. For everyone who does wrong is ready with a defense. But what is rare is not a law of the Church; just as not one swallow makes a spring, nor one line a geometer, nor one voyage a sailor.

15. But John baptizes, Jesus approaches; perhaps to sanctify the baptizer himself; but what is manifest, all the old Adam, to bury him in the water; and before these and for their sake, the Jordan; just as He was Spirit and flesh, so perfecting by Spirit and water. The Baptist does not receive Him; Jesus insists; I have need to be baptized by you, says the lamp to the Sun, the voice to the Word, the friend to the Bridegroom, he who is above all among those born of women, to the Firstborn of all creation, he who leaped from the womb, to Him who was worshipped in the womb, he who ran before and will run before, to Him who appeared and will appear. I have need to be baptized by you; add also, for you. For he knew that he would be baptized by martyrdom; or, like Peter, that not only his feet would be washed. And do you come to me? This too was prophetic. For he knew that after Herod, Pilate would rage, so for him

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καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ δέχεται καὶ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου γενέσθαι τε καὶ κληθῆναι· οὐχ ὃ ἦν μεταβαλὼν (ἄτρεπτον γὰρ), ἀλλ' ὃ οὐκ ἦν προσλαβὼν (φιλάνθρωπος γὰρ), ἵνα χωρηθῇ ὁ ἀχώρητος, διὰ μέσης σαρκὸς, ὁμιλή σας ἡμῖν, ὡς παραπετάσματος· ἐπειδὴ καθα ρὰν αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα φέρειν, οὐ τῆς ἐν γενέσει καὶ φθορᾷ φύσεως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὰ ἄμικτα μίγνυται· οὐ γενέσει μόνον Θεὸς, οὐδὲ σαρκὶ νοῦς, οὐδὲ χρόνῳ τὸ ἄχρονον, οὐδὲ μέτρῳ τὸ ἀπερίγραπτον· ἀλλὰ καὶ παρθενίᾳ γέννησις, καὶ ἀτιμίᾳ τῷ καὶ τιμῆς ἁπάσης ὑψηλοτέρῳ, καὶ πάθει τὸ ἀπαθὲς, καὶ τῷ φθαρτῷ τὸ ἀθάνατον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ᾤετο ἀήττητος εἶναι τῆς κα κίας ὁ σοφιστὴς, θεότητος ἐλπίδι δελεάσας ἡμᾶς, σαρκὸς προβλήματι δελεάζεται· ἵν' ὡς τῷ Ἀδὰμ προσβαλὼν, τῷ Θεῷ περιπέσῃ, καὶ οὕτως ὁ νέος Ἀδὰμ τὸν παλαιὸν ἀνασώσηται, καὶ λυθῇ τὸ κατά κριμα τῆς σαρκὸς, σαρκὶ τοῦ θανάτου θανατωθέντος.

Ι∆ʹ. Τῇ μὲν οὖν γεννήσει τὰ εἰκότα προεορ τάσαμεν, ἐγώ τε ὁ τῆς ἑορτῆς ἔξαρχος, καὶ ὑμεῖς, καὶ πᾶν ὅσον ἐγκόσμιον τε καὶ ὑπερκόσμιον. Μετὰ ἀστέρος ἐδράμομεν, καὶ μετὰ Μάγων προσεκυνήσαμεν, μετὰ ποιμένων περιελλάμφθημεν, καὶ μετὰ ἀγγέλων ἐδοξάσαμεν, μετὰ Συ μεὼν ἐνηγκαλισάμεθα, καὶ μετὰ Ἄννης ἀνθωμολογησάμεθα, τῆς γεραιᾶς καὶ σώφρονος· καὶ χά ρις τῷ εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἐλθόντι ἀλλοτρίως, ὅτι τὸν ξένον ἐδόξασεν. Νυνὶ δὲ πρᾶξις ἄλλη Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἄλλο μυστήριον. Οὐ δύναμαι κατέχειν τὴν ἡδονὴν, ἔν θεος γίνομαι, μικροῦ καὶ, ὡς Ἰωάννης, εὐαγγελίζομαι, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρόδρομος, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρη μίας. Χριστὸς φωτίζεται, συναναστράψωμεν· Χριστὸς βαπτίζεται, συγκατέλθωμεν, ἵνα καὶ συνανέλθωμεν. Βαπτίζεται Ἰησοῦς· τοῦτο μόνον; ἢ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τηρεῖν ἐπιμελῶς ἀναγκαῖον; Τίς ὤν; καὶ παρὰ τίνος; καὶ κατὰ πηνίκα; Ὁ καθαρὸς, καὶ παρὰ Ἰωάννου, καὶ τῶν σημείων ἀρχόμενος; Ἵνα τί μάθωμεν, καὶ τί παιδευθῶμεν; Προκαθαίρεσθαι, καὶ ταπεινοφρονεῖν, καὶ κηρύσσειν ἐν τελειότητι, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς, καὶ τῆς σωματικῆς ἡλικίας. Ἐκεῖνο πρὸς τοὺς τὸ βάπτισμα σχεδιάζοντας, καὶ μὴ προευτρεπιζομένους, μηδὲ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς τῇ λυτρώσει 36.352 χαριζομένους, διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸ καλὸν ἕξεως. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ ἄφεσιν ἔχει τῶν παρελθόντων τὸ χάρισμα (χάρισμα γὰρ), ἀλλὰ τότε μᾶλλον εὐλαβείας ἄξιον, μὴ πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν ἔμετον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Τοῦτο πρὸς τοὺς ἐπαιρο μένους κατὰ τῶν οἰκονόμων τοῦ μυστηρίου, ἂν ἀξίᾳ τινὶ προέχωσιν. Τὸ τρίτον πρὸς τοὺς θαῤῥοῦντας νεό τητι, καὶ πάντα καιρὸν οἰομένους εἶναι διδασκαλίας, ἢ προεδρίας. Ἰησοῦς καθαίρεται· καὶ σὺ καταφρονεῖς τῆς καθάρσεως; Ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου· καὶ σὺ κατεξανίστασαι τοῦ σοῦ κήρυκος; Τριακονταέτης ὤν· καὶ σὺ πρὸ τῆς γενειάδος διδάσκεις τοὺς γέροντας, ἢ τὸ διδάσκειν πιστεύεις, οὔτε παρὰ τῆς ἡλικίας, οὔτε παρὰ τοῦ τρόπου τυχὸν ἔχων τὸ αἰδέσιμον; Εἶτα ὁ ∆ανιὴλ ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ὁ δεῖνα, νέοι κριταὶ, καὶ τὰ παραδείγματα ἐπὶ γλώσσης. Πᾶς γὰρ ἀδικῶν εἰς ἀπολογίαν ἕτοιμος. Ἀλλ' οὐ νόμος Ἐκκλησίας, τὸ σπάνιον· εἴπερ μηδὲ μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ ποιεῖ, μηδὲ γραμμὴ μία τὸν γεωμέτρην, ἢ πλοῦς εἷς τὸν θαλάττιον.

ΙΕʹ. Πλὴν Ἰωάννης βαπτίζει, πρόσεισιν Ἰησοῦς· ἁγιάσων τυχὸν μὲν καὶ τὸν βαπτιστήν· τὸ δὲ πρόδη λον, πάντα τὸν παλαιὸν Ἀδὰμ, ἵν' ἐνθάψῃ τῷ ὕδατι· πρὸ δὲ τούτων καὶ διὰ τούτους, τὸν Ἰορδάνην· ὥσπερ ἦν πνεῦμα καὶ σὰρξ, οὕτω Πνεύματι τελειῶν καὶ ὕδατι. Οὐ δέχεται ὁ Βαπτιστής· ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀγω νίζεται· Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, ὁ λύχνος τῷ Ἡλίῳ φησὶν, ἡ φωνὴ τῷ Λόγῳ, ὁ φί λος τῷ Νυμφίῳ, ὁ ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν ὑπὲρ ἅπαν τας, τῷ Πρωτοτόκῳ πάσης κτίσεως, ὁ προσκιρτήσας ἀπὸ γαστρὸς, τῷ ἐν γαστρὶ προσκυνηθέντι, ὁ προ δραμὼν καὶ προδραμούμενος, τῷ φανέντι καὶ φανησομένῳ. Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι· πρόσθες καὶ τὸ, ὑπὲρ σοῦ. Ἤδει γὰρ τῷ μαρτυ ρίῳ βαπτισθησόμενος· ἢ, ὡς Πέτρος, μὴ τοὺς πό δας μόνον καθαρθησόμενος. Καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρὸς μέ; Καὶ τοῦτο προφητικόν. Ἤδει γὰρ ὡς μετὰ Ἡρώδην, Πιλᾶτον μανησόμενον, οὕτως αὐτῷ