the spirit, growing, remained in himself, such as it was from the beginning, but the spirit grew for itself, and as it grew and became daily greater, his soul also grew correspondingly with the spirit. And if God commands imperatively, saying, “Increase and multiply,” those who hear the word according to the flesh, I do not know how they can increase. For let "to multiply" be, since multiplication brings a greater number of those being 11.67 multiplied—how then in the saying does God command to "increase"? Every man wants to increase in size, but not all succeed; if, therefore, the command is one that can be carried out, it is up to us to "increase." And an example concerning which it is written: “And Isaac progressed and became greater, until he became very great”; which is advancing in the increase of the will toward the good, in the increase of the soul toward the best, in the increase of the mind toward the discerning, in the increase of the memory toward the more effective, so as to remember more things. Thus he who cultivates all the powers of his soul fulfills the commandment that says: “Increase.” And John therefore, as blessed and while still a child, was increasing; but it is rare among us to find a child growing in spirit. 11.68 But to “increase” is one thing, and to “be strengthened” is another. Human nature is weak and, in order to become strong, has need of a better help. Of what, then, is there need, that it may be strengthened? Of Spirit. He therefore who is to be truly strengthened is strengthened “in spirit”; for the many according to the flesh are strengthened in flesh, <but the athletes of God> are strengthened “in spirit,” and because they are strengthened in it they become strong against “the mind of the flesh”; for as the spirit wrestles with the flesh, the spirit conquers in him in whom the strengthening of the spirit occurs. “And he was in the deserts,” it says. Just as his birth was extraordinary— 11.69 for he “leaped in exultation,” recognizing Christ—and as it was spoken to him [at that time] as to one hearing from the Father, that, “And you, child, will be called a prophet,” so also he did not remain with his father and mother, but he withdrew, fleeing the tumult in the cities and the unpleasantness in the crowds, so that, being in the desert places, since God did not yet want him to minister to the mystery of baptism, he might devote himself to prayers, being brought up in an extraordinary way. 11.70 For “his food,” according to Matthew, “was locusts and wild honey”; for since he was a minister <of> the first coming of Christ, for this reason his food was not cultivated honey—for the cultivated and processed honey was being kept for the Lord—and since before the coming he was prophesying and administering the things before the coming, for this reason his food was a winged creature rising a little from the earth, locusts, a small and clean animal. 11.71.10 The word wishes to set forth a certain great mystery, that it was necessary for Christ Jesus to be enrolled in the census of the whole world, so that being enrolled with those in the world, he might sanctify the world and transfer this registration “to the book of the living,” so that “the names” of those registered with him and who believed in him “might be written in the heavens.” 12.72 Why ever did the angel not go to Jerusalem, not seek out the scribes and the Pharisees, not enter the synagogue of the Jews, but found “shepherds abiding in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night” and announced the good news to them? 12.73 Does the word hint at nothing, but was it truly the matter at hand, that the angel appeared and spoke to shepherds of such perceptible sheep, and does it signify nothing else besides this? But it is to the shepherds of the churches that the angel announces the good news of Christ. For these, unless that shepherd comes, cannot shepherd well on their own; their shepherding is deficient, unless Christ works with them. “For,” he says, “we are God’s fellow workers.” For he has appointed “in the church apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, shepherds, all

αὐξανόμενον τὸ πνεῦμα ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔμεινεν, ὁποῖον ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ἀλλὰ ηὔξανεν τὸ πνεῦμα ἑαυτῷ, οὗ αὐξά νοντος καὶ ὁσημέραι πλείονος γε νομένου καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἀκο λούθως τῷ πνεύματι συνηύξανεν. Καὶ ἐὰν ἐντέλληται ὁ θεὸς προστα κτικῶς λέγων· «αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πλη θύνεσθε», οἱ μὲν κατὰ σάρκα ἀκού οντες τοῦ λόγου οὐκ οἶδα πῶς δύ νανται αὐξάνεσθαι. Ἔστω γὰρ τὸ «πληθύνεσθαι», ἐπειδὴ ὁ πληθυσμὸς ἀριθμὸν πλείονα προσάγει τῶν πλη 11.67 θυνομένων-πῶς οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ ῥητοῦ προστάσσει ὁ θεὸς τὸ «αὐξάνειν»; Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος βούλεται εἰς τὸ μέ γεθος ἐπιδιδόναι, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν· εἰ τοίνυν τὸ προσ τακτικὸν ἔστιν καὶ δυνατὸν ποιῆσαι τὸ προστασσόμενον, ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν τὸ «αὐξάνειν». Καὶ παράδειγμα περὶ οὗ γέγρα πται· «καὶ Ἰσαὰκ προέκοπτεν καὶ μείζων ἐγένετο, ἕως οὗ ἐγένετο μέ γας σφόδρα»· ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐπιδιδοὺς τῇ αὐξήσει τῆς προαιρέσεως ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν, τῇ αὐξήσει τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιστον, τῇ αὐξήσει τοῦ νοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ διορατικόν, τῇ αὐξήσει τῆς μνήμης ἐπὶ τὸ δραστικώτερον, ὥστε πλειόνων μνημονεύειν. Οὕτως ὁ πά σας τὰς δυνάμεις τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ γεωργῶν πληροῖ τὴν λέγουσαν ἐντο λήν· «αὐξάνεσθε». Καὶ Ἰωάννης οὖν ὡς μακάριος καὶ ἔτι παιδίον ὢν ηὔξανεν· σπάνιον δὲ ἐν ἡμῖν εὑρε θῆναι παιδίον αὐξανόμενον πνεύ ματι. 11.68 Ἄλλο δὲ τὸ «αὐξάνειν» καὶ ἄλλο τὸ «κραταιοῦσθαι». Ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις ἀσθενής ἐστι καί, ἵνα γένηται ἰσχυρά, χρείαν ἔχει βοηθείας κρείτ τονος. Τίνος οὖν χρεία, ἵνα κραταιω θῇ; Πνεύματος. Ὁ οὖν μέλλων ἀληθῶς κρα ταιοῦσθαι κραταιοῦται «πνεύματι»· οἱ μὲν γὰρ πολλοὶ κατὰ σάρκα κρα ταιοῦνται σαρκί, <οἱ δὲ θεοῦ ἀθλη ταὶ> κραταιοῦνται «πνεύματι» καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ κραταιοῦσθαι ἰσχυροὶ γίνονται πρὸς «τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρ κός»· παλαίοντος γὰρ τοῦ πνεύμα τος τῇ σαρκὶ νικᾷ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐν ἐκείνῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἡ κραταίωσις γίνεται τοῦ πνεύματος. «Καὶ ἦν ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις», φησίν. Ὥσπερ ἡ γένεσις αὐτοῦ παράδοξος- 11.69 «ἐσκίρτησε» γὰρ «ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει» ἐπι γινώσκων τὸν Χριστόν-καὶ ὡς ἐλα λεῖτο πρὸς αὐτὸν [κατ' αὐτὴν] ὡς ἀκούοντα τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός, ὅτι· «καὶ σύ, παιδίον, προφήτης κλη θήσῃ», οὕτως οὐδὲ ἔμεινεν μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῆς μητρός, ἀλλ' ἀνεχώ ρησεν φεύγων τὸν ἐν πόλεσι θόρυβον καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὄχλοις ἀηδίαν, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἐρημίαις τυγχάνων, ἐπεὶ μη δέπω ἐβούλετο αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ὑπη ρετεῖν τῷ μυστηρίῳ τοῦ βαπτίσ ματος, εὐχαῖς σχολάζῃ παραδόξως ἀνατρεφόμενος. 11.70 «Ἦν» γὰρ «ἡ τροφὴ αὐτοῦ» κατὰ τὸν Ματθαῖον «ἀκρί δες καὶ μέλι ἄγριον»· ἐπεὶ γὰρ διά κονος ἦν <τῆς> πρώτης Χριστοῦ ἐπι δημίας, διὰ τοῦτο ἡ τροφὴ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἦν μέλι ἥμερον-ἐτηρεῖτο γὰρ τὸ ἥμερον μέλι καὶ ἐξειργασμένον τῷ κυρίῳ-καὶ ἐπεὶ πρὸ τῆς παρου σίας προεφήτευεν καὶ ᾠκονόμει τὰ πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας, διὰ τοῦτο ἦν αὐτῷ τροφὴ πτηνὸν ὀλίγον αἰρό μενον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἀκρίδες, βραχὺ ζῷον καὶ καθαρόν. 11.71.10 Μυστήριόν τι μέγα βούλεται ὁ λόγος παραστῆσαι, ὅτι εἰς τὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης ὅλης ἀναγραφὴν ἔδει ἀνα γραφῆναι Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἵνα συν αναγραφεὶς τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἁγιάσῃ τὴν οἰκουμένην καὶ μεταθῇ τὴν ἀπογραφὴν ταύτην «εἰς βίβλον ζώντων», ἵνα «τὰ ὀνόματα» τῶν συγ γραφέντων αὐτῷ καὶ πιστευσάντων αὐτῷ «ἐγγραφῇ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς». 12.72 Τί δήποτε ὁ ἄγγελος οὐκ ἀπῆλ θεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, οὐκ ἐζήτησε τοὺς γραμματεῖς καὶ τοὺς Φαρισαί ους, οὐκ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν τῶν Ἰου δαίων συναγωγήν, ἀλλὰ «ποιμένας» εὗρεν «ἀγραυλοῦντας καὶ φυλάσσον τας τὰς φυλακὰς τῆς νυκτὸς ἐπὶ τὴν ποίμνην αὐτῶν» κἀκείνους εὐηγγελί σατο; 12.73 Ἆρ' ὁ λόγος οὐδὲν αἰνίσσεται, ἀλλ' ὄντως τὸ προκείμενον ἦν, ποιμέσι προβατίων τοιούτων αἰσθητῶν τὸν ἄγγελον ἐπιστάντα λελαληκέναι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐμφαίνει παρὰ τοῦτο; Ἀλλὰ τοῖς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ποιμέσιν ὁ ἄγγελος εὐαγγελίζεται τὸν Χρι στόν. Οὗτοι γάρ, ἐὰν μὴ ἐκεῖνος ὁ ποιμὴν ἔλθῃ, οὐ δύνανται ποιμαίνειν ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν καλῶς· ἐλλιπὴς αὐτῶν ἡ ποιμαντική, ἐὰν μὴ Χριστὸς αὐτοῖς συνεργῇ. «Θεοῦ γάρ», φησιν, «ἐσμὲν συνεργοί». Καὶ γὰρ ἔταξεν «ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀποστόλους, προφήτας, διδασκά λους, εὐαγγελιστάς, ποιμένας, πάν