it was given to the thief to believe and be enlightened; for the Savior declared; Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. The thief found no opportunity or confidence, he had no time to be baptized; for he was hanging on the cross Therefore the Savior finds a way in perplexities. For since he who was 59.553 grown old in sins believed in the Savior, and it was necessary for him to be cleansed, Christ arranges for the soldier after the passion to pierce the side of the Lord with a spear, and blood and water leaped out; for from His side, says the Evangelist, ‘There came out blood and water,’ in the truth of the one who had fallen, as a type of the mysteries. And the blood and the water did not come out thus simply flowing, but with a rush, so that it might sprinkle the body of the thief; for what is sent with a rush sprinkles, but what flows gently flows as it comes. But with a rush the blood and the water came out from the side, so that by sprinkling the thief, it might baptize him, as the Apostle also says: We have come to Mount Zion and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel. Why does the blood of Christ speak 59.554 better than that of Abel? Because the blood of Abel is on the head of the murderer; but the blood of Christ cleanses even the repentant murderers. Learn therefore the zeal for the truth, and love the boldness for Christ; follow the true Teacher who contends for the truth, so that thus hearing from the Apostle Paul, ‘Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ,’ you yourself may also be counted worthy of the crowns of righteousness, and of the eternal good things which Christ our God has prepared for those who have loved Him; may it be that we all attain to these things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ἐνεδίδοτο τῷ λῃστῇ πιστεῦσαι καὶ φωτισθῆναι· ὁ Σωτὴρ γὰρ ἀπεφήνατο· Ἐὰν μήτις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Οὐχ ηὕρισκεν εὐκαιρίαν ἢ παῤῥησίαν ὁ λῃστὴς, οὐκ εἶχε καιρὸν βαπτισθῆναι· ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ γὰρ ἐκρέματο Εὑρίσκει τοιγαροῦν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν ἀπόροις πόρον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐπίστευσε τῷ Σωτῆρι ὁ 59.553 πεπαλαιωμένος ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, καὶ ἔδει αὐτὸν καθαρισθῆναι, οἰκονομεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς μετὰ τὸ πάθος τὸν στρατιώτην νύξαι τῇ λόγχῃ τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐκπηδᾷ αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς πλευρᾶς αὐτοῦ, φησὶν ὁ Εὐαγγελιστὴς, Ἐξῆλθεν αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ, ἐν ἀληθείᾳ τοῦ πεσόντος, εἰς τύπον τῶν μυστηρίων. Καὶ οὐκ ἐξῆλθε δὲ τὸ αἷμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ οὕτως ἁπλῶς ῥέον, ἀλλὰ ῥοίζῳ, ἵνα ῥαντίσῃ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ λῃστοῦ· τὸ γὰρ μετὰ ῥοίζου πεμπόμενον ῥαντίζει, τὸ δὲ ῥέον ἠρέμα ῥέει, καθὼς ἔρχεται. Ἀλλὰ μετὰ ῥοίζου ἐξῆλθεν τὸ αἷμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς, ἵνα ῥαντίσας τὸν λῃστὴν βαπτίσῃ, ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγει· Προσεληλύθαμεν Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ αἵματι ῥαντισμοῦ κρεῖττον λαλοῦντι παρὰ τὸν Ἄβελ. ∆ιὰ τί παρὰ τὸν Ἄβελ κρεῖττον λαλεῖ 59.554 τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Ἐπειδὴ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Ἄβελ ἐν τῇ κορυφῇ τοῦ φονέως· τὸ δὲ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ καθαρίζει καὶ τοὺς φονευτὰς μετανοοῦντας. Μάθε οὖν τὸν ζῆλον τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἀγάπησον τὴν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ παῤῥησίαν· ἀκολούθησον ἀληθεῖ ∆ιδασκάλῳ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας ἀγωνιζομένῳ, ἵνα οὕτως ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου, Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ, καταξιωθῇς καὶ αὐτὸς τῶν στεφάνων τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ὧν ἡτοίμασεν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσιν αὐτὸν Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν· ὧν γένοιτο καὶ ἡμᾶς πάντας ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.