Gregory of Nazianzus, On Holy Baptism

it encounters souls whose wickedness the bath has washed away; it fears the water; it is choked by the purification, just as the Legion was by the sea. Again it returns to the house from which it departed. It is shameless, it is contentious, it attacks again, it tries again. If it finds Christ has taken up residence and filled the space which it itself had emptied; it is beaten back again, it departs empty-handed, it becomes a pitiful wanderer. But if it finds the place in you swept and adorned, empty and idle, equally ready to receive this or that one who gets there first, it leaps in, it takes up residence with greater preparation, and the last state becomes worse than the first, inasmuch as then there was hope of correction and security; but now the evil is manifest, drawing the wicked one in by the flight of the good; and for this reason the possession is more secure for the inhabitant.

36. Again I will remind you of the illuminations, frequently gathering them from the divine oracles. For I myself will be more pleased by the memory of these things (for what is sweeter than light to those who have tasted light?), and I will illumine you with what is said. Light has dawned for the righteous, and its companion, gladness; Light for the righteous always. You shine wondrously from the eternal mountains, it is said to God; of the angelic powers, I think, which work with us for better things. The Lord is my light and my savior; whom shall I fear? You have heard David saying; and at one time asking that His light and truth be sent forth to him; at another time giving thanks, because he had also partaken of this, in that the light of God had been marked upon him, that is, that the signs of the given illumination had been impressed and made known. Let us flee one light only, the offspring of bitter fire. Let us not walk by the light of our fire, and by the flame which we have kindled. For I know a purifying fire, which Christ 36.412 came to cast upon the earth, He Himself also being called fire in words of spiritual ascent. This is consuming of matter and of the evil state, which He desires to be kindled very quickly. For He longs for the swiftness of the benefaction; since He also gives us coals of fire for help. I know also a fire not purifying, but even punishing; whether of Sodom, which rains down upon all sinners, mixed with brimstone and tempest; or that prepared for the devil and his angels; or that which goes before the face of the Lord, and will set His enemies on fire round about; and what is even more terrible than these; that which is assigned with the sleepless worm, not being quenched, but everlasting for the wicked. For all these things belong to the power of destruction; unless it is pleasing to someone to understand this even here in a more philanthropic sense, and in a way worthy of Him who punishes.

37. And just as I know a twofold fire, so also light: the one, the lamp of the ruling faculty, directing our steps according to God; the other, deceitful and curious, and the opposite of the true light, pretending to be that, in order to steal by its appearance; this is also darkness, and seems to be noonday, the very height of light. Thus I hear of those who are always fleeing in noonday darkness. This is also night, and is considered illumination by those corrupted by luxury. For what does David say? Night was about me, wretched that I was, and I was ignorant; for I supposed luxury to be illumination. But such are they, and so disposed; but let us light for ourselves a light of knowledge; and this will come from sowing in righteousness, and reaping the fruit of life (for action is the procurer of contemplation), that we may learn, among other things, this: what is the true light, and what is the false, and not unwittingly fall into the worse, as if it were the good. Let us become light, as the disciples heard from the great Light, who said, You are the light of the world. Let us become luminaries in the world, holding forth the word of life, that is, a life-giving power for others. Let us take hold of divinity, let us take hold of the first and purest Light. Let us journey toward the radiance

ἐντυγχάνει ψυχαῖς, ὧν τὴν κακίαν τὸ λουτρὸν ἐξ έκλυσεν· φοβεῖται τὸ ὕδωρ· ἐμπνίγεται τῇ καθάρσει, καθάπερ ὁ Λεγεὼν τῇ θαλάσσῃ. Πάλιν ὑποστρέφει πρὸς τὸν οἶκον, ὅθεν ἀνεχώρησεν. Ἀναίσχυντόν ἐστι, φιλόνεικόν ἐστι, προσβάλλει πάλιν, πειρᾶται πάλιν. Ἐὰν μὲν εὕρῃ Χριστὸν εἰσοικισθέντα, καὶ πληρώσαντα τὴν χώραν ἣν αὐτὸς ἐκένωσεν· ἀπ εκρούσθη πάλιν, ἀπῆλθεν ἄπρακτον, ἐλεεινὸν ἐγένετο τῆς περιπλανήσεως. Ἐὰν δὲ σεσαρωμένον καὶ κεκοσμημένον τὸν ἐν σοὶ τόπον εὕρῃ, κενὸν καὶ ἄπρακτον, ἕτοιμον ἐπίσης πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν τοῦδε ἢ τοῦδε τοῦ προκαταλαβόντος, εἰσεπήδησεν, εἰσῳκίσθη μετὰ πλείονος τῆς παρασκευῆς, καὶ γίνεται τὰ ἔσχατα χείρονα τῶν προτέρων, ὅσῳ τότε μὲν ἐλπὶς ἦν διορθώσεώς τε καὶ ἀσφαλείας· νῦν δὲ πρόδηλος ἡ κακία, τῇ φυγῇ τοῦ καλοῦ τὸ πονηρὸν ἕλκουσα· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο βεβαιοτέρα τῷ οἰκήτορι ἡ κατάσχεσις.

Λςʹ. Πάλιν ὑπομνήσω σε τῶν φωτισμῶν, καὶ πολλάκις ἐκ τῶν θείων λογίων τούτους ἀναλεγόμενος. Αὐτός τε γὰρ ἡδίων ἔσομαι τῇ τούτων μνήμῃ, (τί γὰρ φωτὸς ἡδύτερον, τοῖς φωτὸς γευσαμένοις;) καὶ σὲ περιαστράψω τοῖς λεγομένοις. Φῶς μὲν ἀνέτειλε τῷ δικαίῳ, καὶ ἡ τούτου σύζυγος εὐφροσύνη· Φῶς δὲ δικαίοις διὰ παντός. Φωτίζεις δὲ σὺ θαυμαστῶς ἀπὸ ὀρέων αἰωνίων, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν λέγεται· ἀγγελικῶν, οἶμαι, δυνάμεων, αἳ συνεργοῦσιν ἡμῖν πρὸς τὰ κρείττονα. Κύριος δὲ φωτισμός μου, παὶ σωτήρ μου· τίνα φοβηθήσομαι; Τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἤκουσας λέγοντος· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν αἰτοῦντος ἐξαποσταλῆναι τὸ φῶς αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ποτὲ δὲ εὐχαριστοῦν τος, ὅτι καὶ τούτου μετείληφεν, ἐν τῷ σημειω θῆναι τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ φῶς ἐπ' αὐτὸν, τουτέστιν ἐνση μανθῆναι καὶ γνωρισθῆναι τὰ σημεῖα τῆς δεδομένης ἐλλάμψεως. Ἓν μόνον φῶς φεύγωμεν, τὸ τοῦ πικροῦ πυρὸς ἔκγονον. Μὴ πορευθῶμεν τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ τῇ φλογὶ ᾗ ἐξεκαύ σαμεν. Οἶδα γὰρ πῦρ καθαρτήριον, ὃ Χριστὸς 36.412 ἦλθε βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πῦρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀν αγωγῆς λόγοις καλούμενος. Ἀναλωτικὸν τοῦτο τῆς ὕλης καὶ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐστιν ἕξεως, ὃ καὶ ἀν αφθῆναι τάχιστα βούλεται. Ποθεῖ γὰρ τῆς εὐεργεσίας τὸ τάχος· ἐπεὶ καὶ πυρὸς ἄνθρακας δίδωσιν ἡμῖν εἰς βοήθειαν. Οἶδα καὶ πῦρ οὐ καθαρτήριον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κολαστήριον· εἴτε καὶ Σοδομιτικὸν, ὃ πᾶσιν ἁμαρτωλοῖς ἐπιβρέχει θείῳ καὶ καταιγίδι μιγνύμε νον· εἴτε τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ· εἴτε ὃ πρὸ προσώπου Κυρίου πο ρεύεται, καὶ φλογιεῖ κύκλῳ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸ τούτων ἔτι φοβερώτερον· ὃ τῷ ἀκοιμήτῳ σκώληκι συντέτακται, μὴ σβεννύμενον, ἀλλὰ διαιωνίζον τοῖς πονηροῖς. Πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα τῆς ἀφανιστικῆς ἐστι δυνάμεως· εἰ μή τῳ φίλον κἀνταῦθα νοεῖν τοῦτο φιλανθρωπότερον, καὶ τοῦ κολάζοντος ἐπαξίως.

ΛΖʹ. Ὥσπερ δὲ πῦρ οἶδα διπλοῦν, οὕτω καὶ φῶς τὸ μὲν, τὴν τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ λαμπάδα, κατευθῦνον ἡμῖν τὰ κατὰ Θεὸν διαβήματα· τὸ δὲ, ἀπατηλὸν καὶ περίεργον, καὶ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς ἀντίθετον, ἐκεῖνο εἶναι ὑποκρινόμενον, ἵνα κλέπτῃ τῷ φαι νομένῳ· τοῦτο καὶ σκοτία ἐστὶ, καὶ μεσημβρία δοκεῖ, τὸ τοῦ φωτὸς ἀκμαιότατον. Οὕτως ἀκούω τοῖς δια παντὸς ἐν μεσημβρινῇ σκοτίᾳ φεύγουσι. Τοῦτο καὶ νύξ ἐστι, καὶ φωτισμὸς νομίζεται τοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς τρυφῆς διεφθαρμένοις. Τί γάρ φησιν ὁ ∆αβίδ; Νὺξ ἦν περὶ ἐμὲ τὸν δείλαιον καὶ ἠγνόουν· φω τισμὸν γὰρ εἶναι τὴν τρυφὴν ὑπελάμβανον. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τοιοῦτοι, καὶ οὕτως ἔχοντες· ἡμεῖς δὲ φωτίσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς φῶς γνώσεως· ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο, ἐκ τοῦ σπείρειν εἰς δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τρυγᾷν καρπὸν ζωῆς (πρᾶξις γὰρ, θεωρίας πρόξενος), ἵνα τά τε ἄλλα καὶ τοῦτο μάθωμεν, τί μὲν τὸ ἀληθινὸν φῶς, τί δὲ τὸ ψευδόμενον, καὶ μὴ λάθωμεν περιπεσόντες, ὡς καλῷ, τῷ χείρονι. Γενώμεθα φῶς, ὥσπερ οἱ μα θηταὶ παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Φωτὸς ἤκουσαν, Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, λέγοντος. Γενώμεθα φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ, λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες, τουτέστι ζωτικὴ τοῖς ἄλλοις δύναμις. Λαβώμεθα θεότητος, λαβώμεθα τοῦ πρώτου καὶ ἀκραιφνεστάτου Φωτός. Ὁδεύσωμεν πρὸς τὴν λάμψιν