15

are hidden, but these, when the sun of righteousness appears, shine forth more. Have you ever seen stars appear with the sun? 3.2 Those vanish when the end appears, these shine more greatly when the end arrives. And concerning those, the Gospel says that "the stars of heaven will fall as leaves fall from a vine"; but concerning these, that "the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of heaven." 3.3 What does "as leaves fall from a vine, so the stars of heaven will fall" mean? Just as the vine, as long as it nourishes the grape clusters, has need also of the covering from the leaves, but when it has put forth its fruit, it also puts off the foliage of its leaves, so indeed also the whole world, as long as it has within itself the nature of men, the heaven also holds the stars, just as the vine holds the leaves; for since there will be no night then, there is no longer need for stars. 3.4 The nature of those stars is fiery, and the substance of these stars is fiery. But in that case it is a sensible fire, and in this case an intelligible fire. "He will baptize you," it says, "in the Holy Spirit and fire." Do you want to learn the names of both? Among those stars are these names: Orion, Arcturus, Hesperus and Phosphorus; but among these stars, there is no Hesperus, but all are Phosphori. 3.5 "Blessed is God," let us say again, "who alone does wonderful things," who makes all things and refashions them. Those who before yesterday were captives, are now free and citizens of the church; those who were formerly in the shame of sins, are now in confidence and righteousness. For not only free but also holy, not only holy but also righteous, not only righteous but also sons, not only sons but also heirs, not only heirs but also brothers of Christ, not only brothers of Christ but also joint-heirs, not only joint-heirs but also members, not only members but also a temple, not only a temple but also instruments of the Spirit. 3.6 "Blessed is God who alone does wonderful things." Do you see how many are the gifts of baptism? And yet to many it seems that the gift holds only the remission of sins, but we have enumerated ten honors. For this reason, then, we also baptize infants, even though they have no sins, so that there may be added to them sanctification, righteousness, adoption, inheritance, brotherhood, being members of Christ, becoming a dwelling-place of the Spirit. 3.7 But, O most beloved brothers, if it is permitted for me to call you brothers—for I shared in the same birth-pangs with you, but through subsequent laziness I lost the exact and genuine kinship. Nevertheless, permit me to call you brothers on account of my great love and to exhort you that by how much more honor you have enjoyed, by that much greater zeal you should display. 3.8 For the time before this was a wrestling-school and a gymnasium, and falls had pardon; but from this day the stadium has opened, the contest is at hand, the theater is seated above, not only the nature of men but also the host of angels watches the wrestling matches and Paul cries out, writing to the Corinthians: "We have become a spectacle to the world, not only to men but also to angels." Angels therefore are spectators, the Lord of angels presides over the games; this is not only an honor but also a security. For when he who laid down his life for us judges the wrestling matches, of what honor is this not, of how much security? 3.9 So then, in the Olympic games the umpire stands in the middle of the contestants, favoring neither this one nor that one, but awaiting the end. For this reason he also stands in the middle, since he is also in the middle in his judgment. But between us and the devil, Christ does not stand in the middle, but is wholly ours. And that he is not in the middle but is wholly with us, consider from this. As we entered the contest, he anointed us; he bound that one. He anointed us with the oil of gladness; he bound that one with unbreakable chains so that he might be hampered for the wrestling matches. And if it should happen that I am tripped up, he extends a hand and raises me when I have fallen and makes me trample him again; "For trample," he says, "upon

15

κατακρύπτονται, οὗτοι δὲ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης φανέντος μᾶλλον ἐκλάμπουσιν. Εἶδες ἀστέρας ποτὲ μετὰ ἡλίου φανέντας; 3.2 Ἐκεῖνοι τῆς συντελείας φανείσης ἀφανίζονται, οὗτοι τῆς συντελείας καταλαβούσης μειζόνως διαφαίνουσι. Καὶ περὶ μὲν ἐκείνων φησὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὅτι «τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσοῦνται ὡς πίπτουσι φύλλα ἀπὸ ἀμπέλου»· περὶ δὲ τούτων, ὅτι «οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν». 3.3 Τί ἐστιν «ὡς πίπτει φύλλα ἀπὸ ἀμπέλου οὕτως οἱ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσοῦνται»; Καθάπερ ἡ ἄμπελος ἕως μὲν ἂν τρέφῃ τοὺς βότρυας χρείαν ἔχει καὶ τῆς σκέπης τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν φύλλων, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀποθῆται τὸν καρπὸν καὶ τὴν κόμην τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν φύλλων ἀποτίθεται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ κόσμος ἅπας ἕως μὲν ἔχῃ ἐν ἑαυτῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν, κατέχει καὶ τὰ ἄστρα ὁ οὐρανός, καθάπερ ἡ ἄμπελος τὰ φύλλα· νυκτὸς γὰρ τότε οὐκ οὔσης, οὐδὲ ἄστρων χρεία λοιπόν. 3.4 Πυρώδης τῶν ἄστρων ἐκείνων ἡ φύσις, πυρώδης καὶ τούτων τῶν ἄστρων ἡ οὐσία. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν πῦρ αἰσθητόν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ πῦρ νοητόν. «Αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει, φησίν, ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί.» Βούλει καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἑκατέρων μαθεῖν; Ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς ἄστροις εἰσὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα ὠρίων, ἀρκτοῦρος, ἕσπερος καὶ φωσφόρος· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄστροις τούτοις ἕσπερος μὲν οὐδείς, φωσφόροι δὲ πάντες. 3.5 «Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεός», πάλιν εἴπωμεν, «ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια μόνος», ὁ ποιῶν πάντα καὶ μετασκευάζων αὐτά. Οἱ πρὸ τῆς χθὲς αἰχμάλωτοι, νῦν ἐλεύθεροι καὶ πολῖται τῆς ἐκκλησίας· οἱ πρώην ἐν αἰσχύνῃ ἁμαρτιῶν, νῦν ἐν παρρησίᾳ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ. Οὐ γὰρ ἐλεύθεροι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅγιοι, οὐχ ἅγιοι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ δίκαιοι, οὐ δίκαιοι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ υἱοί, οὐχ υἱοὶ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ κληρονόμοι, οὐ κληρονόμοι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐκ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ συγκληρονόμοι, οὐ συγκληρονόμοι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ μέλη, οὐ μέλη μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ναός, οὐ ναὸς μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ὄργανα τοῦ Πνεύματος. 3.6 «Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια μόνος.» Εἶδες πόσαι τοῦ βαπτίσματος αἱ δωρεαί; Καίτοι γε πολλοῖς δοκεῖ ὅτι μόνον ἁμαρτημάτων ἄφεσιν ἔχει ἡ δωρεά, ἡμεῖς δὲ δέκα ἀπηριθμησάμεθα τιμάς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ τὰ παιδία βαπτίζομεν καίπερ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ἔχοντα ἵνα προστεθῇ ἁγιασμός, δικαιοσύνη, υἱοθεσία, κληρονομία, ἀδελφότης, τὸ μέλη εἶναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὸ κατοικητήριον γενέσθαι τοῦ Πνεύματος. 3.7 Ἀλλ' ὦ ποθεινότατοι ἀδελφοί, εἴ γε ἔξεστί μοι ἀδελφοὺς ὑμᾶς καλεῖν, τῶν μὲν γὰρ ὠδίνων ὑμῖν ἐκοινώνησα τῶν αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ μετὰ ταῦτα ῥᾳθυμίᾳ τὴν συγγένειαν ἀπώλεσα τὴν ἀκριβῆ καὶ γνησίαν. Πλὴν δότε μοι καλέσαι ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοὺς διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην καὶ παρακαλέσαι ὑμᾶς ὥστε ὅσῳ πλείονος ἀπελαύσατε τῆς τιμῆς τοσούτῳ μείζονα ἐπιδείξασθαι τὴν σπουδήν. 3.8 Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πρὸ τούτου χρόνος παλαίστρα καὶ γυμνάσιον ἦν καὶ συγγνώμην εἶχε τὰ πτώματα· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας τὸ στάδιον ἀνέῳγεν, ὁ ἀγὼν ἐφέστηκε, τὸ θέατρον ἄνω κάθηται, οὐκ ἀνθρώπων φύσις μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγγέλων δῆμος θεωρεῖ τὰ παλαίσματα καὶ βοᾷ Παῦλος Κορινθίοις γράφων· «Θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν τῷ κόσμῳ, οὐκ ἀνθρώποις δὲ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγγέλοις.» Ἄγγελοι τοίνυν θεωροῦσιν, ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων δεσπότης ἀγωνοθετεῖ· τοῦτο οὐ τιμὴ μόνον ἐστὶν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσφάλεια. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θεὶς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οὗτος κρίνῃ τὰ παλαίσματα, ποίας οὐ τιμῆς τοῦτο, πόσης οὐκ ἀσφαλείας; 3.9 Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ὀλυμπιακῶν ἀγώνων ὁ βραβεύων μέσος ἕστηκε τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων, οὔτε τούτῳ οὔτε ἐκείνῳ προσκείμενος, ἀλλὰ ἀναμένων τὸ τέλος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ μέσος ἕστηκεν ἐπεὶ καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ μέσος ἐστίν. Ἐπὶ δὲ ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου οὐ μέσος ἕστηκεν ὁ Χριστός, ἀλλ' ἡμῶν ὅλος ἐστί. Καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι μέσος ἀλλὰ μεθ' ἡμῶν ὅλος ἐστί, σκόπει ἐντεῦθεν. Ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα εἰσιόντας ἤλειψεν, ἐκεῖνον ἔδησεν· ἡμᾶς ἤλειψεν ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως, ἐκεῖνον ἔδησε δεσμοῖς ἀλύτοις ἵνα συμποδίζηται πρὸς τὰ παλαίσματα. Ἐμοὶ κἂν ὑποσκελισθῆναι συμβῇ χεῖρα ὀρέγει καὶ πεσόντα ἀνίστησι καὶ πατεῖν αὐτὸν πάλιν ποιεῖ· «Πατεῖτε γάρ, φησίν, ἐπάνω