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begotten, but in the last time, and when the age was coming to an end, also bodily from a woman? He who accepts faith in him, therefore, will carry away the exceptional prize; for he will be called a son of God. For as many as received him, he says, to them he gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. For that he might be preeminent in all things, as it is written, he was born through a woman. But since he is the firstfruits of the creation being reformed through sanctification to God, and before others he himself was shown to be born of the Spirit, leaping over the union of man and woman, and not condemning nature with dishonor and blame—for marriage is honorable, and he who formed them from the beginning 705 made them male and female—but in a way assigning human things to what is greater and incomparably superior. For he wished us to be called born of the Spirit, not of men. And so, he says, call no man your father on earth; for one is your Father, who is in heaven, and you are all brothers. Therefore, it is entirely blameless to believe in him, but rather it has also been honored with the forgiveness of transgressions. For again the chosen Paul writes thus: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus. And I will in no way shrink from repeating what I have already said, that Jesus Christ is not understood as the Word from God naked and by himself, but when he took on humanity and was entwined with flesh. Being so and being seen, and existing in our form, the Father showed him to the holy apostles, with such a voice being made from above: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him. Understand, then, how it is not, “In this one is my Son,” so that he might not be without a part, as one in another, perhaps, but that he might be understood as one and the same according to the economic union. But that it is a transgression to object, and one of the most perilous things, John will persuade you, writing thus: That this is the testimony of God, that he has testified concerning his Son; he who believes in the Son of God has the testimony of God in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony which God has testified concerning his Son. And he has testified that this one, with the flesh and in the form of a servant, is uniquely and individually truly my Son. What then? Shall we not grant that the glorious grace through holy baptism, and the life-giving in it, and the participation in God through sanctification in the Spirit have been accomplished through Jesus Christ? {B} Necessarily. For I will recall John saying: He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. {A} Therefore, O friend, shall we say that being able to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire is the work of our humanity? {B} And how could that be? 706 {A} And yet, speaking of a man who was about to come and be seen, he said that he would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit, not imparting to those being baptized a foreign Spirit in a servile and ministerial way, but as God by nature with the highest authority, imparting that which is from himself and his own, through whom the divine character is also stamped upon us. For we are being re-formed as into the divine image into Christ Jesus, not undergoing a bodily refashioning—for it is utterly foolish to think this—but by partaking of the Holy Spirit, being rich in Christ himself within ourselves, so as to now joyfully cry out that saying: Let my soul be joyful in the Lord; for he has clothed me with the garment of salvation and the robe of gladness. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ,

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γεγεννημένος, ἐν δέ γε τῷ λοίσθῳ καὶ εἰς πέρας ἥκοντι τοῦ αἰῶνος καιρῷ καὶ σωματικῶς ἐκ γυναικός; Ὁ πίστιν οὖν ἄρα τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν προσιέμενος γέρας ἀποίσεται τὸ ἐξαίρετον· διακεκλήσεται γὰρ υἱὸς Θεοῦ· Ὅσοι γὰρ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν, φησί, τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι, οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκός, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρός, ἀλλ' ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν. Ἵνα γὰρ γένηται πρωτεύων ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτός, καθὰ γέγραπται, γεγέννηται μὲν διὰ γυναικός. Ἐπειδὴ δέ ἐστιν ἀπαρχὴ τῆς ἀναμορφουμένης κτίσεως δι' ἁγιασμοῦ πρὸς Θεόν, καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων αὐτὸς γεννητὸς ἐδείχθη Πνεύματος, τὴν ἀνδρός τε καὶ γυναικὸς ὑπερθρώσκων σύνοδον, καὶ οὐκ ἀτιμίᾳ καὶ μώμῳ καταδικάζων τὴν φύσιντίμιος γὰρ ὁ γάμος, καὶ ὁ πλάσας ἀπ' ἀρχῆς 705 ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ πεποίηκεν αὐτούςἀλλὰ τῷ μείζονι καὶ ἀσυγκρίτως ὑπερκειμένῳ προσνέμων ἤδη πως τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. Γεννητοὺς γὰρ Πνεύματος, οὐκ ἀνδρῶν, ἡμᾶς ἔτι χρηματίζειν ἤθελε. Καὶ γοῦν Πατέρα, φησί, μὴ καλέσητε ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος, πάντες δὲ ὑμεῖς ἀδελφοί ἐστε. Οὐκοῦν, ἀμώμητον παντελῶς τὸ πιστεύειν εἰς αὐτόν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τῇ τῶν πλημμελημάτων ἀμνηστίᾳ τετίμηται. Γράφει γὰρ ὧδε πάλιν ὁ ἔκκριτος Παῦλος· Εἰδότες δὲ ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν. Κατοκνήσω δὲ οὐδαμῶς ὅπερ ἤδη φθάσας ἔφην ἀνακυκλήσας εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς οὐ γυμνὸς καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ νοεῖται Λόγος, ἀλλ' ὅτε προσέλαβε τὸ ἀνθρώπινον καὶ ἐνεπλάκη σαρκί. Οὕτως ἔχοντα καὶ ὁρώμενον, καὶ ἐν εἴδει τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς τυγχάνοντα, τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις παρέδειξεν ὁ Πατήρ, φωνῆς ἄνωθεν ἐκπεποιημένης τοιᾶσδε· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα, αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε. Σύνες οὖν ὅπως οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ, φησίν, ἐστὶν ὁ Υἱός μου, ἵνα μὴ ἀναμέρος ὡς ἕτερος ἐν ἑτέρῳ τυχόν, ἀλλ' εἶς νοοῖτο καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς καθ' ἕνωσιν οἰκονομικήν. Πλημμελὲς δὲ ὅτι τὸ ἀντιτείνειν ἐστί, καὶ τῶν ὅτι μάλιστα σφαλερωτάτων, ἀναπείσει γράφων Ἰωάννης ὡδὶ Ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι μεμαρτύρηκε περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔχει τὴν μαρτυρίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Ὁ μὴ πιστεύων τῷ Θεῷ ψεύστην πεποίηκεν αὐτόν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπίστευσεν εἰς τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἣν μεμαρτύρηκεν ὁ Θεὸς περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. Μεμαρτύρηκε δὲ ὅτι οὗτος, ὁ μετὰ σαρκὸς καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ δούλου μορφῇ, μοναδικῶς τε καὶ ἰδικῶς ἐμὸς ἀληθῶς Υἱός. Τί δέ; Οὐχὶ καὶ τὴν διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος εὐκλεᾶ χάριν, καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ ζωοποίησιν, καὶ τὴν Θεοῦ μέθεξιν δι' ἁγιασμοῦ ἐν Πνεύματι διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πεπράχθαι δώσομεν; {Β} Ἀναγκαίως. Μεμνήσομαι γὰρ Ἰωάννου λέγοντος· Ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἰσχυρότερός μού ἐστιν, οὗ οὔκ εἰμι ἱκανὸς τὰ ὑποδήματα βαστάσαι. Ἐκεῖνος ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί. {Α} Ἆρ' οὖν, ὦ ἑταῖρε, τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀνθρωπότητος ἔργον εἶναι φῶμεν τὸ ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ βαπτίζειν δύνασθαι καὶ πυρί; {Β} Καὶ πῶς ἂν εἴη τοῦτό γε; 706 {Α} Καὶ μὴν ἄνδρα λέγων τὸν ὅσον οὐδέπω παρεσόμενόν τε καὶ ὀφθησόμενον, αὐτὸν ἔφη βαπτίζειν ἐν πυρὶ καὶ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, οὐ τὸ ἀλλότριον τοῖς βαπτιζομένοις ἐνιέντα Πνεῦμα δουλοπρεπῶς καὶ ὑπουργικῶς, ἀλλ' ὡς Θεὸν κατὰ φύσιν μετ' ἐξουσίας τῆς ἀνωτάτω, τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τε καὶ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἡμῖν ἐνσημαίνεται χαρακτήρ. Ἀναμορφούμεθα γὰρ ὡς εἰς εἰκόνα τὴν θείαν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, οὐ σωματικὸν ὑπομένοντες τὸν ἀναπλασμόν κομιδῇ γὰρ εὔηθες οἴεσθαι τουτίδιὰ δὲ τοῦ μεταλαχεῖν ἁγίου Πνεύματος, αὐτὸν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς πλουτοῦντες Χριστόν, ὡς ἤδη χαίροντας ἐκεῖνο φωνεῖν· Ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ ψυχή μου ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ· ἐνέδυσε γάρ με ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου καὶ χιτῶνα εὐφροσύνης. Ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε,