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You have put on Christ, he says. {Β} Are we then baptized into a man, and shall we say this is true? {Α} Speak well, man. What are you doing, O man? You bring our hope down to earth. For we have been baptized not simply into a man, but into God who became man and who releases from punishment and from the ancient accusations those who have received faith in him. And so the divine Peter, speaking to the Jews, said: Repent, therefore, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For releasing the one devoted to him from sins, he then anoints him with his own Spirit, which he himself sends forth as the Word from God the Father, and it springs forth for us from his own nature, making the thing common, as it were, to the economy with the flesh on account of the union, and as a man he breathed bodily. For he breathed on the apostles, saying: Receive the Holy Spirit, and he does not give the Spirit by measure, according to the voice of John, but he himself sends it forth from himself, just as indeed the Father also does. And so the divine Paul, having set aside all the difference in this, is seen at one time attributing it to God the Father, and at another time to the Son. For he writes thus: But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. But if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. 707 {Β} It is established then that the Spirit is the Son's own, and not only insofar as he is the Word who has appeared from the Father, but also if he is understood as having become man for our sake. {Α} His own as from the Father in the consubstantial offspring, the Word born from him, even if he is said to have received it when he became man, he who is bereft of the properties of the Godhead as in his own nature. And so he, being the life of all through his ineffable generation from the living Father, is said to be made alive with us. Yet it is possible to see him on the one hand granting to his own flesh the glory of the divine energy, and on the other hand making his own the things of the flesh, as it were through an economic union, and attributing them to his own nature. {Β} In what way do you mean? {Α} Will you not say that it is most fitting indeed for the Word who is by nature from God the Father to come from above and from heaven, and to be able to give life to those into whom he wishes to send life? {Β} I will. {Α} And what of this? Would you grant that creating, tell me, in a divine manner, is among the things of man? {Β} I would not. {Α} Why then does he make us alive as God, not only by partaking of the Holy Spirit, but also by setting before us his assumed flesh as food? For he said: Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. And when the Jews were once mocking him, and trying, I know not how, to attach the vote for better things to the blessed Moses, saying openly: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' What sign do you do, that we may believe you? What do you work, as though you have brought the body down to us from above and from heaven? He says: Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. And in addition to this, again, almost pointing to himself in the body with his finger, I am, he says, the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, 708 so he who eats me will also live because of me. And yet how is it not true to say that the flesh has not come down from heaven,

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Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε, φησίν. {Β} Ἆρ' οὖν εἰς ἄνθρωπον βεβαπτίσμεθα, καὶ τοῦτο εἶναι φήσομεν ἀληθές; {Α} Εὐφήμει, ἄνθρωπε. Τί δρᾷς, ὦ οὗτος; Κατακομίζεις ἡμῶν εἰς γῆν τὴν ἐλπίδα. Βεβαπτίσμεθα γὰρ οὐκ εἰς ἄνθρωπον ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' εἰς Θεὸν ἐνηνθρωπηκότα καὶ ἀνιέντα ποινῆς καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων αἰτιαμάτων τοὺς τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πίστιν εἰσδεδεγμένους. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος Πέτρος Ἰουδαίοις ἔφη προσλαλῶν· Μετανοήσατε οὖν, καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ λήψεσθε τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Ἀπολύων γὰρ ἁμαρτίας τὸν αὐτῷ προσκείμενον, τῷ ἰδίῳ λοιπὸν καταχρίει Πνεύματι, ὅπερ ἐνίησι μὲν αὐτὸς ὡς ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγος, καὶ ἐξ ἰδίας ἡμῖν ἀναπηγάζει φύσεως, κοινὸν δὲ ὥσπερ τὸ χρῆμα τιθεὶς τῇ μετὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίᾳ διὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν, καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐνέπνει σωματικῶς. Ἐνεφύσησε γὰρ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις εἰπών· Λάβετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, καὶ οὐκ ἐκ μέτρου δίδωσι τὸ Πνεῦμα, κατὰ τὴν Ἰωάννου φωνήν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἐνίησιν ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ Πατήρ. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, ὅλην ἀποστήσας τὴν ἔν γε τούτῳ διαφοράν, ποτὲ μὲν αὐτὸ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ προσνέμων ὁρᾶται, ποτὲ δὲ αὖ τῷ Υἱῷ. Γράφει γὰρ ὧδε· Ὑμεῖς δὲ οὔκ ἐστε ἐν σαρκί, ἀλλ' ἐν Πνεύματι, εἴπερ Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν. Εἰ δέ τις Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἔχει, οὗτος οὔκ ἐστιν αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, τὸ μὲν σῶμα νεκρὸν διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωὴ διὰ δικαιοσύνην. 707 {Β} Ἄραρεν οὖν ὅτι ἴδιόν ἐστι τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ οὔτι που μόνον ᾗ Λόγος ἐστὶ πεφηνὼς ἐκ Πατρός, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ νοοῖτο καθ' ἡμᾶς ἄνθρωπος γεγονώς. {Α} Ἴδιον ὡς ἐκ Πατρὸς ἐν ὁμοουσίῳ γεννήματι τῷ ἐξ αὐτοῦ φύντι Λόγῳ, καὶ εἰ λέγοιτο λαβεῖν ὅτε γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος ὁ τῶν τῆς θεότητος ἰδιωμάτων ὡς ἐν ἰδίᾳ φύσει τητώμενος. Καὶ γοῦν αὐτὸς ὑπάρχων ἡ πάντων ζωή, διὰ τὴν ἐκ ζῶντος Πατρὸς ἄρρητον γέννησιν, ζωοποιεῖσθαι λέγεται μεθ' ἡμῶν. Πάρα δ' οὖν ὅμως ἰδεῖν χαριζόμενον μὲν τῇ ἰδίᾳ σαρκὶ τῆς θεοπρεποῦς ἐνεργείας τὴν δόξαν, οἰκειούμενον δὲ αὖ τὰ σαρκὸς καὶ οἱονεί πως καθ' ἕνωσιν οἰκονομικήν, καὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ περιτιθέντα φύσει. {Β} Τίνα φὴς τρόπον; {Α} Ἦ οὐχὶ δὴ μάλιστα πρέπειν ἐρεῖς τῷ γε ὄντι κατὰ φύσιν ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγῳ τὸ ἄνωθεν ἥκειν καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ τὸ ζωογονεῖν δύνασθαι τὰ οἷς ἂν ἐνιέναι βούλοιτο τὴν ζωήν; {Β} Φημί. {Α} Τί δέ; Τὸ δημιουργεῖν, εἰπέ μοι, θεϊκῶς, δοίης ἂν εἶναι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων; {Β} Οὐκ ἔγωγε. {Α} Τί τοίνυν ἡμᾶς ζωοποιεῖ μὲν ὡς Θεός, πλὴν οὐ μόνῳ τῷ μεταλαχεῖν ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἀλλ' ἐδεστὴν παραθεὶς καὶ τὴν ἀναληφθεῖσαν σάρκα; Ἔφη γὰρ ὅτι Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. Κατακερτομούντων δὲ αὐτὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ποτέ, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀμείνοσι ψῆφον ἀνάπτειν, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως, ἐπικεχειρηκότων τῷ μακαρίῳ Μωϋσεῖ, εἰρηκότων δὲ ἀναφανδόν· Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἔφαγον τὸν μάννα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καθώς ἐστι γεγραμμένον, Ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς φαγεῖν. Τί ποιεῖς σὺ σημεῖον, ἵνα πιστεύσωμέν σοι; Τί ἐργάζῃ, ὡς ἄνωθεν ἡμῖν καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατακομίσας τὸ σῶμα; Φησίν· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ Μωϋσῆς δέδωκεν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸν ἀληθινόν. Ὁ γὰρ ἄρτος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ καταβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ. Καὶ πρός γε τουτοισὶ πάλιν, μονονουχὶ καὶ δακτύλῳ καταδεικνὺς ἑαυτὸν ἐνσώματον, Ἐγώ εἰμι, φησίν, ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν, ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς. Ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω ἡ σάρξ μού ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς. Ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει, κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ. Καθὼς ἀπέστειλέ με ὁ ζῶν Πατήρ, κἀγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν Πατέρα, 708 καὶ ὁ τρώγων με κἀκεῖνος ζήσει δι' ἐμέ. Καίτοι πῶς οὐκ ἀτρεκὲς εἰπεῖν ὡς οὐ καταπεφοίτηκεν ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἡ σάρξ,