of the sensible; it is no longer possible to hear about the bodily... when “Jesus answered and said to her: If you knew the gift of God and who it is that says to you: Give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” and similar things; “Many works I have shown you; for which of these works do you stone me?” if someone, going back, were to collect from the beginning of the gospel the works of Jesus, referring them to the spiritual activities, this one will most of all see what many works he showed to those who took up stones to stone Jesus; for example, one of the good works was the sign in Cana, when the former wine ran out because of the “The law and the prophets were until John,” for us to be well supplied with good wine, with whom Jesus reclines. and this is indeed the beginning of his signs in the calling of the people from the Gentiles; since it is also written: “This beginning of signs Jesus did.” and the next thing to this <the> house of his father, which had become a house of trade, to restore so that it would become again the house of his father. And why must I say how many good works he has done from his father? 75 So that he might not make his divinity excessively manifest, by being with those hastening to seize him for too long and not being seized, and he would debase the order of the human condition. But consider if it has some meaning that it is not written simply “He went to the Jordan,” but on that side and “beyond” it. Just as those inheriting the land through Moses, being inferior to those inheriting through Jesus, were allotted their inheritance beyond the Jordan; where they built an altar, a symbol of the altar in the holy land, but they did not offer sacrifice or burnt offerings upon it. But now we hear more tropologically of the: “He went away beyond the Jordan to the place where John was at first baptizing.” And Jesus son of Nave indeed from beyond the Jordan leads the people across with wondrous powers. But also Elijah, when he was about to be taken up as into heaven with a chariot of fire and horses of fire, from beyond the Jordan, passes through, having divided the stream of the river with his mantle. 76 They sought again to seize him; and he went forth from their hand . And according to the higher sense, there are some who wish to hunt down the word according to Christianity in order to subvert and destroy it; these might now be said to be seeking to seize Jesus. But since “Wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul” and “the power in the word, when tested, convicts the foolish,” for this reason he goes forth, when the word of truth seems to the powerful to be in their hand, and it gets outside their hand, since they are not able to hold it. Wherefore, even when they seem to subvert, they do not subvert the truth, for they themselves do not understand. And having gone forth from their hand, he comes by the river Jordan, which is interpreted “descent,” where the heavens, being opened, bear witness to the Word that “This is the Son of God, in whom the Father is well pleased.” And even if one happens to be beyond the river, but by drawing near to it he will find Jesus baptizing better than John. For John first administered the sensible baptism, but Jesus, the intelligible, since he baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, rather with the fire seen at the bush, which does not consume. But attend carefully to “Where John was at first baptizing,” spoken unambiguously, and having seen both meanings of the phrase, judge which of them one should accept: first, John baptized beyond the Jordan; and second, in Aenon, near Salim. Jesus therefore went away beyond the Jordan where John had baptized before the baptism which he administered in Aenon; or also thus: John administered the first baptism beyond the Jordan, but Jesus the Christ administered the second baptism where John, having given the first baptism, baptized. And the second seems to me to be more reasonable than the former. But someone might also say such things about the former: John gives the first baptism beyond the Jordan, which is interpreted “descent,” and the second in

αἰσθητοῦ· οὐκέτι δὲ δυνατὸν περὶ τοῦ σωματικοῦ πο τοῦ ἀκούειν ὅτε «Ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Εἰ ᾔδεις τὴν «δωρεὰν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι· ∆ός μοι πιεῖν, σὺ ἂν ᾔτη «σας αὐτὸν καὶ ἔδωκέ σοι ὕδωρ ζῶν». καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια· «Πολλὰ «ἔργα ἔδειξα ὑμῖν· διὰ ποῖον αὐτῶν ἔργον λιθάζετέ με;» εἴ τις ἐπαν ελθὼν συναγάγοι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τὰ ἔργα Ἰησοῦ, ἀναγαγὼν αὐτὰ ἐπὶ τὰς πνευματικὰς ἐργασίας, οὗτος μάλιστα ὄψεται ποῖα πολλὰ ἔργα ἔδειξε τοῖς βαστάσασι λίθους, ἵνα λιθάσωσι τὸν Ἰησοῦν· οἷον ἓν τῶν καλῶν ἔργων ἦν τὸ ἐν Κανᾷ σημεῖον, ὅτε ὑστέρησεν ὁ πρότερος οἶνος διὰ τὸ «Ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται μέχρι Ἰωάννου, τὸ καλοῦ οἴνου εὐπορηκέναι ἡμᾶς, οἷς συνανάκειται Ἰησοῦς. καὶ αὕτη γε ἀρχὴ τῶν σημείων ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ κλήσει τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν λαοῦ· ἐπεὶ καὶ γέγραπται· «Ταύτην τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ση «μείων ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς». τὸ δὲ ἑξῆς τούτῳ <τὸ> τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, οἶκον ἐμπορίου γενόμενον, ἀποκαταστῆσαι εἰς τὸ πάλιν γε νέσθαι οἶκον τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. καὶ τί με δεῖ λέγειν ὅσα πεποίηκεν ἔργα καλὰ ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ; 75 Ἵνα μὴ ἐκφανῆ σφόδρα τὴν θεότητα καταστήσῃ, συνὼν ἐπὶ πλέον τοῖς κατέχειν ἐπειγομένοις καὶ μὴ κατεχόμενος, καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης τάξεως παραχαράξει τὸν ῥυθμόν. πρόσχες δὲ εἰ δύναταί τινα λόγον ἔχειν τὸ μὴ ἁπλῶς γεγράφθαι τὸ «Ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην», ἀλλ' ἐπέκεινα καὶ «πέραν» αὐτοῦ. ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ διὰ Μωσέως κληροδοτού μενοι τὴν γῆν, ἥττους ὄντες τῶν διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ κληροδοτουμένων, ἐν τῷ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ἐκληρώθησαν· ἔνθα βωμὸν μέν, σύμβο λον τοῦ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ γῇ θυσιαστηρίου, κατεσκεύασαν, θυσίαν δὲ ἢ ὁλοκαυτώματα ἐπ' αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀνέφερον. ἀλλ' ἤδη τροπικώτερον ἀκούομεν τοῦ· «Ἀπῆλθεν πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου εἰς τὸν τόπον ὅπου ἦν «ὁ Ἰωάννης τὸ πρότερον βαπτίζων». καὶ ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ μέντοιγε Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τοῦ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου μετὰ τεραστίων δυνάμεων διαβιβάζει τὸν λαόν. ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἡλίας μέλλων ἀναλαμβάνεσθαι ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρα νὸν ἅρματι πυρὸς καὶ ἵπποις πυρὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου τῇ μηλωτῇ διασχίσας τὸ ῥεῦμα τοῦ ποταμοῦ διέρχεται. 76 Ἐζήτουν πάλιν αὐτὸν πιάσαι· καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς χει ρὸς αὐτῶν . Κατὰ δὲ ἀναγωγὴν εἰσί τινες βουλόμενοι θηρεῦσαι τὸν κατὰ Χριστιανισμὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὸ ἀνατρέψαι καὶ ἀνελεῖν αὐτόν· οὗτοι νῦν λέγοιντ' ἂν ζητοῦντες πιάσαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ «Εἰς «κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία» καὶ «∆οκιμαζομένη ἡ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ δύναμις ἐλέγχει τοὺς ἄφρονας», διὰ τοῦτο ἐξέρχεται, ὅτε δοκεῖ τοῖς κρατοῦσιν εἶναι ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτῶν ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας λόγος, καὶ ἔξω γίνεται τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν, οὐ δυναμένων αὐτὸν κατασχεῖν. διόπερ ὅτε καὶ δοκοῦσιν ἀνατρέπειν οὐ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἀνατρέπουσιν, οὐ γὰρ συνίασιν αὐτοί. ἐξελθὼν δὲ ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἔρχεται παρὰ τῷ ποταμῷ Ἰορδάνῃ, ὃς ἑρμηνεύεται «κατάβασις», ἔνθα οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἀνοιγόμενοι μαρτυροῦσι τῷ λόγῳ ὅτι «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, «εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησεν ὁ πατήρ». κἂν πέραν δέ τις τυγχάνῃ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐγγίσας αὐτῷ εὑρήσει τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸ βέλτιον Ἰωάννου βαπτίζοντα. Ἰωάννης μὲν γὰρ τὸ αἰσθητὸν πρῶτον ἐβάπτισεν βάπτισμα, Ἰησοῦς δὲ τὸ νοητόν, εἴ γε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἐβάπτιζεν καὶ πυρί, μᾶλλον τοῦ ὀφθέντος ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου πυρὸς μὴ κατακαίοντι. πρόσχες δὲ ἐπιμελῶς τῷ «Ὅπου ἦν Ἰωάννης τὸ πρῶτον βαπτίζων» ἀναμφιβόλως εἰρημένῳ καὶ ἀμφότερα ἰδὼν τὰ σημαινόμενα ἀπὸ τῆς λέξεως κρῖνον ὁπότερον χρὴ αὐτῶν παραδέξασθαι· πρῶτον ἐβάπτιζεν Ἰωάννης πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου· δεύτερον δὲ ἐν Αἰνών, ἐγγὺς τοῦ Σαλήμ. ἀπῆλθεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ἔνθα πρότερον ἐβάπτισεν Ἰωάννης τοῦ βαπτίσματος οὗ ἐβάπτιζεν ἐν Αἰνών· ἢ καὶ οὕτως· τὸ μὲν πρῶτον βάπτισμα Ἰωάννης ἐβάπτισε πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον Ἰησοῦς ὁ χριστὸς ἐβάπτισεν ὅπου τὸ πρῶτον βάπτισμα δοὺς Ἰωάννης ἐβάπτισε. δοκεῖ δέ μοι τὸ δεύτερον ἔχειν λόγον μᾶλλον παρὰ τὸ πρότερον. εἴποι δ' ἄν τις καὶ περὶ τῆς προτέρας τοιαῦτα· τὸ πρῶτον βάπτισμα πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου δίδωσιν Ἰωάννης, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται «κατάβασις», τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἐν