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every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. Here he comprehends the middle arm under one designation, naming everything between the heavenly and the subterranean, 'earthly'. This is the mystery we have learned concerning the cross. And the things that follow this, the account contains in due order, such that even by unbelievers nothing is confessed to be alien to the conception of what is fitting for God. For not remaining in death, and the wounds made on the body by the iron being made no obstacle to his being, and appearing by his own authority after the resurrection to his disciples, whenever he wished, being present with them unseen and being in their midst, needing no entrance through the doors, and strengthening the disciples by the inbreathing of the Spirit, and promising to be with them, and not to be walled off by any space, and in his appearance ascending to heaven, but in his spiritual nature being everywhere, and all such things as the history contains, needs none of the aid of reasoning to prove that they are divine and of the high and transcendent power. Concerning which things I think it is not necessary to go through each one, since the account itself shows what is beyond nature. But since the economy of the laver is also a part of the mystical teachings, which whether one wishes to call baptism, or illumination, or regeneration, we do not differ about the name, it would be well to discuss this briefly.

33

For when they hear from us such things, that, as the mortal passes over to life, it was fitting for another birth to be devised for the one who, by the first birth, is led into a mortal life, a birth neither beginning from corruption, nor ending in corruption, but leading the one born into immortal life, so that, just as from a mortal birth that which is born was necessarily mortal, so from that which does not admit of corruption, that which is born may become superior to the corruption that comes from death: when, therefore, they hear of these and such things and are taught beforehand the manner, that it is prayer to God and the invocation of heavenly grace and water and faith, through which the mystery of regeneration is fulfilled, they are hard to persuade, looking at what is visible, as the thing physically performed does not match the promise. For how, they say, does prayer and the invocation of divine power over the water become a source of life to those who are initiated? To whom, if they are not too resistant, a simple argument suffices to lead them to assent to the doctrine. For let us ask them in turn, although the manner of carnal birth is evident to all, how does that which is deposited as a starting-point for the constitution of the living creature become a man? But indeed there is no argument concerning that which discovers the probability by any reasoning. For what does the definition of man have in common, when compared with the quality observed in that? Man is a rational and intelligent being, receptive of intellect and knowledge; but that is observed as a certain moist quality, and our understanding apprehends nothing more than what is seen by the senses. Therefore, whatever answer is likely to be given to us by those who are asked how it is credible that a man is formed from that, this is the same answer we will give when asked about the regeneration that occurs through water. For in that case it is ready for each of those asked to say that by divine power that becomes a man, without the presence of which that remains motionless and inactive. If, therefore, in that case it is not the substratum that makes the man, but the divine power transforms what appears into the nature of man, it would be the utmost folly, while testifying to so great a power of God in that case, to think that in this matter the divine is powerless to accomplish its will. What, they say, has water in common with life? And what, we will say to them, has moisture in common with the image of God? But there is nothing paradoxical in that case, if by the will of God the moisture is changed into the most honorable living creature. So too in this case.

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πᾶν γόνυ κάμψει ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων. ἐνταῦθα τὴν μέσην κεραίαν μιᾷ προσ ηγορίᾳ διαλαμβάνει, πᾶν τὸ διὰ μέσου τῶν ἐπουρανίων καὶ ὑποχθονίων ὀνομάσας ἐπίγειον. τοῦτο μεμαθήκαμεν περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ μυστήριον. τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου τοι αῦτα κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον περιέχει ὁ λόγος, ὡς ὁμολογεῖσθαι καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀπίστων μηδὲν ἀλλότριον εἶναι τῆς θεοπρεποῦς ὑπολήψεως. τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἐμμεῖναι τῷ θανάτῳ, καὶ τὰς διὰ τοῦ σιδήρου κατὰ τοῦ σώματος γενομένας πληγὰς μηδὲν ἐμπόδιον πρὸς τὸ εἶναι ποιήσασθαι, κατ' ἐξουσίαν τε φαίνεσθαι μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ὅτε βούλοιτο παρεῖναί τε αὐτοῖς μὴ ὁρώμενον καὶ ἐν μέσῳ γίγνεσθαι, μηδὲν τῆς εἰσόδου τῆς διὰ τῶν θυρῶν προσ δεόμενον, ἐνισχύειν τε τοὺς μαθητὰς τῇ προσφυσήσει τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐπαγγέλλεσθαί τε καὶ τὸ μετ' αὐτῶν εἶναι, καὶ μηδενὶ μέσῳ διατειχίζεσθαι, καὶ τῷ μὲν φαινομένῳ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνιέναι, τῷ δὲ νοουμένῳ πανταχοῦ εἶναι, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα περιέχει ἡ ἱστορία, οὐδὲν τῆς ἐκ τῶν λογισμῶν συμμαχίας προσδέεται πρὸς τὸ θεῖά τε εἶναι καὶ τῆς ὑψη λῆς καὶ ὑπερεχούσης δυνάμεως. περὶ ὧν οὐδὲν οἶμαι δεῖν καθ' ἕκαστον διεξιέναι, αὐτόθεν τοῦ λόγου τὸ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν ἐμφαίνοντος. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μέρος τι τῶν μυστικῶν διδαγμάτων καὶ ἡ κατὰ τὸ λουτρόν ἐστιν οἰκονομία, ὃ εἴτε βάπτισμα εἴτε φώτισμα εἴτε παλιγγενεσίαν βούλοιτό τις ὀνομάζειν, οὐδὲν πρὸς τὴν ὀνομασίαν διαφερόμεθα, καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι καὶ περὶ τούτου βραχέα διεξελθεῖν.

33 Ἐπειδὰν γὰρ παρ' ἡμῶν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἀκούσωσιν, ὅτι, τοῦ θνητοῦ πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν μεταβαίνοντος, ἀκόλουθον ἦν τῆς πρώτης γενέσεως ἐπὶ τὸν θνητὸν παραγούσης βίον ἑτέραν γένεσιν ἐξευρεθῆναι, μήτε ἀπὸ φθορᾶς ἀρχομένην, μήτε εἰς φθορὰν καταλήγουσαν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἀθάνατον ζωὴν τὸν γεγεννημένον παράγουσαν, ἵν', ὥσπερ ἐκ θνητῆς γενέ σεως θνητὸν ἐξ ἀνάγκης τὸ γεγεννημένον ὑπέστη, οὕτως ἐκ τῆς μὴ παραδεχομένης φθορὰν τὸ γεννώμενον κρεῖττον γένηται τῆς ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου φθορᾶς· ἐπειδὰν οὖν τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀκούσωσιν καὶ προδιδαχθῶσι τὸν τρόπον, ὅτι εὐχὴ πρὸς θεὸν καὶ χάριτος οὐρανίας ἐπίκλησις καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ πίστις ἐστὶ δι' ὧν τὸ τῆς ἀναγεννήσεως πληροῦ μυστήριον, δυσπειθῶς ἔχουσι πρὸς τὸ φαινόμενον βλέποντες, ὡς οὐ συμβαῖνον τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ τὸ σωματικῶς ἐνεργούμενον. πῶς γάρ, φασίν, εὐχὴ καὶ δυνάμεως θείας ἐπίκλησις ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕδατος γινομένη ζωῆς ἀρχηγὸς τοῖς μυηθεῖσι γίνεται; πρὸς οὕς, εἴπερ μὴ λίαν ἔχοιεν ἀντι τύπως, ἁπλοῦς ἐξαρκεῖ λόγος πρὸς τὴν τοῦ δόγματος ἀγαγεῖν συγκατάθεσιν. ἀντερωτήσωμεν γάρ, τοῦ τρόπου τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γεννήσεως πᾶσιν ὄντος προδήλου, πῶς ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνο γίνεται τὸ εἰς ἀφορμὴν τῆς συστάσεως τοῦ ζῴου καταβαλλόμενον. ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδεὶς ἐπ' ἐκείνου λόγος ἐστὶν ὁ λογισμῷ τινὶ τὸ πιθανὸν ἐφευρίσκων. τί γὰρ κοινὸν ἔχει ὅρος ἀνθρώπου πρὸς τὴν ἐν ἐκείνῳ θεωρουμένην ποιότητα συγκρινόμενος; ἄνθρωπος λογικόν τι χρῆμα καὶ διανοητικόν ἐστι, νοῦ καὶ ἐπιστήμης δεκτικόν· ἐκεῖνο δὲ ὑγρᾷ τινὶ ἐνθεωρεῖται ποιότητι, καὶ πλεῖον οὐδὲν τοῦ κατ' αἴσθησιν ὁρωμένου καταλαμβάνει ἡ ἔννοια. ἣν τοίνυν εἰκός ἐστιν ἀπόκρισιν ἡμῖν γενέσθαι παρὰ τῶν ἐρωτηθέν των ὅτι πῶς ἐστὶ πιστὸν ἐξ ἐκείνου συστῆναι ἄνθρωπον, τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τῆς διὰ τοῦ ὕδατος γινομένης ἀναγεννήσεως ἐρωτηθέντες ἀποκρινούμεθα. ἐκεῖ τε γὰρ πρόχειρόν ἐστιν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἠρωτημένων εἰπεῖν ὅτι θείᾳ δυνάμει ἐκεῖνο ἄνθρωπος γίνεται, ἧς μὴ παρούσης ἀκίνητόν ἐστιν ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἀνενέργητον. εἰ οὖν ἐκεῖ οὐ τὸ ὑποκείμενον ποιεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλ' ἡ θεία δύναμις πρὸς ἀνθρώπου φύσιν μεταποιεῖ τὸ φαινόμενον, τῆς ἐσχάτης ἂν εἴη ἀγνωμοσύνης ἐκεῖ τοσαύτην τῷ θεῷ προσμαρτυροῦντας δύναμιν ἀτονεῖν ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ τὸ θεῖον οἴεσθαι πρὸς τὴν ἐκπλήρωσιν τοῦ θελήματος. τί κοινόν, φασίν, ὕδατι καὶ ζωῇ; τί δὲ κοινόν, πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐροῦμεν, ὑγρότητι καὶ εἰκόνι θεοῦ; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐκεῖ τὸ παράδοξον, εἰ θεοῦ βουλομένου πρὸς τὸ τιμιώτατον ζῷον τὸ ὑγρὸν μεταβαίνει. τὸ ἴσον καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου