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a difference, with each working out what is in its power according to the measure of its nature. For just as it is possible for a human to touch water without danger, if he should wish, so death lies before the divine power with infinitely more ease, both to be in it and not to be turned towards suffering.

For this reason, therefore, it is necessary for us to practice beforehand in water the grace of the resurrection, so that we might know that it is equally easy for us to be baptized in water and to rise again from death. But just as in the events of life some things are more foundational than others, without which what is happening could not be accomplished, and yet, if the beginning were judged against the end, the beginning of the matter would seem to be as nothing when compared to the goal; for what is equal between a man and that which is deposited for the constitution of the living being? But nevertheless, if that were not, this would not come to be; so also the matter of the great resurrection, being greater by nature, has its beginnings and causes from this; for it is not possible for that to happen, unless this has gone before. And I say that it is not possible for a man to be in the resurrection without the regeneration by the bath, not looking to the re-forming and re-constitution of our composite nature; for nature must in every way proceed to this, being urged on by its own necessities according to the economy of the one who ordained it, whether it receives the grace from the bath, or remains without a share of such an initiation; but rather the restoration to what is blessed and divine and separated from all dejection. For not all that receive the return to being again through resurrection return to the same life, but there is a great difference between those who have been purified and those who are in need of purification. For those for whom the cleansing through the bath has led the way during this life, the return will be to what is kindred to them; and to the pure, passionlessness is proper, and in passionlessness it is not doubted that blessedness exists. But for those to whom passions have become hardened and no purification for the stain was applied, not mystical water, not the invocation of divine power, not the correction from repentance, it is altogether necessary that these also be in their appropriate place. And the fitting place for adulterated gold is the furnace, so that, when the evil mixed in them has been melted away, nature may after long ages be restored pure to God. Since, therefore, there is a certain cleansing power in fire and in water, those who have washed away the filth of wickedness through the mystical water do not need the other kind of purification; but those uninitiated in this purification are necessarily purified by fire.

36 For both common reason and the teaching of the scriptures show that it is not possible for one who has not purely washed away all the stains of wickedness to be within the divine company. This is what, though small in itself, becomes the beginning and foundation of great goods. And I say small, because of the ease of its accomplishment. For what labor is involved in the matter, to believe that God is everywhere, and being in all things, is present also to those who call upon his life-giving power, and being present, does what is proper to him? And the proper work of the divine energy is the salvation of those in need. And this becomes active through the purification in water. He who has been purified will be in participation of purity, and what is truly pure is the Godhead. You see how small and easy to accomplish the beginning is: faith and water, the one lying within our choice, the other familiar to human life. But how great and of what sort is the good that springs from these, that one should have kinship with the divine itself.

37 But since the human is twofold, blended of soul and body, it is necessary for those who are being saved to apprehend through both that which leads to life. Therefore the soul, being mixed with him through faith, the starting points

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διαφοράν, ἑκατέρου κατὰ τὸ τῆς φύσεως μέτρον ἐξεργαζομένου τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν. ὡς γὰρ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ ὕδωρ πρὸς τὸ ἀκινδύνως ἐπιθιγγάνειν, εἰ βούλοιτο, ἀπειροπλασίως τῇ θείᾳ δυνάμει κατ' εὐκολίαν ὁ θάνατος πρόκειται, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι καὶ μὴ τρα πῆναι πρὸς πάθος.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν τὸ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι προμελετῆσαι τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως χάριν, ὡς ἂν εἰδείημεν ὅτι τὸ ἴσον ἡμῖν εἰς εὐκολίαν ἐστὶν ὕδατί τε βαπτισθῆναι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου πάλιν ἀναδῦναι. ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὸν βίον γινομένοις τινὰ τινῶν ἐστὶν ἀρχηγικώτερα, ὧν ἄνευ οὐκ ἂν τὸ γινόμενον κατορ θωθείη, καίτοι, εἰ πρὸς τὸ πέρας ἡ ἀρχὴ κρίνοιτο, ἀντ' οὐδενὸς εἶναι δόξει τοῦ πράγματος ἡ ἀρχὴ συγκρινομένη τῷ τέλει· τί γὰρ ἴσον ἄνθρωπος καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὴν σύστασιν τοῦ ζῴου καταβαλλόμενον; ἀλλ' ὅμως, εἰ μὴ ἐκεῖνο εἴη, οὐδ' ἂν τοῦτο γένοιτο· οὕτως καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὴν μεγάλην ἀνάστασιν, μεῖζον ὂν τῇ φύσει, τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὰς αἰτίας ἔχει· οὐ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν ἐκεῖνο γενέσθαι, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο προκαθηγήσαιτο. μὴ δύνασθαι δέ φημι δίχα τῆς κατὰ τὸ λουτρὸν ἀναγεννήσεως ἐν ἀναστάσει γενέσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ συγκρίματος ἡμῶν ἀνά πλασίν τε καὶ ἀναστοιχείωσιν βλέπων· πρὸς τοῦτο γὰρ δεῖ πάντως πορευθῆναι τὴν φύσιν οἰκείαις ἀνάγκαις κατὰ τὴν τοῦ τάξαντος οἰκονομίαν συνωθουμένην, κἂν προσλάβῃ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ λουτροῦ χάριν, κἂν ἄμοιρος μείνῃ τῆς τοιαύτης μυήσεως· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ μακάριόν τε καὶ θεῖον καὶ πάσης κατηφείας κεχωρισμένον ἀποκατάστασιν. οὐ γὰρ ὅσα δι' ἀναστάσεως τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ εἶναι πάλιν ἐπάνοδον δέχεται, πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπάνεισι βίον, ἀλλὰ πολὺ τὸ μέσον τῶν τε κεκαθαρμένων καὶ τῶν τοῦ καθαρσίου προσδεομένων ἐστίν. ἐφ' ὧν γὰρ κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον ἡ διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ προκαθηγήσατο κάθαρσις, πρὸς τὸ συγγενὲς τούτοις ἡ ἀναχώρησις ἔσται· τῷ δὲ καθαρῷ τὸ ἀπαθὲς προσῳκείωται, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀπαθείᾳ τὸ μακάριον εἶναι οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλεται. οἷς δὲ προσεπωρώθη τὰ πάθη καὶ οὐδὲν προσήχθη τῆς κηλῖδος καθάρσιον, οὐχ ὕδωρ μυστικόν, οὐκ ἐπίκλησις θείας δυνάμεως, οὐχ ἡ ἐκ μετα μελείας διόρθωσις, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα καὶ τούτους ἐν τῷ καταλλήλῳ γενέσθαι. κατάλληλον δὲ τῷ κεκιβδηλευ μένῳ χρυσίῳ τὸ χωνευτήριον, ὡς τῆς ἐμμιχθείσης αὐτοῖς κακίας ἀποτακείσης μακροῖς ὕστερον αἰῶσι καθαρὰν ἀποσωθῆναι τῷ θεῷ τὴν φύσιν. ἐπεὶ οὖν ῥυπτική τίς ἐστι δύναμις ἐν τῷ πυρὶ καὶ τῷ ὕδατι, οἱ διὰ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ μυστικοῦ τὸν τῆς κακίας ῥύπον ἀποκλυσάμενοι τοῦ ἑτέρου τῶν καθαρσίων εἴδους οὐκ ἐπιδέονται· οἱ δὲ ταύτης ἀμύητοι τῆς καθάρσεως ἀναγκαίως τῷ πυρὶ καθαρίζονται.

36 Μὴ γὰρ εἶναι δυνατὸν ὅ τε κοινὸς δείκνυσι λόγος καὶ ἡ τῶν γραφῶν διδασκαλία ἐντὸς τοῦ θείου γενέσθαι χοροῦ τὸν μὴ καθαρῶς πάντας τοὺς ἐκ κακίας σπίλους ἀπορρυψάμενον. τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ μικρὸν ὂν καθ' ἑαυτὸ μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν ἀρχή τε καὶ ὑπόθεσις γίνεται. μικρὸν δέ φημι τῇ εὐκολίᾳ τοῦ κατορθώματος. τίς γὰρ πάρεστι πόνος τῷ πράγματι, πιστεῦσαι πανταχοῦ τὸν θεὸν εἶναι, ἐν πᾶσι δὲ ὄντα, παρεῖναι καὶ τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὴν ζωτικὴν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν, παρόντα δὲ τὸ οἰκεῖον ποιεῖν; ἴδιον δὲ τῆς θείας ἐνεργείας ἡ τῶν δεομένων ἐστὶ σωτηρία. αὕτη δὲ διὰ τῆς ἐν ὕδατι καθάρσεως ἐνεργὸς γίνεται. ὁ δὲ καθαρθεὶς ἐν μετουσίᾳ τῆς καθαρότητος ἔσται, τὸ δὲ ἀληθῶς καθαρὸν ἡ θεότης ἐστίν. ὁρᾷς ὅπως μικρόν τι τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχήν ἐστι καὶ εὐκατόρθωτον, πίστις καὶ ὕδωρ, ἡ μὲν ἐντὸς τῆς προαιρέσεως ἡμῶν ἀποκειμένη, τὸ δὲ σύντροφον τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ζωῇ. ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκ τούτων ἀναφυόμενον ἀγαθὸν ὅσον καὶ οἷον, ὡς πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ θεῖον ἔχειν τὴν οἰκειότητα.

37 Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διπλοῦν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, ψυχῇ τε καὶ σώματι συγκεκραμένον, δι' ἀμφοτέρων ἀνάγκη τοῦ πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν καθηγουμένου τοὺς σωζομένους ἐφάπτεσθαι. οὐκοῦν ἡ ψυχὴ μὲν διὰ πίστεως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνακραθεῖσα τὰς ἀφορμὰς