emphatic. For one who proclaims great doctrines, according to the meaning, as is fitting, utters them with a great voice. 116 And "has become" should be taken for "will become." For this is a custom in Scripture, as we have said. and "did not overcome it" for "will not overcome it." 117 For as a prophet and a lamp of light, pre-exercising and accustoming the eye of the soul of the one wanting to be enlightened, so also a voice of one crying out. He calls the Word the "one crying out," and John the voice. And it is necessary for a voice to come before the word. And the work of a voice is to clarify what is signified. And he calls the soul deprived of divine teaching a wilderness. But what does the voice of the one crying out command the wilderness souls? "Make straight the way of the Lord" for his reception. 118 John, testifying concerning the light, knew that he was also God the Word; and he is present to every rational being. And the intellectual part [was], which is also called the ruling part, is in our very midst; for there is the indwelling word, according to which we are rational, which Christ, as God and the Word who is about to come to be baptized, also oversees. This one, unknown by you, stands in your midst, entering into the hearts and minds of all. 119 All those present saw, but not all believed. But some say that not everyone saw the Spirit, but John and those who were more favorably disposed. For even if they saw with their physical eyes, he was not for that reason manifest to all. Since prophets and Moses have seen many other things, and at the transfiguration on the mountain not all the disciples partook, nor did all share in the vision at the resurrection; much more so the Jews at the baptism. 120 It is not possible to see with the senses, but with the mind contemplating the angels who come to minister to Jesus, ascending and descending. And it is possible to find "Amen" sometimes single, sometimes doubled. The word is Hebrew, signifying "So be it." For Amen is the same as "truly and so be it." For many Psalms at the end have "So be it, so be it," which in Hebrew is Amen, Amen. It is likely, therefore, that the Savior, in praying, says, "So be it, so be it" that you may be found faithful so as to see "the heaven opened" and the rest of the promise. And Amen is also equivalent to "truly," as Jesus says in Matthew: "Amen I say to you, there are some of those standing here"; and in Luke: "Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death." Therefore "Amen" is equivalent both to "Truly" and to "So be it," as in "Truly I say to you" for this to happen. 121 The whip of cords made by Jesus was the sins of the transgressors. by which, being tormented by Jesus, they were driven out. For Scripture in many ways has called sins a cord; "The cords of sinners have entangled me," and "their hands weave iniquity"; and in Proverbs: "Each one is bound by the ropes of his own sins," that is, he is punished. And they were scourged by Jesus and driven from the temple with the cord they themselves had woven. For it was not for the righteous judge to weave from another source and bring punishment upon the ungodly, than from that by which they themselves had sinned and transgressed. It must be said that water differs from the Spirit only in concept and not in substance, as the Savior says: "He who believes in me, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water." This he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were about to receive. For if it is said of the Spirit that it proceeds like water of rivers, the water will differ from the Spirit in concept only. As, therefore, one is born of the Savior, wise from wisdom, and true from truth, and life from life, from the one beginning and birth of all things, so also from the Holy Spirit one is holy and spiritual, and from the water one is cleansed. and being watered for fruit-bearing, one is born of water and Spirit. 122 Matthew spoke about the place that is ruled, in which these are allotted an inheritance, but John and Luke from
ἐπιτεταμένον. ὁ γὰρ περὶ μεγάλων δογμάτων ἀπαγγέλλων· κατὰ τὴν νόησιν, ὡς δεῖ, μεγαλοφώνως προφέρει. 116 Τὸ δὲ «Γέγονεν» ἀντὶ τοῦ «γενήσεται» ληπτέον. ἔθος γὰρ τοῦτο τῇ γραφῇ, καθὼς εἰρήκαμεν. καὶ τὸ «Οὐ κατέλαβεν» ἀντὶ τοῦ «οὐ «καταλήψεται». 117 Ὡς γὰρ προφήτης καὶ λύχνος φωτὸς προγυμνάζων καὶ ἐθίζων τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ὄμμα τοῦ θέλοντος φωτίζεσθαι, οὕτω καὶ φωνὴ βοῶν τος. «βοῶντα» λέγει τὸν λόγον· φωνὴν δὲ τὸν Ἰωάννην. ἀνάγκη δὲ πρὸ τοῦ λόγου φωνὴν γίνεσθαι. ἔργον δὲ φωνῆς σαφηνίζειν τὸ σημαινόμενον. ἔρημον δὲ λέγει τὴν ἀπεστερημένην ψυχὴν τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας. τί δὲ προστάσσει ἡ τοῦ βοῶντος φωνὴ ταῖς ἐρήμοις ψυχαῖς; «εὐθεῖαν ποιήσατε τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ κυρίου» πρὸς ὑποδοχήν. 118 Μαρτυρῶν ὁ Ἰωάννης περὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ᾔδει, ὅτι καὶ θεὸς λόγος ἦν· οὗτος δὲ παντὶ λογικῷ πάρεστι. τὸ δὲ διανοητικὸν [ἦν], ὃ καὶ ἡγεμονικὸν καλεῖται, μεσαίτατον ἡμῶν ἔστιν· ἐκεῖ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐν διάθετος λόγος, καθ' ὃν λογικοί ἐσμεν, ὃν καὶ ἐπισκοπεῖ ὡς θεὸς ὁ χριστὸς καὶ λόγος, ὁ μέλλων ἔρχεσθαι βαπτισθῆναι. οὗτος ὁ ἀγνοού μενος ὑφ' ὑμῶν μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκε τὰς καρδίας πάντων καὶ τοὺς νεφροὺς ἐμβατεύων. 119 Εἶδον μὲν καὶ οἱ παρόντες ἅπαντες, οὐ μὴν δὲ πάντες ἐπίστευον. τινὲς δέ φασιν οὐδὲ πάντας τεθεᾶσθαι τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀλλὰ Ἰωάννην καὶ τοὺς εὐγνωμονέστερον διακειμένους. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς εἶδον, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντως πᾶσι διὰ τοῦτο κατάδηλος ἦν. ἐπεὶ δὲ προφῆται καὶ Μωσῆς πολλὰ τεθέανται ἄλλα, καὶ ἐν τῇ με ταμορφώσει τοῦ ὄρους οὐ πάντες ἀπέλαυσαν οἱ μαθηταί, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὄψεως ἐκοινώνησαν ἅπαντες· πολλῷ γε μᾶλλον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτισμοῦ. 120 Οὐκ αἰσθητῶς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν δυνατόν, ἀλλὰ διανοίᾳ σκοπούσῃ τοὺς προσερχομένους ἀγγέλους ἐπὶ τῷ διακονεῖν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἀναβαίνοντας καὶ καταβαίνοντας. τὸ δὲ Ἀμὴν ὁτὲ μὲν ἁπλοῦν, ὁτὲ δὲ διπλασιαζόμε νον ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. ἡ δὲ λέξις ἐστὶν Ἑβραϊκή, δηλοῦσα τὸ «Γένοιτο». ταὐτὸν γάρ ἐστιν τὸ Ἀμὴν· <τῷ> «ἀληθῶς καὶ γένοιτο». πολλοὶ γὰρ Ψαλμοὶ ἐπὶ τέλει ἔχοντες· «Γένοιτο, γένοιτο» ἐν τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ ἈμὴνἈμὴν ἔχουσιν. εἰκὸς οὖν τὸν σωτῆρα ἐπευχόμενον λέγειν Γένοιτο, γέ νοιτο τὸ πιστοὺς ὑμᾶς εὑρεθῆναι ὡς ἰδεῖν «τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγμένον» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. τὸ δὲ Ἀμὴν ἴσον ἐστὶν καὶ τῷ «ἀληθῶς», ὡς ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ματθαῖον Ἰησοῦς λέγει· «Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰσί τινες «τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων»· ἐν δὲ τῷ Λουκᾷ· «Ἀληθῶς λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰσί «τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑστηκότων, οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου». ἠγοῦν ἴσον ἐστὶν τὸ «Ἀμὴν» καὶ τῷ «Ἀληθῶς» καὶ τῷ «Γένοιτο», ὡς ἐν τῷ «Ἀληθῶς λέγω ὑμῖν» τοῦτο γενέσθαι. 121 Τὸ μὲν ἐκ σχοινίου φραγέλλιον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γεγονὸς ὑπῆρχον αἱ τῶν παρανομούντων ἁμαρτίαι. δι' ὧν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ αἰκιζόμενοι ἀπηλαύνοντο. σχοινίον μὲν γὰρ πολλαχῶς ἡ γραφὴ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὠνόμασε· «Σχοινία ἁμαρτωλῶν περιεπλάκισάν μοι καὶ ἀδικίαν αἱ «χεῖρες αὐτῶν συμπλέκουσιν»· καὶ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις· «Σειραῖς τῶν «ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτημάτων ἕκαστος σφίγγεται», τουτέστιν κολάζεται. ἐφρα γελλώθησαν δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἀπηλάθησαν τοῦ ναοῦ τῷ ἑαυ τῶν πλεχθέντι σχοινίῳ. τὸν γὰρ δίκαιον κριτὴν οὐκ ἦν ἑτέρωθεν πλέξαι καὶ ἐπάγειν τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν τιμωρίαν, ἢ ἀφ' ὧν αὐτοὶ ἡμαρτηκότες ἠνόμησαν. Ῥητέον ὅτι ἐπινοίᾳ μόνῃ καὶ οὐχ ὑποστάσει τὴν διαφορὰν ἔχει τὸ ὕδωρ πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα, καθώς φησι ὁ σωτήρ· «Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς «ἐμέ, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος». τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος, οὗ ἤμελλον λαμβάνειν οἱ πιστεύοντες εἰς αὐτόν. εἰ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος εἴρηται ὡς ὕδωρ ποταμῶν δίκην ἐκπορευόμενον, ἐπινοίᾳ μόνῃ διοίσει τοῦ πνεύματος τὸ ὕδωρ. ὡς οὖν γεννᾶταί τις ἐκ τοῦ σωτῆρος, σοφὸς ἐκ σοφίας, καὶ ἀληθὴς ἐξ ἀληθείας, καὶ ζωὴ ἐκ ζωῆς, ἐκ τῆς πάντων ἀρχῆς καὶ γεννήσεως μιᾶς οὔσης, οὕτως καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἅγιος καὶ πνευματικός, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος καθαιρόμενος. καὶ πρὸς καρποφορίαν ποτιζόμενος γεννᾶται ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος. 122 Ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος περὶ τοῦ βασιλευομένου τόπου ἔφη, ἐν ᾧ οὗτοι κληροῦνται, ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης καὶ Λουκᾶς ἀπὸ