67

the disciples of Christ are written; For rejoice (it says) that your names are written in the heavens. But since to "Those written in Jerusalem" is added "for life," it is necessary to consider, whether there are some who are written, but not for life, according to Jeremiah, who says: Let those who have departed be written on the earth, so that according to this, two kinds of inscriptions are to be understood: one for life, the other for destruction; and that there is often even a change in the writing, whenever we fall from virtue into evil. For "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous," and "Blot me out from your book," are said as of those already deemed worthy of the inscription in the book of God. 4.137 That the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and will purge the blood of Jerusalem from their midst, with a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. The word clearly foretells the same things as John, who said concerning the Lord, that He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire; but concerning himself, that I baptize you with water, for repentance. Since, therefore, the Lord has joined both, that from water for repentance and that from the Spirit for regeneration, the word also alludes to both baptisms ... perhaps there are three conceptions of baptism, the cleansing of filth, and the regeneration through the Spirit, and the testing in the fire of judgment; so that the "washing away" is to be taken for the putting away of sin here, but "with a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning" for the testing through fire in the age to come. Sins of ignorance, being like some filth that obscures the surface of the soul and damages its natural beauty, need the cleansing that comes from washing; but the sins unto death of those who sin voluntarily after receiving the knowledge are called blood, needing the judgment in the heat. Since therefore the one confessing desires both to be washed and to be cleansed, and says that iniquity needs washing, but sin needs cleansing, saying: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Those who are entirely unacquainted with the divine teachings, having sinned before learning the word, being as it were defiled, need the cleansing from water; but those who plot against themselves after receiving life, being guilty of blood, need the cleansing from fire. It is also possible to take it more simply: that the superficial sins are like some filth; but the deep-seated sins, sinned out of a disposition toward evil on the part of the transgressors, are compared to blood; for which reason the blood is said to be purged from the midst of those who have sinned through the burning of the spirit. 4.138 And it will come and there shall be every place of Mount Zion, and all the region round about it, a cloud shall overshadow it by day, and as it were the smoke and light of a burning fire by night, it shall be covered with all the glory. And there shall be a shadow from the heat, and a shelter and a hiding place from the hardship and rain. After the cleansing by the washing and the purification from repentance, a time will come when every place will be made akin to Mount Zion, that is, it will be deemed worthy of being high and watchful of heavenly things. After the seven women take hold of one man, and the Lord shines forth with glory in counsel, to exalt and glorify the remnant of Israel, when they were also called Holy, because the filth of the daughters of Zion was washed away and their blood purged from their midst, then a cloud will overshadow the region round about Jerusalem by day, so as to provide a shadow from the heat and a shelter from hardship and rain; and by night it will be possessed by a burning light, and the glory will be like some smoke seizing everything. We reckon that these things are promised to those worthy of rest. For, since there are many mansions in the Father's house and a varied inheritance is laid up in the land of the inheritance, which

67

γράφονται οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· Χαίρετε γὰρ (φησὶν) ὅτι τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν γεγραμμένα ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρόσκειται τῷ Οἱ γραφέντες ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὸ Εἰς ζωὴν, ἐπιστῆσαι ἀναγκαῖον, μήποτέ εἰσί τινες οἱ γραφόμενοι μὲν, οὐκ εἰς ζωνὴν δὲ, κατὰ τὸν Ἱερε μίαν, λέγοντα· Ἀφεστηκότες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γραφήτωσαν, ὥστε κατὰ τοῦτο δύο τινὰς καταγραφὰς νοεῖσθαι· τῶν μὲν εἰς ζωὴν, τῶν δὲ εἰς ἀπώλειαν· καὶ εἶναι πολλάκις καὶ μεταβολὴν τῆς Γραφῆς, ὅταν καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς κακίαν ἀπὸ ἀρετῆς μεταπέσωμεν. Τὸ γὰρ Ἐξαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ βίβλου ζώντων καὶ μετὰ δικαίων μὴ γραφήτωσαν, καὶ τὸ Ἐξ άλειψον κἀμὲ ἀπὸ τῆς βίβλου σου, ὡς ἤδη τῆς ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ καταγραφῆς ἠξιωμένων λέγεται. 4.137 Ὅτι ἐκπλυνεῖ Κύριος τὸν ῥύπον τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων Σιὼν, καὶ τὸ αἷμα Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐκκαθαριεῖ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν, ἐν πνεύματι κρίσεως καὶ ἐν πνεύματι καύσεως. Τρανῶς τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ὁ λόγος προαγορεύει, περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντι, ὅτι Αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν Πνεύ ματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί· περὶ δὲ ἑαυτοῦ, ὅτι Ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι, εἰς μετάνοιαν. Ἐπεὶ γοῦν ἀμφότερα συνῆψεν ὁ Κύριος, τό τε ἐξ ὕδατος εἰς μετάνοιαν καὶ τὸ ἐκ Πνεύματος εἰς ἀναγέννησιν, καὶ ὁ λόγος αἰνίσσεται ἀμφότερα τὰ βαπτίσματα ... μήποτε τρεῖς εἰσιν αἱ ἐπίνοιαι τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ὅ τε τοῦ ῥύπου καθαρισμὸς, καὶ ἡ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀναγέννησις, καὶ ἡ ἐν τῷ πυρὶ τῆς κρίσεως βάσανος· ὥστε τὸ μὲν ἐκπλύνειν πρὸς τὴν ὧδε ἀπόθεσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας λαμβάνεσθαι, τὸ δὲ πνεύματι κρίσεως καὶ πνεύματι καύσεως, πρὸς τὴν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς δοκιμασίαν. ∆έονται δὲ αἱ μὲν κατ' ἄγνοιαν ἁμαρτίαι, οἱονεὶ ῥύπος τις οὖσαι, τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀφανίζουσαι καὶ τῷ φυ σικῷ κάλλει αὐτῆς λυμαινόμεναι, τοῦ ἐκ τῆς πλύσεως καθα ρισμοῦ· αἱ δὲ πρὸς θάνατον ἁμαρτίαι τῶν ἑκουσίως ἐξα μαρτανόντων, μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν, αἷμα προσα γορεύονται, δεόμεναι τῆς ἐν τῷ καύματι κρίσεως. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ ἐξομολογούμενος καὶ πλυθῆναι ἀξιοῖ καὶ καθαρισθῆναι, καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀνομίαν πλύσεώς φησι δεῖσθαι, τὴν δὲ ἁμαρ τίαν καθαρισμοῦ, λέγων· Ἐπὶ πλεῖον πλῦνόν με ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας μου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου καθάρισόν με. Οἱ μὲν πάντη ἀνήκοοι τῶν θείων Μαθημάτων, πρὶν μα θεῖν τὸν λόγον ἡμαρτηκότες, οἱονεὶ ἐῤῥυπωμένοι, τοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος δέονται καθαρισμοῦ· οἱ δὲ μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ζωὴν ἐπιβουλεύοντες ἑαυτοῖς, αἵματι ὄντες ἔνοχοι, τοῦ ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς δέονται καθαρισμοῦ. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἁπλούστε ρον ἐκλαβεῖν· ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἐπιπόλαια τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ῥύπῳ τινὶ ἔοικε· τὰ δὲ διὰ βάθους, ἐκ διαθέσεως τῆς πρὸς τὸ κακὸν τῶν πλημμελούντων ἁμαρτανόμενα, αἵματι παρεικά ζεται· διὸ καὶ ἐκ μέσου τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων διὰ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος καύσεως ἐκκαθαρίζεσθαι τὸ αἷμα λέγεται. 4.138 Καὶ ἥξει καὶ ἔσται πᾶς τόπος τοῦ ὄρους Σιὼν καὶ πάντα τὰ περὶ κύκλῳ αὐτῆς σκιάσει νεφέλη ἡμέρας, καὶ ὡς καπνοῦ καὶ ὡς φωτὸς καιομένου νυκτὸς, πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ σκεπασθήσεται. Καὶ ἔσται εἰς σκιὰν ἀπὸ καύματος καὶ ἐν σκέπῃ καὶ ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ ἀπὸ σκληρότητος καὶ ὑετοῦ. Μετὰ τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ λουτροῦ κάθαρσιν καὶ τὴν ἐκ μετανοίας ἀποκάθαρσιν, ἥξει καιρὸς ὅτε πᾶς τόπος οἰκειωθήσεται τῷ ὄρει Σιών, τουτέστιν ὑψηλὸς καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων εἶναι σκοπευτικὸς καταξιωθήσεται. Μετὰ τὸ ἐπιλαβέσθαι ἀν δρὸς τὰς ἑπτὰ γυναῖκας, καὶ ἐπιλάμψαι Κύριον μετὰ δόξης ἐν βουλῇ, τοῦ ὑψῶσαι καὶ δοξάσαι τὸ καταλειφθὲν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτε καὶ Ἅγιοι ἐκλήθησαν, διὰ τὸ ἐκπλυθῆναι τὸν ῥύπον τῶν θυγατέρων Σιὼν καὶ ἐκκαθαρισθῆναι τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ἐκ μέσου, τότε σκιάσει τὰ περὶ κύκλῳ τῆς Ἱερουσα λὴμ νεφέλη ἡμέρας, ὥστε παρασχεῖν σκιὰν ἀπὸ καύματος καὶ σκέπην ἀπὸ σκληρότητος καὶ ὑετοῦ· τὴν δὲ νύκτα ὑπὸ φωτὸς κατέχεσθαι καιομένου, καὶ εἶναι τὴν δόξαν οἱονεὶ καπνόν τινα τὰ πάντα ἐπιλαμβάνουσαν. Λογιζόμεθα δὲ ταῦτα ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι τοῖς ἀξίοις τῆς ἀναπαύσεως. ∆ιότι, πολλῶν μονῶν οὐσῶν ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ διαφόρου κληροδοσίας ἀποκειμένης ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς κληρονομίας, ἣν