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so much of Christ and of the Spirit, since the one was in our nature, and the other appeared in the form of a dove. What then is there to say to these things? That the Son of God took on the nature of man; but the Spirit did not take on the nature of a dove. For this reason the evangelist did not say that it was in the nature of a dove, but in the likeness of a dove; therefore, neither after these things was it seen in this form, but only then. But if for this reason you say its worth is less, the Cherubim will also be found by this reasoning to be much better, and by as much as an 57.206 eagle is than a dove; for they too were formed into this appearance; and the angels again will be better; for they often appeared in the form of men. But this is not so, it is not so. For the truth of the economy is one thing, and the condescension of a temporary vision another. Therefore, do not be ungrateful toward the benefactor, nor repay with their opposites the one who bestowed on you the fountain of blessedness. For where there is the dignity of adoption, there is also the removal of evils, and the gift of all good things. For this very reason, the Jewish baptism ceases, and ours begins. And what happened at the Passover, this also happens at the baptism. For there also, having partaken of both, he ended the one, and gave a beginning to the other; and here, having fulfilled the Jewish baptism, at the same time he also opens the doors of the Church, just as at one table then, so in one river now, both outlining the shadow and adding the truth. For this baptism alone has the grace of the Spirit; but that of John was devoid of this gift. For this very reason, in the case of the others who were baptized, nothing of the sort happened, but only in the case of him who was about to hand this down; so that, along with what has been said, you may also learn this, that it was not the purity of the one baptizing, but the power of the one being baptized that did this. Then indeed the heavens were opened, and the Spirit came upon him. For from the old, he then leads us out to the new commonwealth, both opening for us the gates above, and sending the Spirit from there, calling us to the fatherland there; and not simply calling, but also with the greatest dignity. For he did not make us angels and archangels, but having made us sons of God and beloved, thus he draws us toward that inheritance. 4. Therefore, considering all these things, both the love of the one who calls, and the commonwealth there, and the honor that was given, show a life worthy of them; having been crucified to the world, and having crucified it to yourself, live the life of the commonwealth of the heavens with all exactness; and do not, because your body has not been translated to heaven, think that you have anything in common with the earth; for you have the Head sitting above; And for this reason the Master, having first come here, and having brought the angels, then having taken you up, went away there, so that even before your ascent there you might learn that it is possible for you to inhabit the earth as if it were heaven. Let us then remain, keeping the nobility which we received from the beginning, and let us seek each day the kingdom there, and let us consider all things here to be a shadow and a dream. For not even if some king on earth, having taken you when you were poor and a beggar, suddenly made you a son, would you have thought of your hut and the meanness of your hut; and yet the distance there is not great. Therefore, do not here either reckon any of the former things; for you have been called to things far greater. For he who calls is the Master of angels; and the good things given surpass all reason and understanding. For he does not translate you from earth to earth, like the king, but from earth to heaven, and from a mortal nature to an immortal and ineffable glory, which can only appear in its beauty then, when we 57.207 enjoy it. Since you are about to partake of such good things, then, do you remind me of money, and cling to the display here? and do you not consider all visible things to be meaner than the rags of a beggar? And how will you appear worthy of this honor? and what defense will you have to speak, or rather, what penalty will you not pay, running back to your former vomit after so great a gift?

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τοσοῦτον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ φύσει, τὸ δὲ ἐν ὄψει περιστερᾶς ἐφάνη. Τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα ἔστιν εἰπεῖν; Ὅτι ὁ μὲν Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, φύσιν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέλαβε· τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα, οὐ φύσιν ἀνέλαβε περιστερᾶς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἐν φύσει περιστερᾶς, ἀλλ' ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς· οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν τούτῳ ὤφθη τῷ σχήματι, ἀλλὰ τότε μόνον. Εἰ δὲ διὰ τοῦτο ἐλάττονα αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν φὴς εἶναι, εὑρεθήσεται καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον ἀμείνω πολλῷ, καὶ τοσοῦτον ὅσον περι 57.206 στερᾶς ἀετός· καὶ γὰρ εἰς ταύτην κἀκεῖνα ἐσχηματίσθη τὴν ὄψιν· καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι δὲ ἀμείνους πάλιν· καὶ γὰρ ἐν σχήματι ἀνθρώπων πολλάκις ἐφάνησαν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστι. Καὶ γὰρ ἕτερον οἰκονομίας ἀλήθεια, καὶ ὄψεως προσκαίρου συγκατάβασις. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀχάριστος γίνου περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην, μηδὲ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀμείβου τὸν τὴν πηγήν σοι τῆς μακαριότητος δωρησάμενον. Ὅπου γὰρ υἱοθεσίας ἀξίωμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ τῶν κακῶν ἀναίρεσις, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων δόσις. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο τὸ μὲν Ἰουδαϊκὸν παύεται βάπτισμα, τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον ἀρχὴν λαμβάνει. Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Πάσχα γέγονε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος συμβαίνει. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀμφότερα μετελθὼν, τὸ μὲν ἔπαυσε, τῷ δὲ ἀρχὴν δέδωκε· καὶ ἐνταῦθα πληρώσας τὸ Ἰουδαϊκὸν βάπτισμα, ὁμοῦ καὶ τοῦ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὰς θύρας ἀνοίγνυσιν, ὥσπερ ἐν μιᾷ τραπέζῃ τότε, οὕτως ἐν ἑνὶ ποταμῷ νῦν, καὶ τὴν σκιὰν ὑπογράψας, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν προσθείς. Πνεύματος γὰρ χάριν τοῦτο ἔχει τὸ βάπτισμα μόνον· τὸ δὲ Ἰωάννου, ταύτης ἔρημον τῆς δωρεᾶς ἦν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων τῶν βαπτιζομένων οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον συνέβη, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ μόνου τοῦ μέλλοντος τοῦτο παραδιδόναι· ἵνα μετὰ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ τοῦτο μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐχ ἡ καθαρότης τοῦ βαπτίζοντος, ἀλλ' ἡ δύναμις τοῦ βαπτιζομένου τοῦτο ἐποίησε. Τότε γοῦν καὶ οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἀνεῴχθησαν, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐπῆλθεν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς παλαιᾶς λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν καινὴν ἐξάγει πολιτείαν ἡμᾶς, τάς τε πύλας ἡμῖν ἀνοιγνὺς τὰς ἄνω, καὶ Πνεῦμα πέμπων ἐκεῖθεν, καλοῦν εἰς τὴν ἐκεῖ πατρίδα· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς καλοῦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ ἀξιώματος τοῦ μεγίστου. Οὐ γὰρ ἀγγέλους καὶ ἀρχαγγέλους ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ υἱοὺς Θεοῦ κατασκευάσας καὶ ἀγαπητοὺς, οὕτως ἕλκει πρὸς ἐκείνην τὴν λῆξιν ἡμᾶς. δʹ. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοήσας ἅπαντα, καὶ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ καλοῦντος, καὶ τῆς πολιτείας τῆς ἐκεῖ, καὶ τῆς τιμῆς τῆς δοθείσης ἄξιον ἐπίδειξαι βίον· τῷ κόσμῳ σταυρωθεὶς, καὶ σταυρώσας αὐτὸν σεαυτῷ, τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν πολιτεύου πολιτείαν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἁπάσης· μηδὲ ἐπειδὴ τὸ σῶμά σου μὴ μετέστη πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν, νομίσῃς ἔχειν τι κοινὸν πρὸς τὴν γῆν· τὴν γὰρ κεφαλὴν ἄνω καθημένην ἔχεις· Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ πρότερον ἐνταῦθα παραγενόμενος ὁ ∆εσπότης, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἀγαγὼν, τότε σε ἀναλαβὼν ἀπῆλθεν ἐκεῖ, ἵνα καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀνόδου τῆς ἐκεῖσε μάθῃς, ὅτι δυνατόν σοι τὴν γῆν ὡς τὸν οὐρανὸν οἰκεῖν. Μένωμεν τοίνυν τὴν εὐγένειαν τηροῦντες, ἢν ἐδεξάμεθα ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ βασίλεια καθ' ἑκάστην ἐπιζητῶμεν τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐνταῦθα σκιὰν καὶ ὄναρ εἶναι νομίζωμεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ βασιλεύς τις τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πτωχὸν ὄντα σε καὶ προσαιτοῦντα λαβὼν, υἱὸν ἐξαίφνης ἐποιήσατο, τὴν καλύβην καὶ τὴν εὐτέλειαν τῆς καλύβης τῆς σῆς ἐνενόησας ἄν· καίτοιγε οὐ πολὺ τὸ μέσον ἐκεῖ. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ ἐνταῦθα λογίζου τι τῶν προτέρων· καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ πολλῷ μείζοσιν ἐκλήθης. Ὅ τε γὰρ καλῶν, ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότης ἐστί· τά τε διδόμενα ἀγαθὰ, καὶ λόγον καὶ διάνοιαν ὑπερβαίνει πᾶσαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς γῆν σε μεθίστησι, καθάπερ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν, καὶ ἀπὸ φύσεως θνητῆς εἰς ἀθάνατον καὶ δόξαν ἄῤῥητον, τότε δυναμένην μόνον φανῆναι καλῶς, ὅταν αὐτῆς 57.207 ἀπολαύσωμεν. Τοιούτων τοίνυν μέλλων μετέχειν ἀγαθῶν, χρημάτων μοι μέμνησαι, καὶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα φαντασίας ἀντέχῃ; καὶ οὐ νομίζεις ἅπαντα τὰ ὁρώμενα τῶν τοῦ προσαιτοῦντος ῥακίων εὐτελέστερα εἶναι; Καὶ πῶς ἄξιος φανήσῃ ταύτης τῆς τιμῆς; ποίαν δὲ ἔξεις ἀπολογίαν εἰπεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ ποίαν οὐ δώσεις δίκην, μετὰ τοσαύτην δωρεὰν ἐπὶ τὸν πρότερον ἐμετὸν τρέχων;