80

of the resurrection He has freed our nature from the sin of our first parent, from death, and from corruption, and has become the first-fruits of the resurrection, and has made Himself the way and the type and the pattern, so that we also, following in His footsteps, might become by adoption what He Himself is by nature, sons and heirs of God and joint-heirs with Him. He gave us, therefore, as I said, a second birth, so that just as having been born of Adam we were made like him, inheriting the curse and corruption, so also having been born of Him we might be made like Him and inherit His incorruption and blessing and glory. But since He is a spiritual Adam, it was necessary for the birth also to be spiritual, and likewise the food; but since we are twofold and composite, it is necessary for the birth to be twofold, and likewise the food composite. So the birth is given to us through water and the Spirit, I mean holy baptism, and the food is the very bread of life, our Lord Jesus Christ who came down from heaven. For, being about to accept the voluntary death for us, on the night in which He delivered Himself up, He made a new covenant with His holy disciples and apostles and through them with all who believe in Him. In the upper room, therefore, of holy and glorious Zion, after eating the old passover with His disciples and fulfilling the old covenant, He washes the feet of His disciples, providing a symbol of holy baptism. Then, having broken bread, He gave it to them, saying: “Take, eat, this is my body,” which is broken for you for the remission of sins. Likewise, having also taken the cup of wine and water, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the remission of sins; do this in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Son of Man and confess His resurrection, until He comes.” If, therefore, “the word of God is living and active” and “all that the Lord willed, He has done;” if He said, “Let there be light, and there was light; let there be a firmament, and there was;” if “by the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the spirit of His mouth all their power;” if heaven and earth, water and fire and air and all their order were perfected by the word of the Lord, and this much-celebrated living creature, man; if God the Word Himself, willing it, became man and from the pure and undefiled blood of the holy Virgin formed flesh for Himself without seed, —is He not able to make the bread His body and the wine and the water His blood? He said in the beginning, “Let the earth bring forth the green herb,” and until now when the rain falls it brings forth its own shoots, driven on and strengthened by the divine command. God said, “This is my body,” and, “This is my blood,” and, “Do this,” and by His all-powerful command it is done until He comes; for so He said, “Until He comes.” And a rain comes for this new husbandry through the invocation, the overshadowing power of the Holy Spirit; for just as God made all things that He made by the energy of the Holy Spirit, so also now the energy of the Spirit works things that are above nature, which nothing but faith alone can comprehend. “How shall this be to me,” says the holy Virgin, “since I know not a man?” Gabriel the archangel answers, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you.” And now you ask: How does the bread become the body of Christ and the wine and the water the blood of Christ? I also tell you: The Holy Spirit comes upon them and accomplishes these things which are beyond reason and understanding. Bread and wine are used, for God knows human weakness, which for the most part turns away in displeasure from things not established by custom; therefore, using His accustomed condescension, through the customary things of nature He works things that are above nature; and just as in baptism, since it is the custom for the

80

ἀναστάσεως ἠλευθέρωσε τὴν φύσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ προπάτορος, τοῦ θανάτου, τῆς φθορᾶς, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀπαρχὴ γέγονε καὶ ὁδὸν καὶ τύπον ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὑπογραμμὸν τέθεικεν, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἀκολουθήσαντες ἴχνεσι γενώμεθα θέσει, ὅπερ αὐτός ἐστι φύσει, υἱοὶ καὶ κληρονόμοι θεοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ συγκληρονόμοι. Ἔδωκεν οὖν ἡμῖν, ὡς ἔφην, γέννησιν δευτέραν, ἵνα ὥσπερ γεννηθέντες ἐκ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ὡμοιώθημεν αὐτῷ κληρονομήσαντες τὴν κατάραν καὶ τὴν φθοράν, οὕτω καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννηθέντες ὁμοιωθῶμεν αὐτῷ καὶ κληρονομήσωμεν τήν τε ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πνευματικός ἐστιν Ἀδάμ, ἔδει καὶ τὴν γέννησιν πνευματικὴν εἶναι, ὁμοίως καὶ τὴν βρῶσιν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ διπλοῖ τινές ἐσμεν καὶ σύνθετοι, δεῖ καὶ τὴν γέννησιν διπλῆν εἶναι, ὁμοίως καὶ τὴν βρῶσιν σύνθετον. Ἡ μὲν οὖν γέννησις δι' ὕδατος ἡμῖν καὶ πνεύματος δέδοται, φημὶ δὴ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος, ἡ δὲ βρῶσις αὐτὸς ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς, ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς. Μέλλων γὰρ τὸν ἑκούσιον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καταδέχεσθαι θάνατον ἐν τῇ νυκτί, ἐν ᾗ ἑαυτὸν παρεδίδου, διαθήκην καινὴν διέθετο τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς καὶ ἀποστόλοις καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύουσιν. Ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ τοίνυν τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ἐνδόξου Σιὼν τὸ παλαιὸν πάσχα μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ φαγὼν καὶ πληρώσας τὴν παλαιὰν διαθήκην νίπτει τῶν μαθητῶν τοὺς πόδας, σύμβολον τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος παρεχόμενος. Εἶτα κλάσας ἄρτον ἐπεδίδου αὐτοῖς λέγων· «Λάβετε, φάγετε, τοῦτό μού ἐστι τὸ σῶμα» τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κλώμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Ὁμοίως δὲ λαβὼν τὸ ποτήριον ἐξ οἴνου καὶ ὕδατος μετέδωκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· «Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες· τοῦτό μού ἐστι τὸ αἷμα τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐκχυνόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν· τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν. Ὁσάκις γὰρ ἂν ἐσθίητε τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον καὶ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο πίνητε, τὸν θάνατον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καταγγέλλετε καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ ὁμολογεῖτε, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ». Εἰ τοίνυν «ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ζῶν ἐστι καὶ ἐνεργὴς» καὶ «πάντα, ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ὁ κύριος, ἐποίησεν»· εἰ εἶπε· «Γενηθήτω φῶς, καὶ ἐγένετο· γενηθήτω στερέωμα, καὶ ἐγένετο»· εἰ «τῷ λόγῳ κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν, καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν·» εἰ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ ὕδωρ τε καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀὴρ καὶ πᾶς ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν τῷ λόγῳ κυρίου συνετελέσθησαν καὶ τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πολυθρύλλητον ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος· εἰ θελήσας αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος καὶ τὰ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου καθαρὰ καὶ ἀμώμητα αἵματα ἑαυτῷ ἀσπόρως σάρκα ὑπεστήσατο, -οὐ δύναται τὸν ἄρτον ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα ποιῆσαι καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ αἷμα; Εἶπεν ἐν ἀρχῇ· «Ἐξαγαγέτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου», καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν τοῦ ὑετοῦ γινομένου ἐξάγει τὰ ἴδια βλαστή ματα τῷ θείῳ συνελαυνομένη καὶ δυναμουμένη προστάγματι. Εἶπεν ὁ θεός· «Τοῦτό μού ἐστι τὸ σῶμα», καί· «Τοῦτό μου τὸ αἷμα», καί· «Τοῦτο ποιεῖτε» καὶ τῷ παντοδυνάμῳ αὐτοῦ προστάγματι, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ, γίνεται· οὕτως γὰρ εἶπεν· «Ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ». Καὶ γίνεται ὑετὸς τῇ καινῇ ταύτῃ γεωργίᾳ διὰ τῆς ἐπικλήσεως ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐπισκιάζουσα δύναμις· ὥσπερ γὰρ πάντα, ὅσα ἐποίησεν, ὁ θεὸς τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐνεργείᾳ ἐποίησεν, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνέργεια τὰ ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἐργάζεται, ἃ οὐ δύναται χωρῆσαι, εἰ μὴ μόνη πίστις. «Πῶς ἔσται μοι τοῦτο», φησὶν ἡ ἁγία παρθένος, «ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;» Ἀποκρίνεται Γαβριὴλ ὁ ἀρχάγγελος· «Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι». Καὶ νῦν ἐρωτᾷς· Πῶς ὁ ἄρτος γίνεται σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ ὁ οἶνος καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ αἷμα Χριστοῦ; Λέγω σοι κἀγώ· Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπιφοιτᾷ καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖ τὰ ὑπὲρ λόγον καὶ ἔννοιαν. Ἄρτος δὲ καὶ οἶνος παραλαμβάνεται· οἶδε γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀσθένειαν, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ γὰρ τὰ μὴ κατὰ τὴν συνήθειαν τετριμμένα ἀποστρέφεται δυσχεραίνουσα· τῇ οὖν συνήθει συγκαταβάσει κεχρημένος διὰ τῶν συνήθων τῆς φύσεως ποιεῖ τὰ ὑπὲρ φύσιν· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἐπειδὴ ἔθος τοῖς