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God avenges those who were wronged by the sons of Ham and deprived of their own place, by destroying the Canaanites according to their oath, and the seed of Shem receives back its own land. Therefore, God did not act unjustly, assigning to each part what is just; “for God is not mocked,” as I said before. 115.1 In the Exodus, therefore, God, preparing a congregation for himself, says to Moses, “remove the sandals from your feet.” For everyone who 115.2 is about to approach the pure washing first removes his sandals. Since, therefore, much time had passed and everyone, “we have gone astray in his way,” and this congregation remained in its own evils, God had not yet revealed “the washing” “of regeneration,” but postponed it for many years, but later He revealed the all-holy 115.3 washing to the holy church; in Moses removing sandals, in the prophets taking off the outer tunic, leaving only a loincloth for Jeremiah, in John changing all the garments of the world, he transformed them from camel's hair, in the Savior himself and his disciples he put off “the form of the world,” and from above, from the heavens, after the cleansing of the waters, He clothed them with a garment “of fire and of the Spirit.” 115.4 But the Israelites, seeing his grace, did not know that he is God. Wherefore the prophet also reproachfully lamented them for the dishonor that would be done by them to the Savior, saying, “Do you thus 115.5 repay the Lord, foolish and heartless people?” For they did not know that this was he who was in the beginning with whom the Father took counsel, saying, “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness”; 115.6 For “let us make” is not indicative of the singular number; but rather the Father took counsel with the Son and the Holy Spirit; “for by the word of the Lord the heavens were made firm, and by the spirit of his mouth 115.7 all their power.” Nor did they understand him who says expressly in the same book, that “the Lord rained from the Lord fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah from heaven.” For “the Lord rained fire,” the one who had come to Abraham, from “the Lord from heaven,” the one who had sent 115.8 him. Nor did they know him who brought them out of Egypt, nor did they understand the prophet saying, “And you, Bethlehem, are by no means least”—for how is it possible to call least a city that contained him whom heaven and all things have not been able to contain?—and that “out of you shall come forth for me a ruler”; but if he comes forth from Bethlehem and is a man, how is he also spoken of as God? 116.1 The fact that he is God and man confuses them. For in the same passage he says, “his goings forth are from the beginning, from the creation 116.2 of the world”; but this is no longer of a man, but of God. And they do not remember that “behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel”; and “they shall call” signifies 116.3 the manner of the saints and the faithful, the sons of the church. For being questioned by the Jews who killed the Lord concerning the Savior, as to how you believe in the crucified one, they confess * they hear from the same faithful that he was crucified by you, but with us 116.4 he is God. And they have not heard David, nor have they known his word, which he spoke, seeing in the Holy Spirit, shuddering at the coming economy of the Lord himself, saying, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand” and so forth. 116.5 Therefore, “the ancient Sabbaths have passed away,” and the true Sabbath is proclaimed among us. The first circumcision, which circumcised one very small member, has ceased, while the heavenly circumcision is very much at work, 116.6 circumcising the whole body. For the waters and

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ἀδικηθέντας ὑπὸ τῶν υἱῶν Χὰμ καὶ τὸν ἴδιον τόπον ἀφαιρεθέντας ἐκδικεῖ ὁ θεὸς ἐξολοθρεύσας τοὺς τοῦ Χαναὰν κατὰ τὸν ὅρκον αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ Σὴμ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀπολαμβάνει χώραν. οὐκ ἠδίκησεν οὖν ὁ θεός, τὰ δίκαια ἑκάστῳ μέρει ἀπονέμων· «οὐ γὰρ μυκτηρίζεται ὁ θεός», ὡς προεῖπον. 115.1 Ἐν τῇ οὖν ἐξόδῳ συναγωγὴν ἑαυτῷ ὁ θεὸς ἁρμόζων φησὶ Μωυσῇ «ὑπόλυσαι τὰ ὑποδήματα ἐκ τῶν ποδῶν σου». πᾶς γὰρ ὁ 115.2 μέλλων καθαροῖς λουτροῖς προσιέναι πρῶτον ὑπολύεται. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν χρόνος πολὺς διελήλυθε καὶ πᾶς τις «ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτοῦ ἐπλανήθημεν» καὶ αὕτη ἡ συναγωγὴ ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις κακοῖς ἔμεινεν, οὔπω «τὸ λουτρὸν» ὁ θεὸς «τῆς παλιγγενεσίας» ἀπεκάλυπτεν, ἀλλ' ἔτεσι μὲν πολλοῖς ἀνεβάλλετο, ὕστερον δὲ τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ τὸ πανάγιον 115.3 λουτρὸν ἀπεκάλυψεν· ἐν μὲν Μωυσῇ ὑποδήματα ὑπολύων, ἐν δὲ προφήταις τὸν ἔξωθεν χιτῶνα ἀπεκδύων, περίζωμα μόνον καταλείψας τῷ Ἰερεμίᾳ, ἐν δὲ Ἰωάννῃ ὅλα τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἱμάτια μεταβαλὼν ἐκ τριχῶν καμήλου μετεσχημάτιζεν, ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ τῷ σωτῆρι καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς «κόσμου τὸ σχῆμα» ἐξέδυσεν, ἄνωθεν δὲ ἀπ' οὐρανῶν μετὰ τὴν τῶν ὑδάτων κάθαρσιν «πυρὸς καὶ πνεύματος» ἔνδυσιν ἐνεδί115.4 δυσκεν. ἀλλ' ὁρῶντες οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται τὴν χάριν τούτου οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι θεός ἐστι. διὸ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐγκληματικῶς τούτους ἀπωδύρετο διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν σωτῆρα ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐσομένην ἀτιμίαν, «ταῦτα 115.5 κυρίῳ ἀνταποδίδοτε, λέγων, λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ ἀκάρδιος;» οὐκ ἔγνωσαν γὰρ τοῦτον ὅτι οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ μεθ' οὗ ὁ πατὴρ συνεβουλεύσατο, «ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν» λέγων· 115.6 τὸ γὰρ «ποιήσωμεν» οὐχ ἑνὸς ἀριθμοῦ ἐστι σημαντικόν· ἀλλὰ γοῦν συνεβουλεύσατο ὁ πατὴρ υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι· «τῷ γὰρ λόγῳ κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν καὶ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ 115.7 πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν». οὐδ' ἂν συνήκασι τοῦ λέγοντος ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ βίβλῳ ῥητῶς, ὅτι «ἔβρεξε κύριος παρὰ κυρίου πῦρ καὶ θεῖον ἐπὶ Σόδομα καὶ Γόμορρα ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ». ἔβρεξε γὰρ «κύριος πῦρ», ὁ πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ ἐληλυθώς, παρὰ «κυρίου ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ», τοῦ αὐτὸν ἀπο115.8 στείλαντος. οὐδὲ ἔγνωσαν αὐτὸν ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου αὐτοὺς ἐκβάλλοντα οὐδὲ συνῆκαν τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος «καὶ σὺ Βηθλεὲμ οὐχὶ ἐλαχίστη» πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε ἐλαχίστην καλεῖν πόλιν χωρήσασαν ὃν οὐρανὸς καὶ πάντα χωρεῖν οὐ δεδύνηνται; καὶ ὅτι «ἐκ σοῦ μοι ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος»· εἰ δὲ ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ ἐκπορεύεται καὶ ἄνθρωπός ἐστι, καὶ πῶς θεολογεῖται; 116.1 ταράσσει αὐτοὺς τὸ εἶναι θεὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον. ἐν ταὐτῷ γὰρ λέγει «αἱ διέξοδοι αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ἀπὸ κτίσεως 116.2 κόσμου»· τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐκέτι ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλὰ θεοῦ. οὐ μέμνηνται δὲ ὅτι «ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ»· τὸ δὲ καλέσουσι σημαίνει 116.3 τὸν τρόπον τῶν ἁγίων καὶ πιστῶν, τῶν υἱῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. ἐξεταζόμενοι γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν κυριοκτόνων Ἰουδαίων περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ὅτι πῶς εἰς τὸν σταυρωθέντα πιστεύετε ὁμολογοῦσιν * ἀκούουσι παρὰ τῶν αὐτῶν πιστῶν ὅτι παρ' ὑμῖν ἐσταύρωται, μεθ' ἡμῶν δὲ 116.4 θεός ἐστι. τοῦ δὲ ∆αυὶδ οὐκ ἤκουσαν καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον, ὃν ὁρῶν ἐν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι ἔλεγε, φρίττων τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι οἰκονομίαν, λέγων «εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου, κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 116.5 Σάββατα τοίνυν «τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρελήλυθε», σάββατον δὲ ἀληθινὸν παρ' ἡμῖν κηρύττεται. ἤργησε δὲ ἡ πρώτη περιτομὴ ἓν μέλος σμικρότατον περιτέμνουσα, ἐνεργεῖ δὲ εὖ μάλα ἡ ἐπουράνιος περιτομὴ 116.6 ὅλον τὸ σῶμα περιτέμνουσα. τὰ γὰρ ὕδατα καὶ