[A Thanksgiving Concerning the Mystical Ointment.]
XLIV. O Lord God, who art without generation, and without a superior, the Lord of the whole world, who hast scattered the sweet odour of the knowledge of the Gospel among all nations, do Thou grant at this time that this ointment may be efficacious upon him that is baptized, that so the sweet odour of Thy Christ may continue upon him firm and fixed; and that now he has died with Him, he may arise and live with Him. Let him say these and the like things, for this is the efficacy of the laying on of hands on every one; for unless there be such a recital made by a pious priest over every one of these, the candidate for baptism does only descend into the water as do the Jews, and he only puts off the filth of the body, not the filth of the soul. After this let him stand up, and pray that prayer which the Lord taught us. But, of necessity, he who is risen again ought to stand up and pray, because he that is raised up stands upright. Let him, therefore, who has been dead with Christ, and is raised up with Him, stand up. But let him pray towards the east. 190 [Compare vol. ii. p. 535 and vol. iii. p. 31.] For this also is written in the second book of the Chronicles, that after the temple of the Lord was finished by King Solomon, in the very feast of dedication the priests and the Levites and the singers stood up towards the east, praising and thanking God with cymbals and psalteries, and saying, “Praise the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever.” 191 2 Chron. v. 13.
[44] Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο βαπτίσας αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, χρισάτω μύρῳ ἐπιλέγων: Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἀγέννητος καὶ ἀδέσποτος, ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος, ὁ τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὔοσμον παρασχόμενος: σὺ καὶ νῦν τοῦτο τὸ μύρον δὸς ἐνεργὲς γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τῷ βαπτιζομένῳ, ὥστε βέβαιον καὶ πάγιον ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν εὐωδίαν μεῖναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου, καὶ συναποθανόντα αὐτὸν συναναστῆναι καὶ συζῆσαι αὐτῷ. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα λεγέτω: ἑκάστου γὰρ ἡ δύναμις τῆς χειροθεσίας ἐστὶν αὕτη. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ εἰς ἕκαστον τούτων ἐπίκλησις γένηται παρὰ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς ἱερέως τοιαύτη τις, εἰς ὕδωρ μόνον καταβαίνει ὁ βαπτιζόμενος ὡς οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ ἀποτίθεται μόνον τὸν ῥύπον τοῦ σώματος, οὐ τὸν ῥύπον τῆς ψυχῆς.