X.

By the two birds2    See Lev. xiv. 49–53. Christ is denoted, both dead as man, and living as God. He is likened to a bird, because He is understood and declared to be from above, and from heaven. And the living bird, having been dipped in the blood of the dead one, was afterwards let go. For the living and divine Word was in the crucified and dead temple [of the body], as being a partaker of the passion, and yet impassible to God.

By that which took place in the running3    Literally, “living.” water, in which the wood and the hyssop and the scarlet were dipped, is set forth the bloody passion of Christ on the cross for the salvation of those who are sprinkled with the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. Wherefore the material for purification was not provided chiefly with reference to leprosy, but with regard to the forgiveness of sins, that both leprosy might be understood to be an emblem of sin, and the things which were sacrificed an emblem of Him who was to be sacrificed for sins.

For this reason, consequently, he ordered that the scarlet should be dipped at the same time in the water, thus predicting that the flesh should no longer possess its natural [evil] properties. For this reason, also, were there the two birds, the one being sacrificed in the water, and the other dipped both in the blood and in the water and then sent away, just as is narrated also respecting the goats.

The goat that was sent away presented a type of Him who taketh away the sins of men. But the two contained a representation of the one economy of God incarnate. For He was wounded for our transgressions, and He bare the sins of many, and He was delivered for our iniquities.—From manuscript of writings of Justin.

10 [10a] Δι' ἀμφοῖν τοῖν ὀρνέοιν σημαίνεται ὁ Χριστός, καὶ τεθνεὼς ὡς ἄνθρωπος καὶ ζῶν ὡς θεός. Ὀρνιθίῳ δὲ παρεικάζεται διὰ τὸ ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ νοεῖσθαι καὶ λέγεσθαι. Βαπτισθὲν δὲ τὸ ζῶν ὀρνίθιον ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ τεθνεῶτος ἀνεῖτο λοιπόν: ἐν γὰρ τῷ σταυρωθέντι καὶ ἀποθανόντι ναῷ ὁ ζῶν καὶ θεῖος ἦν λόγος, κοινωνὸς ὡς ἄνθρωπος τοῦ πάθους καὶ ἀπαθὴς ὡς θεός. [10b] Διὰ τοῦ ἐφ' ὕδατι ζῶντι, ἐν ᾧ τὸ ξύλον καὶ τὸ ὕσσωπον καὶ τὸ κόκκινον ἐβάπτετο, τὸ διὰ τοῦ ξύλου ἔναιμον πάθος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐν τῇ τῶν διὰ πνεύματος καὶ ὕδατος καὶ αἵματος ῥαντιζομένων σωτηρίᾳ, δηλοῦται: ὥστε οὐ προκειμένως περὶ λέπρας ἡ ὑπόθεσις ἦν τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτιῶν, ἵνα νοηθῇ καὶ ἡ λέπρα παραβολὴ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τὰ θυόμενα παραβολὴ τοῦ μέλλοντος θύεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν. [10c] Διὰ τοῦτο ἀκολούθως βάπτεσθαι ἐκέλευσεν ἅμα τὸ κόκκινον εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ, τὴν οὐκέτι τὰ φυσικὰ ἔχουσαν σάρκα προφητεύων. Διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ δύο ὀρνίθια: ἓν μὲν θυόμενον ἐφ' ὕδατι, καὶ ἓν βαπτιζόμενον εἰς τὸ αἷμα καὶ εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ἐξαποστελλόμενον, καθάπερ εἴρηται καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τράγων. [10d] Ὁ τῆς ἀποπομπῆς τράγος τὸν τύπον τοῦ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτίας ἀναλαμβάνοντος ἐξετέλει. Οἱ δὲ δύο τὴν μίαν περιεῖχον τοῦ ἐνανθρωπήσαντος θεοῦ οἰκονομίαν: ἐτραυματίσθη γὰρ διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἁμαρτίας πολλῶν ἀνήνεγκε, καὶ διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν παρεδόθη.