XV.  But John baptizes, Jesus comes to Him56    Matt. iii. 14.…perhaps to sanctify the Baptist himself, but certainly to bury the whole of the old Adam in the water; and before this and for the sake of this, to sanctify Jordan; for as He is Spirit and Flesh, so He consecrates us by Spirit and water.57    John v. 35.  John will not receive Him; Jesus contends.  “I have need to be baptized of Thee”58    Matt. iii. 17. says the Voice to the Word, the Friend to the Bridegroom;59    John iii. 39. he that is above all among them that are born of women,60    Matt. xi. 11. to Him Who is the Firstborn of every creature;61    Col. i. 5. he that leaped in the womb,62    Luke i. 41. to Him Who was adored in the womb; he who was and is to be the Forerunner63    “He who was the forerunner on earth, and was to be the forerunner in Hades of Christ, Who manifested Himself on earth, and manifested Himself also in Hades.”  Elias Cretensis. to Him Who was and is to be manifested.  “I have need to be baptized of Thee;” add to this “and for Thee;” for he knew that he would be baptized by Martyrdom, or, like Peter, that he would be cleansed not only as to his feet.64    John xiii. 9.  “And comest Thou to me?”  This also was prophetic; for he knew that after Herod would come the madness of Pilate, and so that when he had gone before Christ would follow him.  But what saith Jesus?  “Suffer it to be so now,” for this is the time of His Incarnation; for He knew that yet a little while and He should baptize the Baptist.  And what is the “Fan?”  The Purification.  And what is the “Fire?”  The consuming of the chaff, and the heat of the Spirit.  And what the “Axe?”  The excision of the soul which is incurable even after the dung.65    Luke xiii. 8.  And what the Sword?  The cutting of the Word, which separates the worse from the better,66    Heb. iv. 12. and makes a division between the faithful and the unbeliever;67    Matt. x. 35. and stirs up the son and the daughter and the bride against the father and the mother and the mother in law,68    Micah vii. 6. the young and fresh against the old and shadowy.  And what is the Latchet of the shoe, which thou John who baptizest Jesus mayest not loose?69    John i. 27. thou who art of the desert, and hast no food, the new Elias,70    Luke vii. 26. the more than Prophet, inasmuch as thou sawest Him of Whom thou didst prophesy, thou Mediator of the Old and New Testaments.  What is this?  Perhaps the Message of the Advent, and the Incarnation, of which not the least point may be loosed, I say not by those71    One important ms. reads “Us Who.” who are yet carnal and babes in Christ, but not even by those who are like John in spirit.

ΙΕʹ. Πλὴν Ἰωάννης βαπτίζει, πρόσεισιν Ἰησοῦς: ἁγιάσων τυχὸν μὲν καὶ τὸν βαπτιστήν: τὸ δὲ πρόδηλον, πάντα τὸν παλαιὸν Ἀδὰμ, ἵν' ἐνθάψῃ τῷ ὕδατι: πρὸ δὲ τούτων καὶ διὰ τούτους, τὸν Ἰορδάνην: ὥσπερ ἦν πνεῦμα καὶ σὰρξ, οὕτω Πνεύματι τελειῶν καὶ ὕδατι. Οὐ δέχεται ὁ Βαπτιστής: ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀγωνίζεται: Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, ὁ λύχνος τῷ Ἡλίῳ φησὶν, ἡ φωνὴ τῷ Λόγῳ, ὁ φίλος τῷ Νυμφίῳ, ὁ ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν ὑπὲρ ἅπαντας, τῷ Πρωτοτόκῳ πάσης κτίσεως, ὁ προσκιρτήσας ἀπὸ γαστρὸς, τῷ ἐν γαστρὶ προσκυνηθέντι, ὁ προδραμὼν καὶ προδραμούμενος, τῷ φανέντι καὶ φανησομένῳ. Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι: πρόσθες καὶ τὸ, ὑπὲρ σοῦ. Ἤ|δει γὰρ τῷ μαρτυρίῳ βαπτισθησόμενος: ἢ, ὡς Πέτρος, μὴ τοὺς πόδας μόνον καθαρθησόμενος. Καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρὸς μέ; Καὶ τοῦτο προφητικόν. Ἤ|δει γὰρ ὡς μετὰ Ἡρώδην, Πιλᾶτον μανησόμενον, οὕτως αὐτῷ προαπελθόντι Χριστὸν ἑψόμενον. Τί δὲ Ἰησοῦς; Ἄφες ἄρτι: τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ οἰκονομία. Ἤ|δει γὰρ μετ' ὀλίγον, αὐτὸς βαπτίσων τὸν Βαπτιστήν. Τί δὲ τὸ πτύον; Ἡ κάθαρσις. Τί δὲ τὸ πῦρ; Ἡ τοῦ κούφου δαπάνη, καὶ ἡ ζέσις τοῦ Πνεύματος. Τί δὲ ἡ ἀξίνη; Τῆς ἀθεραπεύτου ψυχῆς ἡ ἐκτομὴ, καὶ μετὰ τὴν κόπρον. Τί δὲ ἡ μάχαιρα; Ἡ τομὴ τοῦ Λόγου, ἡ διαιροῦσα τὸ χεῖρον ἀπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος, καὶ διχοτομοῦσα τὸν πιστὸν καὶ τὸν ἄπιστον, καὶ ἐπεγείρουσα τὸν υἱὸν, καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα, καὶ τὴν νύμφην, τῷ πατρὶ, καὶ τῇ μητρὶ, καὶ τῇ πενθερᾷ, τὰ νέα καὶ πρόσφατα. τοῖς παλαιοῖς καὶ σκιώδεσι. Τί δὲ ὁ σφαιρωτὴρ τοῦ ὑποδήματος, ὃν οὐ λύεις ὁ βαπτίζων Ἰησοῦν, ὁ τῆς ἐρημίας καὶ ἄτροφος, ὁ νέος Ἡλίας, ὁ προφήτου περισσότερος, ὅσῳ καὶ τὸν προφητευόμενον εἶδες, ὁ Παλαιᾶς καὶ Νέας μεσίτης; Τί τοῦτο; Τυχὸν ὁ τῆς ἐπιδημίας λόγος, καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς, οὗ μηδὲ τὸ ἀκρότατον εὐδιάλυτον, μὴ ὅτι τοῖς σαρκικοῖς ἔτι, καὶ νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῖς κατὰ Ἰωάννην τῷ Πνεύματι.