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In sanctum baptisma

ORATION 40.

On Holy Baptism.

I. Yesterday, having celebrated on the bright day of the Lights (for it was fitting to hold joyful celebrations for our salvation, and much more so than weddings, and birthdays, and naming-days, for those who love the flesh, and haircutting ceremonies and housewarmings, and annual festivals, and whatever other celebrations men keep), today we shall discourse briefly on baptism, and of the benefit which comes to us from it; even if yesterday the discourse passed us by, because the hour was pressing, and at the same time avoiding a surfeit of words. For a surfeit of speech is hostile to the ears, as excessive food is to bodies. But it is right to pay attention to what is said, and not carelessly, but eagerly to receive the discourse on such great matters; since this too is illumination, to know the power of the mystery.

II. The Word knows for us a threefold birth; that from bodies, that from baptism, and that from resurrection. Of these, the one is of the night, and servile, and subject to passion; the other is of the day, and free, and a release from passions, cutting away every veil from our birth, and leading back 36.361 to the life above; and the third is more awesome and more brief, bringing together in a moment all of creation to be presented to the Creator, and to give an account of its servitude and life here, whether it followed the flesh alone, or rose with the Spirit, and reverenced the grace of its re-creation. My Christ is seen to have honored all these births by his own experience: the one, by the first and life-giving in-breathing; the other, by his incarnation, and by the baptism with which he himself was baptized; and the third, by the resurrection, of which he himself was the first-fruit; as he became the firstborn among many brethren, so also he deigned to become the firstborn from the dead.

III. Now, to philosophize concerning the two births, I mean the first and the last, is not for the present occasion; but concerning the middle one, which is now necessary for us, from which the Day of Lights takes its name, let us philosophize; Illumination is the splendor of souls, a change of life, an inquiry of the conscience toward God; Illumination is a help to our weakness; Illumination is a putting off of the flesh, a following of the Spirit, a communion with the Word, a restoration of the creature, a flood of sin, a participation in light, a destruction of darkness; Illumination is a chariot to God, a journeying with Christ, a support of faith, a perfecting of the mind, a key to the kingdom of heaven, a change of life, a removal of slavery, a loosing of chains, a remolding of our constitution; Illumination (why must I enumerate more?), is the most beautiful and most magnificent of the gifts of God. For just as some things are called Holy of holies, and Song of songs (for they are more comprehensive and have more authority); so also is this holier than any other illumination we have.

IV. And it is called, just as Christ its giver, by many and various names, so also is the gift; either because of our great joy in the matter (for those who are passionately fond of something love to dwell on its names), or because the manifold nature of the benefit has created for us its many titles. We call it gift, grace, baptism, anointing, illumination, robe of incorruption, bath of regeneration, seal, all that is precious;

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In sanctum baptisma

ΛΟΓΟΣ Μʹ.

Εἰς τὸ ἅγιον βάπτισμα.

Αʹ. Χθὲς τῇ λαμπρᾷ τῶν Φώτων ἡμέρᾳ πανηγυρίσαντες (καὶ γὰρ ἔπρεπε χαρμόσυνα θέσθαι τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἢ γαμήλια, καὶ γενέθλια, καὶ ὀνομαστήρια, τοῖς σαρκὸς φίλοις, κουρόσυνά τε καὶ κατοικέσια, καὶ ἐτήσια, ὅσα τε ἄλλα πανηγυρίζουσιν ἄνθρωποι), σήμερον περὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος βραχέα διαλεξόμεθα, καὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν ὑπαρχού σης εὐεργεσίας· εἰ καὶ χθὲς ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος παρέδρα με, τῆς ὥρας κατεπειγούσης, καὶ ἅμα τοῦ λόγου τὸν κόρον φεύγοντος. Κόρος δὲ λόγου πολέμιος ἀκοαῖς, ὡς ὑπερβάλλουσα τροφὴ σώμασι. Προσέχειν δὲ ἄξιον τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ μὴ παρέργως, ἀλλὰ προθύμως τὸν περὶ τηλικούτων δέξασθαι λόγον· ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι φωτισμὸς, τὸ γνῶναι τοῦ μυστηρίου τὴν δύναμιν.

Βʹ. Τρισσὴν γέννησιν ἡμῖν οἶδεν ὁ Λόγος· τὴν ἐκ σωμάτων, τὴν ἐκ βαπτίσματος, καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀναστάσεως. Τούτων δὲ, ἡ μὲν νυκτερινή τέ ἐστι, καὶ δούλη, καὶ ἐμπαθής· ἡ δὲ ἡμερινὴ, καὶ ἐλευ θέρα, καὶ λυτικὴ παθῶν, πᾶν τὸ ἀπὸ γενέσεως κά λυμμα περιτέμνουσα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄνω ζωὴν ἐπαν 36.361 άγουσα· ἡ δὲ φοβερωτέρα καὶ συντομωτέρα, πᾶν τὸ πλάσμα συνάγουσα ἐν βραχεῖ τῷ πλάστῃ παραστησόμενον, καὶ λόγον ὑφέξον τῆς ἐνταῦθα δουλείας, καὶ πολιτείας, εἴτε τῇ σαρκὶ μόνον ἐπηκολούθησεν, εἴτε τῷ Πνεύματι συνανῆλθε, καὶ τὴν χάριν ᾐδέσθη τῆς ἀναπλάσεως. Ταύτας δὴ τὰς γεννήσεις ἁπάσας παρ' ἑαυτοῦ τιμήσας ὁ ἐμὸς Χριστὸς φαίνεται· τὴν μὲν, τῷ ἐμφυσήματι τῷ πρώτῳ καὶ ζωτικῷ· τὴν δὲ, τῇ σαρκώσει, καὶ τῷ βαπτίσματι, ὅπερ αὐτὸς ἐβαπτίσατο· τὴν δὲ, τῇ ἀναστάσει, ἧς αὐτὸς ἀπήρξατο· ὡς ἐγένετο πρωτότοκος ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, οὕτω καὶ πρωτότοκος ἐκ νεκρῶν γενέσθαι καταξιώσας.

Γʹ. Περὶ μὲν δὴ τῶν δύο γεννήσεων, τῆς πρώτης τέ φημι, καὶ τῆς τελευταίας, φιλοσοφεῖν, οὐ τοῦ παρόν τος καιροῦ· περὶ δὲ τῆς μέσης, καὶ τῆς νῦν ἡμῖν ἀναγ καίας, ἧς ἐπώνυμος ἡ τῶν φώτων ἡμέρα, φιλοσοφήσω μεν· Τὸ φώτισμα, λαμπρότης ἐστὶ ψυχῶν, βίου μετάθεσις, ἐπερώτημα τῆς εἰς Θεὸν συνειδήσεως· τὸ φώτισμα, βοήθεια τῆς ἀσθενείας τῆς ἡμετέρας· τὸ φώτισμα, σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις, Πνεύματος ἀκολούθησις, Λόγου κοινωνία, πλάσματος ἐπανόρθωσις, κατακλυσμὸς ἁμαρτίας, φωτὸς μετουσία, σκότους κατάλυσις· τὸ φώτισμα, ὄχημα πρὸς Θεὸν, συνεκδημία Χριστοῦ, ἔρεισμα πίστεως, νοῦ τελείωσις, κλεὶς οὐρανῶν βασιλείας, ζωῆς ἄμειψις, δουλείας ἀναίρεσις, δεσμῶν ἔκλυσις, συνθέσεως μεταποίησις· τὸ φώτισμα (τί δεῖ πλείω καταριθμεῖν), τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ δώρων τὸ κάλλιστον καὶ μεγαλο πρεπέστατον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ Ἅγια ἁγίων καλεῖταί τινα, καὶ Ἄσματα ᾀσμάτων (ἐμπεριεκτι κώτερα γάρ ἐστι καὶ κυριώτερα)· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸ παντὸς ἄλλου τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν φωτισμῶν ὂν ἁγιώτερον.

∆ʹ. Καλεῖται δὲ, ὥσπερ Χριστὸς ὁ τούτου δοτὴρ, πολλοῖς καὶ διαφόροις ὀνόμασιν, οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸ δώ ρημα· εἴτε διὰ τὸ περιχαρὲς τοῦ πράγματος τοῦτο παθόντων ἡμῶν (φιλοῦσι γὰρ οἱ σφόδρα περί τι ἐρω τικῶς διακείμενοι, ἡδέως συνεῖναι καὶ τοῖς ὀνόμασιν), εἴτε τοῦ πολυειδοῦς τῆς εὐεργεσίας πολλὰς καὶ τὰς κλήσεις ἡμῖν δημιουργήσαντος. ∆ῶρον καλοῦμεν, χάρισμα, βάπτισμα, χρίσμα, φώτισμα, ἀφθαρσίας ἔνδυμα, λουτρὸν παλιγγενεσίας, σφραγῖδα, πᾶν ὅ τι τίμιον·