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In Jordanem fluvium

Into the Jordan River.

61.725 Why, beyond all the rivers on earth, does Christ perform the mystery of baptism at the Jordan River? It is necessary to relate the nature of the river, so that from it you may learn the sequence of the mystagogy. The Jordan, beyond all other rivers, has two roots of springs; for the Jordan does not come from one spring. It has one spring at Paneas, and the other near Paneas; and one spring is called Jor, and the other Dan; and the springs, coming forth little by little and being divided from each other, come together at a certain place, and they make one river.

The ancients gave it a name according to its roots, Jordan, the river born from Jor and Dan, having its roots divided at the beginning, and joined at the end. Again, beyond all rivers, this one does not run into a living sea, and living sea water does not receive it, but the dead sea receives it. This alone, beyond all rivers, is joined to dead and sluggish waters. The Jordan is a type of our mortal race, and listen how. From the beginning our race has two roots, Adam formed from earth, Eve come forth from a rib; and there is not one place and one manner of their creation. For one was formed from earth, having the earth as a spring; the other came from a rib, having the rib as a root; his beginning was one, and hers another. And they were for a time divided from each other according to the manner of their formation; but they came together in marital union, the one body was completed from both, and those who were born were no longer from a rib or from earth, but were born from intercourse. For, it says, the two shall become one flesh.

This creation of ours, then, having run the course of nature, had death as its end. Our creation began from earth, and it ended in death; and the dead sea received this creation, the deep, the subterranean, the abyss of the dead. For what the dead sea is to living waters, this is what Hades is to those who are dying. Therefore Paul says: Do not say in your heart, Who will descend into Hades? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. Concerning this Jordan, then, which comes from living springs and ends in a dead sea, every wonder-working of God was performed, so that the living water no longer runs toward death. Three times God cut the Jordan itself, so that its course would no longer be into the dead sea, but would run back to its ancient, living roots. It was cut at the time of Joshua son of Nun; it was also cut at the time of Elijah, when he cut it with his mantle; it was cut by Elisha, when returning he cut it. First, Joshua the son of Nun cut the Jordan; and listen how he cut it. He did not stop the streams of the springs, but he turned the water backward, as the psalmist testifies, saying: What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? And you, O Jordan, that you were turned back? And 'backward' was toward the springs. The Savior, therefore, checking our race which runs toward death, causes it to run no longer toward death, but to return to its ancient, living roots, not ending in the dead sea. Mortal nature, therefore, is restored to its ancient form.

And not one appears to have cut the Jordan without some symbol. Joshua the son of Nun cut it, having the ark. Elijah, having a mantle. Elisha again having the

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In Jordanem fluvium

Εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ποταμόν.

61.725 ∆ιὰ τί παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ποταμοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ποταμοῦ ἐπιτελεῖ Χριστὸς τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ βαπτίσματος; Ἀναγκαῖον ἱστορῆσαι τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὴν φύσιν, ἵνα ἐξ αὐτοῦ μάθῃς τὴν τῆς μυσταγωγίας ἀκολουθίαν. Ὁ Ἰορδάνης παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ποταμοὺς δύο ῥίζας ἔχει πηγῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ μιᾶς πηγῆς προέρχεται ὁ Ἰορδάνης. Ἔχει δὲ τὴν μὲν μίαν πηγὴν εἰς τὴν Πανιάδα, τὴν δὲ ἄλλην πλησίον τῆς Πανιάδος· καὶ ἡ μὲν μία πηγὴ καλεῖται Ἰὸρ, ἡ δὲ ἄλλη ∆άν· καὶ κατ' ὀλίγον προερχόμεναι καὶ μεριζόμεναι ἀπ' ἀλλήλων αἱ πηγαὶ, κατά τινα τόπον συνέρχονται ἀλλήλαις, καὶ ἕνα ἀποτελοῦσι ποταμόν.

Ἀπέδωκαν δὲ αὐτῷ οἱ ἀρχαῖοι ὄνομα πρὸς τὰς ῥίζας, Ἰορδάνης, ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰὸρ καὶ τοῦ ∆ὰν τεχθεὶς ποταμὸς, παρὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς σχιζομένας ἔχων τὰς ῥίζας, καὶ ἐπὶ τέλει συναπτομένας. Παρὰ πάντας πάλιν τοὺς ποταμοὺς οὗτος εἰς ζῶσαν θάλασσαν οὐ τρέχει, καὶ ὕδωρ αὐτὸν θαλάσσης ζῶν οὐ δέχεται, ἀλλὰ δέχεται αὐτὸν ἡ νεκρὰ θάλασσα. Οὗτος μόνος παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ποταμοὺς νεκροῖς καὶ ἀργοῖς ὕδασι συνάπτεται. Ἔστι δὲ ὁ Ἰορδάνης τοῦ ἡμετέρου θνητοῦ γένους τύπος, καὶ ὅπως ἄκουε. Ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τὸ γένος τὸ ἡμέτερον δύο ἔχει ῥίζας, τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐκ γῆς πλασθέντα, τὴν Εὔαν ἀπὸ πλευρᾶς προελθοῦσαν· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν εἷς τόπος καὶ εἷς τρόπος τῆς καταστάσεως. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ γῆς ἐπλάσθη, πηγὴν ἔχων τὴν γῆν· ἡ δὲ ἀπὸ πλευρᾶς ἐγένετο, ῥίζαν ἔχουσα τὴν πλευράν· ἄλλη ἀρχὴ ἐκείνου, καὶ ἄλλη ταύτης. Καὶ ἦσαν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων τέως μεριζόμενοι κατὰ τὸν τρόπον τῆς διαπλάσεως· συνῆλθον δὲ εἰς συνάφειαν γαμικὴν, ἀπετελέσθη τὸ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἓν σῶμα, καὶ οὐκέτι οἱ τικτόμενοι ἢ ἀπὸ πλευρᾶς ἢ ἀπὸ γῆς, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ συνουσίας ἐτίκτοντο. Ἔσονται γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.

Τοῦτο γοῦν τὸ ἡμέτερον πλάσμα, δραμὸν εἰς ἀκολουθίαν φύσεως, τέλος ἔσχε τὸν θάνατον. Ἤρξατο μὲν ἡμῶν τὸ πλάσμα ἀπὸ γῆς, καὶ ἔληγεν εἰς θάνατον· καὶ ἐδέξατο τὸ πλάσμα τοῦτο ἡ νεκρὰ θάλασσα, ὁ βαθὺς, ὁ καταχθόνιος, ἡ ἄβυσσος τῶν νεκρῶν. Ὃ γάρ ἐστι νεκρὰ θάλασσα τοῖς ζῶσιν ὕδασι, τοῦτό ἐστιν ὁ ᾅδης τοῖς ἀποθνήσκουσι. ∆ιὸ λέγει Παῦλος· Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, Τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὸν ᾅδην; τουτέστι, Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. Περὶ τοῦτον οὖν τὸν Ἰορδάνην τὸν ἀπὸ ζωσῶν πηγῶν προερχόμενον, καὶ εἰς νεκρὰν θάλασσαν καταλήγοντα, πᾶσα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπετελεῖτο θαυματουργία, ἵνα μηκέτι τὸ ζῶν ὕδωρ τρέχῃ πρὸς θάνατον. Τρίτον αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰορδάνην διέκοψεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς μηκέτι αὐτῷ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν εἶναι εἰς τὴν νεκρὰν θάλασσαν, ἀλλ' ἀνατρέχειν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχαίας ῥίζας τὰς ζώσας. Ἐτμήθη ἐπὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ· ἐτμήθη καὶ ἐπὶ Ἠλία, ὅτε τῇ μηλωτῇ αὐτὸν ἔτεμεν· ἐτμήθη ὑπὸ Ἑλισσαίου, ὅτε ὑποστρέφων ἔτεμεν αὐτόν. Πρῶτος Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ ἔτεμε τὸν Ἰορδάνην· καὶ ὅπως ἔτεμεν, ἄκουε. Οὐκ ἔστητε τὰ ῥεῖθρα τῶν πηγῶν, ἀλλ' ἀπέστρεψε τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς λέγων· Τί σοί ἐστι, θάλασσα, ὅτι ἔφυγες; καὶ σὺ, Ἰορδάνη, ὅτι ἐστράφης εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω; Τὰ δὲ ὀπίσω ἦσαν αἱ πηγαί. Ἀναχαιτίζων τοίνυν ὁ Σωτὴρ τὸ γένος τὸ ἡμέτερον τὸ τρέχον εἰς θάνατον, ποιεῖ μηκέτι τρέχειν εἰς θάνατον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχαίας ῥίζας τὰς ζώσας ἐπανιέναι, οὐκ εἰς τὴν νεκρὰν θάλασσαν καταλήγειν. Ἀποκαθίσταται τοίνυν ἡ θνητὴ φύσις εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον σχῆμα.

Οὔτε εἷς δὲ φαίνεται τεμὼν τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἄνευ τινὸς συμβόλου. Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ ἔχων κιβωτὸν ἔτεμεν. Ἠλίας ἔχων μηλωτήν. Ἑλισσαῖος ἔχων πάλιν τὴν