Hippolytus of Rome, The Discourse on the Holy Theophany

The Discourse on the Holy Theophany.

1. Good, yea, very good, are all the works of our God and Saviour—all of them that eye seeth and mind perceiveth, all that reason interprets and hand

2. Nor is this the only thing that proves the dignity of the water. But there is also that which is more honourable than all—the fact that Christ, the

3. But we, who know the economy, adore His mercy, because He hath come to save and not to judge the world. Wherefore John, the forerunner of the Lord

4. As John says these things to the multitude, and as the people watch in eager expectation of seeing some strange spectacle with their bodily eyes, a

5. And what saith the Lord to him? “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” “Suffer it to be so now,” John tho

6. Do you see, beloved, how many and how great blessings we would have lost, if the Lord had yielded to the exhortation of John, and declined baptism?

7. The beloved generates love, and the light immaterial the light inaccessible. “This is my beloved Son,” He who, being manifested on earth and yet un

8. But give me now your best attention, I pray you, for I wish to go back to the fountain of life, and to view the fountain that gushes with healing.

9. This is the Spirit that at the beginning “moved upon the face of the waters ” by whom the world moves by whom creation consists, and all things ha

10. Come then, be begotten again, O man, into the adoption of God. And how? says one. If thou practisest adultery no more, and committest not murder,

4. As John says these things to the multitude, and as the people watch in eager expectation of seeing some strange spectacle with their bodily eyes, and the devil25 It was a common opinion among the ancient theologians that the devil was ignorant of the mystery of the economy, founding on such passages as Matt. iv. 3, 1 Cor. ii. 8. (Fabricius.) [See Ignatius, vol. i. p. 57, this series.] is struck with amazement at such a testimony from John, lo, the Lord appears, plain, solitary, uncovered,26 γυμνός. without escort,27 ἀπροστάτευτος. having on Him the body of man like a garment, and hiding the dignity of the Divinity, that He may elude the snares of the dragon. And not only did He approach John as Lord without royal retinue; but even like a mere man, and one involved in sin, He bent His head to be baptized by John. Wherefore John, on seeing so great a humbling of Himself, was struck with astonishment at the affair, and began to prevent Him, saying, as ye have just heard, “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?”28 Matt. iii. 14. What doest Thou, O Lord? Thou teachest things not according to rule.29 ἀκανόνιστα δογματίζεις. I have preached one thing (regarding Thee), and Thou performest another; the devil has heard one thing, and perceives another. Baptize me with the fire of Divinity; why waitest Thou for water? Enlighten me with the Spirit; why dost Thou attend upon a creature? Baptize me, the Baptist, that Thy pre-eminence may be known. I, O Lord, baptize with the baptism of repentance, and I cannot baptize those who come to me unless they first confess fully their sins. Be it so then that I baptize Thee, what hast Thou to confess? Thou art the Remover of sins, and wilt Thou be baptized with the baptism of repentance? Though I should venture to baptize Thee, the Jordan dares not to come near Thee. “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?”

[4] ταῦτα τοῦ Ἰωάννου πρὸς τὸν ὄχλον λέγοντος καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ παραδοκοῦντος ξένον τι θέαμα τοῖς σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς θεάσασθαι καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου καταπληττομένου ἐπὶ τῇ τοσαύτῃ τοῦ Ἰωάννου μαρτυρίᾳ, ἰδοὺ ὁ κύριος παραγίνεται λιτός, μόνος, γυμνός, ἀπροστάτευτος, ἔνδυμα ἔχων τὸ ἀνθρώπινον σῶμα, κρύπτων δὲ τὸ τῆς θεότητος ἀξίωμα, ἵνα λάθῃ τοῦ δράκοντος τὸ πανούργευμα. καὶ οὐ μόνον ὡς κύριος ἐκτὸς τῆς βασιλικῆς δορυφορίας πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην παραγέγονεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος λιτὸς καὶ ὑπόχρεως ἁμαρτιῶν ἔκλινε τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου. ὅθεν ὁ Ἰωάννης θεασάμενος τὴν τοσαύτην ταπεινοφροσύνην θαμβηθεὶς ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι ἤρξατο διακωλύειν αὐτὸν λέγων, καθὼς ἀρτίως ἠκούσατε, „ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρὸς μέ;„ τί ποιεῖς, ὦ δέσποτα; ἀκανόνιστα δογματίζεις. ἄλλα κατήγγειλα καὶ ἄλλα μετέρχῃ. ἄλλα ἤκουσεν ὁ διάβολος καὶ ἄλλα κατανοεῖ. βάπτισόν με τῷ πυρὶ τῆς θεότητος: τί περιμένεις τὸ ὕδωρ; φώτισον τῷ πνεύματι: τί προσανέχεις τῷ κτίσματι; βάπτισόν με τὸν βαπτιστήν, ἵνα γνωσθῇ σου ἡ ὑπεροχή. ἐγώ, δέσποτα, μετανοίας βαπτίζω βάπτισμα καὶ τοὺς προσερχομένους πρὸς μὲ ἀμήχανον βαπτίσαι, ἐὰν μὴ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ἐξομολογήσωνται. κείσθω ὅτι βαπτίζω σε, τί ἔχεις ἐξομολογήσασθαι; ἁμαρτιῶν ἀφαιρετὴς ὑπάρχεις καὶ τὸ τῆς μετανοίας θέλεις βαπτισθῆναι βάπτισμα; εἰ καὶ ἐγώ σε τολμήσω βαπτίσαι, ὁ Ἰορδάνης οὐ τολμᾷ πλησιάσαι. ”ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρὸς μέ;”