[0] Ἱππολύτου ἐπισκόπου καὶ μάρτυρος λόγος εἰς τὰ ἅγια θεοφάνεια.

 [1] Πάντα μὲν καλά, καὶ καλὰ λίαν τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δημιουργήματα, ὅσα τε ὀφθαλμὸς ὁρᾷ καὶ ὅσα ψυχὴ διανοεῖται, ὅσα τε λόγος ἑρμηνεύει καὶ

 [2] οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο τὴν ἀξιοπιστίαν τοῦ ὕδατος παρίστησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πάντων αἰδεσιμώτερον, ὅτι ὁ πάντων δημιουργὸς Χριστὸς ὡς ὑετὸς κατῆλθε καὶ ὡς

 [3] νῦν δὲ γνόντες τὴν οἰκονομίαν προσκυνοῦμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν, ὅτι παραγέγονε σῶσαι καὶ οὐ κρῖναι τὴν οἰκουμένην. ὅθεν Ἰωάννης ὁ τοῦ κυρίου πρ

 [4] ταῦτα τοῦ Ἰωάννου πρὸς τὸν ὄχλον λέγοντος καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ παραδοκοῦντος ξένον τι θέαμα τοῖς σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς θεάσασθαι καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου καταπληττ

 [5] τί οὖν ὁ κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν „ἄφες ἄρτι, οὕτω γὰρ πρέπον ἡμῖν ἐστι πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην„. ”ἄφες ἄρτι”, Ἰωάννη, οὐκ εἶ μου σοφώτερος. σὺ ὡς ἄν

 [6] εἶδες, ἀγαπητέ, πόσων καὶ πηλίκων ἀγαθῶν ἐμέλλομεν ζημιοῦσθαι, εἰ εἶξεν ὁ κύριος τῇ τοῦ Ἰωάννου παρακλήσει καὶ παρῃτήσατο τὸ βάπτισμα. κεκλεισμένο

 [7] ἀγαπητὸς ἀγάπην γεννᾷ καὶ φῶς ἄϋλον „φῶς ἀπρόσιτον„. ”οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς”, ὁ κάτω ἐπιφανεὶς καὶ τῶν πατρῴων κόλπων μὴ χωρισθείς. ἐπ

 [8] ἀλλὰ συντείνατέ μοι τὸν νοῦν, παρακαλῶ, μετὰ ἀκριβείας: βούλομαι γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν πηγὴν τῆς ζωῆς ἀναδραμεῖν καὶ θεάσασθαι τὴν πηγὴν τῶν ἰαμάτων πηγάζου

 [9] τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἐπιφερόμενον ἐπάνω τῶν ὑδάτων, δι' οὗ κόσμος κινεῖται, δι' οὗ κτίσις ἵσταται καὶ τὰ σύμπαντα ζῳογονεῖται, τὸ

 [10] δεῦρο τοίνυν, ἀναγεννήθητι, ἄνθρωπε, εἰς υἱοθεσίαν θεοῦ. καὶ πῶς φησίν. ἐὰν μηκέτι μοιχεύσῃς μηδὲ φονεύσῃς μηδὲ εἰδωλολατρεύσῃς, ἐὰν μὴ κρατηθῇς

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? For the heavens were shut before this; the region above was inaccessible. We would in that case descend to the lower parts, but we would not ascend to the upper. But was it only that the Lord was baptized? He also renewed the old man, and committed to him again the sceptre of adoption. For straightway “the heavens were opened to Him.” A reconciliation took place of the visible with the invisible; the celestial orders were filled with joy; the diseases of earth were healed; secret things were made known; those at enmity were restored to amity. For you have heard the word of the evangelist, saying, “The heavens were opened to Him,” on account of three wonders. For when Christ the Bridegroom was baptized, it was meet that the bridal-chamber of heaven should open its brilliant gates. And in like manner also, when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and the Father’s voice spread everywhere, it was meet that “the gates of heaven should be lifted up.”33    Ps. xxiv. 7.  “And, lo, the heavens were opened to Him; and a voice was heard, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

[6] εἶδες, ἀγαπητέ, πόσων καὶ πηλίκων ἀγαθῶν ἐμέλλομεν ζημιοῦσθαι, εἰ εἶξεν ὁ κύριος τῇ τοῦ Ἰωάννου παρακλήσει καὶ παρῃτήσατο τὸ βάπτισμα. κεκλεισμένοι γὰρ ἦσαν πρὸ τούτου οἱ οὐρανοί, ἄβατον ἦν τὸ ἄνω χωρίον. ἐν τοῖς κάτω κατῄειμεν, ἐν τοῖς ἄνω δὲ οὐκ ἀνῄειμεν. μόνον δὲ ὁ δεσπότης ἐβαπτίσθη καὶ „τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀνεκαίνισεν„ καὶ τὰ σκῆπτρα τῆς υἱοθεσίας αὐτῷ πάλιν ἐπίστευσεν. ”εὐθέως γὰρ ἠνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοί”. διαλλαγὴ γέγονε τῶν ὁρατῶν πρὸς τὰ ἀόρατα, ἐχαροποιήθησαν τὰ οὐράνια τάγματα, ἰάθη τὰ ἐπίγεια νοσήματα, ἐγνώσθη τὰ ἀπόρρητα πράγματα, ἐφιλιώθη τὰ ἐχθραίνοντα. ἤκουες γὰρ τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος „ἠνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοί„. τριῶν παραδόξων πραγμάτων χάριν. τοῦ γὰρ νυμφίου Χριστοῦ βαπτιζομένου ἔδει τὸν οὐράνιον θάλαμον τὰς λαμπροφόρους ἀνοῖξαι πύλας. ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς κατιόντος καὶ τῆς πατρῴας φωνῆς πανταχοῦ διαδιδομένης, ἔδει τὰς ἐπουρανίους πύλας ἐπηρμένας ὑπάρχειν. ”καὶ ἰδοὺ ἠνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο λέγουσα Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα”.