Concerning the Sacraments · Part 2

the mysteries of the Jews, which were given to our fathers, pre-eminent first in the antiquity of their sacra- ments, then in their holiness. This I promise, that the sacraments cf Christians are more divine and older than those of the Jews.1

12. What stands out so much as the fact that the people of the Jews passed through the sea? 2 — to speak for the present of baptism. Yet the Jews who passed through all died in the wilderness. But he who passes through this font, that is from earthly to heavenly things — for this is the "passing over,"3 therefore, pascha, that is, his passover, a passing over from sin to life, from guilt to grace, from defilement to sanctification — he who passes through this font, dies not, but rises again.

CHAPTER V

The story of Naaman, and the baptis?7i of Christ.

13. To resume, Naaman was a leper* A certain maid said to his wife, " If my lord wishes to be cleansed, let him go into the land of Israel, and there he will find him who can take the leprosy from him." She spoke to her mistress, the wife spoke to her husband, Naaman spoke to the king of Syria, who sent him as his favourite to the king of Israel. The king of Israel heard that a man had been sent to him to be cured of his leprosy,

1 Cf. de My st. iii. 9 (int't.).

2 1 Cor. x. 1. Cf. de Myst. iii. 12, which is here expanded.

3 A reference to Ex. xii. n, where the Latin has "est enim Phase (id est transitus) domini." Cf. also Ex. xii. 27, " victima transitus domini est, quando transivit super domos filiorum Israel in Aegypto." But the passages in Exodus refer to a " passing over" by "sparing"; the author applies "pass-over" {transitus) to the "passing through" the Red Sea by the Israelites (T.).

4 2 Kings v. 1. With this and the following section cf. de Myst. iii. 16-17.

and he rent his garment. Then Elisha the prophet charges him: " Wherefore hast thou rent thy garment, as if God were not able to cleanse a leper? Send him to me" He sent him, and, when he came, the prophet said, "Go to Jordan, dip, and thou shalt be healed."

14. He began to reflect and to say: "Is this all? I have come from Syria into the land of Judah, and I am told, Go and descend into Jordan, dip, and thou shalt be healed, as if there were not better rivers in my native land." So his servants said to him, " My lord, why dost thou not carry out the word of the prophet? Do it rather, and make trial." Then he went to Jordan, dipped, and arose whole.

15. What, then, does it mean? Thou sawest water. But it is not all water that heals, but that water heals which has the grace of Christ. The element is one thing, the consecration is another; the work is one thing, the working another. The water is the work,1 the working is of the Holy Spirit. Water does not heal, unless the Spirit has descended and consecrated that water; as thou hast read that, when our Lord Jesus Christ was giving the pattern of baptism, he came to John; and John said to him, " / have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? " Christ answered him, "Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." 2 See how all righteousness is based on baptism.

16. Why, then, did Christ descend, unless that that flesh might be cleansed, the flesh which he took of our nature? For the washing away of his sins was not necessary for Christ, who did no sin; 3 but it was neces- sary for us who remain subject to sin. Therefore, if

1 "Work" {opus) is here used, somewhat strangely, for the "matter" of the sacrament (T.). The sentence is omitted by some MSS.

2 Mt. iii. 14, 15. 3 1 Pet. ii. 22.

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baptism is for our sake, a pattern has been established for us, the pattern of our faith has been set forth.

17. Christ descended, John stood by baptizing, and, lo, the Holy Ghost descended as a dove.1 It was not a dove that descended, but as a dove. Remember what I said, Christ took flesh, not as it were flesh; but it was the reality of that flesh, real flesh, which Christ took. The Holy Spirit, however, descended from heaven, not in the reality of a dove, but in the likeness of a dove. Therefore, John saw and believed.

18. Christ descended, the Holy Spirit also descended. Why did Christ descend first, the Holy Spirit afterwards, since the form and practice of baptism provides that the font should be consecrated first, and then the person to be baptized should descend? For as soon as the priest enters, he makes an exorcism 2 over the element of water, afterwards he offers an invocation and a prayer, that the font may be consecrated, and the presence of the eternal Trinity may come down. But Christ descended first, the Spirit followed. For what reason? That the Lord Jesus might not seem himself as it were to need the mystery of sanctification; but that he might sanctify, and the Spirit also sanctify.

19. Therefore Christ descended into the water, and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove. Also God the Father spake from heaven. Thou hast the presence of the Trinity.3

1 Mt. iii. 16; Mk. i. 10; Jn. i. 32. Cf. de Myst. iv. 24, 25.

2 On the consecration of the font see Introd. p. xxii.

3 Cf. de Myst. v. 26.

CHAPTER VI

Baptism prefigured in the crossing of the Red Sea and in the story

of the Flood.

20. Again, that there was a figure of our baptism in the Red Sea x is asserted by the Apostle, when he says that our fathers were all baptized in the cloud and in the sea.2 And he added, Now all these things happened unto them by way of figure; 3 to them in a figure, but to us in reality. Then Moses held his rod: the people of the Jews had been shut in; on one side the Egyptian pressed on with arms, and on the other side the Hebrews were shut in by the sea. They could neither cross the seas, nor return to the enemy. They began to murmur.4

21. See that it tempt thee not, that they were heard. Although the Lord heard, yet they are not without fault who murmured. It is thy duty, when thou art in a strait, to believe that thou wilt escape, not to murmur; to appeal, to entreat, not to utter complaint.

22. Moses held his rod, and led the people of the Hebrews at night in a pillar of light, and in the day in a pillar of cloud.5 What is the light but truth, since it sheds a full and open brightness? What is the pillar of light but Christ the Lord, who scattered the shadows of unbelief, and poured the light of truth and spiritual grace on human hearts? The pillar of cloud, on the other hand, is the Holy Spirit. The people was in the sea, and the pillar of light went on before; then the pillar of cloud followed, as if the shadowing of the Holy Spirit. Thou seest that by the Holy Spirit and by the water he has shown a type of baptism.-

1 Cf. de My st. iii. 12.

* I Cor. x. 2. 8 I Cor. x. ri.

4 See Ex. xiv. 9f. 5 Ex. xiii. 21 f.; xiv. 19, 20.

2$. As early as the flood 1 there was also a figure of baptism, and, certainly, the mysteries of the Jews did not as yet exist. Therefore, if the figure of our baptism preceded, thou seest that the mysteries of the Christians are earlier than were those of the Jews.

24. But meanwhile, in view of the weakness of our voice 2 and the consideration of the time at our disposal, let us content ourselves to-day with just having touched the mysteries concerning the holy font. 'To-morrow, if the Lord shall grant strength and ability to speak, I will declare them more fully. It behoves your holiness 3 to have your ears prepared, your mind the more ready, that you may be able to retain what we may gather from the course of the Scriptures, and shall declare unto you, that you may have the grace of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to which Trinity belongs an everlasting kingdom, from all ages, both now, and always, and for ever and ever.

1 See for this ii. I. 1 below.

2 There is a similar reference to "weakness of voice" in the Apologia David altera (v. 29). But the work is not a genuine work of Ambrose, and bears (ace. to Bardenhewer, Gesch. der altkirchl. Litt. III. 536) much the same relation to the genuine Apol. David as de Sacram. bears to de Myst.

3 "Your holiness" {sanctitas vestra) is here a title addressed to the congregation, not to an individual (T.).

BOOK II CHAPTER I

Further illustration from the story of the Flooa. Of the baptisms

of heathen and Jews.