The Greek texts excerpted below come from:
M. J. Rouët de Journel, Enchiridion Patristicum, EDITIO QUARTA ET
QUINTA (Friburgi Brisgoviae: Herder & Co., 1922)
Epistle of Barnabas 11:11:
Ἡμεῖς μὲν καταβαίνομεν εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ γέμοντες ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ ῥύπου,
καὶ ἀναβαίνομεν καρποφοροῦντες ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τὸν φόβον καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν
ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ἔχοντες.
Thus He saith, because we go down into the water laden
with sins and filth, and rise up from it bearing fruit in the heart, resting
our fear and hope on Jesus in the Spirit.
Shepherd of Hermas, Sim. 9,
17, 4:
Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν κατοικοῦντα, ἀκούσαντα
καὶ πιστεύσαντα ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι ἐκλήθησαν, τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Λαβόντες οὖν τὴν
σφραγῖδα μίαν φρόνησιν ἔσχον καὶ ἕνα νοῦν, καὶ μία πίστις αὐτῶν ἐγένετο καὶ μία
ἀγάπη, καὶ τὰ πνεύματα τῶν παρθένων μετὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἐφόρεσαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἡ οἰκοδομὴ
τοῦ πύργου μιᾷ χρόᾳ ἐγένετο λαμπρὰ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος.
Because,’ saith he, ‘all the nations that dwell under
heaven, when they heard and believed, were called by the one name of [the Son
of] God. So having received the seal, they had one understanding and one mind,
and one faith became theirs and [one] love, and they bore the spirits of the
virgins along with the Name; therefore the building of the tower became of one
colour, even bright as the sun.
St. Theophilius, Ad Autolycum,
2:16:
Ἔτι μὴν καὶ εὐλογήθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων
γενόμενα, ὅπως ᾖ καὶ τοῦτο εἰς δεῖγμα τοῦ μέλλειν λαμβάνειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους
μετάνοιαν καὶ ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν διὰ ὕδατος καὶ «λουτροῦ παλινγενεσίας» [Tit 3,
5], πάντας τοὺς προσιόντας τῇ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἀναγεννωμένους καὶ λαμβάνοντας εὐλογίαν
παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ.
May not the things born of the waters be blessed by God,
just as this, as a sample of the future, men receive repentance and forgiveness
of sins through the water and the "bath of rebirth" [Tit 3, 5], all
coming to the truth and being regenerated and receiving blessing from God.
Clement of Alexandria, Book
1, Chapter 6:
Τελειοῦται δὲ τῷ λουτρῷ μόνῳ [ὁ Χριστός] καὶ τοῦ
Πνεύματος τῇ καθόδῳ ἁγιάζεται; Οὕτως ἔχει. Τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ συμβαίνει τοῦτο καὶ περὶ ἡμᾶς,
ὧν γέγονεν ὑπογραφὴ 359 ὁ Κύριος· βαπτιζόμενοι φωτιζόμεθα, φωτιζόμενοι υἱοποιούμεθα,
υἱοποιούμενοι τελειούμεθα, τελειούμενοι ἀπαθανατιζόμεθα· «Ἐγώ, φησίν, εἶπα,
θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες» [Ps 81, 6]. Καλεῖται δὲ πολλαχῶς τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο,
χάρισμα καὶ φώτισμα καὶ τέλειον καὶ λουτρόν· λουτρὸν μὲν διʼ οὗ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀπορρυπτόμεθα,
χάρισμα δὲ ᾧ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐπιτίμια ἀνεῖται, φώτισμα δὲ διʼ οὗ τὸ ἅγιον
ἐκεῖνο φῶς τὸ σωτήριον ἐποπτεύεται, τουτέστιν διʼ οὗ τὸ θεῖον ὀξυωποῦμεν,
τέλειον δὲ τὸ ἀπροσδεές φαμεν. Τί γὰρ ἔτι λείπεται τῷ Θεὸν ἐγνωκότι; Καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον
ὡς ἀληθῶς χάρισμα κεκλῆσθαι Θεοῦ τὸ μὴ πεπληρωμένον.
Is Christ perfected by baptism alone and sanctified by
the descent of the Spirit? So it is. The same thing happens also with us, for
the Lord has become our exemplar. Being baptized, we are enlightened; being
enlightened, we are adopted as sons; being adopted, we are perfected; being
perfected, we are made immortal. 'I have said, you are gods, and all of you are
sons of the Most High' (Ps 81:6).
This work is called by many names: grace, enlightenment,
perfection, and washing. It is called washing because through it we are
cleansed from sins; grace, because through it the penalties for our sins are
remitted; enlightenment, because through it we behold that holy and saving
light, that is, through it we gain a sharp vision of the divine; and
perfection, because we call that which lacks nothing perfect. For what more is
lacking to the one who has known God? Indeed, it would be absurd for something not
yet fulfilled to be truly called a gift of God.
Methodius, Symposium,
Chapter 8:
Ἐγὼ γὰρ τὸν ἄρσενα ταύτῃ γεννᾶν εἰρῆσθαι νομίζω τὴν ἐκκλησίαν·
ἐπειδὴ τοὺς χαρακτῆρας καὶ τὴν ἐκτύπωσιν καὶ τὴν ἀρρενωπίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ
προσλαμβάνουσιν οἱ φωτιζόμενοι, τῆς καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν μορφῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐκτυπουμένης
τοῦ Λόγου, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς γεννωμένης κατὰ τὴν ἀκριβῆ γνῶσιν καὶ πίστιν· ὥστε ἐν ἑκάστῳ
γεννᾶσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν νοητῶς. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡ ἐκκλησία σπαργᾷ καὶ ὠδίνει,
μέχριπερ ἂν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μορφωθῇ γεννηθείς [cf. Gal 4, 19], ὅπως ἕκαστος τῶν
ἁγίων, τῷ μετέχειν Χριστοῦ, Χριστὸς γεννηθῇ. Καθʼ ὃν λόγον καὶ ἔν τινι γραφῇ
φέρεται· «Μὴ ἅψησθε τῶν χριστῶν μου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις μου μὴ πονηρεύησθε»
[Ps 104, 15]. Οἱονεὶ χριστῶν γεγονότων τῶν κατὰ μετουσίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς
Χριστὸν βεβαπτισμένων· συμβαλλούσης ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἐν τῷ Λόγῳ τράνωσιν αὐτῶν καὶ
μεταμόρφωσιν τῆς ἐκκλησίας.
For I believe that the Church is said to give birth to
the male child because those who are enlightened receive the characteristics,
the imprint, and the manliness of Christ, as the form of the Logos is impressed
upon them in likeness, being born within them through precise knowledge and
faith—so that Christ is born spiritually in each one.
And for this reason, the Church labors and travails until
Christ is formed in us, having been born [cf. Gal 4:19], so that each of the
saints, by partaking of Christ, may himself become Christ. In this sense, it is
also written in Scripture: 'Do not touch my anointed ones, and do not harm my
prophets' [Ps 104:15], as if those who have been baptized into Christ through
participation in the Spirit have become anointed ones (Christs). This
contributes to their illumination in the Logos and to the transformation of the
Church.
Cyril of Alexandria, The
Catechetical Letters, Lecture 3.12:
Κατέρχῃ μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ φορῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας· ἀλλʼ ἡ τῆς
χάριτος ἐπίκλησις σφραγίσασα τὴν ψυχὴν οὐ συγχωρεῖ λοιπὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ φοβεροῦ
καταποθῆναι δράκοντος· νεκρὸς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις καταβάς, ἀναβαίνεις ζωοποιηθεὶς ἐν
δικαιοσύνῃ.
For thou goest down into the water, being thy sins, but
the invocation of grace, having sealed thy soul, suffereth thee not afterwards
to be swallowed up by the terrible dragon. Having gone down dead in sins, thou
comest up quickened in righteousness.
Basil the Great, Homily 13
(On Holy Baptism):
Βάπτισμα αἰχμαλώτοις λύτρον, ὀφλημάτων ἄφεσις, θάνατος ἁμαρτίας,
παλιγγενεσία ψυχῆς, ἔνδυμα φωτεινόν, σφραγὶς ἀνεπιχείρητος, ὄχημα πρὸς οὐρανόν,
βασιλείας πρόξενον, υἱοθεσίας χάρισμα.
Baptism is the ransom of captives, the remission of
debts, the death of sin, the rebirth of the soul, a radiant garment, an
unassailable seal, a chariot to heaven, a harbinger of the kingdom, the gift of
adoption as sons.
Sacramentary of Serapion,
"Anaphora or Oration of the Eucharistic Offering" (4th century):
Εὐχὴ εἰς τὸ χρῖσμα ἐν ᾧ χρίονται οἱ βαπτισθέντες. Ὁ Θεὸς
τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ βοηθὸς πάσης ψυχῆς ἐπιστρεφούσης ἐπί σε καὶ γενομένης ὑπὸ τὴν
κραταιάν σου χεῖρα τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, ἐπικαλούμεθά σε, ὥστε διὰ τῆς θείας καὶ ἀοράτου
σου δυνάμεως τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνεργῆσαι ἐν τῷ χρίσματι
τούτῳ ἐνέργειαν θείαν καὶ οὐράνιον, ἵνα οἱ βαπτισθέντες καὶ χριόμενοι ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ
ἐκτύπωμα τοῦ σημείου τοῦ σωτηριώδους σταυροῦ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, διʼ οὗ σταυροῦ
διετράπη καὶ ἐθριαμβεύθη Σατανᾶς καὶ πᾶσα δύναμις ἀντικειμένη, ὡς ἀναγεννηθέντες
καὶ ἀνανεωθέντες διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας καὶ οὗτοι μέτοχοι γένωνται τῆς
δωρεᾶς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος καὶ ἀσφαλισθέντες τῇ σφραγῖδι ταύτῃ διαμείνωσιν «ἑδραῖοι
καὶ ἀμετακίνητοι» [1 Cor 15, 58], ἀβλαβεῖς καὶ ἄσυλοι.…
A prayer for the chrism in which the baptized are
anointed.
O God of all power, Helper of every soul that turns to
You and is sustained by Your mighty hand, the Only-Begotten, we invoke You, so
that by the divine and unseen power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ You may
work in this chrism a divine and heavenly operation—that the baptized and all
who use it may bear the imprint of the sign of the saving cross of the
Only-Begotten, through which Satan was overthrown and every opposing power
defeated; just as, having been reborn and renewed through the bath of
regeneration, they become partakers of the gift of the Holy Spirit and, secured
by this seal, remain “steadfast and immovable” [1 Cor. 15:58], undefiled and
blameless…
To Support this Blog:
Email for Amazon Gift
card: ScripturalMormonism@gmail.com
Email for Logos.com Gift
Card: IrishLDS87@gmail.com
