We have lingered over this subject of the martyrs and over the record of those who died on account of pestilence, because this lets us see the excellence of Him who was led as a sheep to the slaughter and was dumb as a lamb before the shearer. For if there is any point in these stories of the Greeks, and if what we have said of the martyrs is well founded—the Apostles, too, were for the same reason the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things, what and how great things must be said of the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed for this very reason, that He might take away the sin not of a few but of the whole world, for the sake of which also He suffered? [καὶ «πάντων περίψημα» λεγομένων διὰ ταῦτα τῶν ἀποστόλων, τί ὑποληπτέον καὶ πηλίκον περὶ τοῦ ἀμνοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τοῦτο θυομένου, ἵνα ἄρῃ ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ὀλίγων, ἀλλ' ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ πέπονθεν] 6.55.285 If any one sin, we read, We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous [Κἂν γάρ «τις ἁμάρτῃ, παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν δίκαιον 1 John 2:1-2 ] and He is the propitiation for our sins [καὶ αὐτὸς ἱλασμός ἐστιν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν], and not for ours only , but for those of the whole world, since He is the Saviour of all men, 1 Timothy 4:10 especially of them that believe [οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων δὲ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου» ἐπεὶ «σωτήρ ἐστιν πάντων ἀνθρώπων, μάλιστα πιστῶν»], who Colossians 2:14-15 blotted out the written bond that was against us by His own blood, and took it out of the way, so that not even a trace, not even of our blotted-out sins, might still be found, and nailed it to His cross [ὁ «ἐξαλείψας τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν χειρόγραφον» τῷ ἑαυτοῦ αἵματι καὶ ἄρας αὐτὸ ἐκ τοῦ μέσου, ἵνα μηδὲ ἴχνη κἂν ἀπαληλιμμένων τῶν ἁμαρτη μάτων εὑρίσκηται, καὶ «προσηλώσας τῷ σταυρῷ»]; who having put off from Himself the principalities and powers, made a show of them openly, triumphing over them by His cross [ὃς «ἀπεκδυσάμενος τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐν παρρησίᾳ θριαμβεύσας» ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ]. And we are taught to rejoice when we suffer afflictions in the world, knowing the ground of our rejoicing to be this, that the world has been conquered and has manifestly been subjected to its conqueror [6.55.286 Καὶ θαρρεῖν γοῦν θλιβόμενοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ διδασκόμεθα, τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ θαρρεῖν μανθάνοντες ταύτην εἶναι, τὸ νενικῆσθαι τὸν κόσμον καὶ
δηλονότι ὑποτετάχθαι τῷ νικήσαντι αὐτόν]. Hence all the nations, released from their former rulers, serve Him, because He saved the poor from his tyrant by His own passion, and the needy who had no helper [∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἀνεθέντα ἀπὸ τῶν πρότερον ἐπικρατούντων δουλεύουσιν αὐτῷ, ὅτι «ἐρρύσατο πτωχὸν ἐκ δυνάστου» διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου πάθους «καὶ πένητα, ᾧ οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν βοηθός»]. This Saviour, then, having humbled the calumniator by humbling Himself, abides with the visible sun before His illustrious church, tropically called the moon, from generation to generation. [6.55.287 Οὗτος δὴ ὁ σωτὴρ ταπεινώσας συκοφάντην διὰ τοῦ ἑαυτὸν τεταπεινωκέναι, συμπαραμένει τῷ νοητῷ ἡλίῳ πρὸ τῆς λαμπροτάτης ἐκκλησίας, τροπικώτερον σελήνης λεγο μένης, τυγχάνων γενεῶν γενεαῖς]. And having by His passion destroyed His enemies, He who is strong in battle and a mighty Lord required after His mighty deeds a purification which could only be given Him by His Father alone; and this is why He forbids Mary to touch Him, saying, John 20:17 Touch Me not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go and tell My disciples, I go to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God. [Ἀνελὼν δὲ διὰ τοῦ πάθους τοὺς πολεμίους ὁ ἐν πολέμῳ δυνατὸς καὶ κραταιὸς κύριος καθαρσίου δεόμενος τοῦ ἀπὸ μόνου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ δοθῆναι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνδραγαθήμασιν δυναμένου, κωλύει αὐτοῦ ἅψασθαι τὴν Μαρίαν λέγων· «Μή μου ἅπτου, οὔπω γὰρ ἀναβέβηκα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· ἀλλὰ πορεύου καὶ εἰπὲ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου· Πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα ὑμῶν καὶ θεόν μου καὶ θεὸν ὑμῶν»] And when He comes, loaded with victory and with trophies, with His body which has risen from the dead—for what other meaning can we see in the words, I am not yet ascended to My Father, and I go unto My Father,— then there are certain powers which say, Who is this that comes from Edom, red garments from Bosor; this that is beautiful? [6.56.288 Ὅτε δὲ πορεύεται νικηφόρος καὶ τροπαιοφόρος μετὰ τοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάντος σώματος–πῶς γὰρ ἄλλως δεῖ νοεῖν τὸ «Οὔπω ἀναβέβηκα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου» καὶ τὸ «Πορεύομαι δὲ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου»; –τότε αἱ μέν τινες λέγουσιν δυνάμεις· «Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγενόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων ἐκ Βοσόρ, οὕτως ὡραῖος»] Then those who escort Him say to those that are upon the heavenly gates, Lift up your gates, you rulers, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in. [Οἱ δὲ προπέμποντες αὐτὸν τοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν οὐρανίων πυλῶν τεταγμέ νοις φασὶν τὸ «Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρ θητε πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης»] But they ask again, seeing as it were His right hand red with blood and His whole person covered with the marks of His valour, [6.56.289 Ἔτι δὲ πυνθάνονται οἱονεί, εἰ δεῖ οὕτως εἰπεῖν, ᾑμαγ μένην αὐτοῦ βλέποντες τὴν δεξιὰν καὶ ὅλον πεπληρωμένον τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀριστείας ἔργω]· Why are Your garments red, and Your clothes like the treading of the full winefat when it is trodden? [«∆ιὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀποπάτημα ληνοῦ πλήρους καταπεπατημένης»] And to this He answers, I have crushed them. [Ὅτε καὶ ἀποκρίνεται· «Κατέθλασα αὐτούς»] For this cause He had need to wash His robe in wine, and His garment in the blood of the grape. [6.56.290 Ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτοις δεδέηται τοῦ πλῦναι «ἐν οἴνῳ τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν αἵματι σταφυλῆς τὴν περιβολὴν αὐτοῦ»]. For when He had taken up our infirmities and carried our diseases, and had borne the sin of the whole world, and had conferred blessings on so many, then, perhaps, He received that baptism which is greater than any that could ever be conceived among men, and of which I think He speaks when He says, Luke 12:50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished? [Τὰς γὰρ ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν λαβὼν καὶ τὰς νόσους βαστάξας, παντός τε τοῦ κόσμου
ἄρας τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τοὺς τοσούτους εὐεργετήσας, τάχα τότε βάπτισμα εἴληφεν τὸ παντὸς τοῦ ὑπονοηθέντος ἂν παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μεῖζον, περὶ οὗ οἶμαι αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι· «Βάπτισμα δὲ ἔχω βαπτισθῆ ναι, καὶ πῶς συνέχομαι ἕως ὅτου τελεσθῇ»] I enquire here with boldness and I challenge the ideas put forward by most writers. They say that the greatest baptism, beyond which no greater can be conceived, is His passion. But if this be so, why should He say to Mary after it, Touch Me not? [6.56.291 Ἵνα γὰρ τολμηρότερον βασανίζων τὸν λόγον στῶ πρὸς τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν πλείστων ὑπονοούμενα, λεγέτωσαν ἡμῖν οἱ τὸ βάπτισμα τὸ μέγιστον, ὑπὲρ ὃ ἄλλο οὐκ ἔστι νοῆσαι βάπτισμα, νομίσαντες αὐτοῦ εἶναι τὸ μαρτύριον, τί δήποτε μετὰ τοῦτο λέγει τῇ Μαριάμ· «Μή μου ἅπτου»] He should rather have offered Himself to her touch, when by His passion He had received His perfect baptism. [Ἐχρῆν γὰρ μᾶλλον ἑαυτὸν ἐμπαρέχειν τῇ ἁφῇ, ἅτε τὸ τέλειον βάπτισμα διὰ τοῦ μυστη ρίου τοῦ πάθους εἰληφότα]. But if it was the case, as we said before, that after all His deeds of valour done against His enemies, He had need to wash His robe in wine, His garment in the blood of the grape, then He was on His way up to the husbandman of the true vine, the Father, so that having washed there and after having gone up on high, He might lead captivity captive and come down bearing manifold gifts— the tongues, as of fire, which were divided to the Apostles, and the holy angels which are to be present with them in each action and to deliver them. [6.57.292 Ἀλλ' ἐπεί, ὡς προείπομεν, τὰ κατὰ τῶν ἀντικειμένων ἀνδραγαθήματα πεποιηκὼς ἐδεῖτο τοῦ πλῦναι «ἐν οἴνῳ τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν αἵματι σταφυλῆς τὴν περιβολὴν αὐτοῦ», ἀνῄει πρὸς τὸν γεωργὸν τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀμπέλου πατέρα, ἵν' ἐκεῖ ἀποπλυνάμενος μετὰ τὸ ἀναβῆναι εἰς ὕψος, αἰχμαλωτεύσας τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν, καταβῇ φέρων τὰ ποικίλα χαρίσματα, τὰς διαμεμερισμένας τοῖς ἀποστόλοις γλώσσας ὡσεὶ πυρὸς καὶ τοὺς παρεσομένους ἐν πάσῃ πρά ξει ἁγίους ἀγγέλους καὶ ῥυσομένους αὐτούς]. For before these economies they were not yet cleansed and angels could not dwell with them, for they too perhaps do not desire to be with those who have not prepared themselves nor been cleansed by Jesus. [6.57.293 Πρὸ γὰρ τούτων τῶν οἰκονομιῶν ἅτε μηδέπω κεκα θαρμένοι οὐκ ἐχώρουν ἀγγέλων παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπιδημίαν, τάχα οὐδ' αὐτῶν βουλομένων πω τοῖς μὴ εὐτρεπισμένοις καὶ κεκαθαρμένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ παρεῖναι]. For it was of Jesus' benignity alone that He ate and drank with publicans and sinners, and suffered the penitent woman who was a sinner to wash His feet with her tears, and went down even to death for the ungodly, counting it not robbery to be equal with God, and emptied Himself, assuming the form of a servant [6.57.294 Τῆς γὰρ Ἰησοῦ μόνου φιλανθρωπίας ἦν μετὰ ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ τελωνῶν ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν, καὶ παρέχειν ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς πόδας τοῖς δακρύοις τῆς μετανοούσης ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καὶ μέχρι θανάτου καταβαίνειν ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγουμένου τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ, καὶ κενοῦν ἑαυτὸν τὴν τοῦ δούλου λαμβάνοντος μορφήν]. And in accomplishing all this He fulfils rather the will of the Father who gave Him up for sinners than His own. [6.57.295 Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐπιτελῶν μᾶλλον τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ παραδόντος αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἐπετέλει ἤπερ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ]· For the Father is good, but the Saviour is the image of His goodness [ὁ μὲν γὰρ πατὴρ ἀγαθός, ὁ δὲ σωτὴρ εἰκὼν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ]; and doing good to the world in all things, since God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, which formerly for its wickedness was all enemy to Him, He accomplishes His good deeds in order and succession, and does not all at once take all His enemies for His footstool [Πάντα δὲ τὸν κόσμον εὐεργετῶν, ἐπεὶ θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσει ἑαυτῷ, πρότερον διὰ τὴν κακίαν ἐχθρὸν γεγενημένον, ὁδῷ καὶ τάξει τὰ εὐεργετού μενα εὐεργετεῖ, οὐκ ἀθρόως λαμβάνων ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν πάντας τοὺς ἐχθρούς]. For the Father says to Him, to the Lord of us all, Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies the footstool of Your feet. [Λέγει γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ τῷ κυρίῳ ἑκάστου ἡμῶν· «Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου»] And this goes on till the last enemy, Death, is overcome by Him. [6.57.296 Καὶ ταῦτα γίνεται ἕως ὁ ἔσχατος ἐχθρός, ὁ θάνατος, ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καταργηθῇ]. And if we consider what is meant by this subjection to Christ and find an explanation of this mainly from the saying, 1 Corinthians 15:26 When all things shall have been put under Him, then shall the Son Himself be subjected to Him who put all things under Him, then we shall see how the conception agrees with the goodness of the God of all, since it is that of the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world. [Ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ Χριστῷ νοήσωμεν ὅ τί ποτ' ἔστιν μάλιστ' ἐκ τοῦ «Ὅταν δὲ αὐτῷ <τὰ> πάντα ὑποταγῇ, τότε αὐτὸς ὁ υἱὸς ὑποταγήσεται τῷ ὑποτάξαντι αὐτῷ <τὰ> πάντα», ἀξίως τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ νοήσω μεν τὸν ἀμνὸν τοῦ θεοῦ αἴροντα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου]. Not all men's sin, however, is taken away by the Lamb of God, not the sin of those who do not grieve and suffer affliction till it be taken away [6.58.297 Οὐ πάντων δὲ ἡ ἁμαρτία ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀμνοῦ αἴρεται, μὴ ἀλγούντων μηδὲ βασανιζομένων ἕως ἀρθῇ].
It appears the emboldened material connects ascent ritual with the baptism in Mark 10.
