§1Οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Σεδράχ, Μισάκ, Ἀβδεναγὼ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τοῦ πυρὸς ὑμνοῦντες τὸν θεὸν λέγουσιν· »εὐλογεῖτε, οἱ οὐρανοί, τὸν κύριον· ὑμνεῖτε καὶ ὑπερυψοῦτε αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. « εἶτα· »εὐλογεῖτε. ἄγγελοι, τὸν κύριον. « εἶτα· »εὐλογεῖτε, ὕδατα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐπάνω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὸν κύριον. « οὕτως ἐπὶ δυνάμεων τάσσουσιν αἱ γραφαὶ καθαρῶν τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὰ ὕδατα, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει δηλοῦται.
Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, with their companions, as they praised God in the fiery furnace, say: "Bless the Lord, you heavens; praise and exalt him above all forever." Then: "Bless the Lord, you angels." Then: "Bless the Lord, you waters and all that is above the heaven." Thus the Scriptures, as is also shown in the creation, place the heavens and the waters among the pure powers.
εἰκότως οὖν ποικίλως τῆς δυνάμεως ὀνομαζομένης ἐπάγει Δανιήλ· »εὐλογείτω πᾶσα δύναμις τὸν κύριον. « εἶτα ἐφεξῆς· »εὐλογεῖτε, ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη, τὸν κύριον. « καί· »εὐλογεῖτε, ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὸν κύριον· εὐλογεῖτε, πάντες οἱ σεβόμενοι κύριον. τὸν θεὸν τῶν θεῶν· ὑμνεῖτε καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθε, ὅτι εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. « [ἐν τῷ Δανιὴλ γέγραπται τῶν τριῶν παίδων ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ ὑμνούντων. ] §2»Εὐλογημένος εἶ ὁ βλέπων ἀβύσσους, καθήμενος ἐπὶ Χερουβίμ«, ὁ Δανιὴλ λέγει, ὁμοδοξῶν τῷ Ἐνὼχ τῷ εἰρηκότι· »καὶ εἶδον τὰς ὕλας πάσας.
Reasonably, therefore, since the power is named in various ways, Daniel adds: "Let every power bless the Lord." Then, next: "Bless the Lord, sun and moon." And: "Bless the Lord, stars of heaven; bless the Lord, all who worship the Lord, the God of gods; praise and give thanks, for his mercy endures forever." [Written in Daniel concerning the three youths praising in the furnace.] "Blessed are you who look upon the abysses, sitting upon the Cherubim," Daniel says, agreeing in opinion with Enoch who said: "And I saw all the matters." For the abyss is that which is limitless in its own hypostasis, but is limited by the power of God.
« ἄβυσσος γὰρ τὸ ἀπεράτωτον κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν, περαιούμενον δὲ τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ θεοῦ. αἱ τοίνυν οὐσίαι ὑλικαί. ἀφ᾿ ὧν τὰ ἐπὶ μέρους γένη καὶ τὰ τούτων εἴδη γίνεται. ἄβυσσοι εἴρηνται·
Therefore, the material substances, from which particular genera and their species arise, are called abysses; since he would not have called water alone an abyss.
ἐπεὶ μόνον τὸ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν ἄβυσσον. καίτοι καὶ ὕδωρ ἄβυσσος ἢ ὕλη ἀλληγορεῖται.
And yet, water also is allegorized as an abyss or as matter.
§3»Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν«. τὰ γήινα καὶ τὰ οὐράνια.
"In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth"—that is, the earthly and the heavenly things.
ὅτι δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές, εἶπεν ὁ κύριος πρὸς Ὠσηέ· »βάδιζε, λαβὲ σεαυτῷ γυναῖκα πορνείας καὶ τέκνα πορνείας, διότι ἐκπορνεύουσα ἐκπορνεύσει ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν τοῦ κυρίου. « οὐ γὰρ τὸ στοιχεῖον λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ στοιχείῳ, τοὺς γηγενὲς φρόνημα ἔχοντας.
And that this is true, the Lord said to Hosea: "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotries and children of harlotries, for the land by playing the harlot will play the harlot away from behind the Lord." For he does not mean the element, but those upon the element, those who have an earthly mind.
§4Ὅτι δὲ ἀρχὴ ὁ υἱός, Ὠσηὲ διδάσκει σαφῶς· »καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῷ τόπῳ. οὗ ἐρρέθη αὐτοῖς ›οὐ λαός μου ὑμεῖς‹, κληθήσονται καὶ αὐτοὶ υἱοὶ θεοῦ ζῶντος.
And that the Son is the "beginning," Hosea teaches clearly: "And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they too shall be called sons of the living God.
καὶ συναχθήσονται οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰούδα καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό, καὶ θήσονται ἑαυτοῖς ἀρχὴν μίαν καὶ ἀναβήσονται ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι μεγάλη ἡμέρα τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. « ᾧ γάρ τις πιστεύει. τοῦτον αἱρεῖται. πιστεύει δέ τις τῷ υἱῷ, ὅς ἐστιν ἀρχή.
And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one beginning, and shall go up from the land, for great is the day of Israel." For what one believes in, this he chooses; and one believes in the Son, who is the beginning.
διὸ καὶ προ[σ]εῖπεν· »τοὺς δὲ υἱοὺς Ἰούδα ἐλεήσω καὶ σώσω ἐν κυρίῳ θεῷ αὐτῶν«, σωτὴρ δὲ ὁ σῴζων υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ.
Wherefore he also said beforehand: "But I will have mercy on the sons of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God," and the savior is the saving Son of God.
οὗτος ἄρα ἡ ἀρχή.
He, then, is the beginning.
§5Δι᾿ Ὠσηὲ τὸ πνεῦμα »ἐγὼ δὲ παιδευτὴς ὑμῶν« φησί· »σαλπίσατε σάλπιγγι ἐπὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς κυρίου, ἠχήσατε ἐπὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν. « καὶ μή τι αὐτὸ τὸ βάπτισμα ἀναγεννήσεως ὑπάρχον σημεῖον τῆς ὕλης ἐστὶν ἔκβασις διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος διδασκαλίας, μεγάλου καὶ σφοδροῦ ῥεύματος ἀεὶ φερομένου καὶ παραφέροντος ἡμᾶς.
Through Hosea the Spirit says, "But I am your instructor"; "Blow the trumpet upon the hills of the Lord, sound the alarm upon the high places." And is not the very baptism of rebirth, being a sign, an exit from matter through the teaching of the Savior, which is a great and violent stream always flowing and carrying us away?
ἐξάγων οὖν τῆς ἀταξίας ἡμᾶς ὁ κύριος φωτίζει, εἰς τὸ φῶς ἄγων τὸ ἄσκιον καὶ οὐκέτι ὑλικόν.
Leading us out from disorder, therefore, the Lord illuminates us, bringing us into the light which has no shadow and is no longer material.
§6Τοῦτον τὸν ποταμὸν τῆς ὕλης καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν διέκοψαν καὶ διέστησαν δυνάμει κυρίου προφῆται δύο, περατουμένης τῆς ὕλης καθ᾿ ἑκάτερον διάστημα ὕδατος βουλήσει τοῦ θεοῦ· διυπηρέτουν καθαροὶ στρατηγοὶ ἄμφω, δι᾿ ὧν ἐπιστεύθη τὰ σημεῖα, ἵνα δὴ ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ τῆς ὕλης γένηται, δι᾿ αὐτῆς ὁδεύσας τὰ πρῶτα.
This river and sea of matter were cut through and divided by the power of the Lord by two prophets, matter being limited at each division of water by the will of God; both pure commanders served, through whom the signs were believed, so that indeed the righteous one might arise out of matter, having first journeyed through it.
θατέρῳ μέν γε τῶν στρατηγῶν καὶ τοὔνομα τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπεβέβλητο.
To one of the commanders, indeed, even the name of our Savior had been given.
§7Αὐτίκα δι᾿ »ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος« ἡ ἀναγέννησις, καθάπερ καὶ ἡ πᾶσα γένεσις.
Straightway, rebirth is through "water and spirit," just as all creation is.
»πνεῦμα γὰρ θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο τῇ ἀβύσσῳ. « καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ σωτὴρ ἐβαπτίσατο μὴ χρῄζων αὐτός, ἵνα τοῖς ἀναγεννωμένοις τὸ πᾶν ὕδωρ ἁγιάσῃ.
"For the Spirit of God was moving over the abyss." And for this reason, the Savior was baptized, though he himself had no need, that he might sanctify all water for those who are being reborn.
ταύτῃ τοι οὐ μόνον τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καθαιρόμεθα.
In this way, we are purified not only in body but also in soul.
σημεῖον γοῦν τοῦ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα ἡμῶν ἁγιάζεσθαι τὸ καὶ πνεύματα ἀκάθαρτα συμπεπλεγμένα τῇ ψυχῇ διυλίζεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς γενέσεως τῆς καινῆς τε καὶ πνευματικῆς.
A sign, indeed, of our invisible parts being sanctified is that unclean spirits, which are closely intertwined with the soul, are filtered out by the new and spiritual birth.