§4Sed ea satis erit praecerpsisse, in quibus et ratio baptismi recognoscitur, primum illa, qua iam tunc etiam ipso habitu praenotabant ad baptismi figuram dei spiritum, qui ab initio superuectabatur super aquas, super aquas intinctorum moraturum.
But it will be enough to have premised these things, in which also the reason for baptism is recognized: first, that point by which even then, by their very posture, they prefigured the Spirit of God (who from the beginning was borne above the waters) as being about to linger over the waters of the baptized for the figure of baptism.
sanctum autem utique super sanctum ferebatur et ab eo, quod superferebatur, id quod ferebat sanctitatem mutuabatur, quoniam subiecta quaeque materia eius, quae desuper imminet, qualitatem rapiat necesse est, maxime corporalis spiritalem et penetrare et insidere facilem per substantiae suae subtilitatem.
For what was holy was indeed borne over what was holy, and from that which was borne over, that which bore borrowed holiness; since it is necessary that any underlying material should snatch the quality of that which threatens from above, especially a bodily thing snatching a spiritual quality, which is easy to penetrate and settle in by the subtlety of its substance.
ita de sancto sanctificata natura aquarum et ipsa sanctificare concepit.
Thus, the nature of the waters, sanctified by the Holy, itself conceived the power to sanctify.
nemo dicat: numquid ipsis enim aquis tingimur, quae tunc in primordio fuerunt? non utique ipsis, nisi ex ea parte qua genus quidem unum, species uero complures.
Let no one say: "Are we then baptized with those very waters which existed then in the beginning?" Not indeed with those very waters, except in that respect where the genus is one, but the species are many.
quod autem generi adtributum est, etiam in speciem redundat.
But what is attributed to the genus overflows also into the species.
ideoque nulla distinctio est, mari quis an stagno, flumine an fonte, lacu an alueo diluatur, nec quicquam refert inter eos quos Iohannes in Iordane et quos Petrus in Tiberi tinxit.
And therefore there is no distinction whether a man is washed in the sea or in a pool, in a river or in a spring, in a lake or in a trough; nor does it make any difference between those whom John baptized in the Jordan and those whom Peter baptized in the Tiber.
nisi et ille spado, quem Philippus inter uias fortuita aqua tinxit, plus salutis aut minus retulit.
Unless that eunuch too, whom Philip baptized on the road with fortuitous water, received more or less salvation.
igitur omnes aquae i de pristina originis praerogatiua sacramentum sanctificationis consequuntur inuocato deo.
Therefore, all waters, from the ancient privilege of their origin, attain the sacrament of sanctification after God has been invoked.
superuenit enim statim spiritus de caelis et aquis superest sanctificans eas de semetipso, et ita sanctificatae uim sanetificandi combibunt.
For the Spirit immediately supervenes from heaven and stays over the waters, sanctifying them from Himself, and thus sanctified, they drink in the power of sanctifying.
quamquam ad simplicem actum competat similitudo, ut, quoniam uice sordium delictis inquinamur, aquis abluamur.
Although the likeness is fitting for the simple act, so that, since we are stained with sins in the place of filth, we are washed with waters.
sed delicta sicut non in carne comparent, quia nemo super cutem portat maculam idololatriae aut stupri aut fraudis, ita eiusmodi in spiritu sordent, qui est auctor delicti.
But just as sins do not appear in the flesh (since no one carries on his skin the stain of idolatry or of unchastity or of fraud), so things of this kind are filthy in the spirit, which is the author of sin.
spiritus enim dominatur, caro famulatur.
For the spirit rules, the flesh serves.
tamen utrumque inter se communicant reatum tum, spiritus ob imperium, caro ob ministerium.
Yet both share the guilt between themselves, the spirit on account of its command, the flesh on account of its service.
igitur medicatis quodammodo aquis per angeli interuentum et spiritus in aquis corporaliter diluitur et caro in eisdem spiritaliter mundatur.
Therefore, the waters having been medicated, as it were, through the intervention of an angel, both the spirit is bodily washed in the waters, and the flesh is spiritually cleansed in the same.
§5Sed enim nationes extraneae ab omni intellectu spiritalium potestatem eadem efficacia idolis suis subministrant.
But indeed, foreign nations, excluded from all understanding of spiritual things, supply their idols with the same power with the same efficacy.
sed uiduis aquis sibi mentiuntur.
But they deceive themselves with widowed waters.
nam et sacris quibusdam per lauacrum initiantur, Isidis alicuius aut Mithrae;
For they are also initiated by a washing into certain sacred rites, of some Isis or Mithras; they even carry out their gods themselves with washings.
ipsos etiam deos suos lauationibus efferunt. ceterum uillas, domos, templa totasque urbes aspergine circumlatae aquae expiant passim.
Moreover, they expiate villas, houses, temples, and entire cities everywhere by the sprinkling of water carried around.
certe ludis Apollinaribus et Eleusiniis tinguuntur idque se in regenerationem et impunitatem periuriorum suorum agere praesumunt.
Certainly, they are baptized at the Apollinarian and Eleusinian games, and they presume that they do this for regeneration and for the impunity of their perjuries.
item penes ueteres quisque se homicidio infecerat, purgatrices aquas explorabat.
Likewise, among the ancients, whoever had stained himself with homicide sought purgative waters.
igitur si de sola natura aquae, quod propria materia sit abluendi, in auspicia emundationis blandiuntur, quanto id uerius aquae praestabunt per dei auctoritatem, a quo omnis natura earum constituta est? si religione aquam medicari putant, quae potior religio quam dei uiui? quo agnito hic quoque studium diaboli recognoscimus res dei aemulantis, cum et ipse baptismum in suis exercet.
Therefore, if they flatter themselves with the mere nature of water, because it is the proper material for washing, for the auspices of cleansing, how much more truly will waters afford this through the authority of God, by whom their entire nature has been established! If they think that water is medicated by religion, what religion is more powerful than that of the living God? Recognizing this, we also recognize here the zeal of the devil, who emulates the things of God, since he himself also practices baptism among his own.
quid simile? immundus emundat, perditor liberat, damnatus absoluit.
What is similar? The unclean cleanses, the destroyer sets free, the condemned absolves.
suam uidelicet operam destruet diluens delicta, quae inspirat ipse.
Obviously, he will destroy his own work by washing away the sins which he himself inspires.
haec quidem in testimonium posita sunt repellentibus fidem, si minime credant rebus dei, quarum adfectationibus apud aemulum dei credunt.
These things indeed are set for a testimony to those who reject the faith, if they do not believe in the things of God, in whose imitations under the rival of God they believe.
annon et alias sine ullo sacramento immundi spiritus aquis incubant adfectantes illam in primordio diuini spiritus gestationem? sciunt opaci quique fontes et auii quique riui et in balneis piscinae et euripi in domibus uel cisternae et putei, qui rapere dicuntur, scilicet per uim spiritus nocentis.
Or do not unclean spirits at other times also, without any sacrament, brood over waters, imitating that bearing of the divine Spirit in the beginning? Every shaded spring, and every remote stream, and the pools in the baths, and the channels in houses, or cisterns and wells know this, which are said to snatch away, namely through the power of a harmful spirit.
nam et t esietos et lymphaticos et hydrophobos uocant, quos aquae necauerunt aut amentia uel formidine exercuerunt.
For they also call those whom the waters have killed or harassed with madness or fear, "asphyxiated" and "lymphatic" and "hydrophobic".
quorsum ista retulimus? ne quis durius credat angelum dei sanctum aquis in salutem hominis temperandis adesse, cum angelus malus profanum commercium eiusdem elementi in perniciem hominis frequentat.
For what purpose have we related these things? Lest anyone should find it too hard to believe that a holy angel of God is present to temper the waters for the salvation of man, when an evil angel frequents a profane commerce of the same element for the destruction of man.
angelum aquis interuenire si nouum uidetur, exemplum futuri praecucurrit.
If it seems new that an angel intervenes in waters, an example of what was to come has run ahead.
piscinam Bethsaidam angelus interueniens commouebat.
An intervening angel used to trouble the pool of Bethsaida.
obseruabant qui ualetudinem querebantur.
Those who complained of their health watched for it.
nam si quis praeuenerat descendere illuc, queri post lauacrum desinebat.
For if anyone had anticipated descending there, he ceased to complain after the bath.
figuram ista medicinae corporalis spiritalem medicinam canebat, ea forma qua semper carnalia in figuram spiritalium antecedant.
That remedy of bodily medicine was singing of spiritual medicine, in that form in which carnal things always precede in the figure of spiritual things.
proficiente itaque in hominibus gratia dei plus aquis et angelo accessit.
Therefore, as the grace of God advanced among men, more was added to the waters and to the angel.
qui uitia corporis remediabant, nunc spiritum medentur; qui temporalem operabantur salutem, nunc aeternam reformant; qui unum semel anno liberabant, nunc quotidie populos conseruant deleta morte per ablutionem delictorum.
They who used to remedy the defects of the body now heal the spirit; they who used to work temporal salvation now reform the eternal; they who used to free one once a year now daily preserve peoples, death having been destroyed through the washing away of sins.
exempto scilicet reatu eximitur et poena.
Guilt having been removed, of course, the punishment is also removed.
ita restituetur homo deo ad similitudinem eius, qui retro ad imaginem dei fuerat.
Thus man will be restored to God to His likeness, who formerly had been after the image of God.
imago in effigie, similitudo in aeternitate censetur.
The image is counted in the effigy, the likeness in eternity.
recipit enim illum dei spiritum, quem tunc de adflatu eius acceperat, sed post amiserat per delictum.
For he receives back that Spirit of God, which he had then received from His breath, but had afterwards lost through sin.