Letter 263

To Ptolemaeus. If you too say, with Apollinaris [Apollinaris of Laodicea, condemned for teaching that Christ's flesh was brought from heaven], that the God-Word, having taken his flesh from heaven, came down to earth, then what need was there of the blessed Virgin? Therefore, most prudent one, know most precisely that the Lord, who as to his Godhead was not fashioned, fashioned himself out of the Virgin, without seed, and without corruption, and apart from every defilement, as to his manhood. And where there is the presence of the Holy Spirit, there let no pollution whatever be supposed. It is plain. The place called Aenon [where John baptized, John 3:23] lay beyond the Jordan. Now Aenon is interpreted "eye of trial," that is, a contemplation that is examined, and tested, and laborious. Those, therefore, who were baptized became more keen of sight. And Salim is interpreted "a son ascending"; and Jordan is called, in the Greek tongue, "descent." And beyond the descent is the ascent of those who are baptized by the disciples of Christ into the name of our Savior Christ.

Εἰ κατὰ τὸν Ἀπολινάριον λέγεις καὶ σύ, ὅπερ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ λαβὼν τὴν σάρκα εἰς τὴν γῆν κατελήλυθεν, τίς χρεία τῆς μακαρίας Παρθένου; Οὐκοῦν, φρονιμώτατε, γίνωσκε ἀκριβέστατα, ὅτι ὁ ἄπλαστος κατὰ τὴν θεότητα· Κύριος ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῆς Παρθένου ἄνευ σπέρματος, καὶ φθορᾶς, καὶ δίχα παντὸς ῥύπου ἔπλασε κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα. Ὅπου δὲ Πνεύματος ἁγίου παρουσία, ἐκεῖ μηδόλως μολυσμὸς ἐννοείσθω. δῆλον. Ὁ τόπος ὁ καλούμενος Αἰνὼν πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ἐτύγχανεν. Αἰνὼν δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται ὀφθαλμὸς βασάνου, τουτέστιν ἐξητασμένη, καὶ βεβασανισμένη, καὶ ἔγκοπος θεωρία. Διορατικώτεροι τοίνυν ἐγένοντο οἱ βαπτισθέντες. Σαλείμ δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται, υἱὸς ἀναβαίνων· Ἰορδάνης δὲ κατάβασις λέγεται τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ γλώσσῃ. Πέραν δὲ τῆς καταβάσεώς ἐστιν ἡ ἀνάβασις τῶν ὑπὸ τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ βαπτιζομένων εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ.