Letter 49

To Plutinus, of consular rank. Those who received their allotted inheritance beyond the Jordan from Moses, the great lawgiver, were Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh [Numbers 32]. These bore the figure of those justified through the Law; but the other nine and a half tribes, which inherit on the far side of the Jordan, are a symbol of those from among the nations who have believed in Christ and have been perfected through the grace of the Holy Spirit. It is to be noted that before the river, that is, before Christian baptism, knowledge and the manner of life are shown to be imperfect and infantile; for the Scripture of Moses has testified that he had children, and many cattle, and wives.

Οἱ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου κατακληροδοτηθέντες ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως τοῦ μεγάλου νομοθέτου, Ῥουβήμ, καὶ Γὰδ ὑπῆρχον, καὶ τῆς φυλῆς Μανασσῆ τὸ ἥμισυ. Πρόσωπον δ’ οὗτοι ἔφερον τῶν διὰ τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθέντων· αἱ δὲ ἄλλαι ἐννέα καὶ ἥμισυ φυλαί, αἵτινες μετὰ τὸν Ἰορδάνην κληρονομοῦσι, σύμβολον τυγχάνουσι τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότων Χριστῷ, καὶ διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τελειωθέντων. Σημειωτέον δέ, ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, τουτέστι τοῦ Χριστιανικοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἀτελὴς καὶ νηπιώδης δείκνυται γνῶσις καὶ πολιτεία· παιδία γὰρ ἔχει, καὶ κτήνη πολλά, καὶ γυναῖκας ὑπάρχειν μεμαρτύρηκεν ἡ γραφὴ Μωϋσέως.