Sermons 122

This discourse, published among the works of St. Ambrose, I shall transfer to the Maximian sermons, moved by the authority not only of the codices of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme and of Turin, but also of the Benedictine monks of the congregation of St. Maur, who in the preface to sermon 10 of the appendix to the works of St. Ambrose seem to be of this mind. For they say that comparison should be made with what the same St. Ambrose teaches, toward the end of book II on Luke, concerning the baptism of Christ and concerning the testimony of the Father and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. But since Ambrose's exposition is other than that which is delivered in this sermon, while on the contrary things not so much similar but expressed in almost the very same words are found spoken elsewhere by Maximus, they sufficiently prove that not Ambrose, but Maximus, must be judged the author of this sermon.

That commentary of Ambrose on Luke I do not deny that Maximus had before his eyes, since he writes some things that are similar; but our holy bishop lays out his own path for himself and refashions his discourse with his own thoughts. But to return to the manuscript codices, the Turin one presents the sermon under this title: 'Likewise concerning the same Epiphany, and the baptism of Christ, homily IX.' The inscription, however, of codex 90 of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, no. 42, is expressed thus: 'Here begins a treatise on the Epiphany'; while in the other codex, 99: 'Here begins concerning the Epiphany.' The codex of the basilica of St. Peter, 40 F, contains this same sermon, the author's name being omitted.

Very many commemorate that on this holy day of the Epiphany marvellous things have hitherto been done by the Lord: that, being invited to a wedding, He changed the substance of water into the appearance of wine, and by the blessing of Himself transferred the liquid of the springs to a better use; that the servants had drawn water from the wells, and found wine in the water-jars, and by a more profitable loss lost that which was lacking: and that then first, by this marvellous sign, He declared the power of His divinity. Some, however, testify that on this holy day He was baptized by John in the Jordan, and that in the grace of His laver God the Father was present by speaking, and the Holy Spirit likewise descended.

Nor is it any wonder if in the Lord's laver the mystery of the Trinity was not wanting, since it completes our laver as a sacrament. For the Lord could not but first exhibit in Himself what He was afterward to command to the human race; since He wrought all things not for His own sake, but for the sake of our salvation. Or did He perhaps will to be baptized for His own sake, since He had no sin, as the prophet says: 'Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth' (Isa. LIII; 1 Pet. II)? But rather for our sakes, we who, being liable to the sins of many crimes, had need to be cleansed in Christ's baptism: and therefore the Lord came to the laver, not that He Himself might be purified by the waters, but that He might purify for us the streams of the waters.

For from the time that He immersed Himself in the waters, from that time He blotted out the sins of all believers. And it is necessary that He should have blotted out the sins of all, who took upon Himself the sins of all, as the Evangelist says: 'This is the Lamb of God, this is He that taketh away the sin of the world' (John I). In a wondrous manner therefore one is immersed, and the salvation of all is restored. God the Father then is present when the Lord is baptized, the Holy Spirit is present. See the benevolence of the Saviour, in that alone He subjected Himself to insults in His passion, alone in the laver He sought no grace, He wills them to be partakers of glory. There is present therefore, as I said, the Father, present also the Holy Spirit:

and because God cannot be seen, the Spirit descended in a dove, the Father in a voice; and that which alone was necessary for the building up of faith, He exhibits the Saviour. For our faith stands not save by hearing and by sight; therefore the Spirit submits Himself to the eyes in a dove, the Father supplies Himself to the ears in a voice. For unless these things had needed to be done for the sake of our believing, the Father and the Spirit, as an invisible God, could have descended to the Word the Son by an invisible gliding-down. Therefore for the sake of our faith, heaven being opened, the Spirit descended to Christ, the Father to the Son, the voice to the Word. For the Word is Christ, of whom it is written: 'In the beginning was the Word' (John I).

Well, I say, is the Father called Voice, and the Son Word, since a word proceeds only from a voice. Voice and word therefore accord with each other, and provide for the salvation of men by the fellowship of the mystery. But for what reason the Holy Spirit descended to Christ in the likeness of a dove, let us see; whether there is any likeness of the dove or of the Lord, as there is of the voice and the word. There plainly is. For I would call even the Lord Himself a dove, since He is swift, gentle and simple. He is a dove, because He bids His holy ones to be as doves, saying: 'Be simple as doves.' And that Christ is a dove, the prophet says in His own person, describing His return to heaven after the passion:

'Who will give me wings, and I will fly, and be at rest?' (Ps. LIV). When therefore Christ the Lord was inaugurating the sacraments of the Church, from heaven the dove came over. I understand the mystery, I recognize also the sacrament. For the dove is that same which now comes to the Church of Christ in baptism, which of old hastened to the ark of Noah in the flood, then announcing safety to it by an olive branch (Gen. VIII), now conferring eternity upon this one by the token of the Godhead; then bringing the sign of peace in her mouth, now pouring out peace itself, Christ, over her by the substance of Himself. In the Jordan therefore the Lord was baptized. That many marvels were often done in this river the Scripture commemorates; among the rest: 'And the Jordan was turned back' (Ps. CXIII).

I think that which was done there when the Lord Jesus Christ was set therein is more wondrous. For before, the waters had been turned back; now, sins have been turned back. And just as then the impetus of the river lost the channel of its course, so now also the impetus of sins has lost the dominion of its error. Which indeed I think was already done at that time in the prophet Elijah. For as Elijah made a dividing of the waves, so also the Spirit of the Lord in the same Jordan wrought a separation of sins; and as under Elijah the waves sought the beginnings of the springs from which they had gone forth, so also under Christ the Lord men have returned to the infancy of their origin, from which they had sprung.