| 選讀亞歷山大人、狄迪謨論天主聖三 | Ex Tractátu Dídymi Alexandríni de Trinitáte (Lib. 2, 12: PG 39, 667-674) |
| 聖神以洗禮革新我們 | Spiritus Sanctus renovat nos baptismo |
| 聖神是天主，祂偕同聖父和聖子，在洗禮中使我們革新。祂把我們從醜陋的境界，領回到昔日的美麗境地。祂以聖寵充滿我們，使我們不可再接受一切不相稱我們願望的事物。祂把我們從罪惡和死亡中解救出來，而且由塵世，就是說，從塵埃和灰土的境界，使我們成為屬神的人，分享天主光榮的人，天主聖父的子女和承嗣人。祂使我們相似祂聖子的肖像，成為祂的同承嗣人和弟兄，分享祂的榮耀，與祂為王。祂以塵世為交換，而賜給我們天堂，並且慷慨的把樂園賜給我們。 人有兩次受孕，一次是肉軀的受孕，另一次是由聖神而受孕。關於二者，受天主啟示的聖經作者，都曾正確地筆之於書。我將報告他們每人的名字和教導： 若望說：「凡接納祂的，就是信祂名的人，祂就賜給他們權力，成為天主的兒女。他們不是從血統生的，也不是由肉情，也不是從人意生的，而是由天主所生。 若望說，凡是信基督的人，祂願給他們權力，成為天主的兒女，就是說，成為聖神的兒女，並成為天主家族的一分子。聖史為了證明是天主藉聖神生我們，就又加上基督的這句話：「我實話告訴你們，除非由水和聖神而生，誰也不能進天主的國。」 洗禮的水池，藉司鐸的神職，以有形的方式生了我們可見的肉體。然而，在精神方面，是那任何人不能見的天主聖神親自付洗，並由天使輔助，同時使我們的身體和靈魂重生。 當聖若翰洗者提到基督、說：「祂要以聖神和火給你們付洗」這句話時，他是照事實講的，但也與「以水和聖神給你們付洗」這說法相符合。人的身體既然像陶器，需要先用水洗淨，然後才藉屬神的火使之堅固並完成（因為天主是吞噬的烈火）。因此，人需要聖神來使其完成並革新。因為這屬神的火也能夠洗滌我們，而這屬神的水也能在爐中陶冶我們。 | Rénovat nos in baptísmo Spíritus Sanctus ut Deus, una cum Patre et Fílio, nosque ex defórmi statu ad prístinam pulchritúdinem redúcit, ac sua implet grátia, ádeo ut nullam ámplius rem, quæ expeténda non sit, cápere possímus; et líberat a peccáto atque a morte; et ex terrénis, id est, ex terra et cínere, spiritáles facit, et partícipes divínæ glóriæ, et fílios et herédes Dei ac Patris, et confórmes imáginis Fílii, et coherédes eius, et fratres, una cum eo glorificándos, simúlque cum ipso regnatúros; et pro terra rursus donat cælum, et paradísum liberáliter largítur; et ángelis iam honoratióres facit; et divínis piscínæ fluéntis tantam gehénnæ inexstinguíbilem flammam exstínguit. Duæ sunt enim homínibus conceptiónes, áltera ex nostris corpóribus, áltera ex divíno Spíritu. De utráque apte scripsérunt dogmátici viri. Ego vero uniuscuiúsque et nomen ascríbam et doctrínam ipsam. Ioánnes: Quotquot autem accepérunt eum, dedit eis potestátem fílios Dei fíeri, his qui credunt in nomen eius, qui non ex sanguínibus, neque ex voluntáte carnis, neque ex voluntáte viri, sed ex Deo nati sunt. Quotquot, inquit, in Christum credidérunt, potestátem accepérunt ut fílii Dei efficeréntur, id est Spíritus Sancti, utque congéneres fíerent Dei. Ut enim osténderet, quod génerans ille Deus Spíritus Sanctus est, subiúnxit ex persóna Christi: Amen, amen dico tibi: Nisi quis génitus fúerit ex aqua et Spíritu, non potest introíre in regnum Dei. Visibíliter enim visíbile nostrum corpus piscína parit, ministrántibus sacerdótibus; spiritáliter autem corpus simul et ánimam, ministrántibus ángelis, Spíritus Dei, qui ómnibus intellegéntiis invisíbilis est, baptízat ipse in semetípsum, et regénerat. Nam Baptísta quoque histórice et consentánee cum hac locutióne: Ex aqua et Spíritu, ait de Christo: Ille vos baptizábit in Spíritu Sancto, et igne. Cum enim fíctile sit vas humánum, ídeo primum índiget ut per aquam purificétur, deínde ut per spiritálem ignem roborétur ac perficiátur (est enim Deus ignis consúmens); atque ita Spíritu Sancto índiget, a quo perféctum fiat et renovétur, novit enim spiritális ignis étiam irrigáre, novit spiritális aqua étiam reconfláre. |
From the treatise On the Trinity by Didymus of Alexandria
The Holy Spirit renews us in baptism
The Holy Spirit renews us in baptism through his godhead, which he shares with the Father and the Son. Finding us in a state of deformity, the Spirit restores our original beauty and fills us with his grace, leaving no room for anything unworthy of our love. The Spirit frees us from sin and death, and changes us from the earthly men we were, men of dust and ashes, into spiritual men, sharers in the divine glory, sons and heirs of God the Father who bear a likeness to the Son and are his co-heirs and brothers, destined to reign with him and to share his glory. In place of earth the Spirit reopens heaven to us and gladly admits us into paradise, giving us even now greater honour than the angels, and by the holy waters of baptism extinguishing the unquenchable fires of hell.
We men are conceived twice: to the human body we owe our first conception, to the divine Spirit, our second. John says: To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. These were born not by human generation, not by the desire of the flesh, not by the will of man, but of God. All who believed in Christ, he says, received power to become children of God, that is, of the Holy Spirit, and to gain kinship with God. To show that their parent was God the Holy Spirit, he adds these words of Christ: I give you this solemn warning, that without being born of water and the Spirit, no one can enter the kingdom of God.
Visibly, through the ministry of priests, the font gives symbolic birth to our visible bodies. Invisibly, through the ministry of angels, the Spirit of God, whom even the mind’s eye cannot see, baptizes into himself both our souls and bodies, giving them a new birth.
Speaking quite literally, and also in harmony with the words of water and the Spirit, John the Baptist says of Christ: He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Since we are only vessels of clay, we must first be cleansed in water and then hardened by spiritual fire – for God is a consuming fire. We need the Holy Spirit to perfect and renew us, for spiritual fire can cleanse us, and spiritual water can recast us as in a furnace and make us into new men.
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