Nicodemus: birth from above and water and Spirit (John 3:1–13)
To such people one must not entrust deep doctrines as if they were already made faithful; for those who believe from signs are easily moved if some sophistry them that the signs did not happen rightly.
Nicodemus is blameworthy for wanting to be faithful in secret.
Since Nicodemus came to him as to a bare man, wanting to draw him to himself he speaks things beyond man to him as one who is above in the heavens and knows what is done there and brought from there to human beings.
Kingdom of God and kingdom of the heavens are the same, because the faithful has dwelling in heaven and “citizenship” (Philippians 3:20), or because such a one is mastered by God who reigns over the heavens.
The one living the upper life of the angels and learning high doctrines through Christ is born from above. The one undergoing the second birth through the washing is born from above, and the one partaking of Holy Spirit. “From above” signifies rebirth through the Spirit and shows that the Spirit is from the Father’s essence; for thus, naming himself also from above, he signifies that he is from the Father’s essence.
Water cleanses the body and the Spirit sanctifies the invisible soul. Water is taken in the place of a mother, and the Spirit in the place of God who forms. Sensible water is re-elemented toward divine power and sanctifies those in whom rebirth happens. Water differs from Spirit only in concept, since they are the same in action; water is a symbol of burial and resurrection, and therefore is necessarily taken. Three immersions and three emergings happen so that we may know that by power of Father and Son and Holy Spirit all is fulfilled.
The Father is spirit as God, and the Son is spirit as God; therefore the Spirit, which is God and Father, begets spirit, which is the Son and God. So Christ is consubstantial with the Father according to Godhead and consubstantial with the mother according to flesh, even if Christ is one from both, without change and without confusion. And according to the word now set out canonically by the Lord, we are reshaped through Christ as our mind is formed into spiritual quality.
If Mary is rational ensouled flesh, her fruit also is consubstantial with her: rational ensouled flesh, and not a phantom or anything other than the flesh that bore—the Word’s flesh having a rational soul, in which “all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily” (Colossians 2:9).
One hears the voice of the Holy Spirit through the prophets.
He said “our” as having in himself by nature the Father and the Spirit.
He calls baptism earthly though it is divine and spiritual, because it is completed on earth toward sanctification of humans who are on earth. The birth of the washing is called earthly by comparison with the Son’s generation from the Father’s essence.
From the lesser essence he names his whole self, just as from the Godhead
Greek
23 24}3Τοῖς τοιούτοις οὐ δεῖ ἐγχειρίζειν βαθέα δόγματα ὡς ἤδη πιστοῖς γενο μένοις· οἱ γὰρ ἀπὸ σημείων πιστεύοντες εὐχερῶς μετατίθενται, ἐάν τινες αὐτοὺς σοφίσωνται, ὅτι οὐκ ὀρθῶς γεγόνασι τὰ σημεῖα. 70 {3Jο 3, 2}3Ψεκτὸς ὁ Νικόδημος ὁ λεληθότως εἶναι πιστὸς βουλόμενος. 71 {3Jο 3, 3}3Ἐπειδὴ ὡς ψιλῷ ἀνθρώπῳ προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ ὁ Νικόδημος, θέλων αὐτὸν ἑλκύσαι πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τὰ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον αὐτῷ λαλεῖ ὡς ἄνω ὢν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ εἰδὼς τὰ ἐκεῖ πραττόμενα καὶ ἐκεῖθεν εἰς ἀνθρώπους παραγόμενα. 72 {3Jο 3, 3}3Ταὐτόν ἐστι βασιλεία θεοῦ καὶ βασιλεία οὐρανῶν, διότι ὁ πιστὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἔχει τὴν οἴκησιν καὶ «τὸ πολίτευμα» ἢ ὅτι ὁ τοιοῦτος ὑπὸ θεοῦ δεσπό ζεται τοῦ βασιλεύοντος τῶν οὐρανῶν. 73 {3Jο 3, 3}3Ὁ κατὰ τὴν ἄνω τῶν ἀγγέλων ζωὴν <ζῶν> καὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ δόγματα διὰΧριστοῦ μαθὼν ἄνωθεν γεννᾶται. ὁ τὴν δευτέραν τὴν διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ γέννησιν ὑπομένων οὗτος ἄνωθεν γεννᾶται καὶ ὁ μετέχων πνεύματος ἁγίου. τὸ ἄνωθεν τὴν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀναγέννησιν σημαίνει καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας ἐστὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἄνωθεν ὀνομάσας ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας ὄντα τοῦ πατρὸς σημαίνει. 74 {3Jο 3, 5}3Τὸ ὕδωρ καθαρίζει τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὴν ἀόρατον ἁγιάζει ψυχήν. τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν τάξει μητρὸς λαμβάνεται, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ἐν τάξει τοῦ διαπλάττοντος θεοῦ. τὸ αἰσθητὸν ὕδωρ πρὸς θείαν ἀναστοιχειοῦται δύναμιν καὶ ἁγιάζει τοὺς ἐν οἷς ἀναγεννᾶται. τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπινοίᾳ μόνον διαφορὰν ἔχει πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα, ἐπεὶ ταὐτόν ἐστι τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ, τὸ ὕδωρ σύμβολόν ἐστι ταφῆς καὶ ἀναστάσεως, διὸ καὶ ἀναγκαίως παραλαμβάνεται. τρεῖς δὲ καταδύσεις γίνονται καὶ τρεῖς ἀνα δύσεις, ἵνα γνῶμεν, ὅτι δυνάμει πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἅπαντα πληροῦται. 75 {3Jο 3, 6}3Πνεῦμα ὁ πατὴρ ὡς θεός, πνεῦμα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὡς θεός, διὸ τὸ πνεῦμα, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατήρ, πνεῦμα τίκτει, ὅ ἐστι τὸν υἱὸν καὶ θεόν. ὁμοούσιος οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς τῷ πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα καὶ ὁμοούσιος τῇ μητρὶ κατὰ τὴν σάρκα, εἰ καὶ εἷς ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ὁ Χριστός, ἀτρέπτως καὶ ἀσυγχύτως. κατὰ δὲ τὸν κανονικῶς ἐκτεθέντα νῦν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου λόγον διὰ Χριστοῦ ἀναμορφούμεθα τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν εἰς πνευματικὴν ποιότητα διαπλαττομένης. 76 {3Jο 3, 6}3Εἰ σάρξ ἐστιν ἡ Μαρία ἔμψυχος λογική, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς αὐτῆς ὁμοούσιος αὐτῆς σὰρξ ἔμψυχος λογικὴ καὶ οὐ φάντασμα ἢ ἄλλο τι παρὰ τὴν τεκοῦσαν σάρκα τὴν τοῦ λόγου σάρκα τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχουσαν λογικήν, ἐν ᾗ «κατῴκει πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς». 77 {3Jο 3, 8}3Τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀκούει τις διὰ τῶν προφητῶν. 78 {3Jο 3, 11}3Τὸ ἡμῶν εἶπεν ὡς ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ φυσικῶς ὁ Χριστὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα. 79 {3Jο 3, 12}3Ἐπίγειον καλεῖ τὸ βάπτισμα θεῖον ὂν καὶ πνευματικόν, ἐπειδὴ ἐπὶ γῆς τελεῖται πρὸς ἁγιασμὸν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ὄντων ἀνθρώπων. ἐπίγειος καλεῖται ἡ τοῦ λουτροῦ γέννησις πρὸς σύγκρισιν τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τῆς οὐσίας γενομένης. 80 {3Jο 3, 13}3Ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλάττονος οὐσίας ὅλον ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῆς θεότητος
About this text
Ammonius of Alexandria, Fragmenta in Joannem (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 85 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.