Bridegroom and friend; he must increase (John 3:23–33)
; but John’s baptism gave forgiveness of voluntary sins to those truly repenting, and Christ’s of all sins, and also supplied Holy Spirit and the dignity of adoption.
A dispute arose economically while John still lived, so that through his voice the difference of the baptisms might appear.
Christ is bridegroom and the church bride and the bridal chamber the place of baptism, where spiritual joining happens, since all is bright and full of joy and gladness. For what is more blessed than to be cleansed of sins and cleave to God and “become partaker of divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) through sharing the Holy Spirit? These are the earnest; the more perfect things are in the future, when the bridegroom enters again and brings with him the virgin souls and the bridal door is shut and only those inside enjoy the gladness and no one enters there anymore. So as long as today’s age, or each one’s particular death, the bridal door is open to souls willing to be betrothed to Christ.
Through baptism Christ betroths the church reborn. This spiritual yoke joins to God through the teaching word. The bride is a pure virgin through rightness of doctrines; she is also Christ’s wife as bearing good deeds not from herself but through Christ who sows in her—of whom none of the generated can be bridegroom, since none of them is primarily giver of goods. So every rational nature of angels and humans is bride.
Neither does Christ increase nor John decrease, but like a morning star John is covered by the intelligible sun.
Christ as God increases the more he is manifested; but I must remain in what I am.
Saying “coming” does not signify transfer from above to below, but that always remaining in the Father above he comes by a relation of condescension to those over whom he is. So when he says coming, he speaks as about God; when he says having come, he speaks as about man, since he himself is God and man. The one who is from the Father’s root has by nature the Father’s superiority, being above all things made as their God and maker.
He speaks more humanly because of the flesh; for being all-perfect by nature he knows all from himself.
He did not say this as of some not persuaded, but as marveling at the madness of unbelievers.
“Sealed”
Greek
ἐκάθαιρεν· Ἰωάννου δὲ τὸ βάπτισμα τοῖς γνησίως μετανοοῦσι καὶ τῶν ἑκουσίων παρεῖ χεν ἄφεσιν, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πάντων τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πνεῦμα ἅγιον παρεῖχε καὶ υἱοθεσίας ἀξίαν. 94 {3Jο 3, 25}3Οἰκονομικῶς ζήτησις γέγονεν ἔτι ζῶντος Ἰωάννου, ἵνα διὰ τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἡ τῶν βαπτισμάτων διαφορὰ φανῇ. 95 {3Jο 3, 29}3Νυμφίος ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία νύμφη καὶ ὁ νυμφὼν ὁ τόπος τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἔνθα γίνεται ἡ πνευματικὴ συνάφεια, ἐπειδὴ πάντα φαιδρὰ καὶ χαρᾶς ἀνάμεστα καὶ εὐφροσύνης. τί γὰρ μακαριώτερον τοῦ καθαρισθῆναι ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ κολληθῆναι θεῷ καὶ «κοινωνὸν γενέσθαι θείας φύσεως» διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος μετουσίας· ταῦτα γὰρ ὁ «ἀρραβών», τὰ δὲ τελειότερα ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, ὅτε πάλιν εἰσελθὼν ὁ νυμφίος εἰσάγει σὺν αὐτῷ τὰς παρθένους ψυχὰς καὶ κλείεται ἡ θύρα τοῦ νυμφῶνος καὶ μόνοι οἱ ὄντες ἔσω τῆς εὐφροσύνης ἀπολαύουσι καὶ οὐκέτι οὐδεὶς εἰσέρχεται ἐκεῖ. ἕως ὅπου οὖν σήμερον ὁ παρὼν αἰών, ἢ ὁ ἰδικὸς ἑκάστου θάνατος ἢ ἡ θύρα τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἀνέῳκται ταῖς βουλο μέναις ψυχαῖς νυμφευθῆναι Χριστῷ. 96 {3Jο 3, 29}3∆ιὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος νυμφεύεται ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀναγεννηθεῖσαν. ἡ δὲ συζυγία αὕτη ἡ πνευματικὴ διὰ τοῦ διδασκαλικοῦ λόγου συνάπτει θεῷ. παρθένος ἐστὶν ἁγνὴ ἡ νύμφη διὰ τὴν τῶν δογμάτων ὀρθότητα, ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ γυνή ἐστι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὡς ἀγαθὰς γεννῶσα πράξεις οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ ἐνσπείροντος ἐν αὐτῇ Χριστοῦ, ἧς οὐδεὶς τῶν γεννητῶν δύναται εἶναι νυμφίος, ἐπείπερ πρωτοτύπως οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἐστι δοτὴρ ἀγαθῶν. πᾶσα οὖν λογικὴ φύσις ἀγγέλων τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων νύμφη ἐστίν. 97 {3Jο 3, 30}3Οὔτε ὁ Χριστὸς αὔξει οὔτε Ἰωάννης ἐλαττοῦται, ἀλλὰ δίκην ἑωσφόρου ὁ Ἰωάννης ὑπὸ τοῦ νοητοῦ ἡλίου σκέπεται. 98 {3Jο 3, 30}3Ὁ Χριστὸς ὡς θεὸς ἐπὶ πλεῖον αὔξει φανερούμενος, ἐμὲ δὲ δεῖ μένειν ἐν οἷς εἰμι. 99 {3Jο 3, 31}3Εἰπὼν ἐρχόμενος οὐ μετάβασιν σημαίνει τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄνω πρὸς τὰ κάτω, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀεὶ μένων ἐν πατρὶ ἄνω συγκαταβάσεως σχέσει ἔρχεται πρὸς τούτους, ὧν ἐπάνω ἐστίν. ὅτε οὖν λέγει ἐρχόμενον, ὡς περὶ θεοῦ λέγει, ὅταν δὲ λέγει ἐλθόντα, ὡς περὶ ἀνθρώπου λαλεῖ, ἐπειδὴ θεός ἐστι καὶ ἄνθρωπος δ' αὐτός. ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχει φυσικῶς τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ὑπεροχὴν ἐπάνω πάντων ὢν τῶν πεποιημένων ὡς θεὸς αὐτῶν καὶ ποιητής. 100 {3Jο 3, 32}3Ἀνθρωπινώτερον λαλεῖ διὰ τὴν σάρκα· τῇ γὰρ φύσει παντέλειος ὢν πάντα ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οἶδεν. 101 {3Jο 3, 32}3Οὐχ ὡς μὴ πεισθέντων τινῶν τοῦτο εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀποθαυμαζόντων τὴν τῶν ἀπιστούντων ἀπόνοιαν. 102 {3Jο 3, 33}3Τὸ ἐσφράγισεν