Dimensions of Baptism Biblical and Theological Studies

230 Dimensions of Baptism

of every evil spot to enter the divine presence... The salvation of those

who are in need is characteristic of the divine activity. This becomes

effective through the cleansing in water. The one who has been purified

will participate in Purity, and the Deity is truly pure.'^34

Water has certain properties in common with earth; it has others in

common with fire. Both water and fire are capable of cleansing. This fea-

ture leads to another characteristic teaching by Gregory—the eschatologi-

cal cleansing by fire resulting in apokatastasis, the restoration of all things

to God. The rebirth in the bath looks 'to the blessed and divine restoration

[cxTTOKaTaoxaois] separated from all shame'. At the resurrection not all

rise to the same life. 'The distance is great between those who have been

purified and those in need of purification. Those whose purification

through the bath has preceded in this life will return to a kindred state' of

purity and impassibility. But 'those to whom no cleansing of their defile-

ment was applied—no mystical water, no invocation of divine power, no

correction by penitence—will be in the corresponding state' of impurity.

For the latter, the proper condition is the furnace. 'When the evil mixed

with their nature is melted away, the pure nature is saved to God at the end

of long ages. Since then there is a certain cleansing power in fire and

water, those washed clean of evil's stain by the mystical water have no

need of another kind of cleansing; but the uninitiated in this cleansing

necessarily are purified by fire.'^35

The goal of this cleansing is a heavenly and eternal salvation, but in

order to attain this, a right faith must be joined to the water.

Gregory refers once again to what a little thing baptism is, but 'This

which by itself is little becomes the beginning and basis of great things'. It

is small in the sense of the ease of accomplishment. For there is no pain in

believing God is everywhere and, being present in all things, is able to

effect salvation for those who call on him. 'You see something small and

easily accomplished at the beginning—faith and water, the former lying

within our free choice and the latter the habitual companion of human

life—but what great good is produced from these things, to be most like to

the divine himself!'^36

In order to become like the divine, one's faith must be in truly divine

beings, not in created beings. After discussing the eucharist, Gregory refers

34. GNO 92.8-20 (PG, xlv, cols. 92C-D). Kees, Lehre, pp. 169-70, fails to give to
    purification the importance it seems to have in Gregory's treatment.


35. GNO 91.10-92.8 (PG, xlv, cols. 92B-C).


36. GNO 92.11 -25 (PG, xlv, cols. 92D-93A).