The Oration on the Holy Lights was preached on the Festival of the Epiphany 381, and was followed the next day by that on Baptism.  In the Eastern Church this Festival is regarded as more particularly the commemoration of our Lord’s Baptism, and is accordingly one of the great days for the solemn ministration of the Sacrament.  It is generally called Theophania, and the Gospel in the Liturgy is S. Matthew iii. 13–17.  The Sunday in the Octave is called μετὰ τὰ φῶτα (After The Lights), pointing to a time when the Feast was known as the “Holy Lights,” as seems to have been the case in S. Gregory’s day.  This name is derived from Baptism, which was often in ancient days called Illumination, in reference to which name (derived from the spiritual grace of the Sacrament) lighted torches or candles were carried by the neophytes.  It would appear that the solemnites of the Festival lasted two days, of which the second was devoted to the solemn conferring of the Sacrament.  Accordingly we find two Orations belonging to the Festival.  In the first, delivered on the Day itself he dwells more especially on the Feast and the Mystery of our Lord’s Baptism therein commemorated; and proceeds to speak of the different kinds of Baptism, of which he enumerates Five, viz.:—