Chapter VI.—The Works
of the Church, the Bringing Forth of Children in Baptism; The Moon in
Baptism, the Full Moon of Christ’s Passion.
Now the statement that she stands upon the moon, as I
consider, denotes the faith of those who are cleansed from corruption
in the laver
of
regeneration
, because the light of the moon has more
resemblance to tepid water, and all moist substance is dependent upon
her. The Church, then, stands upon our faith and adoption, under
the figure of the moon, until the fulness of the nations come in,
labouring and bringing forth natural men as spiritual men; for which
reason too she is a mother. For just as a woman receiving the
unformed seed of a man, within a certain time brings forth a perfect
man, in the same way, one should say, does the Church conceive those
who flee to the Word, and, forming them according to the likeness and
form of Christ, after a certain time produce them as citizens of that
blessed state. Whence it is necessary that she should stand upon
the laver, bringing forth those who are washed in it. And in this
way the power which she has in connection with the laver is called the
moon,
2719
because the
regenerate shine being renewed with a new ray,
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that is, a new light. Whence, also,
they are by a descriptive term called newly-enlightened;
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the moon ever
showing forth anew to them the spiritual full moon, namely, the period
and the memorial of the passion, until the glory and the perfect light
of the great day arise.
2719
σελήνη
.
2720
σέλας
.
2721
νεοφώτιστοι
.