st. john of damascus (676-749 - Cristo Raul

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80 ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS.
rection of Christ; the meaning of His eating and
drinking with the disciples, namely, to show the truth
and reality of His resurrection in the body ;
His
sitting, but not in any literal or local sense,
at
the
right hand of the Father." Then follows a series of
chapters (lxxvi.-lxxxi.) of a retrospective character,
referring again to the double nature of Christ and his
single personality. An answer is
given to the ob
jections of those who reason that, if there are two
natures in the Christ whom we worship, one of which
is human, we must be worshipping what is human
that is, a creature (c. Ixxvi.).
As has been before
noticed, the remaining chapters are of a miscel
laneous description, and cannot well be reduced to
any systematic order. The eighty-second
is headed
Faith and Baptism,"
but should more properly
be entitled On Baptism alone ;
the following one
Faith."
being
The threefold immersion is con
sidered to be a symbol of the three days during
which Christ lay in the grave. Remission of sins is
given to all alike by means of baptism but the
;
grace
of the Holy Spirit is given in proportion to their
faith and previous purification."
Oil is
employed at
baptism, as signifying our anointing, and rendering
us Chrisfs (
anointed ones ),
and promising us God s
mercy through the Holy Spirit ;
even as it was a
branch of olive-tree that the dove brought to those
who were saved from the deluge."
l
It is charac-
According to the usage of the Greek Church, the candi
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date for baptism is anointed with simple oil, and then after
baptism he is anointed again, this time with a chrism com
pounded of various unguents, as a token of the grace of con-