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RITE OR METAPHOR? Tradition says that he, who was the first of the Gentiles to receive from Philip by revelation the mysteries of the divine word [ta tod Oeiov Adyov öpyıa neTaoxovtal, and was the first-fruits of the faithful throughout the world, was also the first to return to his native land and preach the Gospel of the knowledge [edayyeAicaodaı ... yv@otv] of the God of the universe and the sojourn of our Saviour which gives life to men." What does Eusebius actually mean by tà to deiov Adyov Öpyıa, “the 6py1a of the divine word”? It is explicitly stated in the passage of Acts which Eusebius summarizes that the Ethiopian dignitary was baptized by Philip (8.38): “He [i.e. the Ethiopian, F.D.] commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized [éBánrioev] him."??" Should we then understand the words ta ... dpyta heTaoxövta, “received the dpyta,” as a reference to baptism? The expression looks like a metaphor for the Christian teachings passed on by Philip to the dignitary, especially if we remember that Clement of Alexandria figuratively speaks of the “6pyta of the Logos” preached by a choir of Christ’s followers (Prot. 12.119.1). The 8etoc oyos, “divine word” is a phrase frequently used in the Historia Ecclesiastica, where it means, depending on the context, “Christ/Logos,” “Scriptures,” or—often difficult to distinguish from each other—“Gospel” or “Christian faith,”*° There is no doubt that expounding the Scriptures and preaching the Gospel play an important part in both Acts 8.26-39 and in H.E. 2.1.13. In Acts, the Ethiopian admits that he does not understand the Scriptures and that he needs an explanation (Acts 8.30-31). In response, Philip both comments on the Book of Isaiah and proceeds to evnyyeAicato avt@ tov Inoodv, “proclaim to him the good news of Jesus” (Acts 8.35). Similarly, we read in H.E. 2.1.13 that the dignitary subsequently edayyeXioaodaı ... yvwoıv, “proclaimed [the good news of] the knowledge” about God and Christ in his country. Thus, “the öpyıa ofthe divine word” could simply be understood as the arcana of the Christian faith. Attention needs to be drawn, however, to the fact that in the Alexandrian tradition, which Eusebius closely follows,“ a deeper understanding of the Scriptures was seen as the true Christian mysteries, accessible only to those 8 dv mpa@tov 2 0vav mpdc tod DıiAinnov Sr éemipaveiac ta tod Geiov hoyov Spyia HETAOXÖVTA TOV Te AVA TH OiKOVHEVIV TLOTMV AMAPXI|V YEVOLEVOY, TPWTOV KaTEXEL AOYos éri TÍJV TTÁTPLOV naAıvoorroavra yijv evayyehioacB8at tiv tot tov dAwv Beod yvaow kai tv Üwonoldv eig avOpwrous To owTijpog Nu@v Enıönniav; trans. Kirsopp Lake. ° Trans. the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. 6 Christ Logos e.g. 1.2.4 and 16, 1.3.7; Scriptures e.g. 1.4.11, 10.4.29; Gospel/Christian faith e.g. 1.1.2, 2.15.1, 3.37.2, 4.11.8. See also Lampe s.v. Aöyoc. On Eusebius and the Alexandrian tradition see e.g. Charles Kannengiesser, Eusebius of Caesarea, Origenist, in: Harold W. Attridge and Gohei Hata (eds.), Eusebius, Christianity, and Judaism, Leiden, Brill, 1992, 435-466 passim. 61 « 75 e Daréczi-Sepsi-Vassänyi_Initiation_155x240.indb 75 6 2020. 06.15. 11:04:14
