Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily XIII/Chapter 11

by Anonymous

Chapter XI.—Mattidia Has Unintentionally Fasted One Day.

“But since your mother has real confidence in the efficacy of baptism,^[1] let her fast at least one day before her baptism.”  But she swore:  “During the two past days, while I related to the woman^[2] all the events connected with the recognition, I could not, in consequence of my excessive joy, partake of food:  only yesterday I took a little water.”  Peter’s wife bore testimony to her statement with an oath, saying:  “In truth she did not taste anything.”  And Aquila, who must rather be called Faustinianus^[3] in future, said:  “There is nothing, therefore, to prevent her being baptized.”  And Peter, smiling, replied:  “But that is not a baptismal fast which has not taken place on account of the baptism itself.”  And Faustinus answered:  “Perhaps God, not wishing to separate our mother a single day after our recognition from our table, has arranged beforehand the fast.  For as she was chaste in the times of her ignorance, doing what the true religion inculcated,^[4] so even now perhaps God has arranged that she should fast one day before for the sake of the true baptism, that, from the first day of her recognising us, she might take her meals along with us.”

Footnotes

1. Lit., “since your mother is faithfully disposed in regard to baptism.”
2. The second Epitome makes her the wife of Peter:  a various reading mentions also her hostess.
3. Dressel strangely prefers the reading “Faustinus.”
4. Lit., “doing what was becoming to the truth.”