River to blood: three signs; faith follows the last—Christ’s death

‘you will take from the water of the river, and will pour upon the dry, and the water, which you take from the river, will be blood upon the dry.’ For last for the world has become the sign of Christ’s death, and the cleansing through water and blood, the holy body also being added of course, which is signified through the dry; and that water and blood were given forth to us from the holy side, opened with the spear, I will omit to say, because it is most known to all. Yet that the Savior’s death has been named a sign, one might learn this also clearly from holy Scriptures. For the all-daring Pharisees, although many wonders had already been accomplished beforehand, as if nothing had happened, were coming saying to Christ: ‘Teacher,’ they say, ‘we wish to see a sign from you.’ And he to them: ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and a sign will not be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster three days and three nights, so will the Son of man also be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.’ Therefore first is our laying-hold in Christ, through the law according to Moses; for ‘He has given a law for help,’ according to the prophet’s voice. And Moses took hold of the tail. And second cleansing in Christ again through holy prophets, and through John’s voice and sending. For they were saying: ‘Wash yourselves, become clean’; and he was calling into a baptism of repentance. And third sign, which they also say is last, Christ’s death, upon which also faith: ‘For if they will not believe you,’ he says, ‘nor listen to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the second sign.’ You see that he says faith will follow very well, not the first sign—that is, not the laying-hold according to law, nor indeed the cleansing through the middle—that is, through holy prophets, and perhaps John—but only the voice of the last sign. For Christ’s mystery is not voiceless, but calls all those throughout the whole earth with a high and piercing proclamation toward the cleansing through water and blood, and indeed also into the life-making according to partaking of the holy flesh. Therefore the law was serving the fore-announcements concerning Christ, but it itself is not very sufficient unto being able to save some. And someone might show clearly, I think, Moses also confessing this through the writing that lies before us. For although God was saying that I will be with you, and was persuading him beforehand with wonders, he was entreating saying: ‘Lord, I am not sufficient before yesterday, nor before the third day, nor from when you began to speak to your servant. I am thin-voiced and slow-tongued. And the Lord said to Moses: Who gave a mouth to a human, and who made hard-of-hearing and deaf, seeing and blind? Is it not I the Lord God? And now go, and I will open your mouth, and will instruct you what you are about to speak. And Moses said: I beg, Lord,’