Tractates on the Gospel of John (continued)
134 ST. AUGUSTINE in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, by him about whom it was said, "He it is who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." For it was said to his ministers by him who kept that power for himself.
6. For John saw this in him and came to know what he did not know. It was not that he did not know him to be the Son of God, or did not know him to be the Lord, or did not know him to be the Christ, or did not, also, in fact, know that he himself would baptize with water and the Holy Spirit; for he knew this too. But that he would baptize in this way, namely, that he would keep for himself the power and would transfer it to no one of his ministers, this is what he learned in the dove. For through this power, which Christ kept for himself alone and transmitted to none of his ministers, although he deigned to baptize through his ministers, through this abides the unity of the Church, which is signified in the dove, about which it is said, "One is my dove, the only one her mother has."
(2) For if, my brothers, as I have already said,'^ the power were transferred from the Lord to a minister, then there would be as many baptisms as there were ministers and the unity of baptism would no longer stand.
7. Pay attention, brothers. Before our Lord Jesus Christ came to baptism (for after the baptism there descended the dove in which John came to know something that was the Lord's alone, when it was said to him, "He upon whom you will see the Spirit descending as a dove, and remaining upon him, he it is who baptizes with the Holy Spirit"), [John] knew that he was baptizing with the Holy Spirit; but that he was doing so with this peculiar characteristic,'*^ that the power
[of baptism] would not pass from him to another even though
14. Cf. Song 6.8 (NAB 6.9). This vexed verse not only presents textual problems but is rather difficult to interpret; it is here translated as the context requires.
15. Cf. Tractate ^. J— g.
16. Tali proprietate. One might also translate this, "with such proprietorship."