We will now explain the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God, having been made new through Christ, lest by omitting this we should seem to be acting deceitfully in our exposition. As many as are persuaded and believe that the things we teach and declare are true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are taught to pray and to ask God, with fasting, for the forgiveness of their past sins, while we pray and fast together with them. Then they are led by us to a place where there is water, and in the manner of regeneration by which we ourselves were regenerated, they are regenerated; for in the name of God the Father and Master of all, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing in the water. For Christ also said, "Unless you are born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." And that it is impossible for those once born to enter again into the wombs of their mothers is plain to all. And it has been declared through Isaiah the prophet, as we wrote before, in what manner those who have sinned and repent shall escape their sins. It was said thus: "Wash yourselves, become clean, put away the wickedness from your souls, learn to do good, give justice to the orphan and defend the widow, and come, let us reason together, says the Lord. And though your sins be as crimson, I will make them white as wool, and though they be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow. But if you do not listen to me, the sword shall devour you; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things." And we learned from the apostles this reason for this rite. Since at our first birth we were born without our knowledge, of necessity, from a moist seed by the union of our parents with one another, and grew up in evil customs and wicked ways of life, in order that we might not remain children of necessity and of ignorance, but of free choice and knowledge, and might obtain forgiveness of the sins we had previously committed, there is named over the one who chooses to be born again, and has repented of his sins, the name of God the Father and Master of all, the one who leads to the washing the person to be washed pronouncing this name alone. For no one can utter a name for the ineffable God; and if anyone should dare to say that there is one, he is afflicted with a hopeless madness. And this washing is called illumination, since those who learn these things are illumined in their understanding. And the one being illumined is also washed in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who through the prophets foretold all things concerning Jesus.