Theodoret of Cyrus: Sprinkling and Baptism

Sprinkling our hearts to cleanse them from an evil conscience and washing our body with pure water, let us hold fast to the confession of hope without wavering (vv.22-23). He included this by way of comparison again: in obedience to the Law they used aspersions and washed their body constantly, whereas those living the way of life of the new covenant are cleansed in the soul through all-holy baptism and rid their conscience of the former stains; so by sprinkling, water and pure he was referring to divine baptism, and by confession of hope to believing in the good things to come. In fact, he went on in this vein, The one making the promise is reliable; he brought out the firmness of the promise from the quality of the person.

- Theodoret of Cyrus (around A.D. 393 to around A.D. 457), Commentary on Hebrews, Chapter 10, in Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, Volume 2, p. 179 (2001), Robert C. Hill translator.