Lev 4 anointed priest’s calf; blood into Holies; Christ cleanses priest and people
Cyril: Being law-learned Paul and having exacted most of all the command through Moses, as to peoples of the Hebrews wise in such things, and having read the law, concerning the things thus solemn and very ineffable, not in breadth of narrations, but rather in passing-by and reminder of the things already known beforehand, he addresses such things. And I will bring alongside, if it seems good, also the law upon this for one having chosen to learn well, and having thirsted very well for the exact and very polished unto clarifying of the contemplations. So then it has been written in the Leviticus: ‘And Lord spoke toward Moses saying: Speak toward the sons of Israel; A soul, if it should sin opposite Lord unwillingly from all the commands of Lord, which one must not do, and should do one something from them, if the anointed high priest should sin, unto the people sinning, he will bring forward concerning his sin which he sinned, a calf from cattle unblemished to the Lord concerning the sin, and he will bring forward the calf beside the door of the tent of the testimony opposite Lord, and he will slaughter the calf before Lord. And the anointed priest having been perfected taking the hands from the blood of the calf, will bring it into the tent of the testimony, and the priest will dip the finger into the blood, and will sprinkle from the blood seven times opposite Lord, according to the holy veil. And the priest will set from the blood of the calf upon the horns of the altar of the incense of the composition opposite Lord, which is in the tent of the testimony, and all the blood of the calf he will pour out beside the base of the altar of the whole-burnt-offerings, which is beside the doors of the tent of the testimony, and all the fat of the calf of the sin he will remove from it… and they will bring out the whole calf outside the camp unto a clean place, where they pour out the ash. And they will burn it upon woods in fire; upon the pouring-out of the ash it will be burned.’ (Leviticus 4:1–12) These things the law has ordered to come to be, if something of the failings from ignorance should be registered of the one excelling in priesthood. And he says that also for the ignorances of the people a sacrifice of a calf must be finished being brought and slaughtered thus beside the doors of the tent of the testimony opposite Lord, and with the elders of the Synagogue having set their hands upon it, and with the blood being brought into the Holies of holies, and to say simply all things being finished upon it according to likeness of the sacrifice for Aaron. But that Christ is cleansing both of priests and of people—for we have been justified in him the from the sin (Leviticus 4:13–21) (Hebrews 13:11–12)
Greek
{ΚΥΡ.} Νομομαθὴς ὢν ὁ Παῦλος καὶ ἠκριβωκὼς ὅτι μάλιστά γε τὴν διὰ Μωσέως ἐντολήν, ὡς σοφοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα τοῖς Ἑβραίων λαοῖς, καὶ ἀνεγνωκόσι τὸν νόμον, περὶ τῶν οὕτω σεπτῶν τε καὶ ἀποῤῥήτων ἄγαν, οὐκ ἐν πλάτει διηγημάτων, ἐν παραδρομῇ δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἀναμνήσει τῶν ἤδη προεγνωσμένων, τὰ τοιάδε προσλαλεῖ. Παροίσω δὲ, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τῷδε νόμον χρηστομαθεῖν ᾑρημένῳ, καὶ τὸ ἀκριβὲς δὴ λίαν καὶ ἀπεξεσμένον εἰς διασάφησιν τῶν θεωρημάτων εὖ μάλα δεδιψηκότι. Γέγραπται τοίνυν ἐν τῷ Λευιτικῷ· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν λέγων· Λάλησον πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ· Ψυχὴ, ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ ἐναντίον Κυρίου ἀκουσίως ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν προσταγμάτων Κυρίου, ὧν οὐ δεῖ ποιεῖν, καὶ ποιήσῃ ἕν τι ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ἐὰν μὲν ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ὁ κεχρισμένος ἁμάρτῃ, τοῦ τὸν λαὸν ἁμαρτεῖν, προσάξει περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ, ἧς ἥμαρτε, μόσχον ἐκ βοῶν ἄμωμον τῷ Κυρίῳ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ προσάξει τὸν μόσχον παρὰ τὴν θύραν τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ σφάξει τὸν μόσχον ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. Καὶ λαβὼν ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ χριστὸς ὁ τετελειωμένος τὰς χεῖρας ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ μόσχου, εἰσοίσει αὐτὸ εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ βάψει ὁ ἱερεὺς τὸν δάκτυλον εἰς τὸ αἷμα, καὶ προσρανεῖ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος ἑπτάκις ἔναντι Κυρίου, κατὰ τὸ καταπέτασμα τὸ ἅγιον. Καὶ ἐπιθήσει ὁ ἱερεὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ μόσχου ἐπὶ τὰ κέρατα τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυμιάματος τῆς συνθέσεως τοῦ ἐναντίον Κυρίου, ὃ ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ πᾶν τὸ αἷμα τοῦ μόσχου ἐκχεεῖ παρὰ τὴν βάσιν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, ὃς ἐστὶ παρὰ τὰς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ πᾶν τὸ στέαρ τοῦ μόσχου τοῦ τῆς ἁμαρτίας περιελεῖ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, τὸ στέαρ τὸ κατακαλύπτον τὰ ἐνδόσθια, καὶ πᾶν τὸ στέαρ τὸ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐνδοσθίων, καὶ τοὺς δύο νεφροὺς, καὶ τὸ στέαρ τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῶν, ὅ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῶν μηρίων, καὶ τὸν λοβὸν τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἥπατος σὺν τοῖς νεφροῖς περιελεῖ αὐτὸ, ὃν τρόπον ἀφαιρεῖται αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ μόσχου τοῦ τῆς θυσίας τοῦ σωτηρίου, καὶ ἀνοίσει ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῆς καρπώσεως καὶ τὸ δέρμα τοῦ μόσχου, καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν σάρκα σὺν τῇ κεφαλῇ καὶ τοῖς ἀκρωτηρίοις, καὶ τῇ κοιλίᾳ, καὶ τῇ κόπρῳ· καὶ ἐξοίσουσιν ὅλον τὸν μόσχον ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς εἰς τόπον καθαρὸν, οὗ ἐκχεοῦσι τὴν σποδιάν. Καὶ κατακαύσουσιν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ ξύλων ἐν πυρί· ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκχύσεως τῆς σποδιᾶς καυθήσεται.» Ταυτὶ μὲν ὁ νόμος γενέσθαι προστέταχεν, εἰ τῶν ἐξ ἀγνοίας πταισμάτων καταγράφοιτό τι τοῦ προὔχοντος ἐν ἱερωσύνῃ. Χρῆναι δέ φησι καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων ἐπιτελεῖσθαι θυσίαν μόσχου προσκομιζομένου σφαζομένου τε οὕτως παρὰ τὰς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τῆς Συναγωγῆς ἐπιθέντων αὐτῷ τὰς χεῖρας, εἰσφερομένου τε τοῦ αἵματος εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς εἰπεῖν πάντων ἐπιτελουμένων ἐπ' αὐτῷ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῆς θυσίας ὑπὲρ Ἀαρών. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν δὴ καὶ ἱερέων καὶ λαοῦ κάθαρσις ὁ Χριστὸς, δεδικαιώμεθα γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπο
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 10 of a seventeen-book dialogue — not the whole work.
English follows Migne PG 68 (Aubert reprint). The PDF and a cleaned text of the same print were checked against each other. This page is Book 10 of seventeen. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition of the Greek.
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- Copy-text Migne PG 68 De adoratione Book 5 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 10)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 10)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.