Whole-burnt vs salvation offering; silver bowl/cup = Christ as food and drink
Cyril: …each one silver bowl, and one cup, and both, he says, full of fine flour having been mixed in oil, one spoon full of incense, one ram, one yearling lamb unto whole-burnt-offering, a he-goat from goats concerning sin; and these the whole-burnt-offerings. And they were also bringing forward unto a sacrifice of salvation, he says, two heifers, five rams, five he-goats, five yearling ewe-lambs.
Palladius: Speak then also before the others, what is between, and what difference one would say of the sacrifice of salvation, and of whole-burnt-offering.
Cyril: Hear then. For the whole-burnt-offerings of the animals were being burned wholly through wholes with sacred and unquenched fire, nothing at all having been excepted, but as it were every portion and limb going up unto a smell of fragrance to God, and the things being slaughtered for the sacrifice of salvation were receiving a partial dedication, as in right shoulder, both head and feet, kidneys and liver, and some other things unto the inward and inwards. So then to be whole-burnt-offered is fitting for Christ; for he is truly wholly holy, fragrant all and sacred. And for us is proper the not entirely holy, and not wholly sacred, for whom there is also something of pollution through the sin in us. ‘For no one is clean from dirt,’ (Psalm 19:12) and ‘Who will understand faults?’ (Matthew 26:23) according to what has been written. On account of this the law has ordered very well that the sacrifice for salvation must be dedicated not whole-burnt, but rather partially. So then, O Palladius, is the word clear for you and sufficient unto easy-learning?
Palladius: And very much.
Cyril: Come then, let us go upon that unto at least saying something upon each of the things brought forward, and indeed also understanding of the necessary things unto benefit.
Palladius: Go then.
Cyril: So then the things from each of the tribe-rulers are one silver bowl and one cup, and both full of fine flour having been mixed with oil. So then the bowl serves the edible things, and is useful unto relish-eating, according as also the Savior himself taught John the genuine disciple being fond-of-inquiring who is the one who will hand him over, ‘The one who dipped,’ (John 6:53) he says, ‘with me the hand in the bowl.’ (Psalm 45:7) And of a cup what would I say the need, with the matter itself crying thus? And a sign of bread is fine flour, because also from it is bread, and bread of life is Christ. So then as in the bowl and in the cup, and as in bread the in both—for they were full of fine flour—as in eating and drinking, life and life-making Christ is signified. ‘For amen,’ he says, ‘I say to you, unless you should eat the flesh of the Son of the human, and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves.’ (Job 14:4) And he says the fine flour has been seasoned with oil, the type as it were singing-along somewhere the in Psalms: ‘You have loved righteousness, and hated lawlessness, on account of this God, your God, has anointed you oil
Greek
ἑκάστου τρυβλίον ἓν ἀργυροῦν, καὶ φιάλη μία, καὶ ἀμφότερα, φησὶ, πλήρη σεμιδάλεως ἀναπεποιημένης ἐν ἐλαίῳ, θυΐσκη μία θυμιάματος ἔμπλεως, κριὸς εἷς, ἀμνὸς εἷς ἐνιαύσιος εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα, χίμαρος ἐξ αἰγῶν περὶ ἁμαρτίας· καὶ ταυτὶ μὲν τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα. Προσεκόμιζον δὲ καὶ εἰς θυσίαν σωτηρίου, φησὶ, δαμάλεις δύο, κριοὺς πέντε, τράγους πέντε, ἀμνάδας ἐνιαυσίους πέντε.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Φράζε δὴ οὖν καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων, τί τὸ μεταξὺ, καὶ ποίαν ἄν τις εἴποι τὴν διαφορὰν τῆς τοῦ σωτηρίου θυσίας, καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματος.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἄκουε δή. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὁλοκαυτώματα τῶν ζώων ὅλα δι' ὅλων, ἱερῷ καὶ ἀσβέστῳ κατεφλέγετο πυρὶ, οὐδενὸς τὸ σύμπαν ἐξῃρημένου, ἀλλ' οἱονεί πως παντὸς μορίου καὶ μέλους εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας ἀναβαίνοντος τῷ. θεῷ, τὰ δέ γε ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ σωτηρίου θυσίας σφαζόμενα, μερικὴν ἐδέχετο τὴν καθιέρωσιν, ὡς ἐν ὤμῳ δεξιῷ, κεφαλῇ τε καὶ ποσὶ, νεφροῖς καὶ ἥπατι, καὶ ἑτέροις τισὶ τοῖς εἰς τὸ εἴσω καὶ ἐνδοσθίοις. Πρέπει δὴ οὖν τὸ ὁλοκαυτοῦσθαι Χριστῷ· καὶ γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὅλος ἅγιος, εὐώδης ἅπας καὶ ἱερός. Ἡμῖν δὲ οἰκεῖον, τὸ οὐκ εἰσάπαν ἅγιον, καὶ οὐχ ὁλοκλήρως ἱερὸν, οἷς ἔνεστί τι καὶ μολυσμοῦ διὰ τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν ἁμαρτίαν. «Καθαρὸς γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἀπὸ ῥύπου,» καὶ «Παραπτώματα τίς συνήσει;» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. Διὰ τοῦτο τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ σωτηρίου θυσίαν, οὐχ ὁλόκαυτον ὁ νόμος, μερικῶς δὲ μᾶλλον καθιεροῦσθαι δεῖν εὖ μάλα προστέταχεν. Ἆρ' οὖν, ὦ Παλλάδιε, σαφής σοι καὶ ἀποχρῶν εἰς εὐμαθίαν ὁ λόγος;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Καὶ μάλα.
{ΚΥΡ.} Φέρε δὴ οὖν, ἐπ' ἐκεῖνο ἴωμεν εἴς γε τὸ, ἑκάστῳ φημὶ τῶν προσενηνεγμένων, φάναι τι, καὶ μὴν καὶ συνιέναι τῶν ἀναγκαίων εἰς ὄνησιν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἴθι δὴ οὖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἔστι τοίνυν τὰ παρ' ἑκάστου τῶν φυλάρχων, τρυβλίον ἀργυροῦν ἓν καὶ φιάλη μία, καὶ ἀμφότερα πλήρη σεμιδάλεως ἀναπεποιημένης ἐλαίῳ. Τὸ μὲν οὖν τρυβλίον ἐστὶ τοῖς ἐδωδίμοις ὑπηρετοῦν, καὶ εἰς ὀψοφαγίαν χρήσιμον, καθὸ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ Σωτὴρ φιλοπνευστοῦντι Ἰωάννῃ τῷ γνησίῳ μαθητῇ τίς ὁ παραδώσων αὐτὸν, «Ὁ ἐμβάψας, φησὶ, μετ' ἐμοῦ τὴν χεῖρα ἐν τῷ τρυβλίῳ.» Φιάλης δὲ τί ἂν λέγοιμι τὴν χρείαν, διακεκραγότος ὡδὶ τοῦ πράγματος; Καὶ σημεῖον ἄρτου σεμίδαλις, ὅτι καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄρτος, ἄρτος δὲ ζωῆς, ὁ Χριστός. Οὐκοῦν ὡς ἐν τῷ τρυβλίῳ καὶ ἐν τῇ φιάλῃ, καὶ ὡς ἐν ἄρτῳ τῷ ἐν ἀμφοῖν, πλήρη γὰρ ἦν σεμιδάλεως, ὡς ἐν βρώσει τε καὶ πόσει, ζωὴ καὶ ζωοποιὸς ὁ Χριστὸς σημαίνεται. «Ἀμὴν γὰρ, φησὶ, λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.» Ἐλαίῳ δὲ τὴν σεμίδαλιν καταδεδεῦσθαί φησιν, αὐτό που τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ἀναμελῳδοῦντος οἱονεί που τοῦ τύπου· «Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀδικίαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου ἔλαιον
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.