Christ beyond sons of God; two heifers = two peoples; fivefold flock; silver/flour types
Cyril: …superiority are his things. ‘For who will be likened to God among sons of God?’ (Psalm 89:6) for according to us together and beyond us is Christ in superiority of godhead, even if he has become flesh. And two at least are the heifers, unto a type, I think somehow, of the two peoples, having run together unto one the from both, the one for us and with us joining unto the spiritual unity through faith. And rams again and lambs equal-numbered, and he-goats not less, hinting the multitude of those believing, the as in a fifth, I say, time having been brought together, according to which the sojourn of the one saying, ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will drag all toward myself.’ (John 12:32) And of those who have believed is signified through the rams the as in prudence perfect, and of the intelligible age—clear that the in Christ—the freshly holding, and through the lambs the as in simplicity and without-evil; ‘Do not,’ he says, ‘brothers, become children in the minds, but in the evil be infant, and in the minds become perfect’ (1 Corinthians 14:20); and through the he-goats for sin, the always needing cleansing and release of faults. Therefore also we have been taught to say in prayers: ‘Release for us the trespasses.’ (Matthew 6:12) For there is not a time, when it is not necessary to cry for those truly fresh-minded, and knowing the weak of the human nature, and, ‘Who will understand faults?’ (Psalm 19:12) and, ‘From my hidden things cleanse me.’ This is a spiritual sacrifice, also concerning salvation of our souls fragrant to God.
Palladius: True.
Cyril: So then I said Christ, as at least in the calf and in the rams, lambs and he-goats, and in the others to be signified, and I would think the word upon this not somehow to miss the fitting. And if someone should choose also to transfer the power of the thoughts upon us ourselves, nothing grieving, to bring upon the things set forth some such contemplation.
Palladius: What sort then do you say?
Cyril: The sacred victims were being brought forward according to the law from all Israel. And the blood of the things being slaughtered was being poured toward the divine altar, all but writing as in a shadow of the thing done, and sideways hinting for us, that we must dedicate our own souls to the holy God.
Palladius: You have spoken well.
Cyril: So then instead of us and for us are the victims, and we are in them the ones being sacred-worked according to type.
Palladius: True.
Cyril: Come then examining uprightly the things as brought forward from all through the hand of the leaders, let us look around at the beauty of the contemplation in spirit. So then the things brought forward were in silver vessels, in a bowl, I say, and cup, oil-soaked fine flour. And a symbol of brightness is
Greek
ὑπεροχῇ τὰ αὐτοῦ. «Τίς γὰρ ὁμοιωθήσεται τῷ Θεῷ ἐν υἱοῖς Θεοῦ;» καθ' ἡμᾶς γὰρ ὁμοῦ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑπεροχῇ θεότητος, εἰ καὶ γέγονε σάρξ. Δύο γε μὴν αἱ δαμάλεις, εἰς τύπον, οἶμαί που, τῶν δύο λαῶν, συνδεδραμηκότων εἰς ἕνα τὸν ἀπ' ἀμφοῖν, συνείροντος εἰς ἑνότητα τὴν πνευματικὴν διὰ πίστεως τοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς τε καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν. Κριοὶ δὲ πάλιν καὶ ἀμνοὶ ἰσάριθμοι, χίμαροί τε οὐχ ἥττους, τῶν πιστευόντων πληθὺν ὑπεμφαίνοντες, τὴν ὡς ἐν πέμπτῳ, φημὶ, συνενηνεγμένην καιρῷ, καθ' ὃν ἡ ἐπιδημία τοῦ λέγοντος, «Ὅταν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν.» Σημαίνεται δὲ τῶν πεπιστευκότων διὰ μὲν τῶν κριῶν τὸ ὡς ἐν φρονήσει τέλειον, καὶ τῆς νοητῆς ἡλικίας, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ, τὸ ἀρτίως ἔχον, διὰ δὲ τῶν ἀμνῶν τὸ ὡς ἐν ἁπλότητί τε καὶ ἀκακίᾳ· «Μὴ» γὰρ δὴ, φησὶν, «ἀδελφοὶ, παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσὶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε, ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶ τέλειοι γίνεσθε·» διὰ δὲ τῶν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτίας χιμάρων, τὸ ἀεὶ δεῖσθαι καθαρισμοῦ καὶ πλημμελημάτων ἀφέσεως. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ δεδιδάγμεθα λέγειν ἐν προσευχαῖς· «Ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ παραπτώματα.» Οὐ γάρ ἐστι καιρὸς, ὅτε μὴ βοᾷν ἀναγκαῖον τοῖς ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀρτίφροσι, καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως εἰδόσι τὸ ἄναλκι, καὶ, «Παραπτώματα τίς συνήσει;» καὶ, «Ἐκ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισον με.» Τοῦτο θυσία πνευματικὴ, σωτηρίας τε πέρι τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν εὐωδιάζουσα τῷ Θεῷ.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Χριστὸν οὖν ἔφην, ὡς ἔν γε τῷ μόσχῳ καὶ τοῖς κριοῖς, ἀμνοῖς τε καὶ τράγοις, καὶ τοῖς ἑτέροις κατασημαίνεσθαι, καὶ ἀφαμαρτεῖν τοῦ πρέποντος οἰηθείην ἂν οὔτι που τὸν ἐπὶ τῷδε λόγον. Εἰ δὲ δή τις ἕλοιτο καὶ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς τὴν τῶν ἐννοιῶν μετακομίσαι δύναμιν, τὸ λυποῦν οὐδὲν, τοιαύτην τινὰ θεωρίαν τοῖς προκειμένοις ἐπενεγκεῖν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὁποίαν δὴ φῄς;
{ΚΥΡ.} Προσεκομίζοντο κατὰ τὸν νόμον παρὰ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ τὰ ἱερὰ θύματα. Προσεχεῖτο δὲ τῷ θείῳ θυσιαστηρίῳ τῶν σφαζομένων τὸ αἷμα, μονονουχὶ καταγράφοντος ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ τοῦ δρωμένου, καὶ πλαγίως ἡμῖν ὑπεμφαίνοντος, ὅτι Θεῷ τῷ ἁγίῳ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἡμῶν καθιεροῦν προσήκει ψυχάς.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐκοῦν ἀνθ' ἠμῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὰ θύματα, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν ἐν αὐτοῖς οἱ κατὰ τύπον ἱερουργούμενοι.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Φέρε δὴ οὖν πολυπραγμονοῦντες ὀρθῶς τὰ ὡς παρὰ πάντων προσκεκομισμένα διὰ τῆς τῶν ἡγουμένων χειρὸς, τῆς ἐν πνεύματι θεωρίας τὸ κάλλος περιαθρήσωμεν. Ἦν οὖν ἄρα τὰ προσενηνεγμένα ἐν ἀργυροῖς σκεύεσι, τρυβλίῳ, φημὶ, καὶ φιάλῃ, σεμίδαλις ἐλαιοβρεχής. Σύμβολον δὲ λαμπρότητος μὲν
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.
Witnesses
- 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.