Spring new-moon = Gentile Church; second year after law; unshaken tents of Jerusalem
Cyril: …truly, when Christ should shine upon us again with the holy angels in the glory of the Father, about to take alongside himself those who have chosen to walk in newness of life, and who have enriched in endurance the most conspicuous beauty of the Gospel way of life, and bringing them into the glory and kingdom long expected. And that a new creation and as it were a new sprout of times and matters belongs to those in Christ, the riddle of the first month would show very well, according to which soft and newly-appearing grasses are on earth, and sprouting-again of plants, and the many-formed beauty of flowers in meadows is shown, of spring laughing fragrance; for somehow in such a time Christ has called the Church from nations, saying thus, ‘Rise, come, my neighbor, my fair one, my dove, because behold the winter has gone away, the rain has gone away, it has traveled in it; the flowers have been seen on the earth; time of cutting has arrived.’ (Romans 6:4) For human nature has sprouted again, as some plant, having been withered by death, both through the transgression in Adam and through the sin that tyrannized over all of us. And I hear Christ saying also through one of the holy prophets, ‘I myself who speak am present, as an hour upon the mountains.’ (Song of Songs 2:10–12) For what spring works in mountains and thickets, crowning the plants with new sprout, this also our Savior’s presence has fulfilled upon us, having come to be according to times, as in a second year, and not at least in the first time, according to which the law was, and the chorus of the prophets, and according to which death was ruling. For it has reigned from Adam and until Moses. So then as in a second year—that is, as in a time after the first, according to which the law was—the Church from nations has shone up, having Christ as inmate, the end of the prophets and of the law. Does the word seem to you to shoot through toward the straight and true?
Palladius: Altogether so.
Cyril: And I myself think that the more true tent has been announced beforehand for us through Isaiah’s voice, saying as toward each of those called in faith unto righteousness, ‘Your eyes will see Jerusalem, rich cities, tents which will not be shaken, nor will the pegs of its tent be moved; nor will its ropes be torn apart unto the age-long time.’ (Romans 5:14) For the Church is God’s city, of which also all-divine David made mention saying, ‘Glorious things have been spoken concerning you, the city of God.’ (Isaiah 33:20) For this is rich, and adorned with the gifts from above and from heaven, and having an unbreakable standing in firmness, a seating and remaining. ‘For gates of Hades will not overpower it,’ (Psalm 87:3) according to the Savior’s voice.
Palladius: You think most uprightly and fittingly.
Cyril: And when the tent has been raised, that it is fitting for the things in it to lie in order, and not poured-out and carelessly, the Master God of all teaches saying (Matthew 16:18):
Greek
ἀληθῶς, ὅταν ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπιλάμψῃ πάλιν μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς, τοὺς ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατεῖν ἑλομένους, καὶ τὸ ἐκπρεπέστατον κάλλος τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας ἐν ὑπομονῇ πλουτήσαντας, παραληψόμενος μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὴν πάλαι προσδοκωμένην δόξαν καὶ βασιλείαν εἰσκομιῶν. Ὅτι δὲ καινὴ κτίσις καὶ οἱονεὶ καιρῶν καὶ πραγμάτων βλάστη νέα τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ, καταδείξειεν ἂν εὖ μάλα τὸ αἴνιγμα τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς, καθ' ὃν πόαι μὲν καὶ ἁπαλαὶ καὶ ἀρτιφανεῖς ἐν γῇ, φυτῶν δὲ ἀναθήλησις, καὶ τῶν ἐν λειμῶσιν ἀνθέων τὸ πολυειδὲς ἐμφαίνεται κάλλος, ἐαρινῆς γελώσης εὐωδίας· οἱονεὶ γάρ πως ἐν τοιῷδε καιρῷ κέκληκεν ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν, οὕτω λέγων, «Ἀνάστα, ἐλθὲ, ἡ πλησίον μου, καλή μου, περιστερά μου, ὅτι ἰδοὺ ὁ χειμὼν ἀπῆλθεν, ὁ ὑετὸς ἀπῆλθεν, ἐπορεύθη ἐν αὐτῷ· τὰ ἄνθη ὤφθη ἐν τῇ γῇ· καιρὸς τῆς τομῆς ἔφθασεν.» Ἀνεθάλη γὰρ ἡ ἀνθρώπου φύσις αὖ, ὥσπερ τι φυτὸν, καταμαρανθεῖσα θανάτῳ, διά τε τὴν ἐν Ἀδὰμ παράβασιν, καὶ τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἡμῶν τυραννήσασαν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἀκούω δὲ λέγοντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ δι' ἑνὸς τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν, «Αὐτὸς ὁ λαλῶν πάρειμι, ὡς ὥρα ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων.» Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ δρυμοῖς τὸ ἔαρ ἐργάζεται, βλάστῃ νέᾳ στεφανοῦν τὰ φυτὰ, τοῦτο καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἡ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀποπεπλήρωκε παρουσία, γενομένη κατὰ καιροὺς, ὡς ἐν ἔτει δευτέρῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἔν γε τῷ πρώτῳ καιρῷ, καθ' ὃν ἦν ὁ νόμος, καὶ τῶν προφητῶν ὁ χορὸς, καὶ καθ' ὃν ἐκράτει θάνατος. Βεβασίλευκε γὰρ ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ καὶ μέχρι Μωσέως. Οὐκοῦν ὡς ἐν δευτέρῳ ἔτει, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὡς ἐν χρόνῳ τῷ μετὰ τὸν πρῶτον, καθ' ὃν ἦν ὁ νόμος, ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἀνέλαμψεν Ἐκκλησία, Χριστὸν ἔναυλον ἔχουσα, τὸ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τοῦ νόμου τέλος. Ἆρά σοι δοκεῖ πρὸς τὸ εὐθύ τε καὶ ἀληθὲς διᾴττειν ἡμῶν ὁ λόγος;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Παντάπασι μὲν οὖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οἶμαι δὲ ἔγωγε τὴν ἀληθεστέραν ἡμῖν προκατηγγέλθαι σκηνὴν διὰ φωνῆς Ἡσαΐου, λέγοντος ὡς πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν ἐν πίστει κεκλημένων εἰς δικαιοσύνην, «Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὄψονται Ἱερουσαλὴμ, πόλεις πλουσίας, σκηναὶ αἳ οὐ μὴ σεισθῶσιν, οὐδὲ μὴ κινηθῶσιν οἱ πάσσαλοι τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτῆς· οὐδὲ τὰ σχοινία αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ διαῤῥαγῶσιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον.» Θεοῦ γὰρ πόλις ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἧς καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Δαβὶδ ἐπεμνήσθη λέγων, «Δεδοξασμένα ἐλαλήθη περὶ σοῦ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Πλουσία γὰρ αὕτη, καὶ τοῖς ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ χαρίσμασι κατηγλαϊσμένη, καὶ ἄῤῥηκτον ἔχουσα τὴν ἐν βεβαίῳ στάσιν, ἵδρυσίν τε καὶ διαμονήν. «Πύλαι γὰρ ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς,» κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος φωνήν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθότατα καὶ εἰκότα διανοῇ.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐγηγερμένης δὲ τῆς σκηνῆς, ὅτι προσῆκεν ἐν κόσμῳ κεῖσθαι τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ μὴ χύδην καὶ ἀτημελῶς, διδάσκει λέγων ὁ πάντων δεσπότης Θεός·
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.