Cheerful polity; fire eats gifts = Spirit now; Aaron blesses; grace and peace
Cyril: …but cheerful and glad it is fitting to have been hung from the citizenship in Christ. For this, I think, is the, ‘Come let us rejoice to the Lord.’ (Leviticus 9:22–24) For thus the glory of Christ will shine upon purely and clearly, most gladly receiving the fruit-bearings of the saints, just as indeed also then God in a form of fire has come down clearly, and has eaten up the victims. And he all but thinks food and luxury the good-repute of those sanctified in faith. And the word also hints something mystical; for then upon the divided-parts God was sending down the tip of fire, as it were somehow touching the things set forth; for the Divine always molds under itself the nature of fire. And now with the intelligible sacrifice being set before him, not in a form of fire, but in holy Spirit, touching the things set forth intelligibly, he shows life-making for those yearning to share, and we have received the matter true in faith.
Palladius: You have spoken uprightly.
Cyril: And having raised the hands Aaron blessed the people. And see again how… is for us the distributor of the heavenly goods, in him and through him all things from the Father. And indeed all-divine Paul, ‘Grace to you and peace,’ (2 Corinthians 1:2) he says, ‘from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Psalm 95:1) So then we are blessed in name of God, and how the manner of this might perhaps come to be, signifying gracefully, he said the praying priest must voice: ‘Lord bless you and keep you, (Numbers 6:24) (Leviticus 9:24)
Greek
ἀλλ' εὐθύμους καὶ ἱλαροὺς τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πολιτείας ἐξῆφθαι πρέπει. Τοῦτο γὰρ, οἶμαι, ἔστι τὸ, «Δεῦτε ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ.» Ἐπιλάμψει γὰρ οὕτω καθαρῶς τε καὶ ἐναργῶς ἡ δόξα Χριστοῦ, ἀσμενέστατα προσιεμένη τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καρποφορίας, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τότε Θεὸς ἐν εἴδει πυρὸς καταπεφοίτηκεν ἐναργῶς, καὶ κατέφαγε τὰ θύματα. Μόνον δὲ οὐχὶ τροφὴν ἡγεῖται καὶ τρυφὴν τῶν ἡγιασμένων ἐν πίστει τὴν εὐδοκίμησιν. Ὑπεμφαίνει δέ τι καὶ μυστικὸν ὁ λόγος· τότε μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τὰ διχοτομήματα τὴν πυρὸς ἀκμὴν καθίει Θεὸς, οἱονεί πως τῶν προκειμένων ἁπτόμενος· ὑποπλάττεται γὰρ τὴν πυρὸς φύσιν ἀεὶ τὸ Θεῖον. Νυνὶ δὲ τῆς νοητῆς προτιθεμένης αὐτῷ θυσίας, οὐκ ἐν εἴδει πυρὸς, ἀλλ' ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, τῶν προκειμένων νοητῶς ἐφαπτόμενος, ζωοποιὸν ἀποφαίνει τοῖς ἐφιεμένοις μεταλαχεῖν, καὶ ἀληθὲς ἐν πίστει τὸ χρῆμα δεδέγμεθα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐξάρας δὲ Ἀαρὼν τὰς χεῖρας ηὐλόγησε τὸν λαόν. Καὶ θέα δὴ πάλιν ὡς ἐν πρώτῃ χειρῶν ἐπιθέσει ἐπὶ λαοῖς διὰ τοῦ Ἀαρών· εὐλογεῖ γὰρ ἅπαντας ὁ ἀληθὴς Ἀαρὼν, ἱερέας καὶ λαοὺς, τοὺς μικροὺς μετὰ τῶν μεγάλων, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, μονονουχὶ καὶ χεῖρας ἐπιθεὶς, καὶ σημεῖον ἂν γένοιτο σαφὲς ἡ χειρὸς ἐπίθεσις τῆς τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος εἰς ἡμᾶς καταβολῆς. Πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἱερουργίας τῆς Ἀαρὼν ἡ χειρῶν ἐπίθεσις οὐκ ἦν. «Οὔπω γὰρ ἦν Πνεῦμα,» κατὰ τὴν Ἰωάννου φωνὴν, ὅτι «Ἰησοῦς οὐδέπω ἐδοξάσθη.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πιθανὸς ὁ λόγος.
{ΚΥΡ.} Καὶ τόνδε τῆς ἱερέων εὐχῆς καταῤῥυθμίζει τρόπον, προαναγορεύσεις τινὰς τῶν διὰ Χριστοῦ παθημάτων εὖ μάλα τιθεὶς τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ λόγους. Ἔφη γὰρ, ὅτι «Λάλησον Ἀαρὼν καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ λέγων· Οὕτως εὐλογήσετε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ, λέγοντες αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἐπιθήσουσι τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐγὼ Κύριος εὐλογήσω αὐτοὺς, Εὐλογήσαι σε Κύριος καὶ φυλάξαι σε, ἐπιφάναι Κύριος τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δώῃ σοι εἰρήνην, καὶ ἐλεησάτω σε.» Προστάττει μὲν οὖν εὐλογεῖν τὸν λαὸν τοὺς ἐν ἱερωσύνῃ κατεστεμμένους, ἀφίστησι δὲ χρησίμως εἰκαιότητος λογισμῶν, οὐκ ἀνθρώπου χεῖρα τὴν εὐλογοῦσαν δεικνὺς, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ὡς Κύριον. «Πᾶσα γὰρ δόσις ἀγαθὴ, καὶ πᾶν δώρημα ἀγαθὸν, καὶ πᾶσα εὐλογία ἄνωθέν ἐστι καταβαίνουσα ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν φώτων,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. Χριστὸς δὲ τῆς εὐλογίας ἡ ὁδὸς, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡμῖν τῶν οὐρανίων ἀγαθῶν ὁ διανομεὺς, ἐν αὐτῷ τε καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντα παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, «Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη, φησὶν, ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Εὐλογούμεθα δὴ οὖν ἐν ὀνόματι Θεοῦ, πῶς δ' ἂν γένοιτο τυχὸν καὶ ὁ τοῦδε τρόπος, κατασημαίνων ἀστείως, ἐπιφθέγγεσθαι δεῖν ἔφη τὸν ἐπευχόμενον ἱερέα· «Εὐλογήσαι σε Κύριος καὶ φυλάξαι σε, ἐπι
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 11 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 11 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 11 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 11)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 11)
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.