Baptism burial; nekrosis = dead to world; haircut mind; wash garments works
Cyril: …clear symbol it was, as at least in the holy baptism we ourselves also pray to fulfill through faith. For as somewhere again all-divine Paul himself said, ‘For we have been buried-together with him through the baptism unto the death, that just as Christ was raised through the glory of the Father, so also we may walk in newness of life.’ (Romans 6:4) And he said again: ‘Always carrying around the putting-to-death of Jesus in the body, that also the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.’ (2 Corinthians 4:10)
Palladius: And what then is the putting-to-death of Christ said here?
Cyril: The having died to world and sins, and to live through a sacred and holy and as-much-as-possible God-beloved life, upon which again Paul was being very solemnized saying: ‘For I through law died to law, that I may live to God; I have been co-crucified with Christ. And I no longer live, and Christ lives in me. And what I now live in flesh, I live in faith of the Son of God who has loved me, and handed himself over for me.’ (Galatians 2:19–20) This, I think, is… according to law. So then the removal of hairs hints the cleansing of mind, which the divine and sharper word of God would work in us. And washing-off of garments shows for us a bright and unadulterated citizenship, the outwardly-appearing. ‘For taking-thought good things, not only before Lord,’ (Hebrews 4:12) according to what has been written, ‘but also before humans.’ (Romans 12:17) And he himself somewhere says: ‘Let your light shine before the humans, that they may see your good (Matthew 5:16) (Galatians 2:20)
Greek
βολον ἐναργὲς ἦν, ὡς ἔν γε τῷ ἁγίῳ βαπτίσματι καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ πληροῦν εὐχόμεθα διὰ πίστεως. Ὡς γὰρ αὐτός που πάλιν ὁ θεσπέσιος ἔφη Παῦλος, «Συνετάφημεν γὰρ αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον, ἵνα ὥσπερ ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς διὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Πατρὸς, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατήσωμεν.» Ἔφη δὲ πάλιν· «Πάντοτε τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῇ θνητῇ ἡμῶν σαρκὶ φανερωθῇ.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Καὶ τίς δὴ ἄρα ἐστὶν ἡ ἐνθάδε λεγομένη νέκρωσις τοῦ Χριστοῦ;
{ΚΥΡ.} Τὸ ἐκτεθνάναι μὲν κόσμῳ καὶ ἁμαρτίαις, ἱεράν τε καὶ ἁγίαν καὶ τὴν ὅτι μάλιστα φιλαιτάτην Θεῷ διαβιῶναι ζωὴν, ἐφ' ᾧ δὴ πάλιν ἀπεσεμνύνετο λίαν ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· «Ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον, ἵνα Θεῷ ζήσω· Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι. Ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγὼ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός. Ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκὶ, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με, καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ.» Τοῦτο, οἶμαι, ἐστὶ τὸ ἐκτεθνάναι μὲν ἐν κόσμῳ, καὶ τὴν Χριστοῦ νέκρωσιν ὑπενεγκεῖν, διαβιῶναι δὲ αὖ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ ζωήν. Σποδὸς οὖν δαμάλεως ἀναμὶξ ὕδατι τὴν Ἰησοῦ νέκρωσιν ὡς ἐν ἁγίῳ βαπτίσματι τελουμένην ὑπεμφαίνοι ἄν. Ἧς ἐν μεθέξει γενέσθαι καὶ αὐτοὺς ἔφη δεῖν τοὺς ἐν τάξει τελοῦντας τῇ Λευϊτικῇ, πᾶν εἶδος ἀκαθαρσίας σαρκικῆς ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ πάλιν ἐκπεφορτισμένους. Δηλοῖ γὰρ, οἶμαι, τουτὶ καὶ μάλα σαφῶς τὸ ἀποψιλοῦσθαι ξυρῷ τὴν τοῦ σώματος τρίχα. «Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐνεργὴς, καὶ τομώτερος,» καθάπερ τινὰ τριχῶν καὶ ὀνύχων ἀποκείρων ἐκ νοῦ, τῶν ἐμφύτων καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν σαρκικῶν κινημάτων τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν, ὃν καὶ νόμον ἁμαρτίας ἐνῳκηκότα τοῖς μέλεσι τῆς σαρκὸς, ἀντιστρατευόμενόν τε τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς, καὶ εἰς ἃ μὴ θέμις ἐξέλκοντα, Γράμμα πού φησιν ἱερὸν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος δυνάμει τε καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ καθάπερ ξυρῷ τεμνόμενος ἀσθενεῖ, κἂν εἰ ἀναφύοιτό πως ἐν ἡμῖν, γοργότερον ἀποκείρεται. «Πνεύματι γὰρ περιπατεῖτε,» φησὶ, «καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς οὐ μὴ τελέσητε.» Ὥσπερ δὲ τὸ ξυρὸν οὐκ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς εἰσάπαν ἀναβοθρεύει ῥίζης τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν τρίχα, τέμνει δὲ ἀναφυομένην εὐθέως· οὕτω καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος, πρόῤῥιζον ὥσπερ, τὴν ὡς ἔμφυτον ἐπιθυμίας οὐκ ἀναβοθρεύει κίνησιν (τετήρηται γὰρ τὸ τέλειον ἅγιον εἰς αἰῶνα τὸν μέλλοντα), κατανεκροῖ δὲ μᾶλλον ἀναφυομένην καὶ ἀνίσχουσαν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ τὸν ἐν τοῖς μέλεσι τῆς σαρκὸς ἀγριαίνοντα τιθασσεύει νόμον. Οὐκοῦν ἡ τριχῶν ἀφαίρεσις τὴν νοῦ κάθαρσιν ὑπαινίττεται, ἣν ἂν ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ θεῖός τε καὶ τομώτερος ἐργάζεται τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος. Ἀπόπλυσις δὲ ἱματίων, λαμπρὰν καὶ ἀκίβδηλον ἡμῖν πολιτείαν ὑποφαίνει, τὴν ἐξωφανῆ. «Προνοούμενοι γὰρ καλὰ, οὐ μόνον ἐνώπιον Κυρίου,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, «ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνώπιον ἀνθρώπων.» Καὶ αὐτὸς δέ πού φησι· «Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ
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.