Breastpiece joins above/below; twelve stones = faith/firmness; Urim/Thummim = Christ
Cyril: …the oracle would signify, I think, the below having been joined to the above, with Christ mediating. ‘For he himself is our peace, the one who has made both one,’ (Ephesians 2:14) according to the Scriptures, and having fastened the human things to the multitude of the holy angels with the bond of love. And one must know that also blessed Ezekiel says the ruler of Tyre has put on every precious stone; and he counts these, which also all-divine Moses says have been set in the oracle of the judgments. And these were, sardius, topaz, emerald, carbuncle, sapphire, and jasper, ligure, agate, amethyst, chrysolite, beryl, onyx. And they had been arranged three each, and in whole four rows, the such placing sketching for us the firm in faith of those in heart and memory of Christ. For of faith is the three each, and as in Trinity a symbol; and of firmness the as in a square and equal-sided shape. For thus the oracle had been made, upon which also the twelve stones.
Palladius: I am persuaded.
Cyril: And in addition to these at least he orders also something else to be woven-together with the twelve stones, saying: ‘And you will set upon the oracle of the judgment the disclosure and the truth, and it will be upon the chest of Aaron, when he enters into the Holy opposite Lord, and Aaron will bring in the judgments of the sons of Israel upon the chest opposite Lord through all.’ (Ezekiel 28:13) So then he names disclosure and truth, yet he has not still also made clear distinctly whether stones, or as on a small tablet a writing he has ordered to come to be. And I will remember a prophet saying, ‘Because for many days the sons of Israel will sit, there not being a king, nor a ruler, there not being a sacrifice, nor there being an altar, nor a priesthood, nor disclosures.’ (Exodus 28:30) But whether these also should be stones, or as on a golden tablet a writing of the names, the word will not investigate very much, and we will know they have been set unto a type, of Christ being present with saints. ‘For behold,’ (John 15:15) he says, ‘I am with you all the days, and until completion of the age.’ (Hosea 3:4) And truth and disclosure is Christ. For in him we have known the Father, and he has disclosed for us his good will the perfect and well-pleasing, according to the Scriptures. For somewhere Christ said: ‘No longer do I say you slaves, you are my friends, because all things which I heard from my Father I announced to you.’ (Matthew 28:20) And truth also otherwise is Emmanuel, because he alone by nature is Son, and as from God God, alone holy, alone Lord; and by participation is the creation, and according to imitation, as many as he himself is thought to be. So then Christ is present with the saints as being thought in disclosure and truth, who also in person of the Father brings in the things according to us, always living unto the interceding for us. For this, I think, is the, And Aaron will bring in the judgments of the sons of Israel (Romans 12:2) (Hebrews 7:25)
Greek
τὸ λόγιον κατασημήνειεν ἂν, οἶμαι, τὸ τοῖς ἄνω συνῆφθαι τὰ κάτω, μεσιτεύοντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. «Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἒν,» κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων πληθύος τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς ἀγάπης ἀπαρτήσας τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. Ἰστέον δὲ ὅτι καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰεζεκιὴλ τὸν ἄρχοντα Τύρου πάντα μὲν τίμιον λίθον ἐνδεδύσθαι φησίν· ἀπαριθμεῖται δὲ τούτους, οὓς καὶ ἐν τῷ λογίῳ τῶν κρίσεων τεθεῖσθαί φησιν ὁ θεσπέσιος Μωσῆς. Ἦσαν δὲ οὗτοι, σάρδιον, τοπάζιον, σμάραγδος, ἄνθραξ, σάπφειρος, καὶ ἰάσπις, λιγύριον, ἀχάτης, ἀμέθυστος, χρυσόλιθος, βηρύλλιον, ὀνύχιον. Τετάχατο δὲ ἀνὰ τρεῖς, καὶ ἐν ὅλοις τέσσαρσι στίχοις, τὸ ἑδραῖον ἐν πίστει τῶν ἐν καρδίᾳ καὶ μνήμῃ Χριστοῦ σκιαγραφούσης ἡμῖν τῆς τοιᾶσδε θέσεως. Πίστεως μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἀνὰ τρεῖς, καὶ ὡς ἐν Τριάδι σύμβολον· ἑδραιότητος δὲ τὸ ὡς ἐν τετραγώνῳ τε καὶ ἰσοπλεύρῳ σχήματι. Πεποίητο γὰρ οὕτω τὸ λόγιον, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ αἱ λίθοι δυοκαίδεκα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πείθομαι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Καὶ πρός γε δὴ τούτοις συναναπλέκεσθαί τι καὶ ἕτερον ταῖς δυοκαίδεκα λίθοις προσεπιτάττει, λέγων· «Καὶ ἐπιθήσεις ἐπὶ τὸ λόγιον τῆς κρίσεως τὴν δήλωσιν καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους Ἀαρὼν, ὅταν εἰσπορεύηται εἰς τὸ Ἅγιον ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ εἰσοίσει Ἀαρὼν τὰς κρίσεις τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους ἔναντι Κυρίου διὰ παντός.» Δήλωσιν μὲν οὖν ὀνομάζει καὶ ἀλήθειαν, οὐ μὴν ἔτι καὶ διαμεμήνυκεν ἐναργῶς πότερα δὴ λίθους, ἢ ὡς ἐν μικρῷ πινακίῳ γραφὴν γενέσθαι προστέταχεν. Μεμνήσομαι δὲ προφήτου λέγοντος, «Διότι ἡμέρας πολλὰς καθήσονται οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, οὐκ ὄντος βασιλέως, οὐδὲ ἄρχοντος, οὐκ οὔσης θυσίας, οὐδὲ ὄντος θυσιαστηρίου, οὔτε ἱερατείας, οὔτε δήλων.» Ἀλλ' εἴτ' οὖν εἶεν καὶ ταῦτα λίθοι, εἴτ' οὖν ὡς ἐν πίνακι χρυσῇ τῶν ὀνομάτων γραφῇ, πολυπραγμονήσει μὲν οὐ λίαν ὁ λόγος, γνωσόμεθα δὲ εἰς τύπον αὐτὰ τεθεῖσθαι, Χριστοῦ συνόντος ἁγίοις. «Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶ, μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, καὶ ἕως συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.» Ἀλήθεια δὲ καὶ δήλωσις ὁ Χριστός. Ἔγνωμεν γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ δεδήλωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ ἀγαθὸν αὐτοῦ θέλημα τὸ τέλειον καὶ εὐάρεστον, κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς. Ἔφη γάρ που Χριστός· «Οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ὑμεῖς φίλοι μού ἐστε, ὅτι πάντα ἂ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός μου ἀπήγγειλα ὑμῖν.» Ἀλήθεια δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως Ἐμμανουὴλ, ὅτι μόνος αὐτὸς κατὰ φύσιν Υἱὸς, καὶ ὡς ἐκ Θεοῦ Θεὸς, μόνος ἅγιος, μόνος Κύριος· μεθεκτῶς δὲ ἡ κτίσις, καὶ κατὰ μίμησιν, ὅσα καὶ αὐτὸς εἶναι νοεῖται. Σύνεστι δὴ οὖν τοῖς ἁγίοις ὡς ἐν δήλῳ τε καὶ ἀληθείᾳ νοούμενος ὁ Χριστὸς, ὃς καὶ ἐν προσώπῳ τοῦ Πατρὸς εἰσφέρει τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς, πάντοτε ζῶν εἰς τὸ ἐντυγχάνειν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ, οἶμαι, ἔστι τὸ, Καὶ εἰσοίσει Ἀαρὼν τὰς κρίσεις τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ
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.