Law a hard yoke; Christ’s light burden; first/last peoples; Korah begins
Palladius: What then is this at least?
Cyril: That, O companion, I would say, burdensome is the law, and a hard-to-bear load; and a clear indication of such would become, the leftovers not being carried unto shoulders, through at least the yoked being weak. Therefore also the all-divine disciples were saying to those going after the faith unto legal worship: ‘And now why do you test God, to set a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither you nor your fathers were strong to bear?’ (Acts 15:10) And Kohathites, having set upon their own shoulders the things through which Christ is signaled, make a light and well-portable load. So then is this not clearly what Christ himself said: ‘My yoke is kind, and my load light’ (Matthew 20:16)?
Palladius: It seems so.
Cyril: And I would still add to the things said also this. For it would not be unhelpful unto full-assurance; for in the first enrollment of the Levites, those from Gershon had been ranked in beginnings, then middle Kohath, and last Merari (and these Levitical peoples); and in the second, the from twenty and five years, Kohath has been set toward of the others, and has been named first. And last after him, Gershon and Merari, having as liturgy the leftovers of the tent. And each of these two peoples have only up to two patriaries, and the one goes forward even until four. So then do you understand the riddle?
Palladius: Least at least.
Cyril: For Israel has been called in firsts; and with the herd of the nations having run-in between, he has been ranked after this; and the lasts have become firsts, according to the Savior’s voice, and the firsts lasts.
Palladius: True.
Cyril: And that short in number of the Jews is the people, with the unmeasured multitude from nations overlying by much, is clear.
Palladius: For how not?
Cyril: Therefore God says toward hierophant Moses: ‘And now leave me, and having been angered I will consume-out this synagogue, and I will make you unto a great nation, and much more than this.’ (Matthew 11:30) So then with such liturgies the whole Levitical band has been honored; and a bound for them of the sacred-work to be yoked to the outstanding, and to do under hand the of Aaron. And at least to think over this and to seek the better of the things distributed to him and defined by God, was being shown through the trial itself as procurer of penalty and destruction. And it has been written again in Numbers: ‘And Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, spoke, and Dathan, and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On, son of Peleth, son of Reuben, and they stood up opposite Moses, and men of the sons of Israel fifty and two hundred, leaders of synagogue called-together of counsel, and named men stood-together upon Moses and Aaron, and said toward them: Let it be enough for you that (Exodus 32:10) (Numbers 16:1–3)
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τί οὖν τοῦτό γε;
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὅτι, ὦ ἑταῖρε, φαίην ἂν, φορτικὸς ὁ νόμος, καὶ δύσοιστον ἄχθος· γένοιτο δ' ἂν τοῦ τοιοῦδε μήνυσις ἐναργὴς, τὸ μὴ εἰς ὤμους φέρεσθαι τὰ περισσὰ, διά τοι τὸ ἀσθενεῖν τοὺς ὑπεζευγμένους. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκον οἱ θεσπέσιοι μαθηταὶ, τοῖς μετὰ τὴν πίστιν ἐπὶ νομικὴν ἰοῦσι λατρείαν· «Καὶ νῦν τί πειράζετε τὸν Θεὸν, ἐπιθεῖναι ζυγὸν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον τῶν μαθητῶν, ὃν οὔτε ὑμεῖς, οὔτε οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἴσχυσαν βαστάσαι;» Κααθῖται δὲ, τὰ δι' ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς σημαίνεται, τοῖς σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιθέντες ὤμοις, ἐλαφρὸν καὶ εὐπαρακόμιστον ποιοῦνται φορτίον. Ἆρ' οὖν οὐχὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐναργῶς, ὅπερ αὐτὸς ἔφη Χριστός· «Ὁ ζυγός μου χρηστός ἐστι, καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἔοικεν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Προσθείην δ' ἂν ἔτι τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ τόδε. Εἴη γὰρ ἂν οὐκ ἀσυντελὲς εἰς πληροφορίαν· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Λευϊτῶν ἀπογραφῇ, τετάχατο μὲν οἱ ἀπὸ Γεδσὼν ἐν ἀρχαῖς, εἶτα μέσος ὁ Καὰθ, καὶ τελευταῖος, ὁ Μεραρὶ (δῆμοι δὲ οὗτοι Λευιτικοί)· ἐν δὲ τῇ δευτέρᾳ, τῇ ἀπὸ εἴκοσι καὶ πέντε ἐτῶν, προστέθειται τῶν ἄλλων ὁ Καὰθ, καὶ πρῶτος ὠνόμασται. Τελευταῖος δὲ μετ' αὐτὸν, Γεδσών τε καὶ Μεραρὶ, λειτουργίαν ἔχοντες τὰ περισσὰ τῆς σκηνῆς. Καὶ ἑκάτερον μὲν τοῖν δυοῖν τουτωνὶ δήμοιν, ἀνὰ δύο μόνας ἔχουσι πατριὰς, ὁ δὲ προήκει μὲν καὶ μέχρι τεσσάρων. Συνίης οὖν ἄρα τὸ αἴνιγμα;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἥκιστά γε.
{ΚΥΡ.} Κέκληται μὲν γὰρ ἐν πρώτοις ὁ Ἰσραήλ· παρεισδραμούσης δὲ μεταξὺ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀγέλης, τέτακται μετὰ ταύτην· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἔσχατοι γεγόνασι πρῶτοι, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος φωνὴν, οἱ δὲ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὅτι δὲ βραχὺς ἐν ἀριθμῷ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ δῆμος, ὑπερκειμένης παρὰ πολὺ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἀμετρήτου πληθύος, δῆλον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
{ΚΥΡ.} Τοιγάρτοι Θεὸς πρὸς ἱεροφάντην Μωσέα φησί· «Καὶ νῦν ἔασόν με, καὶ θυμωθεὶς ἐξαναλώσω τὴν συναγωγὴν ταύτην, καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα, καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦτο.» Λειτουργίαις μὲν οὖν ταῖς τοιαῖσδε τὸ Λευϊτικὸν ἅπαν ἐκτετίμηται στῖφος· καὶ ὅρος αὐτοῖς τῆς ἱερουργίας ὑπεζεῦχθαι τῷ προὔχοντι, καὶ ὑπὸ χεῖρα πράττειν τὴν Ἀαρών. Τό γε μὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦτο φρονεῖν καὶ τἀμείνω ζητεῖν, τῶν ἐκνεμηθέντων αὐτῷ καὶ διωρισμένων παρὰ Θεοῦ, ποινῆς καὶ ὀλέθρου πρόξενον, καὶ διὰ πείρας αὐτῆς ἀνεδείκνυτο. Γέγραπται δὲ πάλιν ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κορὲ υἱὸς Ἰσαὰρ, υἱοῦ Καὰθ, υἱοῦ Λευῒ, καὶ Δαθὰν, καὶ Ἀβειρὼν, υἱοὶ Ἐλιὰβ, καὶἌϋν, υἱὸς Φαλὲθ, υἱοῦ Ῥουβὴν, καὶ ἀνέστησαν ἔναντι Μωσῆ, καὶ ἄνδρες τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ πεντήκοντα καὶ διακόσιοι, ἀρχηγοὶ συναγωγῆς σύγκλητοι βουλῆς, καὶ ἄνδρες ὀνομαστοὶ συνέστησαν ἐπὶ Μωσῆν καὶ Ἀαρὼν, καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἐχέτω ὑμῖν ὅτι
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 13 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 13 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 13 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 13)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 13)
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.