Weasel/mouse thieves; vessels type humans; shared stain
Cyril: ...refuses the watch of those being wronged. Or is it not some most thieving matter, both weasel and mouse, and easy unto cowardice, and they sink-down the recesses in earth if someone should knock, and most sweetly would they feed in night and not in day, and a land crocodile and the kin?
Palladius: True.
Cyril: So then unclean every which is robber-like, even if someone should be through a beast-fitting manner and should have blood-loving hands; and even if he should steal small things, just as mouse and weasel, and of mole and gecko's justice leaps-up walls and roofs; and even if someone should touch of those having been thus defiled, he will share the charges. For sharing toward such ones altogether and wholly shows-out unclean. And of humans would be unto a type the having-been-defiled of the vessels. For in a form of a vessel is the human. And it releases at least from the needing to be defiled-down, (Leviticus 11:29–32)
Greek
τὴν τῶν ἀδικουμένων παραιτεῖται γρήγορσιν. Ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ κλεπτίστατόν τι χρῆμα, γαλῆ τε καὶ μῦς, καὶ πρὸς δειλίαν εὔκολα, καταδύεται δὲ τοὺς ἐν γῇ μυχοὺς, εἰ διακτυπήσειέ τις, ἥδιστα δ' ἂν ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ νέμοιντο, κροκόδειλός τε χερσαῖος καὶ τὰ συγγενῆ;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἀκάθαρτον μὲν οὖν πᾶν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ λῃστρικὸν, κἂν εἰ διὰ τρόπου τις εἴη θηριοπρεποὺς, καὶ φιλαιμάτους ἔχοι τὰς χεῖρας· κἂν εἰ μικρὰ παρακλέπτοι, καθὰ μῦς καὶ γαλῆ, καὶ ἀσπάλακός τε καὶ ἀσκαλαβώτου δίκην, τοίχους ἀναθρώσκει καὶ στέγας, κἂν εἴ τις ἐπιθιγγάνοι τῶν ὧδε μεμολυσμένων, μεθέξει τῶν ἐγκλημάτων. Κοινωνία γὰρ ἡ πρὸς τοιούσδε τινὰς, πάντη τε καὶ πάντως ἀκαθάρτους ἀποφαίνει. Ἀνθρώπων δ' ἂν εἶεν εἰς τύπον, τὰ μεμολυσμένα τῶν σκευῶν. Ἐν εἴδει γὰρ σκεύους ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Ἀπαλλάττει γε μὴν τοῦ καταμολύνεσθαι δεῖν, πηγὴν ὕδατος, λάκκον τε καὶ συναγωγὴν ὕδατος· κἂν εἰ πέσοι τυχὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς τι τῶν κατὰ νόμον μεμολυσμένων, οὐκ ἐφιεὶς, οἶμαί που, τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον, δυσαχθὲς καὶ δυσδιακόμιστον παντελῶς ἡγεῖσθαι τὸ χρῆμα, καὶ τὴν τοῦ νόμου τήρησιν ἀνεπιτήδευτον ἔχειν, τὸ ἔν γε τουτοισὶ βλάβος, εἰς αὐτὰ παθόντας τὰ καιριώτατα. Ὡς καὶ πόλεων ἔσθ' ὅτε, καὶ οἴκων ἀποφοιτᾷν, μεμολυσμένων αὐτοῖς τῶν ὑδάτων, καὶ τῆς ἀναγκαίας τε καὶ ἀπαραιτήτου παραιρουμένης χρείας. Παρῆκε δὴ οὖν ὁ νόμος τῆς ἱστορίας τὸ ἀκριβὲς, διὰ δέ γε τὸ τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον ἀναγκαῖον καὶ χρήσιμον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πιθανὸς ὁ λόγος.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐν ἴσῳ γε μὴν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀκάθαρτον εἶναί φησι καὶ τῶν καθαρῶν ζώων τὸ θνησιμαῖον· προσεπήγαγε δὲ, ὅτι καταμιανεῖ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸν ἁπτόμενον· γράφει δὲ οὕτως· «Ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ τῶν κτηνῶν, ὅ ἐστιν ὑμῖν τοῦ φαγεῖν, ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῶν θνησιμαίων αὐτῶν, ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας, καὶ ὁ ἐσθίων ἀπὸ τῶν θνησιμαίων αὐτῶν, πλυνεῖ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας, καὶ λούσεται ὕδατι, καὶ καθαρὸς ἔσται. Καὶ ὁ αἴρων ἀπὸ τῶν θνησιμαίων αὐτῶν, πλυνεῖ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ λούσεται ὕδατι, καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας.» Ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐναργῶς, καθάπερ ἐγᾦμαι, τὸ, «Εἴ τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος ἢ πόρνος, ἢ πλεονέκτης, ἢ εἰδωλολάτρης, ἢ μέθυσος, ἢ λοίδορος, ἢ ἅρπαξ, τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν.» Εἰ γὰρ δή τις ὅλως τῶν ἐν ὑπολήψει σεμνότητος, καὶ τῶν ἤδη κεκαθαρμένων, καὶ εἰς κοινωνίαν τὴν πνευματικὴν διὰ πίστεως εἰσδεδεγμένων, τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὑπομένει νέκρωσιν, «βδελυρὸς ἔστω,» φησὶ, «καὶ ἀπηχθημένος·» νεκροῖς γὰρ ἔργοις μεμολυσμένος, καταμιαίνει που πάντως τὸν αὐτῷ κολλώμενον. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πάθοι τις τὸν μολυσμὸν, καθαρὸς ἔστω δι' ὕδατος πρὸς ἑσπέραν. Καὶ τί δὴ τοῦτό ἐστι, προκαταμεμήνυκεν ἡμῖν ἐναργῶς ὁ λόγος. Ἄθρει δὲ ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἐσθίοντα τῶν θνησι
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 14 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 14 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 14 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 14)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 14)
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.