Every belly-creeper banned; be holy as Lord who led from Egypt
Cyril: 'And every creeping creeping upon the earth, an abomination this is; you will not eat from them. Everything walking upon belly, and everything walking upon four always, forever, as many as have many feet of all the creeping creeping upon the earth, you will not eat them, because an abomination they are. And you will not make your souls abominable in any creeping creeping, and you will not be defiled in them, and you will not become unclean in them. Because I am Lord your God, and you will be hallowed and you will be holy, because holy I am Lord your God; and you will not defile your souls in any of the creeping moving upon the earth. Because I am Lord the leading you up from land of Egypt to be your God; and you will be holy, because holy I am Lord.' (Leviticus 11:41–45)
Palladius: The law seals holiness by separation from creeping manners.
Cyril: Creeping-upon-belly types those minding only earth; many-footed those unstable in every passion-path. God who led from Egypt demands holiness like his.
Greek
ριε, εἰ ἄρα εὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου, μὴ παρέλθῃς τὸν παῖδά σου· ληφθήτω δὴ ὕδωρ, καὶ νιψάτωσαν τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν, καὶ καταψύξατε ὑπὸ τὸ δένδρον, καὶ λήψομαι ἄρτον, καὶ φάγεσθε, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο παρελεύσεσθε εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν ὑμῶν, οὗ ἕνεκεν ἐξεκλίνατε πρὸς τὸν παῖδα ὑμῶν. Καὶ εἶπον· Οὕτω ποιήσομεν, καθὼς εἴρηκας.» Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐν σαρκὶ περιτομὴ, τύπος ἂν εἴη καὶ μάλα σαφὴς, τῆς νοητῆς καὶ ἐν πνεύματι, καθ' ἣν ἅπαντα μολυσμὸν τῶν ἡμετέρων διανοιῶν ἐξίστησιν ὁ Χριστός. «Περιτετμήμεθα γὰρ, κατά γε τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου φωνὴν, περιτομῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τῆς σαρκός.» Ἀπημφιεσμένοι γὰρ ὥσπερ τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, καὶ τὰς τῆς σαρκὸς ἡδονὰς τῇ τοῦ πνεύματος ὀξύτητί τε καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ μονονουχὶ παρακεκομμένοι, ἀξίους ἑαυτοὺς ἀποφανοῦμεν ἤδη πως τοῦ καὶ θεοπτίας ἀξιοῦσθαι δεῖν, καὶ ἱερὸν γενέσθαι κατάλυμα τῆς ἁγίας τε καὶ ὁμοουσίου Τριάδος. «Ὃς γὰρ ἂν ἐπαισχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ, ἐλευσόμεθα ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ μονὴν παρ' αὐτῷ ποιησόμεθα, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ καταλύσομεν,» ἔφασκεν ὁ Σωτήρ. Καὶ οὐ μέχρι τούτων, τῆς ἐπιεικείας ἡ ἀντέκτισις, ἀλλ' ὡς ἤδη παραδεχθέντες πρὸς οἰκειότητα τὴν ὡς πρὸς Θεὸν, τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ γνωσόμεθα, δι' ἀποκαλύψεως δὲ δηλονότι τῆς παρ' αὐτῷ· καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἀβραὰμ τὰ περὶ τῆς τῶν Σοδόμων καταστροφῆς ἐδιδάσκετο. Φίλῳ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἀνεκοινοῦτο Θεός. Ἄθρει δὴ οὖν ὅτι μυρίων ὅσων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν ἐμποιήσειεν ἀντέκτισιν, τὸ ἐξοίχεσθαι μολυσμῶν. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ Παῦλος, «Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ,» φησὶ, «διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, παραστῆσαι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν θυσίαν ζῶσαν, ἁγίαν, εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν.» Καὶ μὴν καὶ ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας ἀνακέκραγε σαφῶς· «Ἀπόπλυνε ἀπὸ κακίας τὴν καρδίαν, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἵνα σωθῇς.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Προσιτέον δὴ οὖν οὐκ ἐν βεβηλώσει ψυχῆς τῷ παναγίῳ Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν ἱερᾷ τε καὶ ἀμωμήτῳ ζωῇ. Κατ' εὐθὺ γὰρ ὧδε τοῦ πρέποντος ἥξομεν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν, ὦ Παλλάδιε, καὶ οὐ πολλοῦ τε, οἶμαι, δεήσει πόνου πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι καταθρεῖν ἀληθῶς ἔχοντά σοι τὸν ἐπὶ τῷδε λόγον, εἰ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων πολυτείας πολυπραγμονεῖν ἕλοιο φιλομαθῶς καὶ ὁμοφρόνως· τὰ γὰρ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις συμβεβηκότα τυπικῶς, νουθεσίας ἡμῖν ἔφασκεν ἀναγεγράφθαι τρόπους ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος. Οὐκοῦν ὅτι καθαροὺς καὶ ἐκνενιμμένους προσιέναι δεῖ τῷ Θεῷ, διαμάθοι τις ἂν κἀκ τῶνδε δὴ πάλιν. Δῖνα μὲν γὰρ ἡ ἐξ Ἰακὼβ, ἅτε παρθένος καὶ ἐν ὤρᾳ γάμου, τὰς τῶν ἐν Σικίμοις θυγατέρας κατοπτεύουσα, τῆς πατρῴας ἐξέθει σκηνῆς, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠρέμει Συχὲμ ὁ Ἐμμὼρ υἱός. Ἐρᾷ γὰρ εὐθὺς τῆς νεάνιδος, καὶ ἀσχέτοις ἐπιθυμίαις ἐπὶ τὸ δοκοῦν ἡρπάζετο. Ἀγροικότερον δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο ἰὼν, κατεβιάζετο τὴν παρθένον τὴν Ἑβραίαν ὁ ἀλλόφυλός τε καὶ ἀπερίτμητος ἔτι. Δύσοιστον δὲ τὸ χρῆμα ἐδόκει τοῖς ἐξ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τοῖς ἀνοσίως πεπαρῳνηκόσιν εἰς Ἑβραίαν καὶ ἀδελφὴν, τὸν πολέμου νόμον ἐπῄεσαν. Ἀσχάλλοντα δὲ καὶ περιδεῆ γεγονότα τὸν θεσπέσιον Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἐν ὑποψίαις ὄντα τοῦ διόλ
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.