Head leprosy worst; measured rebuke; none clean; propitiation
Cyril: …with the most having been hated, he will scare-away then again, as having been defiled, and the altogether defiling-down he will bring-on vote. This I say to be, the to suffer the leprosy unto a head, or a beard. And if then it should become on the one hand as in beginnings of the to suffer the mind, not indeed having bent-away he should be seen entirely, unto the to be sick what things I said, he is separated on the one hand with measured rebukes having been brought-under, and he will be not entirely unclean, nor indeed alien of God, and having washed the garments, clean he will be, that is, he will receive toward help, the in Christ justification. (Romans 3:24) And at least of the hairs the shaving, setting-beside for the priest the wound naked, would under-signal the as it were all from a middle to go, and naked and unimpeded for the
Palladius: Truly. For he said somewhere through a voice of a holy one: ‘A God drawing-near I am, and not a God from far, will from me be hidden something?’ (Jeremiah 23:23-24)
Cyril: Observe then, O Palladius, much then more thin-speaking the law; and of the necessary unto knowledge having let-go nothing, which not with the own canons placing-under, he benefits the ones hearing. ‘For faults on the one hand no one will understand,’ according to the having-been-written, ‘and many things we all stumble.’ (Psalm 19:12) (James 3:2) For the nature is sick with the strengthless, and the easily-slipping unto the faulty; and, ‘Clean no one from filth, and,’ according as Writing says holy, ‘not even if one day the life of him upon the earth.’ (Job 14:4) In this way also the all-divine for us sings-up David: ‘If lawlessnesses you should watch, Lord, Lord, who will stand-under? Because beside you is the propitiation.’ (Psalm 130:3-4) See then the law having released kindly of such faults for us the writing,
Greek
τῷ μάλιστα κατεστυγημένην, ἀποσοβήσει δὴ πάλιν. ὡς μεμολυσμένους, καὶ τὴν εἰσάπαν καταμιαίνουσαν ἐποίσει ψῆφον. Τοῦτο εἶναί φημι, τὸ παθεῖν τὴν λέπραν εἰς κεφαλὴν, ἢ πώγωνα. Εἰ δὲ δὴ γένοιτο μὲν ὡς ἐν ἀρχαῖς τοῦ παθεῖν ὁ νοῦς, οὐ μὴν ἀπονενευκὼς ὁρῷτο παντελῶς, εἰς τὸ νοσεῖν ἅπερ ἔφην, ἀφορίζεται μὲν συμμέτροις ἐπιτιμήσεσιν ὑπενηνεγμένος, ἔσται δὲ οὐχὶ παντελῶς ἀκάθαρτος, οὔτε μὴν ἀλλότριος Θεοῦ, πλυνάμενος δὲ τὰ ἱμάτια, καθαρὸς ἔσται, τουτέστι, δέξεται πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν, τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ δικαίωσιν. Ἡ δέ γε τῶν τριχῶν ξύρησις, παρατιθεῖσα τῷ ἱερεῖ τὸ τραῦμα γυμνὸν, ὑποσημήνειεν ἂν τὸ οἱονεὶ πάντα ἐκ μέσου χωρεῖν, καὶ γυμνὴν καὶ ἀπαραπόδιστον τοῖς τῆς θεότητος ὀφθαλμοῖς, τὴν ᾧ ἂν βούλοιτο καθορᾷν παρακεῖσθαι θέαν. «Οὐ γάρ ἐστι κτίσις ἀφανὴς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, πάντα δὲ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές. Ἔφη γάρ που διὰ φωνῆς ἁγίου· «Θεὸς ἐγγίζων ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐχὶ Θεὸς πόῤῥωθεν, μὴ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ κρυβήσεταί τι;»
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἄθρει δὴ, ὦ Παλλάδιε, πολὺ δὴ μᾶλλον ἰσχνολογοῦντα τὸν νόμον· καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων εἰς εἴδησιν μεθέντα μηδὲν, ὃ μὴ τοῖς ἰδίοις κανόσιν ὑποτιθεὶς, ὀνίνησι τοὺς ἀκροωμένους. «Παραπτώματα μὲν γὰρ οὐδεὶς συνήσει,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, «πολλὰ δὲ πταίομεν ἅπαντες.» Νοσεῖ γὰρ ἡ φύσις τὸ ἄναλκι, καὶ τὸ εὐόλισθον εἰς τὸ πλημμελές· καὶ, «Καθαρὸς οὐδεὶς ἀπὸ ῥύπου, καὶ,» καθὰ Γράμμα φησὶν ἱερὸν, «οὐδ' ἂν μία ἡμέρα ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» Ταύτῃτοι καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος ἡμῖν ἀναμέλπει Δαβίδ· «Ἐὰν ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃς, Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται; Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ ὁ ἱλασμός ἐστιν.» Ὅρα τοίνυν τὸν νόμον ἀνέντα χρηστῶς τῶν τοιούτων παραπτωμάτων ἡμῖν τὴν γραφὴν, καὶ ἐξ ἡμερότητος καθαρίζοντα τοὺς ἐξ ὀλισθήματος ἀνθρωπίνου πικροῖς μονονουχὶ καὶ ἀνεθελήτοις ὑπενηνεγμένους πταίσμασιν. Ἔφη γὰρ ὧδε· «Καὶ ἀνδρὶ ἢ γυναικὶ ἐὰν γένηται ἐν δέρματι σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ αὐγάσματα αὐγάζοντα λευκανθίζοντα, καὶ ὄψεται ὁ ἱερεὺς, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐν δέρματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ αὐγάσματα αὐγάζοντα λευκανθίζοντα, ἀλφός ἐστιν, ἐξανθήσει ἐν τῷ δέρματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, καθαρός ἐστι.» Καίτοι τῆς ἀκριβείας ἐρευνωμένης, πάθος ἂν εἴη σαρκὸς, καὶ λέπρας ἀγχοῦ, τὸ παθεῖν ἀλφόν. Ἀλλ' οὐ νοσεῖ τὴν νέκρωσιν, οὔτε μὴν τὸ ἄγαν ἀπεγνωσμένον. Τοιαῦτα δέ πώς ἐστι καὶ τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν παραπτώματα, πάθη μὲν οὖν ὁμολογουμένως, πλὴν, οὐκ εἰς θάνατον καὶ ψυχῆς καταφθοράν. Ἀκριβολογεῖται δὲ οὐ λίαν ὁ κριτὴς, ὅτι «Αὐτὸς ἔγνω τὸ πλάσμα ἡμῶν,» καὶ τὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως οὐκ ἠγνόησεν ἀσθενές. Κατανεύει δὴ οὖν τὴν ἄφεσιν ἐξ ἐμφύτου φιλανθρωπίας. Καὶ τοῦτο, οἶμαι, ἐστὶ τὸ, Ἀλφὸς καθαρός ἐστιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς νοῦν ἔσθ' ὅτε συμβαίνει καὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τὰ σμικρὰ τῶν αἰτιαμάτων, οἷον φέρε εἰπεῖν, παροξυσμοὶ βραχεῖς, σύμμετροι κινήσεις αἱ πρὸς ὀργὰς, ὀλιγοψυχίαι πρὸς ἀδελφοὺς, καὶ κενῶν ἔσθ' ὅτε δοξα
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 15 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 15 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 15 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 15)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 15)
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.