Intelligible gonorrhea = wasted virtue; flee bad company; pitch
Palladius: I agree.
Cyril: And if the such things having let-go, wise on the one hand no longer, foolish and and heartless he would become, not for the unto truth accustomed to train of the own willings having given the inclination, and having cut-out rather the outside to be borne of the fitting, and for those the right to twist having practiced to jump-down-with toward destruction, neither the best and blamelessly having about God opinion having, nor indeed unslanderably the of the to-be-done running the way, would it not already somehow true gonorrheic intelligibly such a one to say, as the through which it was likely to be able to bear-fruit for God, spending toward the nothing?
Palladius: I would say, know then.
Cyril: And what, if the to work the righteousness having let-go, and with the of the manliness to luxuriate beauties, both unjust and having been slackened unto pleasures he should be seen then again, would you not think with the gonorrheic the equal things to be sick, the fitness of the nature, which he would have toward the good, spending toward the more-shameful, and of a spiritual good-fruiting the upon nothing of the useful loss having chosen-instead?
Palladius: I would think.
Cyril: To go then therefore the law farthest has ordered of the gonorrheic, as to depart as most teaching us of those unto badness having bent, and to shake-off nobly whom ever also himself would abominate God, as continuously being sick with the defilement. For a matter truly not unharmful the to be glued to evil ones. For true that, according to the having-been-written: ‘The one touching of pitch, will be defiled.’ (Sirach 13:1) And he defiles-down at least every vessel, of which ever he should touch somehow the gonorrheic, and a bed of him, and skin and vessels, and water and wooden vessels; through riddles under-showing, that of the being-in uncleanness for him someone would share, even if only near according to a disposition he should become the spiritual. For it has been written, that ‘Yourself’ (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σύμφημι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Εἰ δὲ τὰ τοιάδε μεθεὶς, σοφὸς μὲν οὐκέτι, μωρὸς δ' ἂν γένοιτο καὶ ἀκάρδιος, οὐ τοῖς εἰς ἀλήθειαν παιδαγωγεῖν εἰωθόσι τῶν οἰκείων θελημάτων ἐπιδοὺς τὴν ῥοπὴν, ἐκτετιμηκὼς δὲ μᾶλλον τὸ ἔξω φέρεσθαι τοῦ εἰκότος, καὶ τοῖς τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφειν μεμελετηκόσι συγκαταθρώσκειν πρὸς ὄλεθρον, οὔτε τὴν ἀρίστην καὶ ἀμωμήτως ἔχουσαν περὶ Θεοῦ δόξαν ἔχων, οὔτε μὴν ἀδιαβλήτως τὴν τῶν πρακτέων διάττων ὁδὸν, ἆρ' οὐκ ἀτρεκὲς ἤδη πως γονοῤῥυᾶ νοητῶς τὸν τοιόνδε λέγειν, ὡς τὰ δι' ὧν ἦν εἰκὸς καρποφορεῖν δύνασθαι τῷ Θεῷ, δαπανῶντα πρὸς τὸ μηδέν;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Φαίην ἂν, ἴσθι τοι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τί δὲ, εἰ τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἀφεὶς, καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀνδρείας ἐναβρύνεσθαι καλοῖς, ἄδικός τε καὶ παρειμένος εἰς ἡδονὰς ὁρῷτο δὴ πάλιν, ἆρ' οὐκ ἂν οἰήσῃ τῷ γονοῤῥυεῖ τὰ ἴσα νοσεῖν, τὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα τῆς φύσεως, ἣν ἂν ἔχοι πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν, δαπανῶντα πρὸς τὰ αἰσχίω, καὶ πνευματικῆς εὐκαρπίας τὴν ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τῶν χρησίμων ζημίαν ἀνθῃρημένον;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οἰηθείην ἄν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἰέναι δὴ οὖν ὁ νόμος ἀπωτάτω προστέταχε τοῦ γονοῤῥυοῦς, ὡς ἀποφοιτᾷν ὅτι μάλιστα διδάσκων ἡμᾶς τῶν εἰς φαυλότητα νενευκότων, καὶ ἀποσείεσθαι γεννικῶς οὓς ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς καταμυσάττοιτο Θεὸς, ὡς διηνεκῆ νοσοῦντας τὸν μολυσμόν. Χρῆμα γὰρ ἀληθῶς οὐκ ἀζήμιον τὸ κολλᾶσθαι πονηροῖς. Ἀτρεκὲς γὰρ ὅτι, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· «Ὁ ἁπτόμενος πίσσης, μολυνθήσεται.» Καταμιαίνει γε μὴν πᾶν σκεῦος, οὗπερ ἂν ἅπτοιτο τυχὸν ὁ γονοῤῥυὴς, καὶ κοίτην αὐτοῦ, καὶ χρῶτα καὶ ἀγγεῖα, καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ σκεύη ξύλινα· δι' αἰνιγμάτων ὑποδηλῶν, ὅτι τῆς ἐνούσης ἀκαθαρσίας αὐτῷ μετάσχοι τις ἂν, κἂν εἰ μόνον ἀγχοῦ κατὰ διάθεσιν γένοιτο τὴν πνευματικήν. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι «Σεαυτὸν ἁγνὸν τήρει, καὶ μὴ κοινώνει ἁμαρτίαις ἀλλοτρίαις.» Πλὴν, καὶ τὰ τῶν παθῶν ἀπεγνωσμένα, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ βάθει κεκρυμμένα τῶν ἡμετέρων διανοιῶν ἀῤῥωστήματα, καὶ πᾶσαν ἁπλῶς τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν μαλακίαν, ἐξίστησιν ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ἡ δι' αὐτοῦ κάθαρσις, οὐχ οἵουτε ὄντος τοῦ νόμου τοῦτο δρᾷν. «Δικαιοῦται γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἐν νόμῳ,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἴδοις δ' ὅτι καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν οὐ διεψευσμένον τοῖς ἐφεξῆς γεγραμμένοις προσβάλλων· ἔφη γὰρ πάλιν· «Ἐὰν δὲ καθαρισθῇ ὁ γονοῤῥυὴς ἐκ τῆς ῥύσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξαριθμήσεται αὐτῷ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας εἰς τὸν καθαρισμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πλυνεῖ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ λούσεται τὸ σῶμα ὕδατι, καὶ καθαρὸς ἔσται. Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ λήψεται ἑαυτῷ δύο τρυγόνας, ἢ δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν, καὶ οἴσει αὐτὰ ἔναντι Κυρίου ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ δώσει αὐτὰ τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ ποιήσει αὐτὰ ὁ ἱερεὺς, μίαν περὶ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ μίαν εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα, καὶ ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἔναντι Κυρίου ἀπὸ τῆς ῥύσεως αὐτοῦ.» Καθαίρει μὲν οὖν τὸν γονοῤῥυᾶ, καὶ ἀπαλλάττει τοῦ πάθους,
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.