Legal images of cleansing; unblemished offerings type Christ/us
Cyril: …from the divine Writing, showing very well the true at least in these for us, and the, for which both clear and vivid the faith would follow, to heap-on other things, superfluous I think somehow.
Palladius: But vivid on the one hand that the matter, clear for everyone. Yet I at least would choose, also from legal images to look-through the cleansing in Christ.
Cyril: So then observe, if it is dear to you, and it seems for us to go thus; for the having-been-defiled, and those having been borne-under by charges of lawlessness, the law was ordering to sacrifice, distinguishing twofold the manners of the sacrifices. For some write-down Emmanuel being slaughtered over us ourselves, and others also us ourselves dying to the world, and bringing-up unto a smell of sweet-fragrance for God the own life and salvation. Or will we not, deadening the members the upon the earth (Colossians 3:5), and freeing the mind of worldly carrying-around and of more earthy pleasures, live-through the divine and evangelical life?
Palladius: Very much so.
Cyril: So then a sacrifice is, the spiritual thorough-cleansing as in death of Christ, and a prayer and gift, as by us, the dedicating to God the good-order and life in holiness. And the law pre-distinguishes and witnesses clearly, the needing to make the approaches at least in these unblemished, both usefully and necessarily. And since of the being-brought-forward victims, some were signaling Christ, as being slaughtered over us, and some also type us, all but sacrificing-up for God the own life. In this way he says, they must both be unblemished, and according to no manner sick with the defect. For unblemished is Christ; for he did not do sin (1 Peter 2:22), but neither would God receive us ourselves, being still in defilements, and sick with the unpleasing of the sin. It has been written… ‘a vow, or according to choice or in your feasts, from the herds or from the sheep, unblemished it will be acceptable, every blemish will not be in it. Blind or crushed, or tongue-cut, or warted, or mangy, or having lichens, they will not bring these forward to God, and unto a fruit-offering you will not give from them upon the altar to the Lord. And a calf or a sheep ear-cut,’ (Leviticus 22:18-23)
Greek
ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, παραδεικνὺς εὖ μάλα τὸ ἔν γε δὴ τούτοις ἡμῖν ἀληθὲς, τὸ δὲ, οἷς ἂν ἕποιτο σαφής τε καὶ ἐναργὴς ἡ πίστις, ἐπισωρεύειν ἕτερα, περιττὸν οἶμαί που.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀλλ' ἐναργὲς μὲν ὅτι τὸ χρῆμα, παντί τῳ σαφές. Ἑλοίμην δ' ἂν ἔγωγε, καὶ ἐκ νομικῶν εἰκόνων τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ διαθρῆσαι κάθαρσιν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἄθρει δὴ οὖν, εἴ σοι φίλον, τῇδέ τε ἡμᾶς ἰέναι δοκεῖ· τοὺς γάρ τοι μεμολυσμένους, καὶ τοὺς τῆς παρανομίας ἐγκλήμασιν ὑπενηνεγμένους, θύειν ὁ νόμος ἐκέλευε, διχῆ διαστέλλων τῶν θυσιῶν τοὺς τρόπους. Αἱ μὲν γὰρ, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν σφαζόμενον καταγράφουσι τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ, αἱ δὲ, καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας ἀνακομίζοντας τῷ Θεῷ τὴν οἰκείαν ζωήν τε καὶ σωτηρίαν. Ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ νεκροῦντες τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ περιφορᾶς κοσμικῆς, καὶ γεωδεστέρων ἡδονῶν τὸν νοῦν ἀπαλλάττοντες, τὴν θείαν τε καὶ εὐαγγελικὴν διαζήσομεν ζωήν;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐκοῦν θυσία μὲν ἔστιν, ἡ ὡς ἐν θανάτῳ Χριστοῦ πνευματικὴ διακάθαρσις, εὐχὴ δὲ καὶ δῶρον, ὡς πρὸς ἡμῶν, τὸ ἀναθεῖναι Θεῷ τὴν εὐκοσμίαν τε καὶ ἐν ἁγιότητι ζωήν. Προδιαστέλλει γε μὴν ὁ νόμος καὶ διαμαρτύρεται σαφῶς, τὸ δεῖν ἀμωμήτους τὰς ἔν γε δὴ τούτοις ποιεῖσθαι προσαγωγὰς, χρησίμως τε καὶ ἀναγκαίως. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῶν προσφερομένων θυμάτων, ἃ μὲν ἐδήλου Χριστὸν, ὡς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σφαζόμενον, ἃ δὲ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀνατυποῖ, μονονουχὶ καταθυμιῶντας τῷ Θεῷ τὴν οἰκείαν ζωήν. Ταύτῃτοί φησιν, ἀμώμητά τε εἶναι δεῖν αὐτὰ, καὶ κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον νοσοῦντα τὴν ἐμπηρίαν. Ἄμωμος γὰρ ὁ Χριστός· οὐ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἂν ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς παραδέξαιτο Θεὸς, ἐν μολυσμοῖς ὄντας ἔτι, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας νοσοῦντας τὸ ἀτερπές. Γέγραπται τοίνυν ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων· Λάλησον Ἀαρὼν καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάσῃ Συναγωγῇ υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ἢ τῶν προσηλύτων τῶν προσκειμένων πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, ὃς ἂν προσενέγκῃ τὰ δῶρα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν ὁμολογίαν αὐτῶν, ἢ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἵρεσιν αὐτῶν, ὅσα ἂν προσενέγκωσι τῷ Θεῷ εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα· δεκτὰ ὑμῖν, ἄμωμα ἄρσενα ἐκ τῶν βουκολίων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν αἰγῶν, πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἔχῃ μῶμον ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐ προσάξουσι Κυρίῳ, διότι οὐ δεκτὸν ἔσται ὑμῖν. Καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἂν προσενέγκῃ θυσίαν σωτηρίου τῷ Κυρίῳ, διαστείλας εὐχὴν, ἢ κατὰ αἵρεσιν ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς ὑμῶν, ἐκ τῶν βουκολίων ἢ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων, ἄμωμον ἔσται εἰσδεκτὸν, πᾶς μῶμος οὐκ ἔσται ἐν αὐτῷ. Τυφλὸν ἢ συντετριμμένον, ἢ γλωσσότμητον, ἢ μυρμηκιῶντα, ἢ ψωραγριῶντα, ἢ λειχῆνας ἔχοντα, οὐ προσάξουσι ταῦτα τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ εἰς κάρπωσιν οὐ δώσετε ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ μόσχον ἢ πρόβατον ὠτότμητον,
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.