Craftiness vs simplicity; honey = marriage; salt = gracious word
Cyril: …fice to bring them up, how is it not uphill to see? So then I think that also crafty sometimes of a holy and good soul, if it should be seen according to seasons, and should have a pretext the piety unto God, not rejectable on the one hand beside him, yet not in equal word will it be ranked of the sweet-fragrant virtue, nor would it be reckoned unto the intelligible sacrifice. For simplicity rather is more honored beside God. For the sacred Writing wonders-down at the all-divine Jacob, saying thus: ‘And Jacob was an unmolded man, dwelling in a house.’ (Genesis 25:27) For craftiness has been marked-off from all the unhurtful ones. And toward at least the holy apostles the Savior himself was saying: ‘Become prudent as the snakes, and unmixed, as the doves.’ (Matthew 10:16) But the unmixed is honorable beside God, and according to another somehow of all in better things. And the crafty and wicked, fitting for the management of the apostleship, which also the blessed Paul was using according to seasons, fleeing-through everywhere the premature enduring death from enemies. So then the crafty at least in the eager-acts according to God, acceptable on the one hand would become, yet would be reckoned nowhere unto a sweet-fragrance of virtue, if it should be assayed according to own nature. According to the equal manner also the honey, having been taken-beside unto a type of the fleshly pleasure, would under-show, I think somehow, this worldly life, and not having been freed from fleshly pleasures; for honorable is marriage, serving the child-bearings, and unchargeable according to law, the one having been used in Christ. Yet this will not be for some unto a power of virtue, nor indeed will it be ranked in equal with the boasts of continence; and the blessed Paul also writes to those in marriage: ‘Do not separate from one another, unless somehow from agreement unto a season, in order that you may have leisure for the prayer and the entreaty.’ (1 Corinthians 7:5) And again… to the holy disciples he was saying. And Paul also writes: ‘Your word in grace and having been seasoned with salt, in order that it may give grace to those hearing.’ (Colossians 4:6)
Palladius: So then it has been fitted that the thoughtful and graceful is signaled through the salts.
Cyril: Thus it holds; and I think needing thereafter having distinguished very well the manners upon at least the needing to sacrifice-down, from the sacred Writings themselves already to look-down, the
Greek
σίαν ἀνακομίζειν αὐτὰ, πῶς οὐκ ἄναντες ἰδεῖν; Οἶμαι δὴ οὖν ὅτι καὶ πανοῦργον ἔσθ' ὅτε ψυχῆς ὁσίας καὶ ἀγαθῆς, εἰ δρῷτο κατὰ καιροὺς, καὶ πρόφασιν ἔχοι τὴν εἰς Θεὸν εὐσέβειαν, οὐκ ἀπόβλητον μὲν παρ' αὐτῷ, πλὴν οὐκ ἐν ἴσῳ λόγῳ κατατετάξεται τῆς εὐώδους ἀρετῆς, οὐδ' ἂν εἰς θυσίαν καταλογισθείη τὴν νοητήν. Ἁπλότης γὰρ μᾶλλον τιμιωτέρα παρὰ Θεῷ. Καταθαυμάζει μὲν γὰρ τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερὸν τὸν θεσπέσιον Ἰακὼβ, οὕτω λέγον· «Καὶ ἦν Ἰακὼβ ἄπλαστος ἀνὴρ, οἰκῶν ἐν οἰκίᾳ.» Ἐξῄρηται μὲν γὰρ πάντων τῶν ἀκάκων ἡ πανουργία. Πρὸς δέ γε τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους αὐτὸς ἔφασκεν ὁ Σωτήρ· «Γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις, καὶ ἀκέραιοι, ὡς αἱ περιστεραί.» Ἀλλ' ἔστι τὸ μὲν ἀκέραιον τίμιον παρὰ Θεῷ, καὶ καθ' ἕτερόν που πάντων ἐν ἀμείνοσιν. Τὸ δέ γε πανοῦργον καὶ πονηρὸν, τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ πρέπον τῆς ἀποστολῆς, ᾧ προσεχρῆτο κατὰ καιροὺς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, πανταχῆ διαδιδράσκων τὸ πρόωρον παρ' ἐχθρῶν ὑπομεῖναι θάνατον. Οὐκοῦν τὸ πανοῦργον ἔν γε τοῖς κατὰ Θεὸν σπουδάσμασι, δεκτὸν μὲν ἂν γένοιτο, καταλογισθείη δ' ἂν οὐδαμῶς εἰς ἀρετῆς εὐωδίαν, εἰ δοκιμάζοιτο κατ' ἰδίαν φύσιν. Κατὰ τὸν ἴσον δὴ τρόπον καὶ τὸ μέλι, τῆς σαρκικῆς ἡδονῆς εἰς τύπον παραληφθὲν, ὑποφήνειεν ἂν, οἶμαί που, τὴν ἐγκόσμιον ταύτην, καὶ σαρκικῶν ἡδονῶν οὐκ ἀπηλλαγμένην ζωήν· τίμιος μὲν γὰρ ὁ γάμος, ταῖς τεκνογονίαις ὑπηρετῶν, καὶ ἀνυπαίτιος κατὰ νόμον, ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ κεχρημένος. Πλὴν οὐκ ἔσται τοῦτό τισιν εἰς ἀρετῆς δύναμιν, οὔτε μὴν ἐν ἴσῳ τετάξεται τοῖς τῆς ἐγκρατείας αὐχήμασιν· ἐπιστέλλει δὲ τοῖς ἐν γάμῳ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος· «Μὴ χωρίζεσθε ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, εἰ μή τι ἂν ἐκ συμφώνου πρὸς καιρὸν, ἵνα σχολάσητε τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἦτε, φησὶν, ἵνα μὴ πειράζῃ ὑμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς, διὰ τὴν ἀκρασίαν ὑμῶν.» Προσεπήνεγκε δὲ τούτοις· «Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω κατὰ συγγνώμην, οὐ κατὰ ἐπιταγήν.» Ὁρᾷς οὖν ὅτι συγγνώμην δίδωσι τοῖς ἐν γάμῳ; Πῶς οὖν ἀρετὴ, τὸ συγγνώμῃ θεραπευόμενον; «Περὶ δὲ τῆς παρθένου,» φησὶν, «ὅτι μακαριωτέρα ἐστὶν ἐὰν οὕτως μείνῃ,» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἄγαμος. Οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἀπόβλητον μὲν τὸ μέλι. δεκτὸς γὰρ ὁ γάμος. Πλὴν οὐκ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας, καθὰ καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς οἱ τρόποι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔν γε μὴν τοῖς θύμασιν ἐπιπάττονται ἅλες, χρῆναι γὰρ οἶμαι καταθύειν ἡμᾶς σοφῶς τε καὶ ἐμφρόνως, καὶ πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τῶν ἀγαθῶν εὖ μάλα διηρτημένους. Τὸ γὰρ ἄχαρί τε καὶ ἄνοστον, πρέποι ἂν ἥκιστά γε τοῖς εὐσεβεῖν ἑλομένοις. Ταύτῃτοι καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ· «Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ ἅλας τῆς γῆς,» τοῖς ἁγίοις ἔφασκε μαθηταῖς. Ἐπιστέλλει δὲ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· «Ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ἐν χάριτί τε καὶ ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἄραρεν οὖν ὅτι τὸ ἔμφρον τε καὶ ἐπίχαρι, διὰ τῶν ἁλῶν σημαίνεται.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὧδε ἔχει· χρῆναι δὲ οἶμαι λοιπὸν εὖ μάλα διῃρηκότας τοὺς ἐπί γε τὸ δεῖν καταθύειν τρόπους, ἐξ αὐτῶν ἤδη τῶν ἱερῶν καταθρεῖν Γραμμάτων, τὸ
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.