Stature in Christ; mercy not works; hair fire=God receives; Job none clean
Cyril: …measure of stature having driven, the in Christ; (Ephesians 4:13) and as in breads on the one hand the unleavened, clean; and pleasant as in thin-cakes, yet having been mercied through Christ. For we have been justified, not from works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his much mercy. (Titus 3:5) So then was being poured-upon therefore thus well for the breads the oil. And mediates again the priest, and brings-forward on the one hand first the about the sin, then the whole-burnt-offering, and third upon this of the salvation the ram. For of Christ mediating, and bringing-forward us for the God and Father, acceptable on the one hand we will be, over the own sins bringing-forward prayers, and of the ancient charges asking-out the forgiveness. And we are whole-burnt intelligibly, that is, altogether and wholly, both holy and sacred, and unto a smell of sweet-fragrance we will be dedicated for God, toward the in a world not having been portioned; for whole was being spent with the fire the being-whole-burnt. And we will dedicate-up also the thank-offerings, the over at least of our own salvation and life, not with corruptible and earthy things honoring God; a guest-gift and as it were for him bringing-forward takeable-worthy the clean and unleavened
Palladius: And what then this to be do you say?
Cyril: Of a vow a giving-back, and as it were of the having-been-promised the end; for not as the having been defiled upon a dead the most-dishonored already and profane was being shaved-down hair; thus also here the of the shaving will we receive manner. But as already having been perfected in Christ, and hair another having nourished after the eighth he dedicates-up for God just as in a type the having-been-promised. And a sign of the to have been received beside God the gift-bearing, the to be spent with fire the hair; for a form of the fire always for the divine puts-around nature the Letter the sacred. And at least the all-divine said Moses: ‘Our God a fire consuming is;’ (Deuteronomy 4:24) the all-strong, I think somewhere, of the divine and undefiled nature likening-beside with fire. And observe how beside the of the tent doors, the in a perfecting shaving, that is, of every of us righteousness and purification an end. For alone for us, which ever would become toward us both purity and righteousness, how would they lead-in unto the Holies of holies, the unchargeable and unfaulting not having entirely? ‘For clean from filth entirely no one;’ (Job 14:4) and leads-in the Christ, unremembering-evil freeing, and of every
Palladius: Truly.
Cyril: For he himself for us to have inaugurated is said a fresh
Greek
μέτρον ἡλικίας ἐλάσαντες, τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ· καὶ ὡς ἐν ἄρτοις μὲν τοῖς ἀζύμοις, καθαροί· ἡδεῖς δὲ ὡς ἐν λαγάνοις, πλὴν ἠλεημένοι διὰ Χριστοῦ. Δεδικαιώμεθα γὰρ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοσύνης, ἃ ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ πολὺ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος. Ἐπεχεῖτο δὴ οὖν ταύτῃτοι καλῶς τοῖς ἄρτοις τὸ ἔλαιον. Μεσιτεύει δὲ πάλιν ὁ ἱερεὺς, καὶ προσκομίζει μὲν πρῶτον τὸ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, εἶτα τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμα, καὶ τρίτον ἐπὶ τῷδε τοῦ σωτηρίου τὸν κριόν. Μεσιτεύοντος γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ προσάγοντος ἡμᾶς τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ, δεκτοὶ μὲν ἐσόμεθα, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτημάτων προσκομίζοντες λιτὰς, καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων αἰτιαμάτων ἐξαιτοῦντες τὴν ἄφεσιν. Ὁλοκαυτούμεθα δὲ νοητῶς, τουτέστιν, εἰσάπαν καὶ ὁλοκλήρως, ἅγιοί τε καὶ ἱεροὶ, καὶ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας ἀνακεισόμεθα τῷ Θεῷ, πρὸς τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ μὴ μεμερισμένοι· ὅλον γὰρ ἐδαπανᾶτο τῷ πυρὶ τὸ ὁλοκαυτούμενον. Ἀναθήσομεν δὲ καὶ τὰ χαριστήρια, τὰ ὑπέρ γε τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας καὶ ζωῆς, οὐ φθαρτοῖς καὶ γηΐνοις τιμῶντες Θεόν· ξένιον καὶ ὥσπερ αὐτῷ προσάγοντες ἀξιόληπτον τὴν καθαράν τε καὶ ἄζυμον, καὶ ἡδεῖαν ζωὴν καὶ ἁγίαν· τοιουτοσὶ γάρ πως ὁ τῶν ἁγίων βίος. Προσκεκομικότος δὲ τοῦ ἱερέως τὴν θυσίαν κατὰ τὸν νόμον, «Ψιλούσθω, φησὶ, τὴν κεφαλὴν ὁ εὐξάμενος, παρὰ τὰς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ ἐπιτιθέτω τὰς τρίχας ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Καὶ τί δὴ τοῦτο εἶναι φής;
{ΚΥΡ.} Εὐχῆς ἀπόδοσιν, καὶ οἱονεὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων τὸ πέρας· οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ὁ μιανθεὶς ἐπὶ νεκρῷ τὴν ἀτιμοτάτην ἤδη καὶ βέβηλον κατεξυρᾶτο τρίχα· οὕτω κἀνθάδε τὸν τῆς ξυρήσεως ἐκδεξόμεθα τρόπον. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἤδη τετελειωμένος ἐν Χριστῷ, καὶ κόμην ἑτέραν τετροφὼς μετὰ τὴν ὀγδόην ἀνατίθησι τῷ Θεῷ καθάπερ ἐν τύπῳ τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα. Σημεῖον δὲ τοῦ δεδέχθαι παρὰ Θεοῦ τὴν δωροφορίαν, τὸ δαπανᾶσθαι πυρὶ τὴν τρίχα· εἶδος γὰρ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀεὶ τῇ θείᾳ περιτίθησι φύσει τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερόν. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος ἔφη Μωσῆς· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν πῦρ καταναλίσκον ἐστί·» τὸ παναλκὲς, οἶμαί του, τῆς θείας καὶ ἀκηράτου φύσεως παρεικάζων πυρί. Ἄθρει δὲ ὅπως παρὰ τὰς τῆς σκηνῆς θύρας, ἡ ἐν τελειώσει ξύρησις, τουτέστιν, ἁπάσης ἡμῶν δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἁγνισμοῦ πέρας. Μόναι γὰρ ἡμᾶς, αἵπερ ἂν γένοιντο πρὸς ἡμῶν ἁγνεία τε καὶ δικαιοσύνη, πῶς ἂν εἰσοίσειαν εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, τὸ ἀκαταιτίατόν τε καὶ ἀπλημμελὲς οὐκ ἔχουσαι παντελῶς; «Καθαρὸς γὰρ ἀπὸ ῥύπου παντελῶς οὐδείς·» εἰσκομίζει δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀμνησικάκως ἐλευθερῶν, καὶ πάσης ἡμᾶς ἀνιεὶς ἁμαρτίας. Πρόδρομος γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰσελήλακεν, οὐχ ἑαυτῷ που πάντως, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἔξω θυρῶν, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ πως ἤδη γεγονόσιν οὐδῷ τῆς ἁγίας σκηνῆς, καταλεαίνων τὴν εἰσδρομήν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐγκαινίσαι λέγεται πρόσφα
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 16 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 16 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 16 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 16)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 16)
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.