Heb 4 sword; sheep north = nations; birds opened
Cyril: ‘For living the word of God,’ he says, ‘and working, and sharper beyond every sword double-mouthed, and arriving until a division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrows, and critical of musings and of thoughts of a heart. And there is not a creation unapparent opposite him, and all things naked and having been neck-bent for his eyes, toward whom for us the word.’ (Hebrews 4:12-13) And of the priest kindling the fire, are put upon the altar the dichotomies, with the head and the feet, and indeed also inwards, having been washed-out with waters. For sweet-smelling all the of the holy ones, nothing rejectable beside God of the for those to be-in having been trusted. And they would be unto a type the on the one hand meats, of the as it were thicker of them and embodied life; for solemn it and all-holy; and a head, of a mind
Palladius: How sharp the word!
Cyril: It has then nevertheless the true, even if darting for us as in a mist and darkness; for deep the law. ‘And if from the sheep,’ he says, ‘his gift to the Lord, from both the lambs and the kids unto a whole-burnt-offering; a male unblemished he will bring-forward it, and he will put the hand upon its head, and they will slaughter it, from sides of the altar toward north, opposite Lord.’ (Leviticus 1:10-11) And it is divided also itself, of the inwards having been washed-out according to the equal for the calf manner. And to be brought-up needing upon the altar he was legislating again; and the same would be of the contemplation also upon this word. Yet it has something having been changed; for the lamb was being slaughtered from sides of the altar toward north.
Palladius: What then therefore is also of this the word?
Cyril: Or do you not know, that somehow more-southern is of the Jews the land, and the at least toward a sea the more-northern the unnumbered of the nations herds have portioned-through, according to lands and cities having been settled-together?
Palladius: Truly.
Cyril: A riddle then therefore of the also themselves the unto north herds, sacred to be for God, the as in a part the more-northern to be sacrificed-down the lamb. This indeed also the Savior about the from nations herd was sounding-before saying: ‘And other sheep I have, which are not from this court, and those me it is necessary to lead, and there will become one flock, one shepherd.’ (John 10:16)
Palladius: I understood what you say.
Cyril: And of slackness better and of hesitation every beyond setting the of the wholes God those who ever would choose to fulfill the having-been-customed, he smooths somehow of the fruit-bearing the way, and in the still than a sheep lesser the of the sacrifice to be completed needing he orders, saying: ‘And if from the birds a fruit-offering he should bring-forward a gift to the Lord, also he will bring-forward from the turtle-doves, or from the doves his gift, and the priest will bring-forward it toward the altar, and will pinch-off its head, and the priest will put upon the altar, and will drain the blood toward the base of the altar. And’ (Leviticus 1:14-15)
Greek
«Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐνεργὴς, καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον, καὶ διικνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος, ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν, καὶ κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι κτίσις ἀφανὴς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, πάντα δὲ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ, πρὸς ὃν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος.» Ἀνακαίοντος δὲ τοῦ ἱερέως τὸ πῦρ, ἐπιτίθεται τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ τὰ διχοτομήματα, σὺν τῇ κεφαλῇ καὶ τοῖς ποσὶ, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐνδοσθίοις, ἐκνενιμμένοις ὕδασιν. Εὐώδη γὰρ ἅπαντα τὰ τῶν ἁγίων, οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον παρὰ Θεῷ τῶν ἐκείνοις ἐνεῖναι πεπιστευμένων. Εἶεν δ' ἂν εἰς τύπον τὰ μὲν κρέα, τῆς οἱονεὶ παχυτέρας αὐτῶν καὶ ἐνσωμάτου ζωῆς· σεμνὴ γὰρ αὐτὴ καὶ πάναγνος· κεφαλὴ δὲ, νοῦ σημεῖον, λογισμῶν δὲ καὶ ἐπιθυμιῶν, τὰ ἐντόσθια· πόδες δὲ αὖ, πρακτικῆς καὶ τῆς ὡς ἐν ἔργοις πορείας αἴνιγμα λεπτόν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὡς δριμὺς ὁ λόγος!
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἔχει δ' οὖν ὅμως τὸ ἀληθὲς, καίτοι διάττων ἡμῖν ὡς ἐν ὁμίχλῃ καὶ σκότῳ· βαθὺς γὰρ ὁ νόμος. «Ἐὰν δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων, φησὶ, τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀπό τε τῶν ἀρνῶν καὶ τῶν ἐρίφων εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα· ἄρσεν ἄμωμον προσάξει αὐτὸ, καὶ ἐπιθήσει τὴν χεῖρα ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ σφάξουσιν αὐτὸ, ἐκ πλαγίων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν, ἔναντι Κυρίου.» Μελίζεται δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ, ἐκνενιμμένων τῶν ἐντοσθίων κατὰ τὸν ἴσον τῷ μόσχῳ τρόπον. Ἀνακομίζεσθαι δὲ δεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐθεσμοθέτει πάλιν· ὁ αὐτὸς δ' ἂν εἴη τῆς θεωρίας καὶ ἐπὶ τῷδε λόγος. Πλὴν ἔχει τι παρηλλαγμένον· ἐσφάζετο γὰρ ὁ ἀμνὸς ἐκ πλαγίων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τίς οὖν ἄρα ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ τοῦδε λόγος;
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἢ οὐκ οἶσθα, ὅτι νοτιωτέρα πώς ἐστι τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ γῇ, τὰ δέ γε πρὸς θάλασσαν τὴν βορειοτέραν αἱ ἀναρίθμητοι τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀγέλαι διεμοιρήσαντο, κατὰ χώρας καὶ πόλεις συνῳκισμέναι;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Αἴνιγμα δὴ οὖν τοῦ καὶ αὐτὰς τὰς εἰς βοῤῥᾶν ἀγέλας, ἱερὰς ἔσεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ, τὸ ὡς ἐν μέρει τῷ βορειοτέρῳ καταθύεσθαι τὸν ἀμνόν. Τοῦτό τοι καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ περὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἀγέλης προανεφώνει λέγων· «Καὶ ἄλλα πρόβατα ἔχω, ἃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς ταύτης, κἀκεῖνά με δεῖ ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ γενήσεται μία ποίμνη, εἷς ποιμήν.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Συνῆκα ὃ φής.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ῥᾳθυμίας δὲ ἀμείνους καὶ ὄκνου παντὸς ἐπέκεινα τιθεὶς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τοὺς οἵπερ ἂν ἕλοιντο πληροῦν τὰ νενομισμένα, καταλεαίνει τρόπον τινὰ τῆς καρποφορίας τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔτι προβάτου μείοσι τὰ τῆς θυσίας ἀποπεραίνεσθαι δεῖν ἐπιτάττει, λέγων· «Ἐὰν δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πετεινῶν κάρπωμα προσφέρῃ δῶρον τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ προσοίσει ἀπὸ τῶν τρυγόνων, ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν περιστερῶν τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσοίσει αὐτὸ ὁ ἱερεὺς πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἀποκνίσει τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπιθήσει ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ στραγγιεῖ τὸ αἷμα πρὸς τὴν βάσιν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. Καὶ
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.