Soft beds cast off; wing break; fine-flour gift opens
Cyril: …very well also the through which would become these, provisions of monies, with the of need assault fighting, and beds soft, and the to these near. But if also needful these and necessary for those upon earth and in bodies, yet then for the holy ones they have been reckoned beside nothing, and a crowd as it were vain simply the of such things possession having sent-away, only-not with naked and uncloaked bodies they continue in a world, the happening-upon and easily-obtained for the of the flesh necessity with hesitation gifting. And of the feathers having been plucked, and of the nature or of the crop having been taken-out, also he will break, he says, from the winglets, and will not divide, and will bring-up thereafter upon the altar. And the on the one hand of the winglets breaking, a type would be and under-example clear of the not to think the
Palladius: Thus it holds.
Cyril: And he brings-down of the sacrifice the manners, also toward the still lesser and for every the year thereafter lying-in, and not with sweat takeable widening, I think somewhere, for small and great of the well-reputing the way; for it has been written, that ‘Wide your command exceedingly.’ (Psalm 119:96) And not with the greatness of the fruit-bearing altogether and in every way the genuine is judged, beside at least the virtue-loving God, but in equal with the excelling the short, the being-in giving, and with what things ever he should have and be able having chosen to honor. He said then thus again: ‘And if a soul should bring-forward a gift a sacrifice to the Lord, fine-flour will be his gift; and he will pour upon it oil, and will put upon it frankincense, a sacrifice it is; and he will bring toward the sons of Aaron the priests, and having grasped from it full the’ (Leviticus 2:1-2)
Greek
εὖ μάλα καὶ τὰ δι' ὧν ἂν γένοιτο ταυτὶ, πορισμοὶ χρημάτων, τῇ τῆς ἐνδείας ἐφόδῳ μαχόμενοι, εὐναί τε μαλακαὶ, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀγχοῦ. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ χρειώδη ταῦτα καὶ ἀναγκαῖα τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ ἐν σώμασιν, ἀλλ' οὖν τοῖς ἁγίοις λελόγισται παρ' οὐδὲν, ὄχλον δὲ ὥσπερ εἰκαῖον ἁπλῶς τὴν τῶν τοιούτων κτῆσιν ἀποπεμψάμενοι, μονονουχὶ γυμνοῖς καὶ ἀναμφιάστοις σώμασι διατελοῦσιν ἐν κόσμῳ, τὸ προστυχὸν καὶ εὐπόριστον τῇ τῆς σαρκὸς ἀνάγκῃ σὺν ὄκνῳ δωρούμενοι. Ἀποτετιλμένων δὲ τῶν πτερῶν, καὶ ἐξῃρημένης τῆς φύσης, ἤτοι τοῦ προλόβου, καὶ ἐκκλάσει, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῶν πτερυγίων, καὶ οὐ διελεῖ, καὶ ἀνοίσει λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον. Καὶ ἡ μὲν τῶν πτερυγίων ἔκκλασις, τύπος ἂν εἴη καὶ ὑπόδειγμα σαφὲς τοῦ μὴ φρονεῖν τὰ ὑπέρογκα, μήτε μὴν ὑψοῦ πέτασθαι τῶν ἁγίων τὸν νοῦν, συνεπάγεσθαι δὲ μᾶλλον τοῖς ταπεινοῖς, καὶ οἱονεὶ τὰ κάτω ζητεῖν. Μετέωρος γὰρ ἀείπως ἐστὶ τῶν ἀλαζόνων ὁ νοῦς, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἄνω φέρεται, συνιζῆσαι τοῖς χθαμαλωτέροις οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος, καὶ τὸ μέτριόν τε καὶ ταπεινὸν ἀτιμάζων φρόνημα. Οὐκοῦν ἡ τῶν πτερυγίων ἔκκλασις, ἀλαζονείας ἀπόθεσιν αἰνιγματωδῶς ὑποφαίνει· ὅτι δὲ καὶ εἰσάπαν, καὶ, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπωμεν, ὁλοτρόπως ἀνέθεσαν τῷ Θεῷ τὴν οἰκείαν ζωὴν, οὐ μεμερισμένοι πρὸς τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ, τὸ μὴ διαιρεῖσθαι δηλοῖ· μεμερίσθαι δὲ τοὺς ἐν γάμῳ, καὶ ὁ σοφὸς ἔφη Παῦλος. Ἱερὸς οὖν ἄρα τῶν ἁγίων ὁ νοῦς, ζωή τε ἁγία, καὶ τρυφῆς ἀμείνων σωματικῆς, καὶ μερίμνης κοσμικῆς ἐλευθέρα, καὶ φρονήματι τῷ μετρίῳ περικαλλής· ἀμέριστος δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας ἀνατίθεται τῷ Θεῷ.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὧδε ἔχει.
{ΚΥΡ.} Καταβιβάζει δὲ τῆς θυσίας τοὺς τρόπους, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἔτι μείω τε καὶ παντὶ τῷ ἔτει λοιπὸν ἐγκείμενα, καὶ οὐ σὺν ἱδρῶτι ληπτὰ κατευρύνων, οἶμαί που, μικρῷ καὶ μεγάλῳ τῆς εὐδοκιμήσεως τὴν ὁδόν· γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι «Πλατεῖα ἡ ἐντολή σου σφόδρα.» Καὶ οὐ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς καρποφορίας πάντη τε καὶ πάντως τὸ γνήσιον κρίνεται, παρά γε τῷ φιλαρέτῳ Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἴσῳ τοῖς προὔχουσιν ὁ βραχὺς, τὰ ἐνόντα διδοὺς, καὶ οἷς ἂν ἔχοι καὶ δύναιτο τιμᾷν ᾑρημένος. Ἔφη τοίνυν ὧδε πάλιν· «Ἐὰν δὲ ψυχὴ προσφέρῃ δῶ-ρον θυσίαν τῷ Κυρίῳ, σεμίδαλις ἔσται τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπιχεεῖ ἐπ' αὐτὸ ἔλαιον, καὶ ἐπιθήσει ἐπ' αὐτὸ λίβανον, θυσία ἐστί· καὶ οἴσει πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀαρὼν τοὺς ἱερεῖς, καὶ δραξάμενος ἀπ' αὐτῆς πλήρη τὴν δράκα ἀπὸ τῆς σεμιδάλεως σὺν τῷ ἐλαίῳ, καὶ πᾶν τὸ λίβανον αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπιθήσει ὁ ἱερεὺς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, θυσία ἐστὶν, ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας τῷ Κυρίῳ.» Συνίης οὖν ὅπως τὸ τοῦ προσκομίζοντος ὑπέμνησε ταπεινόν· ψυχὴν γὰρ ἁπλῶς, κἂν εἰ πολὺ τὸ ἄσημον ἔχοι κατὰ τόνδε τὸν βίον, ὁ θεῖος ἡμῖν ὀνομάζει νόμος, τὸ τῆς ἀνωτάτω φύσεως περὶ πάντας ἶσον καὶ ἀπροκλινὲς κἀν τούτῳ δεικνὺς, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ἐν τῷ φάναι πάλιν, ὅτι «Πᾶσαι αἱ ψυχαὶ, ἐμαί εἰσιν.» Ἀπροσωπόληπτον γὰρ τὸ θεῖον, καθάπερ ἔφην ἀρτίως. Οὐκοῦν εἴπερ ἕλοιτό τις τῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων, φησὶ, τὸ ἐπιφανὲς ἐν κόσμῳ, δωροφορεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, σεμίδαλις ἔσται τῆς θυσίας ὁ τρόπος. πλὴν ἐλαιόδευτος καὶ ἀναμὶξ λιβάνῳ· ὅτι
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.