Proselyte shares altar; Pascha only in holy city / Church
Cyril: …And the proselyte shall feast with you by the same law and rejoice with those who rejoice. (Ex 12:48-49; Num 9:14) For those who in due seasons take hold of the boasts of faith in Christ we make sharers of the bloodless sacrifice, and we call them to partake of the holy table.
I also think it necessary to add that a custom has prevailed in the Churches — from this law, I suppose — that if the fourteenth of the moon falls outside the first month, they carefully seek the second nearby month and look in it for the appointed day, so that the true season of the feast may not be lost. The matter stands as the ancient law also proclaimed.
Palladius: You have spoken rightly. But tell me this: if it is not for just anyone, and not even if he is on a road…
Cyril: Exactly — the Passover is not to be slaughtered in every chance place, but in the place the Lord your God chooses; for us that place is the Church, the holy city. (Dt 16:5-6; Heb 13:10)
Greek
μήσομεν. Ἑορτάσει δὲ σὺν ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸν ἴσον νόμον, καὶ συνησθήσεται χαίρουσιν ὁ προσήλυτος. Τοὺς γάρ τοι κατὰ καιροὺς τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πίστεως προσιεμένους τὰ αὐχήματα, ποιούμεθα κοινωνοὺς τῆς ἀναιμάκτου θυσίας, καὶ τῆς ἁγίας τραπέζης καλοῦμεν εἰς μέθεξιν. Κἀκεῖνο δὲ οἶμαι προσεπενεγκεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, ὅτι κεκράτηκεν ἔθος ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις, ἀπό γε, οἶμαι, τοῦδε τοῦ νόμου, ὡς εἰ ἐκπίπτοι τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς, ἡ κατὰ σελήνην τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη, τὸν δεύτερον καὶ ἀγχοῦ περιεργάζεσθαι μῆνα, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ζητεῖν τὴν ὡρισμένην ἡμέραν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξοίχοιτο τοῦ ἀληθοῦς τῆς ἑορτῆς ὁ καιρός. Ἔχει δὲ οὕτω τὸ χρῆμα, καθὰ καὶ τῷ πάλαι προηγόρευται νόμῳ.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης· πλὴν, ἐκεῖνο φράσον. Εἰ μὴ παντί τῳ τυχὸν καὶ εἰ ἐν ὁδῷ γένηται μακρᾷ, καὶ ὡς ἀπωτάτω τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐφῆκεν ὁ νόμος ἀνεπιλήπτως δύνασθαι τὸ Πάσχα πληροῦν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐ μὲν οὖν· ἐν μόνῃ γὰρ δὴ καταθύειν ἐκέλευε τῇ ἁγίᾳ πόλει, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τὸν πάλαι ναὸν ὁ Σολομὼν ἀνεδείματο. Προσεφώνει δὲ οὕτως ὁ Μωσῆς ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, λέγων· «Φύλαξαι τὸν μῆνα τῶν νέων, καὶ ποιήσεις τὸ Πάσχα Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου, ὅτι ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῶν νέων ἐξῆλθες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου νυκτός. Καὶ θύσεις τὸ Πάσχα Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου, πρόβατα καὶ βόας ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ᾧ ἐὰν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου αὐτὸν, ἐπικληθῆναι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖ. Οὐ φάγῃ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ζύμην. Ἐπτὰ ἡμέρας φάγῃ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ἄζυμα, ἄρτον κακώσεως, ὅτι ἐν σπουδῇ ἐξήλθετε ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ἵνα μνησθῆτε τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἐξοδίας ὑμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς ὑμῶν. Οὐκ ὀφθήσεταί σοι ζύμη ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὁρίοις σου ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐ κοιμηθήσεται ἀπὸ τῶν κρεῶν ὧν ἐὰν θύσητε τὸ ἑσπέρας τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πρώτῃ εἰς τὸ πρωΐ. Οὐ δυνήσῃ θῦσαι τὸ Πάσχα ἐν οὐδεμιᾷ τῶν πόλεών σου ὧν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι, ἀλλ' ἢ εἰς τὸν τόπον ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, ἐπικληθῆναι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖ. Θύσεις τὸ Πάσχα ἑσπέρας πρὸς δυσμὰς ἡλίου ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ᾧ ἐξῆλθες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἑψήσεις καὶ ὀπτήσεις καὶ φάγῃ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, ᾧ ἐὰν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου αὐτόν.» Μυρίαις μὲν γὰρ ὅσαις πόλεσί τε καὶ κώμαις ἡ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐπεπλήθη χώρα, τελεῖν δὲ καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τῷ Πάσχα νόμον, ἐν μόνῃ δὲ χρῆναι τῇ ἁγίᾳ πόλει διετύπου Θεὸς, ἐκεῖνο, οἶμαί που, σκιαγραφοῦντος ἡμῖν εὖ μάλα τοῦ νομικοῦ γράμματος, ὡς οὐκ ἂν εἴη θέμις οὔτε μὴν ἐφεῖταί τισι τὸ ἐπὶ Χριστῷ μυστήριον, καθ' ὃν ἂν ἕλοιτο τρόπον, ἤγουν ἐν τόπῳ παντὶ δύνασθαι πληροῦν· χῶρος γὰρ μόνος ὁ πρέπων αὐτῷ, καὶ οἰκειότατος ἀληθῶς, ἡ ἁγία πόλις, τουτέστιν, ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἐν ᾗ καὶ νόμιμος ἱερεὺς, καὶ διὰ χειρῶν ἡγιασμένων τελεῖται τὰ ἱερὰ, καὶ θυμίαμα προσφέρεται τῷ πάντων κρατοῦντι Θεῷ, καὶ θυσία καθαρὰ, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ προφήτου φωνήν. Δι' οὐδενὸς οὖν ἄρα τὸν ἐπὶ τῷδε ποιοῦνται
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 17 of a seventeen-book dialogue — the final book of the series.
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 17 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 17 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 17)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 17)
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.