Twin rams = deed+knowledge; wine joy; goat+lambs = co-burial baptism
Cyril: …of secondary things, they spring up into the perfection understood in Christ. For the rams are perfect in age, marking well in themselves the measure of intelligible perfection. There are two rams, for perfection in Christ is somehow twofold in us — that understood in deed and in knowledge. ‘For whoever does and teaches,’ he says, ‘this one shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.’ (Mt 5:19; Jas 2:22)
And wine is poured again on the offerings; for gladness must altogether follow those who have pressed on to spring into the perfection understood in Christ. ‘Wine,’ he says, ‘gladdens a human heart.’ (Ps 104:15)
And a goat was slaughtered for sin; two lambs also are added with the loaves for a sacrifice of salvation. What is this again? Co-burial with Christ in baptism, then rising with him into newness of life. (Rom 6:3-4; Col 2:12)
Greek
δεστέρων, ἀναθρώσκουσιν εἰς τελειότητα, τὴν ὡς ἐν Χριστῷ νοουμένην. Τέλειοι γὰρ εἰς ἡλικίαν οἱ κριοὶ, τῆς νοητῆς τελειότητος τὸ μέτρον, ὡς ἔν γε σφίσιν αὐτοῖς εὖ μάλα κατασημαίνοντες. Δύο δὲ οἱ κριοὶ, διττὴ γάρ πως ἐν ἡμῖν ἡ ἐν Χριστῷ τελειότης, ἡ ὡς ἐν ἔργῳ τε καὶ γνώσει νοουμένη. «Ὃς γὰρ ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ,» φησὶν, «οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Οἶνος δὲ τοῖς ἱερείοις ἐπιχεῖται πάλιν· ἕψεται γὰρ πάντως τοῖς εἰς τελειότητα τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ νοουμένην διᾴττειν ἐσπουδακόσι, τὸ κατευφραίνεσθαι δεῖν. «Οἶνος γὰρ,» φησὶν, «εὐφραίνει καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου.» Καὶ χίμαρος μὲν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτίας ἐσφάζετο· προσεπάγονται δὲ καὶ ἀμνοὶ δύο μετὰ τῶν ἄρτων, εἰς θυσίαν σωτηρίου. Καὶ τί τὸ χρῆμα πάλιν; Ἀπέθανε γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ὁ Ἐμμανουὴλ, ὡς ἐν τῷ χιμάρῳ γραφόμενος, ἱερὰν δὲ ἡμῶν καὶ εὐπρόσδεκτον ἀποτελῶν τήν τε εἰς καινότητα ζωὴν καὶ τὴν εἰς νέον φύραμα μεταβολὴν, καὶ τὴν μέχρι ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος ἀνάθεσίν τε καὶ καθιέρωσιν, ἣν ὑπομένειν εἰθίσμεθα, μονονουχὶ καὶ συναποθνήσκοντες τῷ δι' ἡμᾶς ἐν νεκροῖς, ἵνα συζήσωμεν αὐτῷ. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἡμῖν ὁ σοφὸς ἐπιστέλλει λέγων· «Ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε, ὅτι ὅσοι ἐβαπτίσθημεν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθημεν; Συνετάφημεν οὖν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ· ἵνα ὥσπερ ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς διὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Πατρὸς, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατήσωμεν.» Οὐκοῦν ἐσφάγη μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν αὐτὸς, συντεθάμμεθα δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτῷ, θάνατον ὑπομένοντες, οὐ σωματικὸν, ἀλλὰ νεκροῦντες τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ κόσμῳ μὲν ζῶντες οὐκέτι, Χριστῷ δὲ μᾶλλον, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ Πατρί. Ὅρα τοίνυν σφαζομένῳ τῷ χιμάρῳ συναποθνήσκοντας τοὺς ἀμνοὺς, καὶ συνθυμιωμένους τοὺς ἄρτους· δεκτὴ γὰρ ἡμῶν ἡ καθιέρωσις, καὶ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας ἡ νέα τε καὶ εὐαγγελικὴ ζωὴ, συμπλαττομένη τρόπον τινὰ τοῖς παθήμασι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ μίμησιν ὑποτρέχουσα. «Εἰ γὰρ συμπάσχομεν, καὶ συμβασιλεύσομεν· εἰ συναποθνήσκομεν, καὶ συζησόμεθα· καὶ εἰ κοινωνοὶ παθημάτων ἐσμὲν, μερισταὶ καὶ τῆς εὐκλείας ἐσόμεθα καὶ αὐτοί.» Σωτηρίου δὲ θυσία διακεκλήσθω, φησὶν, ἡ τοιάδε καλῶς. Σώζει γὰρ τοὺς ὑπὲρ ὦν τὴν σφαγὴν ὑπέμεινεν ὁ Χριστὸς, εἴπερ ἐξίστησιν ἁμαρτίας, καὶ θανάτου, καὶ φθορᾶς ἀμείνους ἀποτελεῖ τοὺς συντεθαμμένους αὐτῷ καὶ συναποθνήσκοντας, κατά γε τὸν ἤδη προειρημένον τρόπον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὡς βαθὺς ὁ λόγος, καὶ ἀμυδρὸν τοῦ νόμου τὸ χρῆμα!
{ΚΥΡ.} Αἴνιγμα γὰρ, ὦ Παλλάδιε, καὶ οἱονεὶ λεπτῶν τε καὶ διεσμιλευμένων ἐννοιῶν, ἀσυμφανὲς ἀποσκίασμα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τρεῖς μὲν οὖν καιροὺς ὁ νόμος ἔφη, καθ' οὓς ἂν ἡμᾶς ἑορτάζειν πρέποι. Τρεῖς γὰρ, φησὶ,
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.
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- 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.