Mortify members as holocaust; sabbath of sabbaths; Tabernacles = paradise/8th
Cyril: Offer your members as a living holocaust: put to death what is earthly in you, and the whole person becomes a sabbath of sabbaths to God. (Rom 12:1; Col 3:5; Lev 16:31)
Then the law leads us into Tent-pitching — Tabernacles — a sketch of paradise rest, leafy shelters, and joy before the Lord seven days. (Lev 23:33-43; Neh 8:14-17)
Palladius: From mortifying to rejoicing — what an order!
Cyril: First death with Christ; then the booth of the coming joy.
Greek
{ΚΥΡ.} Τί δὲ, οἱ παθῶν ἀμείνους, καὶ νεκροῦντες τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακὴν, οὐκ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας ἀνακείσονται τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐν τάξει τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων εἶεν ἂν, λύτρον ὥσπερ τι, καὶ ἐξιλασμὸν ὑπέρ γε τῶν ἰδίων ψυχῶν τὸ χρῆμα ποιούμενοι·
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Καὶ μάλα.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἡμέραν τοίνυν ἐξιλασμοῦ τὴν τῆς ἀσιτίας ὁ νομοθέτης ὠνόμαζε, καὶ σφόδρα ὀρθῶς καὶ ἐννόμως, κατανεκρῶν μὲν τὴν σάρκα καὶ τὰ αὐτῆς, εὐωδιάζων δὲ δὴ τῆς ἀρετῆς τοὺς τρόπους. Ἔργου δὲ παντὸς μὴ καταλήγων κοσμικοῦ, πάντη τε καὶ πάντως ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἔσται κακοῖς, ὃ παρέδειξεν ἐναργῶς, ἐξολοθρευθήσεσθαι λέγων ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ τὸν μήτε νηστεύοντα, μήτε μὴν προσάγοντα τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν, καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀργίαις περιυβρίζοντα νόμον. Σάββατα δὲ σαββάτων τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖσδε καιρὸν εἶναι λέγων, ἐφῆκε νοεῖν, ὡς ἔστι λοιπὸν ἀργιῶν ἀργία, τουτέστιν, ὁλοτελῶς καὶ ὡς ἐν ὁλοκλήρῳ μέτρῳ τῶν ἔργων ἀπόθεσις, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῶν εἰς φαυλότητά τε καὶ ἁμαρτίαν. Καταλήγοντος δὲ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, καὶ μονονουχὶ καταγηράσκοντος τοῦ καιροῦ, μοίραν ὅλως ἐν ἡμῖν ποίαν ἂν ἔχοι λοιπὸν ἡ εἰς ματαιότητα σπουδὴ καὶ οὐχὶ δὴ μᾶλλον τὰ ἀμείνω φρονήσομεν, τὴν τῷ Θεῷ θυμηρεστάτην ἐπιτελοῦντες ἀργίαν, καὶ τῶν οἰκείων περισπασμῶν ἀποφοιτῶντες εἰσάπαν;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ λέγεις.
{ΚΥΡ.} Θεσμοθετεῖ δὲ δὴ πάλιν· «Καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, φησὶ, τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ ἑβδόμου τούτου, ὅταν συντελέσητε τὰ γεννήματα τῆς γῆς, ἑορτάσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας. Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πρώτῃ ἀνάπαυσις, καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἀνάπαυσις, καὶ λήψεσθε τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πρώτῃ καρπὸν ξύλου ὡραῖον, καὶ κάλλυντρα φοινίκων, καὶ κλάδους ξύλου δασεῖς, καὶ ἰτέας, καὶ ἄγνου κλάδους ἐκ χειμάῤῥου, καὶ εὐφρανθήσεσθε ἔναντι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, νόμιμον αἰώνιον εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν. Ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἑορτάσετε αὐτήν.» Ἆρ' αἰσθάνῃ τε λοιπὸν, ὅτι συναγηγερμένων εἰς ἀποθήκην τῶν ἐν ἀγροῖς, καὶ συνειλεγμένων εὖ μάλα τῶν ἑκάστου καρπῶν, ἀγχοῦ δὴ λίαν ἡ παναοίδιμος ἑορτὴ τῆς Σκηνοπηγίας, τὴν ἐν παραδείσῳ δίαιταν ὑποφαίνουσα· καὶ τῶν ἐν ἀρχαῖς εἰς μέθεξιν ἀνατιθεῖσα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Φαμὲν γὰρ εἶναι Σκηνοπηγίαν, τὴν νοητὴν καὶ ἀληθεστέραν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σωμάτων τὴν σύμπηξιν, καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῆς διὰ μέσου φθορᾶς ἀναβιῶναι εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν. Ἀνάπαυσις δὲ ἡ πρώτη καὶ μέν τοι καὶ ἡ ὀγδόη· πρὸ γάρ τοι τῆς ἐν ἀρχαῖς παραβάσεως, οὔπω τῆς μοχθηροτάτης ἡμῖν ἐμβαλούσης ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τὸν δυσαχθῆ καὶ δυσδιακόμιστον ἀληθῶς ἐπιτιθείσης ζυγὸν, ἀνειμένην τινὰ καὶ ἄφετον, καὶ δίχα πόνου παντὸς τὴν ἐν παραδείσῳ δίαιταν ἐποιούμεθα, καθάπερ ἐν ἀρχῇ καὶ ῥίζῃ τοῦ γένους ἐν Ἀδάμ. Ἐπιδημήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὸ διὰ μέσου εἰς πόνους, ἀνέδραμεν εἰς τὸ ἐν ἀρχαῖς κατὰ τὴν ὀγδόην, τουτέστι, μετὰ τὸν ἐν νόμῳ σαββα
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.