Death from Adam until the holy table; Christ the shepherd for the sheep

death was cut short. And the holy Writing was marking that the altar was small at the beginnings, yet Solomon added to it at the last. Or do you not say that the insight of what lies before is as in a short form in these things?

Palladius: I say so; and how would the mind become clear—make it distinct already.

Cyril: Or do you not know that human nature has confessedly slipped down into death and corruption, sharpening the Creator toward angers, as in the firstfruits of our race—that is, Adam, who at the beginnings set aside the divine commandment, and heard thus: ‘You are earth, and unto earth you will go away’?

Palladius: Truly.

Cyril: From early morning therefore—that is, from first times of the present age—death was pastured upon those upon the earth, until the hour of the meal—that is, until a time of table. For when a time of the holy table stood in for us—clearly that in Christ and mystical, upon which we eat the bread from heaven and life-making—the terrible and hard-to-meet one of old, death, was abolished, God having been entreated; and the destroyer has barely been shamed, who when he wished also to cast the destroying hand upon those inhabiting the holy city, the intelligible Jerusalem, God having been entreated, is then barely checked; for ‘Let go now,’ he says, ‘it is enough.’ And a holy city is the Church, whose inhabitants would be those being perfected unto sanctification through living bread. And of the city thus august and worth admiring the divine David also makes mention saying: ‘Glorious things have been spoken concerning you, the city of God.’ For Christ has dwelt in us, who is life and life-making. Therefore also God scares the destroyer away from those sanctified, as no longer owing to conquer after the manifestation of the time of the holy table, which the time of the meal hints. Christ therefore has delivered us, being understood as in the person of David. For when he was seeing death consuming those upon the earth, he has become an advocate for us toward the Father; for he was bringing himself forward for us, and willingly put himself under death, and has shamed the destroyer, saying the sin is his own; not that he has done the sin, but that, according to the Scriptures, ‘he himself takes up our sins, and is in pain concerning us, and was reckoned among the lawless,’ although not knowing sin; ‘and he has become a curse for us.’ And he says the shepherd rather than the sheep must suffer; for as a good shepherd he has set his soul for the sheep. Then according to a divine reminder, the divine David, where he has already seen the destroying angel idle and standing (for he saw him by the threshing-floor, it says), having fixed an altar there, has offered up to God whole-burnt-offerings and peace-offerings (and these are forms and manners of the sacrifices according to the law). And through the threshing-floor you will understand the Church, into which