Fifth time and Passover lamb; pillar of cloud and fire is Christ
last, when the Only-begotten became human, and endured the slaughter for the life of all. Therefore also Moses’ law was typifying that the lamb is to be taken from the tenth of the first month, and slaughtered toward evening of the fourteenth of the same month, so that in the same both the fifth time for us, as on the fifth day, and the things at the end of the age, the Savior’s slaughter coming to be through ‘toward evening,’ might be signified.
Palladius: Therefore the whole aim of God-breathed Scripture, as it seems, looks toward the mystery of Christ?
Cyril: Altogether so; for Christ is the end of law and prophets; ‘Since there is no other name under heaven given among humans in which we must be saved.’ For the Savior’s disciple said thus, and the demonstration is near, if we strike upon what follows. ‘Setting out,’ it says, ‘the sons of Israel from Succoth, they encamped in Etham beside the wilderness; and God was leading them, by day in a pillar of cloud, to show them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire; the pillar of fire did not fail by night before all the people.’ Do you see how, when those from Israel had gone out from the Egyptians’ land, God was leading in a pillar of cloud and of fire? And through both Christ was being written.
Palladius: In what way?
Cyril: First, because a pillar and foundation of the truth is unshakeable and altogether unbreakable, and holding the earth up high. For in Christ we have been freed from minding the things of flesh, and from rolling in earthly evils; and we are lifted as it were high through him, minding things above, and citizenshiping in heaven. For it is written that ‘The mighty ones of God of the earth have been raised up exceedingly.’ And Christ also said somewhere through David’s voice concerning both the earth and the holy apostles: ‘I have made firm her pillars.’ For the holy disciples who hold up the earth were made firm, having put on the power from on high—that is, the grace through the Holy Spirit. And they themselves were pillars, according to conformation as toward Christ, and according to likeness in grace through Spirit. You will take it then for no other reason than what we just said that Christ has been named a pillar for us; and he was leading when it was day, in a pillar of cloud, and by night, it says, in a pillar of fire, to show them the way. And divine Scripture is accustomed to name night the time before the sojourn, in which, Satan still tyrannizing, the darkness of ignorance was mastering those upon the earth; and day again, the time of our Savior’s sojourn, in which we have been enlightened, receiving into mind the rays of true knowledge of God, and seeing the sun of righteousness with the eyes of the heart; and Paul will testify saying concerning the time before the sojourn
Greek
ἐσχάτοις, ὅτε γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος ὁ Μονογενὴς, καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁπάντων ζωῆς ὑπομεμένηκε σφαγήν. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ὁ Μωσέως διετύπου νόμος, λαμβάνεσθαι μὲν τὸν ἀμνὸν ἀπὸ δεκάτης τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς, σφάζεσθαι δὲ πρὸς ἑσπέραν τῆς τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς, ἵν' ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ ὁ πέμπτος ἡμῖν καιρὸς, ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πέμπτῃ, καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ αἰῶνος, τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος γενέσθαι σφαγὴν διὰ τοῦ, πρὸς ἑσπέραν, σημαίνηται.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἅπας οὖν, ὡς ἔοικε, τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς ὁ σκοπὸς εἰς τὸ Χριστοῦ βλέπει μυστήριον;
{ΚΥΡ.} Παντάπασι μὲν οὖν· τέλος γὰρ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν ὁ Χριστός· «Ἐπεὶ μηδέ ἐστιν ὄνομα ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν τὸ δεδομένον ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς.» Ἔφη γὰρ ὧδε τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὁ μαθητὴς, καὶ γείτων ἡ δεῖξις, εἰ τοῖς ἐφεξῆς προσβάλλοιμεν. «Ἐξάραντες, φησὶν, οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ Σοκχὼθ, ἐστρατοπέδευσαν ἐν Ὀθὼμ παρὰ τὴν ἔρημον· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἡγεῖτο αὐτῶν, ἡμέρας μὲν ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης, δεῖξαι αὐτοῖς τὴν ὁδὸν, τὴν δὲ νύκτα ἐν στύλῳ πυρός· οὐκ ἐξέλιπεν ὁ στύλος τοῦ πυρὸς νυκτὸς ἐναντίον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ.» Ὁρᾷς ὅπως τῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων γῆς ἐκπεφοιτηκότων τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ καθηγεῖτο Θεὸς ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης καὶ πυρός; ἐγράφετο δὲ δι' ἀμφοῖν ὁ Χριστός.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τίνα τρόπον;
{ΚΥΡ.} Πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι στύλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας ἐστὶν ἀκατάσειστόν τε καὶ ἄθραυστον παντελῶς, καὶ ἀνέχων τῆς γῆς ὑψοῦ. Ἀπηλλάγμεθα γὰρ ἐν Χριστῷ τοῦ φρονεῖν τὰ σαρκὸς, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγείοις ἐγκαλινδεῖσθαι κακοῖς· αἱρόμεθα δὲ ὥσπερ ὑψοῦ δι' αὐτοῦ, ἄνω φρονοῦντες, καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ πολιτευόμενοι. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι «Τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ κρατα[ι]οὶ τῆς γῆς σφόδρα ἐπήρθησαν.» Ἔφη δέ που Χριστὸς καὶ διὰ φωνῆς τοῦ Δαβὶδ περί τε τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων· «Ἐγὼ ἐστερέωσα τοὺς στύλους αὐτῆς.» Ἐστερεώθησαν γὰρ οἱ τὴν γῆν ἀνέχοντες ἅγιοι μαθηταὶ τὴν ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν, τοῦτ' ἔστι, τὴν διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χάριν ἀμφιασάμενοι. Στύλοι δὲ ἦσαν αὐτοὶ, κατὰ συμμορφίαν τὴν ὡς πρὸς Χριστὸν, καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν τὴν ἐν χάριτι διὰ Πνεύματος. Ἐκδέξῃ δὴ οὖν οὐχ ἑτέρου του χάριν, ἢ ὧν ἔφαμεν ἀρτίως, στύλον ἡμῖν ὠνομάσθαι Χριστόν· καθηγεῖτό γε μὴν ἡμέρας μὲν οὔσης, ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης, τὴν δὲ νύκτα, φησὶν, ἐν στύλῳ πυρὸς, δεῖξαι αὐτοῖς τὴν ὁδόν. Νύκτα μὲν ὀνομάζειν ἔθος τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, τὸν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας καιρὸν, καθ' ὃν ἔτι τυραννοῦντος τοῦ Σατανᾶ, κατεκράτει τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τῆς ἀγνωσίας ὁ σκότος· ἡμέραν δὲ αὖ, τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιδημίας τὸν χρόνον, καθ' ὃν πεφωτίσμεθα, τὰς τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεογνωσίας αὐγὰς εἰσδεξάμενοι κατὰ νοῦν, καὶ τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιον τοῖς τῆς καρδίας ὄμμασι βλέποντες· καὶ μαρτυρήσει λέγων ὁ Παῦλος περὶ τοῦ χρόνου τοῦ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδη
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 3 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 3 §§1–10 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 3 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 3 §§1–10)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 3)
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.