Faith’s enrollment differs: whole consecration vs world-divided
having unclear the body’s stature. And since besides these the enrollment come to be as in faith and love unto Christ also had to be very well signaled, a difference being woven in, which one may see as among those who believe. For some, together with receiving the faith, also practice the sacred in works, and the service under God; and others do not make the consecration whole, divided toward the things in the world; thus justly the lawgiver orders the sacred to be preferred to the other, as understood in a type
Palladius: Will we then think that we will share with the saints what they themselves would succeed at with their own heads, playing the man and having been most eager to be approved?
Cyril: Very much so, if they themselves are truly filled with divine gifts, having taken the gift with toils and sweats, and having driven through countless contests; and from love of God they also fill us with what has been gifted them. And indeed the divine
Greek
ἀφανῆ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἡλικίαν ἔχον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς τούτοις ἐχρῆν καὶ τὴν ὡς ἐν πίστει τε καὶ ἀγάπῃ τῇ εἰς Χριστὸν γενομένην ἀπογραφὴν εὖ μάλα κατασημαίνεσθαι, συμπεπλεγμένης διαφορᾶς, ἣν ὡς ἔν γε τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ, ὁμοῦ τῷ παραδέχεσθαι τὴν πίστιν, καὶ τὸ ἐν ἔργοις ἱερὸν, καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ Θεῷ δουλείαν ἐπιτηδεύουσιν· οἱ δὲ οὐχ ὁλόκληρον ποιοῦνται τὴν ἀφιέρωσιν, μεμερισμένοι πρὸς τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ· ταύτῃ τοι δικαίως ὁ νομοθέτης προτιμᾶσθαι θατέρου κελεύει τὸ ἱερὸν, ὡς ἐν τύπῳ νοούμενον γένει τῷ Λευιτικῷ· καὶ τὸν πρῶτον ἔχειν ἐν ἀπογραφῇ, προστέταχε τόπον. Πρώτου δὴ οὖν διὰ τοῦτο μνημονεύει τοῦ Λευτικοῦ, ἕπεται δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ παρέζευκταί πως, τὸ ἄρσεν τε καὶ τὸ πρωτότοκον. Ἐκτετίμηται γὰρ παρὰ Θεῷ λίαν, τὸ ὡς ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ τῇ πνευματικῇ καὶ ἐν συμμορφίᾳ νοούμενον, τῇ κατὰ Χριστὸν, ὅς ἐστι πρωτότοκος. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος ἐπιστέλλει τισὶ τῶν ὀκλαζόντων περὶ τὴν πίστιν, καὶ εἰς ἐννοίας ψυχρὰς ἐκτεθηλυμμένων· «Τεκνία μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω, ἄχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν.» Δεκτὸς οὖν ἄρα καὶ ἐν βίβλῳ Θεοῦ πᾶς, ὁ ὡς ἐν μορφώσει τῇ κατὰ Χριστὸν πρωτότοκος, ἄρσην τε καὶ ἐμφρονέστατος. Ἐπιτήρει δὲ ὅτι καθάπερ ἔφην ἀρτίως, ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ἑτεροφύλων, οὐ πᾶν ἄρσεν ἁπλῶς ἐναρίθμιον, ἀλλὰ μόνον τὸ πρωτότοκον· οὐ γάρ τοι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἐν πίστει διαπρεπὴς, καὶ ἐν συμμορφίᾳ τῇ κατὰ Χριστὸν, πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ μὴ πιστεύσαντες, ἀνάγραπτον δὲ καὶ ἐν ἀριθμῷ μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ πρωτότοκον, διὰ τὸν ἐν ἡμῖν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. Ἅπαν δὲ ἄρσεν ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀδιακρίτως ἔν γε τοῖς Λευιτικοῖς ἐν ἀπογραφῇ καὶ ἐν ἐκλογισμοῖς· Θεῷ γὰρ οἰκεῖον ὁλοκλήρως τὸ ἅγιον. Μηνιαῖα δὲ καὶ ἐπάνω τὰ ἀπογραφόμενα· καὶ τίς ἡ πρόφασις; Ὅτι τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἡ ἐν Χριστῷ νηπιότης, οὐκ ἀπόβλητος παρὰ Θεῷ, σύμβολος δὲ ὥσπερ τῆς ἁπλότητος τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ, καὶ πνευματικῆς νηπιότητος, τὸ τῆς ἡλικίας κομιδῆ βραχύ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐλέγομεν ὡς ἐν τοῖς μαχιμωτάτοις, καλῶς τε καὶ ἀμωμήτως γεγενῆσθαι τὴν ἀπογραφὴν ἀπὸ εἰκοσαετοῦς καὶ ἐπάνω, οὕτω φαμὲν, ὅτι τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ νηπιότητος, σημεῖον ἂν γένοιτο σαφὲς, ὁ ἐκ μηνιαίου καιρός. Τοιουτονὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· «Ἀδελφοὶ, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσὶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε· ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶν, τέλειοι γίνεσθε.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οἰησόμεθα δὴ οὖν, ὡς συμμεθέξομεν τοῖς ἁγίοις, ὧνπερ ἂν αὐτοὶ, ταῖς γε δὴ σφῶν αὐτῶν κατορθώσειαν ἂν κεφαλαῖς, ἀνδριζόμενοί τε καὶ εὐδοκιμεῖν ὅτι μάλιστα διεσπουδακότες.
{ΚΥΡ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν, εἴπερ εἰσὶν ἀληθῶς, αὐτοὶ μὲν θείων ἀνάμεστοι χαρισμάτων, πόνοις καὶ ἱδρῶσιν ἑλόντες τὸ δῶρον, καὶ διὰ μυρίων ὅσων ἀγώνων ἐλάσαντες· ἀναπιμπλᾶσι δὲ καὶ ἡμᾶς τῶν σφίσι δεδωρημένων ἐξ ἀγάπης Θεοῦ. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 4 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 4 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 4 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 4)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 4)
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.