Necromancy not of God; saints’ souls not demons’ playthings
Palladius: I would not have to say clearly. Yet the test, I think somewhere, would show the true.
Cyril: You have spoken well. Therefore let that be busied with before the others for now—whether these things are busied with and wondered and finished through God, or then through evil spirits for whom the practice is a care.
Palladius: And who would come unto this absurdity of reasonings, so as to think that necromancers and ventriloquists and enchanters wonder these things through God? For I will remember the law determining the last penalty for everyone who has chosen to do this. Then how is it not stricken to understand that the one condemned with death is not out of tune with God? for he will not yet fight against his own laws.
Cyril: You think most excellently. And will we think the saints’ souls freed from bodies have been thrown aside, and are counted worthy of no word, and have already come unto this misery, so as even to lie under evil and unclean spirits, and unwillingly to follow those turning them easily wherever they should happen to choose? And yet wise John composing for us the book of the Apocalypse, which has also been honored with the Fathers’ votes, was affirming clearly that he had seen the saints’ souls under the divine altar itself. And if they even drag them from the upper dwellings themselves, and bring them down unsparingly from the most holy places, nothing hindering, heaven is walkable for all the demons, and paradise’s gate is opened for them according to likelihood; and the flaming sword also yields, as it seems, and not only of entrance and exit for them; but if they should wish also to bring out some of those come inside from free-speech; then is this not to tear down the hope in Christ, and to show thrice-wretched the life of those admired?
Palladius: It seems so.
Cyril: And indeed it is not unclear. And how was it better for admirable Paul, to depart, and to be with Christ? For if indeed we are about, having gone away from earthly things, and having come to be with Christ, to lie under the opposing spirits, the faith has been emptied, according to what has been written, and everyone, I think, will then vote that being at home in a body differs incomparably from being with Christ, and what is more unbearable upon this; for still making our pastimes in this life, we have not been yoked under the devil’s wills, yet we tread rather upon snakes and scorpions, and upon all the enemy’s power, according to the Savior’s voice. Then having come to be with Christ, how will we be in worse things? and how does he himself speak truly saying: ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, and they will not perish unto the age, and no one will snatch them from my hands; the Father
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιμι σαφῶς εἰπεῖν. Ἐνδείξειε δ' ἂν, οἶμαί που, τὸ ἀληθὲς, ἡ βάσανος.
{ΚΥΡ.} Εὖ ἔφης. Οὐκοῦν ἐκεῖνο καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων πολυπραγμονείσθω τέως, πότερον διὰ Θεοῦ πολυπραγμονοῦνται καὶ τερατεύονται καὶ ἀποπεραίνουσι ταυτὶ, ἤγουν διὰ πονηρῶν πνευμάτων οἷς μελέτη τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Καὶ τίς ἂν εἰς τοῦτο λογισμῶν ἀτοπίας ἀφίκοιτο ἂν, ὡς οἴεσθαι διὰ Θεοῦ τερατεύεσθαι ταυτὶ νεκρομάντας τε καὶ ἐγγαστριμύθους καὶ ἐπαοιδούς; Διαμεμνήσομαι γὰρ τοῦ νόμου, παντὸς ἑλομένου τοῦτο δρᾷν ποινὴν καθορίζοντος τὴν ἐσχάτην. Εἶτα πῶς οὐκ ἀπόπληκτον ἐννοεῖν, τὸν θανάτῳ καταδεδικασμένον, οὐκ ἀπᾴδειν Θεῷ; Οὐ γάρ πω τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ διαμαχεῖται νόμοις.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἄριστα διανοῇ. Τὰς δὲ τῶν ἁγίων ψυχὰς σωμάτων ἀπηλλαγμένας παρεῤῥίφθαι νομιοῦμεν, καὶ λόγου μὲν ἀξιοῦσθαι μηδενὸς, ἥκειν δὲ ἤδη πρὸς τοῦτο ταλαιπωρίας, ὡς καὶ πονηροῖς καὶ ἀκαθάρτοις ὑποκεῖσθαι πνεύμασι, καὶ ἀνεθελήτως ἀκολουθεῖν περιτρέπουσιν εὐκόλως οἷπερ ἂν ἕλοιντο τυχόν. Καίτοι τὸ τῆς Ἀποκαλύψεως βιβλίον ἡμῖν συντιθεὶς ὁ σοφὸς Ἰωάννης, ὃ καὶ ταῖς τῶν Πατέρων τετίμηται ψήφοις, τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ψυχὰς ὑπ' αὐτὸ τὸ θεῖον τεθεᾶσθαι θυσιαστήριον, διεβεβαιοῦτο σαφῶς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἕλκουσι τῶν ἄνω μονῶν, καὶ τόπων αὐτὰς τῶν ἱερωτάτων κατακομίζουσιν ἀφειδῶς, ἀπείργοντος οὐδενὸς, βάσιμος μὲν ἅπασι τοῖς δαιμονίοις ὁ οὐρανὸς, ἀνοίγνυται δὲ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡ τοῦ παραδείσου πύλη· παραχωρεῖ δὲ, ὡς ἔοικεν, καὶ ἡ φλογίνη ῥομφαία, καὶ οὐχὶ τῆς εἰσόδου καὶ ἐξόδου μόνον αὐτοῖς· ἀλλ' εἰ βούλοιντό τινας καὶ τῶν εἴσω γεγονότων ἐκκομίζειν ἐκ παῤῥησίας· εἶτα οὐχὶ δὴ τοῦτό ἐστι, τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ διασύρειν ἐλπίδα, καὶ τρισάθλιον ὑποφαίνειν τῶν τεθαυμασμένων τὸν βίον;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἔοικεν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἀσυμφανές. Πῶς δὲ ἦν ἄμεινον τῷ θαυμασίῳ Παύλῳ, τὸ ἀναλῦσαι, καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι; Εἰ γὰρ δὴ μέλλοιμεν τῶν ἐπιγείων ἀποφοιτήσαντες, καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ γεγονότες, τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις ὑποκεῖσθαι πνεύμασι, κεκένωται μὲν ἡ πίστις, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, τὸ δὲ ἐνδημεῖν ἐν σώματι, τοῦ συνεῖναι Χριστῷ, πᾶς τις οὖν, οἶμαι, καὶ ἀσυγκρίτως διενεγκεῖν ἐπιψηφιεῖται λοιπὸν, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τούτου δυσανεκτότερον· ἔτι μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ ποιούμενοι τὰς διατριβὰς, οὐχὶ τοῖς τοῦ διαβόλου θελήμασιν ὑπεζεύγμεθα, πατοῦμεν δὲ ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων μᾶλλον, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος φωνήν. Εἶτα σὺν Χριστῷ γεγονότες, πῶς ἐν χείροσιν ἐσόμεθα; πῶς δὲ αὐτὸς ἀληθεύει λέγων· «Τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούουσι, κἀγὼ γινώσκω αὐτὰ, καὶ ἀκολουθοῦσί μοι, κἀγὼ δίδωμι αὐτοῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀπόλωνται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ οὐχ ἁρπάσει τις αὐτὰ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου· ὁ Πατήρ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 6 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 6 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 5 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 6)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 6)
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.