Formed faith = soul-murder if aborted; beast-torn; mixed seed/vineyard
Cyril: …completion according to flesh they were practicing, having been transferred unto the worship of the law; for this very reason they were also making the formation of Christ in themselves incomplete, somehow aborting the good lying in themselves as in a womb. So the perfect in knowledge and the unmixed unto faith will house the formation of the Savior in the souls of all of us, and this in us will be as somehow a divine sowing. Whenever then some should be scandalized as from the word-fight of certain ones; and then the soul that has suffered this should abort the faith and knowledge lying as in travails and treasured within unto mind—if it should be, he says, not yet formed, that is, if still incomplete and less beautiful, the cause of the scandal will altogether and in every way endure a penalty, which the bridegroom of this one should lay on, he says—that is, Christ; and he will give with dignity, that is, let him also confess grace, not having undergone the penalty unto complete destruction. And if the intelligible conception of the soul should be formed, he says—that is, if there should be knowledge and faith of Christ wearing formation—he will be subject to the accounts concerning the last things, as already also a murderer. For death of soul is the putting-off of the blameless faith, and the loss of knowledge that holds rightly. Therefore he says that needing to share unholy teachings, and whatever words a man would make, having become devilish prey, and somehow food of the herd of demons, is a pollution; and he forbids again, saying as in a riddle, ‘And flesh taken by beasts you will not eat; throw it to the dog.’ For it is custom of the divine Scripture to name as dog the shameless and unclean human. And every word somehow foul and stinking would be fitting for such a one, I think, and composed from Beelzebul himself, as of a wild beast having eaten down the soul that fell under him and serves unto this; ‘For no one says, Anathema Jesus, except in Beelzebul.’ And for holy ones to come into participation of thoughts and words so shameful or adulterated is altogether unfitting. ‘For there is no communion of light toward darkness.’
Palladius: Truly.
Cyril: And that it is fitting for those allotted to lead, and leaders of flocks, to stay awake, he again oracled. And what manner of our fairness unto this would become, he hints, saying in Leviticus: ‘You will not make your cattle mount with a differently yoked animal, and you will not sow your vineyard with different seed.’ For to herds of goats and sheep, or indeed to a vineyard, one must very well liken the multitude under hand. For the divine Peter heard: ‘Simon of Jonah, do you love me? Feed my lambs, shepherd my sheep.’ And concerning those from Israel, the prophet Isaiah was saying: ‘For the vineyard of the Lord Sabaoth is the house of Israel, and
Greek
κατὰ σάρκα τελείωσιν ἐπετήδευον, εἰς τὴν τοῦ νόμου λατρείαν μετενηνεγμένοι· ταύτῃτοι καὶ ἀτελεσφόρητον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μόρφωσιν ἀπετέλουν, οἱονεί πως ἀπαμβλίσκοντες τὸ ἔν γε σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ὡς ἐν νηδύϊ κείμενον ἀγαθόν. Οὐκοῦν τὸ ἐν γνώσει τέλειον καὶ τὸ ἀκραιφνὲς εἰς πίστιν, τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὴν μόρφωσιν ταῖς ἁπάντων ἡμῶν εἰσοικιεῖται ψυχαῖς, καὶ τοῦτο ἐν ἡμῖν ὡς θεία τις ἔσται σπορά. Ὅταν τοίνυν ὡς ἀπό γε τῆς τινων λογομαχίας σκανδαλίζοιντό τινες· εἶτα ἡ τοῦτο παθοῦσα ψυχὴ, τὴν ὡς ἐν ὠδίσι κειμένην, καὶ εἰς νοῦν ἔσω τεθησαυρισμένην, ἀπαμβλίσκοι πίστιν τε καὶ γνῶσιν, εἰ μὲν εἴη, φησὶ, μὴ ἐξεικονισμένη, τουτέστιν, εἰ ἀτελὴς ἔτι καὶ ἀκαλλεστέρα, ζημίαν ὑπομενεῖ πάντη τε καὶ πάντως ὁ τοῦ σκανδάλου παραίτιος, ἣν ἂν ἐπιβάλῃ, φησὶν, ὁ ταύτης νυμφίος, τουτέστι, Χριστός· καὶ δώσει μετὰ ἀξιώματος, τουτέστι, καὶ ὁμολογείτω χάριν, μὴ τὴν εἰς ὄλεθρον παντελῆ ποινὴν ὑποστάς. Εἰ δὲ εἴη, φησὶν, ἐξεικονισμένον τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς κύημα νοητὸν, τουτέστιν, εἰ γνῶσις εἴη καὶ πίστις τοῦ Χριστοῦ φοροῦσα μόρφωσιν, τοῖς περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ὑποκείσεται λόγοις, ὡς ἤδη καὶ φονευτή. Ψυχῆς γὰρ θάνατος, ἡ τῆς ἀμωμήτου πίστεως ἀπόθεσις, καὶ τῆς ἀρτίως ἐχούσης γνώσεως ἡ ζημία. Τοιγάρτοι τὸ χρῆναι μεταλαχεῖν ἀνοσίων εἰσηγημάτων, καὶ ὧν ἂν ποιοῖτο λόγων, ἀνὴρ, γεγονὼς κατάβρωμα διαβολικὸν, καὶ τῆς τῶν δαιμονίων ἀγέλης οἱονεί πως τροφὴ, μολυσμὸν εἶναί φησι· καὶ ἀποφάσκει πάλιν, ὡς ἐν αἰνίγματι λέγων, «Καὶ κρέας θηριάλωτον οὐκ ἔδεσθε· τῷ κυνὶ ἀποῤῥίψατε αὐτό.» Κύνα μὲν γὰρ, τὸν ἀναιδῆ καὶ ἀκάθαρτον ἄνθρωπον ὀνομάζειν ἔθος τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. Πρέπον δ' ἂν εἴη τῷ τοιῷδε τυχὸν, ἅπας τις οὖν, οἶμαι, λόγος βδελυρὸς καὶ δυσώδης, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ συγκείμενος τοῦ Βεελζεβοὺλ, ὡς θηρὸς ἀγρίου κατεδηδοκότος τὴν ὑποπεσοῦσαν αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπηρετοῦσαν εἰς τοῦτο ψυχήν· «Λέγει γὰρ οὐδεὶς, Ἀνάθεμα Ἰησοῦς, εἰ μὴ ἐν Βεελζεβούλ.» Ἁγίοις γε μὴν τὸ ἐν μεθέξει γενέσθαι τῶν οὕτως αἰσχρῶν ἢ κεκιβδηλευμένων ἐννοιῶν τε καὶ λόγων, ἀνάρμοστον κομιδῇ. «Κοινωνία γὰρ οὐδεμία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐγρηγορέναι δὲ ὅτι προσήκει τοὺς καθηγεῖσθαι λαχόντας, καὶ ἡγουμένους ποιμνίων, κατεχρησμῴδησε πάλιν. Τίς δ' ἂν γένοιτο τῆς πρὸς ἡμῶν ἐπιεικείας εἰς τοῦτο τρόπος, ὑπεμφαίνει, λέγων ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ· «Τὰ κτήνη σου οὐ κατοχεύσεις ἑτεροζύγῳ, καὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνά σου οὐ κατασπερεῖς διάφορον.» Πώεσι μὲν γὰρ αἰγῶν καὶ προβάτων, ἤγουν ἀμπελῶνι παρεικαστέον εὖ μάλα τὴν ὑπὸ χεῖρα πληθύν. Ἤκουε μὲν γὰρ ὁ θεσπέσιος Πέτρος· «Σίμων Ἰωνᾶ, φιλεῖς με; βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου, ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου.» Περὶ δέ γε τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ προφήτης ἔφασκεν Ἡσαΐας· «Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ, οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστι, καὶ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 8 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 8 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 8)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 8)
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.