Lampstand wholly God; seven lamps = gifts; light for those face-to-face
Cyril: …in him, even if he should somehow be understood as not simple in the God-fitting dignities. For he is understood as light and life, and power and incorruption. For wanting to teach that nothing is brought-in in him, he added, I think somewhere, the, ‘The sphere-makers and the little reeds will be from it; whole turned from pure gold’ (Exodus 25:31–37)—that is, wholly through-and-through God, not consecrated in equality with the generated, nor as angels perhaps understood in their own nature, yet made bright from that one’s grace and glory, and as with pure gold anointed with the giving of the spirit, but the thing itself by nature—God, the most pure and highest nature. And seven are the lamps; for in many modes is the illumination from Christ. And, ‘To one has been given a word of wisdom, to another a word of knowledge, and discernment of spirits,’ (1 Corinthians 12:8–10) and the rest. And a sign of perfection is again the number seven. And all-perfect also according to his own nature is Emmanuel, as God, and of the gifts from him in distribution, he lies perfectly in those worthy to take. For he does not ‘give the spirit from measure,’ (Psalm 34:15) according to John’s voice, but ‘from the fullness we all received.’ (Zechariah 4:1–3) Then he says: ‘And you will set the lamps, and they will shine from the one face.’ (John 3:34) But what such a setting would somehow become, he was making clear in Numbers, saying thus: ‘And the Lord spoke toward Moses saying: Speak to Aaron, and you will say toward him: When you set the lamps from a part according to the face of the lampstand, the seven lamps will give light; and Aaron did thus from the one part according to the face of the lampstand, and lit its lamps, as the Lord arranged for Moses.’ (John 1:16) Understand then already that the seven lamps turned according to the face of the lampstand were sending the light into those who see. For the divine and intelligible light does not shine upon those lying behind and somehow as in turning-away from what is with God, but upon those led into sight through sanctification, and already become face-to-face through the frankness in faith, and the all-beautiful solemnity in living uprightly. For everything as much as is in baseness and disobedience is abominable and hated. And honorable and in God’s oversight is the obedient and easy-to-rein. For to Jews choosing to revel against him unrestrainedly, he also says through Isaiah’s voice: ‘When you stretch out the hands toward me, I will turn my eyes away from you.’ (Numbers 8:1–3) ‘And eyes of the Lord are upon just ones,’ (Isaiah 1:15) according to what is hymned in Psalms.
Palladius: Truly.
Cyril: The divine Zechariah also clearly remembers this holy lampstand; for he said that ‘And the angel speaking in me turned back, and raised me, in the manner a human was raised from his sleep, and said toward me, What do you see? And I said, I have seen, and behold a lampstand gold whole, and its little torch, and seven lamps upon it, and two olives upon it; one from the right of its little torch, and one
Greek
ἐν αὐτῷ, κἂν εἰ νοοῖτό πως τοῖς θεοπρεπέσιν ἀξιώμασιν οὐχ ἁπλοῦς. Φῶς γὰρ καὶ ζωὴ, καὶ δύναμις καὶ ἀφθαρσία νοεῖται. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲν εἰσποιητὸν ἐν αὐτῷ διδάξαι βεβουλημένος, προσεπήνεγκεν, οἶμαί που, τὸ, «Οἱ σφαιρωτῆρες καὶ οἱ καλαμίσκοι ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔστωσαν· ὅλη τορνευτὴ ἐκ χρυσίου καθαροῦ,» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὅλος διόλου Θεὸς, οὐκ ἐν ἴσῳ τοῖς γενητοῖς ἡγιασμένος, οὐδὲ ὥσπερ ἄγγελοι τυχὸν ἐν ἰδίᾳ νοούμενοι φύσει, κατηγλαϊσμένοι δὲ ἐκείνου χάριτί τε καὶ δόξῃ, καὶ οἷάπερ χρυσίῳ καθαρῷ, τῇ τοῦ πνεύματος δόσει κατακεχρισμένοι, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τῇ φύσει τὸ χρῆμα, Θεὸς, ἡ καθαρωτάτη τε καὶ ὑπερτάτη φύσις. Ἑπτὰ δὲ οἱ λύχνοι· κατὰ πολλοὺς γὰρ τρόπους ὁ παρὰ Χριστοῦ φωτισμός. Καὶ, «Ὧ μὲν δέδοται λόγος σοφίας, ἑτέρῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως, διάκρισίς τε πνευμάτων,» καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Τελειότητος δὲ σημεῖον, ὁ ἑπτὰ πάλιν ἐστὶν ἀριθμός. Παντέλειος δὲ καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἰδίαν ὁ Ἐμμανουὴλ, ὡς Θεὸς, καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ χαρισμάτων ἐν διανομῇ, τελείως ἔγκειται τοῖς ἑλεῖν ἀξίοις. Οὐ γὰρ «Ἐκ μέτρου δίδωσι τὸ πνεῦμα,» κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰωάννου φωνὴν, ἀλλ' «ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν.» Εἶτά φησι· «Καὶ ἐπιθήσεις τοὺς λύχνους, καὶ φανοῦσιν ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς προσώπου.» Ἀλλὰ τίς ἂν γένοιτο τυχὸν ἡ τοιάδε θέσις, ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς ἐδήλου σαφῶς, οὕτω λέγων· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν λέγων· Λάλησον Ἀαρὼν, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτόν· Ὅταν ἐπιθῇς τοὺς λύχνους ἐκ μέρους κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς λυχνίας, φωτιοῦσιν οἱ ἑπτὰ λύχνοι· καὶ ἐποίησεν οὕτως Ἀαρὼν ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς μέρους κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς λυχνίας, καὶ ἐξῆψε τοὺς λύχνους αὐτῆς, καθὰ συνέταξε Κύριος τῷ Μωσῇ» Σύνες δὴ οὖν, ὅτι κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς λυχνίας, οἱ ἑπτὰ τετραμμένοι λύχνοι, τὸ φῶς τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἐνίεσαν. Οὐ γὰρ τοῖς κατόπιν καὶ οἱονεί πως ἐν ἀποστροφῇ κειμένοις τῇ παρὰ Θεῷ, τὸ θεῖόν τε καὶ νοητὸν ἐπιλάμπει φῶς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς εἰς ὄψιν ἠγμένοις δι' ἁγιασμοῦ, καὶ ἀντιπροσώποις ἤδη γεγονόσι διὰ τῆς ἐν πίστει παῤῥησίας, καὶ τῆς ἔν γε τῷ βιοῦν ὀρθῶς παγκάλου σεμνότητος. Βδελυρὸν μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀπηχθημένον πᾶν ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐν φαυλότητί τε καὶ ἀπειθίᾳ. Τίμιον δὲ καὶ ἐν ἐπισκέψει Θεοῦ, τὸ εὐπειθὲς καὶ εὐήνιον. Ἰουδαίοις μὲν γὰρ ἐμπαροινεῖν ἑλομένοις ἀκαθέκτως αὐτῷ, καὶ διὰ φωνῆς Ἡσαΐου φησίν· «Ὅταν τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνητε πρὸς μὲ, ἀποστρέψω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἀφ' ὑμῶν.» «Ὀφθαλμοὶ δὲ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους,» κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ὑμνούμενον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τῆς ἁγίας ταυτησὶ λυχνίας μέμνηται σαφῶς καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ζαχαρίας· ἔφη γὰρ, ὅτι «Καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ἐξήγειρέ με, ὃν τρόπον ἐξηγέρθη ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἷπε πρὸς μὲ, Τί σὺ βλέπεις; Καὶ εἶπα, Ἑώρακα, καὶ ἰδοὺ λυχνία χρυσῆ ὅλη, καὶ τὸ λαμπάδιον αὐτῆς, καὶ ἑπτὰ λύχνοι ἐπάνω αὐτῆς, καὶ δύο ἐλαῖαι ἐπάνω αὐτῆς· μία ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ λαμπαδίου αὐτῆς, καὶ μία
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 9 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 9 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 9)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 9)
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.