Laver of bronze: baptism with blood; Aaron washes; John needs baptism
Palladius: You have spoken well.
Cyril: But not yet by blood alone did the law riddlingly command needing to be cleansed, but it has also ordered with the holy water. For this is a most complete way unto cleansing, according at least to the mystery in Christ.
Palladius: And how then has it shown this also, or in what manner?
Cyril: For it has been written that ‘And the Lord spoke toward Moses, saying: Make a bronze laver, and its base bronze, so as to wash. And you will set it between the tent of the testimony and between the altar. And you will pour water into it; and Aaron and his sons will wash from it the hands and the feet with water. When they enter into the tent of the testimony, they will wash with water, and they will not die; or when they come forward toward the altar to liturgize, and to bring up the whole-burnt-offerings to the Lord, they will wash the hands and the feet with water… and it will be for them an age-long lawful thing.’ (Exodus 30:18–21) That then the grace through holy baptism was being pre-written as in this is not unclear. For we are baptized, not gaining a putting-off of dirt of flesh, but being released from pollutions of mind and heart, and washing off the stains of failings, by grace and love-of-human of the one calling unto salvation. For we have been justified not from works of law, according to the Scriptures, but from faith of Jesus Christ. And see already how Aaron, though holy according to law, and indeed also those ordered to liturgize with him, wash off hands and feet with water, and thus touch the holy labors, and indeed run into the Holies of holies free of terrors—the law clearly showing, I think, this also, and the matter itself all but crying out, that even the one seeming to be somehow holy according to law is unholy before God, if he should not wash off with the water, and that the power of the worship in law is not enough unto cleansing. For they were washing beforehand, though consecrated according to law; and what is cleansed is not somehow the pure, but the dirty and unclean. And such a thing Christ himself has also said: ‘The one who has been bathed has no need, except to wash the feet, for he is pure.’ (1 Peter 3:21) And most wise Paul also writes that it is impossible for blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. So then the law is incomplete unto sanctification, unless the saving baptism should also come to those thirsting for intimacy toward God. Therefore also the divine John, though very well crowned with the greatest boasts, and knowing how to excel unto this of virtue so as already to become unto the uppermost limit, was calling the Savior to be baptized saying: ‘I have need to be baptized by you.’ (Galatians 2:16)
Palladius: Truly.
Cyril: And hands and feet being washed off signify the pure and unadulterated of deed and of a walk as toward each of the things to be practiced (John 13:10) (Hebrews 10:4) (Matthew 3:14)
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἀλλ' οὔτι πω μόνῳ τῷ αἵματι καθαίρεσθαι δεῖν αἰνιγματωδῶς ὁ νόμος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὕδατι τῷ ἁγίῳ προστέταχε. Τελεωτάτη γὰρ ἤδε πρὸς κάθαρσιν ὁδὸς, κατά γε τὸ ἐν Χριστῷ μυστήριον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πῶς δὲ δὴ ἄρα καὶ τοῦτο δέδειχεν, ἢ τίνα τρόπον;
{ΚΥΡ.} Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων· Ποίησον λουτῆρα χαλκοῦν, καὶ βάσιν αὐτοῦ χαλκῆν, ὥστε νίπτεσθαι. Καὶ θήσεις αὐτὸν ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. Καὶ ἐκχεεῖς εἰς αὐτὸν ὕδωρ· καὶ νίψονται Ἀαρὼν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας ὕδατι. Ὅταν εἰσπορεύωνται εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου, νίψονται ὕδατι, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνωσιν· ἢ ὅταν προσπορεύωνται πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον λειτουργεῖν, καὶ ἀναφέρειν τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα Κυρίῳ, νίψονται τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας ὕδατι. Ὅταν εἰσπορεύωνται εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου, νίψονται ὕδατι ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνωσι· καὶ ἔσται αὐτοῖς νόμιμον αἰώνιον αὐτῷ. καὶ ταῖς γενεαῖς αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτόν.» Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἡ διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος ὡς ἔν γε δὴ τούτῳ προανεγράφετο χάρις, οὐκ ἀσυμφανές. Βαπτιζόμεθα γὰρ, οὐ σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσιν ῥύπου ἀποκερδαίνοντες, ἀλλὰ τῶν νοῦ καὶ καρδίας ἀπαλλαττόμενοι μολυσμῶν, καὶ τὰς τῶν πλημμελημάτων ἀπολουόμενοι κηλίδας, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ καλοῦντος εἰς σωτηρίαν. Δεδικαιώμεθα γὰρ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, ἀλλ' ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Θέα δὲ δὴ, ὅπως καίτοι κατὰ νόμον ἅγιος ὢν ὁ Ἀαρὼν, καὶ μὴν καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ λειτουργεῖν ἐπιτεταγμένοι, προσαπονίζονται χεῖράς τε καὶ πόδας ὕδατι, πόνων δὲ οὕτως ἅπτονται τῶν ἱερῶν, καὶ μὴν εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰστρέχουσι, δειμάτων ἐλεύθεροι, σαφῶς τε καὶ ἐναργῶς καταδηλοῦντος, οἶμαί που, καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ νόμου, μόνον δὲ οὐχὶ καὶ αὐτοῦ διακεκραγότος τοῦ πράγματος, ὡς ἀνίερος παρὰ Θεῷ, καὶ ὁ δοκῶν εἶναί τις κατὰ νόμον ἱερὸς, εἰ μὴ ἀπολούσαιτο τῷ ὕδατι, καὶ ὅτι τῆς ἐν νόμῳ λατρείας ἡ δύναμις οὐκ ἀπόχρη πρὸς κάθαρσιν. Προαπενίζοντο γοῦν, καίτοι κατὰ νόμον ἡγιασμένοι, καθαίρεται δὲ, οὔτι που τὸ καθαρὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ῥυποῦν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον. Τοιουτονὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς εἴρηκεν ὁ Χριστὸς, «Ὁ λελουμένος οὐ χρείαν ἔχει, εἰ μὴ τοὺς πόδας νίψασθαι, ἔστι γὰρ καθαρός.» Γράφει δὲ καὶ σοφώτατος Παῦλος, ὡς ἔστιν ἀδύνατον αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων ἀφαιρεῖν ἁμαρτίας. Ἀτελὴς οὖν ὁ νόμος εἰς ἁγιασμὸν, εἰ μὴ προσγένοιτο τοῖς δεδιψηκόσι τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν οἰκειότητα τὸ σωτήριον βάπτισμα. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἰωάννης, καίτοι τοῖς ἄγαν αὐχήμασιν εὖ μάλα κατεστεμμένος, καὶ ἀρετῆς εἰς τοῦτο διέρπειν εἰδὼς, ὡς εἰς λῆξιν ἤδη γενέσθαι τὴν ἀνωτάτω, βαπτίζεσθαι παρεκάλει τῷ Σωτῆρι λέγων· «Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Χεῖρες δὲ καὶ πόδες ἀπονιπτόμενοι, ἔργου καὶ πορείας τῆς οἱονεὶ πρὸς ἕκαστα τῶν πρακτέων,
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.