Heb 9: priests always / high priest once; Christ own blood; one offering forever
Cyril: …into the first tent, through all the priests enter performing the worships. And into the second, once of the year alone the high priest not apart from blood, which he brings forward for himself and for the ignorances of the people, this of the holy Spirit making clear that the way of the holies has not yet been manifested, while the first tent still has standing. Which is a parable unto the time that has stood in, according to which gifts and sacrifices are brought forward, not able according to conscience to perfect the one worshipping, only upon foods and drinks and differing baptisms righteous-ordinances of flesh laid on until a time of setting-upright. But Christ having arrived high priest of the coming good things through the greater and more perfect tent not hand-made—that is, not of this creation—nor through blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood has entered once-for-all into Holies of holies having found age-long ransom.’ So then you understand that the priests were performing the worships in the first tent, not having the running-in unto Holies of holies. For somehow such is the worship according to law, having standing in shadows. And these are empty toward cleansing and washing-off of sin. For you have just learned Paul crying that they have insufficiently according to conscience to perfect the one worshipping. And it was rather being kept until a time of setting-upright, clear that of the becoming-human of the Only-begotten, when the unbeauty of the types has withdrawn unto truth. ‘And once of the year and alone the high priest was running into the Holies of holies. And not apart from blood, which he was bringing forward for both himself and for the ignorances of the people.’ And all-wise Paul will also clarify this again for us saying thus concerning Christ, ‘Saying above, that sacrifices and offerings and whole-burnt-offerings and concerning sin you did not will, nor were well-pleased, which are brought forward according to law. Then I said, Behold I have come to do your will’; he takes away the first that he may set the second; ‘In which will we have been sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ; and every high priest stands according to day liturgizing, and bringing forward the same sacrifices many times which are never able to take away sins, having brought forward no sacrifice for sins, unto the continual he has sat at the right of God; the rest awaiting until his enemies be set a footstool of his feet, for by one offering he has perfected unto the continual those being sanctified.’ For having died once, he no longer dies, according to what has been written; and having borne up sins of many, he has entered into the Holies of holies—that is, into the heaven, now to be manifested to the face of God for us.
Palladius: Clear is the word; so then release the sweat upon this, and what blood again would it be which it is custom for the leader of the sacred things to bring forward for both himself and for the ignorances of the people, speak to me asking.
Greek
εἰς μὲν τὴν πρώτην σκηνὴν, διὰ παντὸς εἰσίασιν οἱ ἱερεῖς τὰς λατρείας ἐπιτελοῦντες. Εἰς δὲ τὴν δευτέραν, ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ μόνος ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς οὐ χωρὶς αἵματος, ὃ προσφέρει ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων, τοῦτο δηλοῦντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, μήπω πεφανερῶσθαι τὴν τῶν ἁγίων ὁδὸν, ἔτι τῆς πρώτης σκηνῆς ἐχούσης στάσιν. Ἥτις παραβολὴ εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τὸν ἐνεστηκότα, καθ' ὃν δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίαι προσφέρονται, μὴ δυνάμεναι κατὰ συνείδησιν τελειῶσαι τὸν λατρεύοντα, μόνον ἐπὶ βρώμασι καὶ πόμασι καὶ διαφόροις βαπτισμοῖς δικαιώματα σαρκὸς μέχρι καιροῦ διορθώσεως ἐπικείμενα. Χριστὸς δὲ παραγενόμενος ἀρχιερεὺς τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν διὰ τῆς μείζονος καὶ τελειοτέρας σκηνῆς οὐ χειροποιήτου, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οὐ ταύτης τῆς κτίσεως, οὐδὲ δι' αἵματος τράγων καὶ μόσχων, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος εἰσῆλθεν ἐφάπαξ εἰς Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑράμενος.» Συνίης οὖν ὅτι τὰς μὲν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ σκηνῇ λατρείας ἐπετέλουν οἱ ἱερεῖς, τὴν εἰς Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσδρομὴν οὐκ ἔχοντες. Τοιάδε γάρ πώς ἐστιν ἡ κατὰ νόμον λατρεία, στάσιν ἔχουσα τὴν ἐν σκιαῖς. Εἰκαῖα δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς κάθαρσιν καὶ ἀπόπλυσιν ἁμαρτίας. Διεπύθου γὰρ ἀρτίως βοῶντος τοῦ Παύλου, ὡς ἀνικάνως ἔχουσι κατὰ συνείδησιν, τελειῶσαι τὸν λατρεύοντα. Διετηρεῖτο δὲ μᾶλλον μέχρι καιροῦ διορθώσεως, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, ὅτε τῶν τύπων τὸ ἀκαλλὲς μετακεχώρηκεν εἰς ἀλήθειαν. «Ἅπαξ δὲ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ καὶ μόνος ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσέθει. Καὶ οὐ χωρὶς αἵματος, ὃ προσῆγεν ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων.» Σαφηνιεῖ δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ὁ σοφώτατος Παῦλος ὡδὶ λέγων περὶ Χριστοῦ, «Ἀνώτερον λέγων, ὅτι θυσίας καὶ προσφορὰς καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ἠθέλησας, οὔτε ηὐδόκησας, αἵτινες κατὰ νόμον προσφέρονται. Τότε εἶπον, Ἰδοὺ ἥκω τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου·» ἀναιρεῖ τὸ πρῶτον ἵνα τὸ δεύτερον στήσῃ· «Ἐν ᾧ θελήματι ἡγιασμένοι ἐσμὲν, διὰ τῆς προσφορᾶς τοῦ σώματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ πᾶς μὲν ἀρχιερεὺς ἕστηκε καθ' ἡμέραν λειτουργῶν, καὶ τὰς αὐτὰς πολλάκις προσφέρων θυσίας αἵτινες οὐδέποτε δύνανται περιελεῖν ἁμαρτίας, οὐδεμίαν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν προσενέγκας θυσίαν, εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὸ λοιπὸν ἐκδεχόμενος ἕως τεθῶσιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, μιᾷ γὰρ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους.» Ἅπαξ γὰρ ἀποθανὼν, οὐκέτι ἀποθνήσκει, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· πολλῶν δὲ ἀνενεγκὼν ἁμαρτίας, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, νῦν ἐμφανισθῆναι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σαφὴς ὁ λόγος· ἱδρῶτα δὴ οὖν τὸν ἐπὶ τῷδε μέθες, αἷμα δὲ ποῖον ἂν εἴη πάλιν ὃ καὶ προσκομίζειν ἔθος, τὸν τῶν ἱερῶν ἡγούμενον ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων, ἐρομένῳ φράσον.
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 10 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 10 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 10)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 10)
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.