No pagan adornment for God’s altar; the leaders’ gifts begin
Cyril: …as, of course, shameless women are too. But what need did the divine altar, flashing with the beauty of the truth, have of help from outside, that is, of needless ornaments? For the divine is not approached through worldly pleasure, nor with a mind that is somehow slack and fastened on the things of the flesh, but with an understanding that is sober and looks intently upward, to the heavens. If a divine altar had happened to stand somewhere, perhaps even at the foot of trees, as if by chance, the thing would have done no harm at all to the steadfast and genuine worshipper of the Savior. But since the practice is wholly pagan, we must refuse to imitate it, and refuse any likeness to the custom. In the same way, of course, for the faithful mind, firmly set on true knowledge, an idol is nothing in the world (1 Corinthians 8:4), and neither is food offered to idols anything (1 Corinthians 10:19); yet such a person is not permitted to eat when another warns him, for the sake of the conscience of the weaker (1 Corinthians 10:28). ‘For why am I judged by another’s conscience? If I partake with thanks, why am I denounced over that for which I give thanks?’ (1 Corinthians 10:29–30). So this wins approval with God: I mean refusing to act as the pagans do, both in the placing of altars and in the customs and ways of worship.
Palladius: I agree.
Cyril: Sacred Scripture again made it plain to us that we must bear fruit for the glory of God and not go into the holy tent with empty hands. In Numbers it runs thus: ‘And it came to pass on the day that Moses finished setting up the tent, that he anointed it and sanctified it, and all its furnishings, and the altar and all its furnishings; he anointed them and sanctified them. And the leaders of Israel brought offerings, twelve leaders of their fathers’ houses. These were the leaders of the tribes; these were the ones who oversaw the census. And they brought their gift before the Lord: six covered wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon from every two leaders and a calf from each, and they brought them before the tent. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take them from them, and they shall be used for the work of service at the tent of witness, and you shall give them to the Levites, to each according to his service. And Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites’ (Numbers 7:1–6). The tribal leaders’ gifts did not stop there; others were brought besides. For it is written: ‘And the leaders brought offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day he anointed it, and the leaders brought their gifts before the altar. And the Lord said to Moses: One leader each day, a leader each day, shall bring their gifts for the dedication of the altar. And the one who brought his gift on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab, leader of the tribe of Judah. And he brought his gift: one silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels by the holy shekel,
Greek
καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τῶν γυναίων τὰ ἄσεμνα. Τῷ δὲ θείῳ θυσιαστηρίῳ τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπαστράπτοντι κάλλει, ποίων ἔδει τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐπικουρημάτων, ἤγουν εἰκαίων ὡραϊσμῶν; οὐ γὰρ διὰ τέρψεως κοσμικῆς προσιτὸν τὸ θεῖον, οὐδὲ ἀνειμένῳ τρόπον τινὰ νῷ καὶ ἀνάπτοντι πρὸς τὰ σαρκικὰ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν νηφούσῃ διανοίᾳ καὶ πολὺ πρὸς τὸ ἄνω βλεπούσῃ καὶ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Εἴπερ ἦν ὅλως καὶ ὑπὸ πρέμνα τυχὸν, ὡς ἐκ ταυτομάτου γεγονὸς θεῖόν που θυσιαστήριον, ἠδίκησεν ἂν τὸ χρῆμα οὐδὲν τὸν ἀσφαλῆ καὶ γνήσιον τοῦ Σωτῆρος προσκυνητήν· ἐπειδὴ δέ ἐστιν ὅλως Ἑλληνικὸν τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα, παραιτητέον τὴν μίμησιν, καὶ τῆς συνηθείας τὸ ἐμφερὲς, καθάπερ ἀμέλει, τῷ μὲν πιστῷ καὶ βεβηκότι νῷ πρὸς ἀληθῆ εἴδησιν, εἴδωλον μὲν οὐδὲν ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἰδωλόθυτόν ἐστιν, ἐσθίειν γε μὴν οὐκ ἐφίεται παρεγγυῶντος ἑτέρου διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων συνείδησιν· «Ἵνα τί γὰρ ἐγὼ κρίνομαι ὑπὸ ἄλλης συνειδήσεως; Εἰ ἐγὼ χάριτι μετέχω, τί βλασφημοῦμαι, ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐγὼ εὐχαριστῶ;» εὐδοκιμεῖ τοιγαροῦν τὸ χρῆμα παρὰ Θεῷ τὸ παραιτεῖσθαί φημι τὴν πρὸς Ἕλληνας ἰσουργίαν, ὡς ἔν τε τῇ τῶν θυσιαστηρίων θέσει, καὶ ἐν τοῖς περὶ θρησκείας ἔθεσί τε καὶ τρόποις.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σύμφημι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τὸ δὲ δὴ χρῆναι καρποφορεῖν εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ, καὶ μὴ κενὰς χεῖρας ἔχοντας εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ἰέναι σκηνὴν, διεσάφει πάλιν ἡμῖν τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερὸν, ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς οὕτως ἔχον· «Καὶ ἐγένετο, ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ συνετέλεσε Μωσῆς, ὥστε ἀναστῆσαι τὴν σκηνὴν, καὶ ἔχρισεν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτὴν, καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔχρισεν αὐτὰ, καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτά. Καὶ προσήνεγκαν οἱ ἄρχοντες Ἰσραὴλ, δώδεκα ἄρχοντες οἴκων πατριῶν αὐτῶν. Οὗτοι οἱ ἄρχοντες φυλῶν, οὗτοι οἱ παρεστηκότες ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς. Καὶ ἤνεγκαν τὸ δῶρον αὐτῶν ἔναντι Κυρίου, ἓξ ἁμάξας λαμπηνίκας, καὶ δώδεκα βόας, ἅμαξαν παρὰ δύο ἀρχόντων, καὶ μόσχον παρὰ ἑκάστου. Καὶ προσήγαγον ἐναντίον τῆς σκηνῆς. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων· Λάβε παρ' αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔσονται πρὸς τὰ ἔργα τὰ λειτουργικὰ τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ δώσεις αὐτὰ τοῖς Λευίταις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ λειτουργίαν. Καὶ λαβὼν Μωσῆς τὰς ἁμάξας καὶ τοὺς βόας, ἔδωκεν αὐτὰ τοῖς Λευίταις.» Καὶ οὐ μέχρι τούτων τὰ ἐκ τῶν φυλάρχων ἦν· προσεπενήνεκται δὲ καὶ ἕτερα. Γέγραπται γὰρ, «Καὶ προσήνεγκαν οἱ ἄρχοντες εἰς τὸν ἐγκαινισμὸν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἔχρισεν αὐτὸ, καὶ προσήνεγκαν οἱ ἄρχοντες τὰ δῶρα αὐτῶν ἀπέναντι τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν· Ἄρχων εἷς καθ' ἡμέραν, ἄρχων καθ' ἡμέραν προσοίσουσι τὰ δῶρα αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν ἐγκαινισμὸν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. Καὶ ἦν ὁ προσφέρων ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πρώτῃ τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ, Ναασσὼν υἱὸς Ἀμιναδὰβ, ἄρχων τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα. Καὶ προσήνεγκε τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ, τρυβλίον ἀργυροῦν ἓν, τριάκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ὁλκὴ αὐτοῦ· φιάλην μίαν ἀργυρᾶν, ἑβδομήκοντα σίκλων κατὰ τὸν σίκλον τὸν ἅγιον.