Golden altar fragrance; lampstand south Jews / table north Gentiles
Cyril: …he has come unto a slave’s form, and unto a measure of humanity.
Palladius: How subtle the word and deep.
Cyril: Yet it comes not away from the aim.
Palladius: I agree.
Cyril: And with the ark holding thus, ‘And you will set,’ he says, ‘the golden altar unto incense opposite the ark.’ And that Christ is the golden altar, I think has been said sufficiently for us. Yet it has been set opposite the ark, upon which is the veil, and in a circle the Seraphim, and higher God, as somehow receiving the incomparable fragrance of Emmanuel. For he did not do sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, as has been written; therefore also he himself was saying, ‘The Father loves the Son.’ And we ourselves also are acceptable to God, fragrant with Christ’s ointment. And Paul will also confirm writing: ‘And to God thanks who always triumphs us in the Christ, and who manifests the smell of his knowledge through us, because we are Christ’s fragrance to God.’
Palladius: You have spoken uprightly.
Cyril: Let us think then exactly, casting the eye into the things written, that the ark has been seated in the flank of the holy tent toward southwest and west; and opposite it the golden altar, in the place toward ray. For dawn and setting have been filled with the Christ, and north and south. And indeed a place for the lampstand, the southern things of the tent; and for the table, the things toward north. And that through both the Christ is signified, a long word has already shown beforehand for us; for that Christ is light, the lampstand makes clear; and that life and living bread, the table and the things in it. Yet think that, and observe the mystery: for most southern is the country of the Jews, and more northern again that of the nations. So then from the placing of both—I mean of the lampstand and of the table—it will somehow remain for those who wish to think very well, that to the Jews Christ shone light, and among them he was proclaiming, ‘I am the light.’ For he has been sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And, ‘Theirs are the promises,’ according to the Scriptures. And since they did not accept the light of the truth, he has become for the nations life and bread from heaven; and not apart from light the nations; and this also you would learn, the light of the lampstand extending also unto the northern things of the tent. And with the holy tent being most narrow, nothing unlikely that the lampstand seems all but also to have been set beside the table, even if it should have the southern place. And the type also shows for us otherwise, that when divine light shines out those worthy would be able to share Christ, as living and true bread. And the nations have become joint-body and joint-sharers of Christ. And all-divine Paul writes again: And joint-body and joint-sharers have
Greek
ἧκεν εἰς δούλου μορφὴν, καὶ εἰς ἀνθρωπότητος μέτρον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὡς λεπτὸς ὁ λόγος καὶ βαθύς.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἔρχεται δὲ ὅμως οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σύμφημι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐχούσης δὲ ὧδε τῆς κιβωτοῦ, «Καὶ θήσεις, φησὶ, τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ χρυσοῦν εἰς τὸ θυμιᾷν ἐναντίον τῆς κιβωτοῦ.» Καὶ Χριστὸς μὲν ὅτι τὸ θυσιαστήριόν ἐστι τὸ χρυσοῦν, διαρκῶς ἡμῖν εἰρῆσθαι δοκῶ. Τέθειταί γε μὴν ἀπέναντι τῆς κιβωτοῦ, ἐφ' ᾗ τὸ καταπέτασμα, καὶ κύκλῳ τὰ Σεραφὶμ, καὶ ἀνωτέρω Θεὸς, οἱονεὶ δεχόμενος τὴν ἀπαράβλητον εὐωδίαν τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ. Οὐ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἁμαρτίαν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, καθὰ γέγραπται· τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν αὐτὸς, «Ὁ Πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Υἱόν.» Δεκτοὶ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ, τὸ Χριστοῦ μύρον εὐωδιάζοντες. Πιστώσεται δὲ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφων· «Τῷ δὲ Θεῷ χάρις τῷ πάντοτε θριαμβεύοντι ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ φανεροῦντι δι' ἡμᾶς, ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ Θεῷ.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐννοῶμεν δὴ οὖν ἀκριβῶς, τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐνιέντες τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν, ἱδρύσθαι μὲν τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐν τῷ πρὸς λίβα καὶ δυσμὰς κλίτει τῆς ἁγίας σκηνῆς· ἀπέναντι δὲ αὐτῆς τὸ χρυσοῦν θυσιαστήριον, ἐν τῷ πρὸς ἀκτῖνα τόπῳ. Ἠὼς γὰρ καὶ δύσις μεμέστωται τοῦ Χριστοῦ, βοῤῥᾶς τε καὶ νότος. Καὶ γοῦν τόπος μὲν τῇ λυχνίᾳ, τὰ νότια τῆς σκηνῆς. τῇ δὲ τραπέζῃ, τὰ πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν. Καὶ ὅτι δι' ἀμφοῖν ὁ Χριστὸς σημαίνεται, πολὺς ἡμῖν ἤδη προαπέδειξε λόγος· ὅτι μὲν γὰρ φῶς ὁ Χριστὸς, ἡ λυχνία δηλοῖ· ὅτι δὲ ζωὴ καὶ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν, ἡ τράπεζα μὲν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ. Πλὴν ἐκεῖνο διανοοῦ, καὶ ἄθρει τὸ μυστήριον· Νοτιωτάτη μὲν γὰρ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ χώρα, βορειοτέρα δὲ πάλιν ἡ τῶν ἐθνῶν. Οὐκοῦν ἀπό γε τῆς θέσεως τῆς ἀμφοῖν, τῆς τε λυχνίας καὶ τῆς τραπέζης, φημὶ, περιέσται δήπου τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν εὖ μάλα νοεῖν, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν Ἰουδαίοις φῶς ἐπέλαμψεν ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐκήρυττεν, «Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς.» Ἀπέσταλται γὰρ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ, «Αὐτῶν εἰσιν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι,» κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐ προσήκαντο τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς, γέγονε τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ζωὴ καὶ ἄρτος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ οὐ δίχα φωτὸς τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ τοῦτο δ' ἂν μάθοις, διήκοντος τοῦ φωτὸς τῆς λυχνίας καὶ εἰς τὰ βόρεια τῆς σκηνῆς. Στενοτάτης δὲ οὔσης τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἁγίας, τὸ ἀπεικὸς οὐδὲν, μονονουχὶ καὶ παρατεθεῖσθαι δοκεῖν τῇ τραπέζῃ τὴν λυχνίαν, κἂν εἰ τὸν νότιον ἔχῃ τόπον. Ἐμφανίζει δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ ἑτέρως ὁ τύπος, ὡς θείου φωτὸς ἐκλάμποντος γένοιτ' ἂν τοῖς ἀξίοις τὸ μεταλαχεῖν δύνασθαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἄρτου ζῶντος καὶ ἀληθινοῦ. Σύσσωμα δὲ καὶ συμμέτοχα γέγονε τὰ ἔθνη Χριστοῦ. Γράφει δὲ πάλιν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος· Σύσσωμα δὲ καὶ συμμέτοχα γέ
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.