Bells = Gospel; pomegranates = cities; gold plate = Holy to Lord / Son sent
Cyril: …proclamation, as it were buzzing around every city, when for us the great high priest, the unblemished victim, has entered into the Holies of holies, having found age-long ransom. ‘For by one offering he has perfected unto the continual those being sanctified.’ (Hebrews 10:14) And a not unclear riddle as it were: of the saving proclamation the bells having come to be from gold, and of cities the pomegranate-lets.
Palladius: In what manner?
Cyril: For as a city is bound outside with one wall, and holds within itself countless households; in the same manner, I think, also the matter of the pomegranate is girded outside with one rind, and within the seeds are walled from one another with thin coats, and all but are gathered according to households. Or does it not hold thus?
Palladius: I agree.
Cyril: So then a bell beside each pomegranate; for a teacher beside each city, by the ringing-out and good-sound of the divine dogmas, setting clear for all the running-in of our Savior into the Holies of holies. And a fear has also been hung over, that he may not die—clearly if speechless and without the Gospel sound someone should dare the sacred things. And upon the headdress a gold leaf he orders to be bound, engraved Seal of holiness of Lord. And this is a type of the kingship and sending of Christ; for having been sanctified and sent into the world he himself says toward Jews: ‘If those it called gods toward whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be loosed, of whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, do you say that You blaspheme, because I said, I am Son of God?’ (Exodus 28:36–38) So then when the Son says himself to have been sanctified by God and Father, he makes clear the as-it-were having been chosen-beforehand and sent. So then a holy-thing of Lord, he says, this is, a showing-forth unto this world and (John 10:35–36) (John 10:36)
Greek
κηρύγματος, οἱονεί πως ἅπασαν περιβομβοῦντος πόλιν, ὅτε δι' ἡμᾶς εἰσβέβηκεν εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑράμενος, ὁ μέγας ἡμῶν ἀρχιερεὺς, τὸ ἄμωμον θῦμα. «Μιᾷ γὰρ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους.» Αἴνιγμα δὲ ὥσπερ οὐκ ἀσυμφανὲς, τοῦ μὲν σωτηρίου κηρύγματος οἱ ἐκ χρυσοῦ γεγονότες κώδωνες, πόλεων δὲ οἱ ῥοΐσκοι.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τίνα τρόπον;
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὡς γὰρ πόλις ἑνὶ μὲν ἔξωθεν περιδέδεται πύργῳ, μυρίας δὲ ὅσας ἐν ἑαυτῇ συνέχει τὰς συνοικίας· τὸν αὐτὸν, οἶμαι, τρόπον καὶ τὸ χρῆμα τῆς ῥόας ἑνὶ μὲν ἔξωθεν ἐλύτρῳ διέζωσται, ἔσωθεν δὲ οἱ κόκκοι χιτῶσιν ἰσχνοῖς ἀλλήλων ἀποτειχίζονται, μόνον δὲ οὐχὶ συλλέγονται κατὰ συνοικίας. Ἢ οὐχ ὧδε ἔχει;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σύμφημι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Κώδων δὴ οὖν παρ' ἑκάστῃ ῥόᾳ· διδάσκαλος γὰρ παρ' ἑκάστῃ πόλει, τῇ τῶν θείων δογμάτων ἀποκτυπήσει καὶ εὐηχίᾳ, φανερὰν ἅπασι καθιστὰς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὴν εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσδρομήν. Ἐπήρτηται δὲ καὶ δεῖμα θανάτου τοῖς ἱερουργεῖν ἐπιτεταγμένοις, ἤτοι τῷ Ἀαρὼν, εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν σκηνὴν, εἰ μὴ περιβομβοῖεν εὖ μάλα τῶν κωδώνων οἱ κτύποι. Χρῆμα γὰρ ἐπισφαλὲς διδασκάλοις ἡ σιωπή. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐναργῶς, ὅπερ ἔφη Παῦλος, «Οὐαὶ γάρ μοί ἐστιν, ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίζωμαι.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἔοικεν· διατεκμαίρῃ γὰρ δὴ καὶ λίαν ὀρθῶς.
{ΚΥΡ.} Καὶ πρός γε δὴ τούτοις· «Καὶ ποιήσεις, φησὶ, πέταλον χρυσοῦν, καθαρὸν, καὶ ἐκτυπώσεις ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτύπωμα σφραγίδος, Ἁγίασμα Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐπιθήσεις αὐτὸ ἐπὶ ὑακίνθου κεκλωσμένης. Καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ τῆς μίτρας, κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς μίτρας ἔσται. Καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου Ἀαρών. Καὶ ἐξαρεῖ Ἀαρὼν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν ἁγίων, ὅσα ἂν ἁγιάσωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, παντὸς δόματος τῶν ἁγίων αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἔσται ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου Ἀαρὼν διαπαντὸς, δεκτὸν αὐτοῖς ἔναντι Κυρίου.» Ἐξ ὑακίνθου μὲν οὖν ἡ μίτρα, χρυσοῦν δὲ τὸ πέταλον. Ἐκτύπωμα δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ γραφὴ, τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον, καὶ τῆς εἰς τόνδε τὸν κόσμον ἀποστολῆς προαναφώνησις ἐναργής. Ἁγίασμα γὰρ, φησὶ, Κυρίῳ. Ἢ οὐχὶ ἐνηγιᾶσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἔφη σαφῶς ὁ Ἐμμανουήλ;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ναὶ, μεμνήσομαι γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις λέγοντος, «Εἰ ἐκείνους εἶπε θεοὺς, πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος Θεοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ οὐ δύναται λυθῆναι ἡ Γραφὴ, ὃν ὁ Πατὴρ ἡγίασε, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι Βλασφημεῖς, ὅτι εἶπον, Υἱὸς Θεοῦ εἰμι;»
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐνηγιᾶσθαι δὲ ὅταν λέγῃ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁ Υἱὸς, τὸ οἱονεὶ προκεχειρίσθαι τε καὶ ἀπεστάλθαι δηλοῖ. Ἁγίασμα δὴ οὖν Κυρίου, φησὶ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, εἰς τόνδε τὸν κόσμον ἀνάδειξις καὶ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 11 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 11 of seventeen. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition of the Greek.
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- Copy-text Migne PG 68 De adoratione Book 11 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 11)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 11)
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.