Oracle on heart = right judgment; saints as precious stones; arms of righteousness
Cyril: …having been set away in heart and inwards we say has been named oracle of the judgments. For as a dwelling of the rational in us is heart and inwards. And as it were has been fixed and naturally planted in the rational in us also the upright and unblamable judgment upon each of the things to be practiced—that is, the righteous-judging, and what is fitting for each; for does not some rational in us weigh the natures of the things to be practiced, and separate from the better the graceless and unbeneficial?
Palladius: And altogether.
Cyril: And custom for the God-breathed Scripture is to name judgment the uprightness and righteous-judging. And indeed all-divine David sings: ‘Blessed those who keep judgment, and who do righteousness in every season.’ (Psalm 106:3) And he said somewhere again: ‘And honor of a king is to love judgment.’ (Proverbs 16:13) For bright is the honor and glory of a king, loving righteousness. So then an oracle of judgment is the having been cast upon heart and chest, through as it were lying in a place of the rational, in which is the uprightness in righteousness. And in this very thing twelve stones held-around with gold, having writing, the tribes. And they would be a type of holy men, who are both bright and honored, and as some choice stones, all but also lying unto mind and heart of Christ; for they are truly worthy of memory, through at least the conspicuous in virtue, and the honored as in sanctification. And from the oracle of the judgments golden tassels also hang, the matter hinting, I think, that of the multitude of the saints the much and unnumbered swarm of achievements is all but also seen having been hung. And indeed blessed David also says the adornment of the Church is in tassels.
Palladius: Persuasive is the word.
Cyril: And from at least the oracle of the judgments a varied and good-colored chain held with golden rings creeps up, just as we were saying, and going through both little shields, reaches unto the very tip of the shoulder-piece, upon which are the stones of the registration. And what this also would be, how is it not worthy to see? So then the riddle seems to me to hint again some such thing: For as the precious stones both in knowledge and in memory of Christ, running toward the above registration, gain the matter through the weapons of righteousness of the right and left; for thus clearly all-divine Paul writes. And indeed also elsewhere he says: ‘Put on the full-armor of God.’ (Psalm 45:13) And golden are the king’s weapons, and golden likewise the little shields, and riddlingly showing the full-armor of God. So then we will be not otherwise in memory and registration of God, unless having grasped the weapons of righteousness, and going through them practically. And the having been fastened of the shoulder-piece (2 Corinthians 6:7) (Ephesians 6:11)
Greek
ἐν καρδίᾳ τε καὶ σπλάγχνοις ἀποτεθειμένον λόγιον τῶν κρίσεων ὠνομάσθαι φαμέν. Ἐνδιαίτημα γὰρ ὥσπερ τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν λογικοῦ καρδία καὶ σπλάγχνα. Ἐρήρεισται δὲ ὥσπερ καὶ ἐγκαταπέπηκται φυσικῶς τῷ ἐν ἡμῖν λογικῷ καὶ ἡ ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν πρακτέων ὀρθή τε καὶ ἀδιάβλητος κρίσις, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἡ δικαιοκρισία, καὶ τὸ ἑκάστῳ πρέπον· ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ λογική τις ἐν ἡμῖν τὰς τῶν πρακτέων ταλαντεύει φύσεις, καὶ ἀποκρίνει τῶν ἀμεινόνων τὸ ἄχαρί τε καὶ ἀλυσιτελές;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Καὶ πάνυ.
{ΚΥΡ.} Κρίσιν δὲ ὀνομάζειν ἔθος τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ Γραφῇ τὴν ὀρθότητα καὶ δικαιοκρισίαν. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος ψάλλει Δαβίδ· «Μακάριοι οἱ φυλάσσοντες κρίσιν, καὶ ποιοῦντες δικαιοσύνην ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ.» Ἔφη δέ που πάλιν· «Καὶ τιμὴ βασιλέως, κρίσιν ἀγαπᾷν. Λαμπρὰ γὰρ ἡ βασιλέως τιμή τε καὶ δόξα, φιλοῦσα δικαιοσύνην. Λόγιον οὖν ἄρα κρίσεως τὸ καρδίᾳ καὶ στέρνοις ἐπεῤῥιμμένον, διὰ τὸ ὥσπερ ἐν τόπῳ κεῖσθαι τοῦ λογικοῦ, ἐν ᾧ ἡ ὀρθότης ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τούτῳ λίθοι δυοκαίδεκα χρυσίῳ περισχετοὶ, γραφὴν ἔχοντες, τὰς φυλάς. Εἶεν δ' ἂν τύπος ἀνδρῶν ἁγίων, οἳ λαμπροί τέ εἰσι καὶ τίμιοι, καὶ οἷά τινες ἀπόλεκτοι λίθοι, μονονουχὶ καὶ εἰς νοῦν καὶ καρδίαν κείμενοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ γάρ εἰσιν ἀληθῶς μνήμης ἄξιοι, διά γε τὸ ἐν ἀρετῇ διαφανὲς, καὶ τὸ ὡς ἐν ἁγιασμῷ τίμιον. Ἀποκρέμανται δὲ τοῦ λογίου τῶν κρίσεων καὶ κρωσσοὶ χρυσοῖ, παραδηλοῦντος, οἶμαι, τοῦ πράγματος, ὅτι τῆς τῶν ἁγίων πληθύος ὁ πολύς τε καὶ ἀναρίθμητος τῶν ἀνδραγαθημάτων ἐσμὸς μονονουχὶ καὶ ἀπηρτημένος ὁρᾶται. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ μακάριος Δαβὶδ καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὸν κόσμον ἐν κροσσωτοῖς εἶναί φησιν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πιθανὸς ὁ λόγος.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἀπὸ δέ γε τοῦ λογίου τῶν κρίσεων χρυσοῖς δακτύλοις ἐνειλημμένη ποικίλη τε καὶ εὔχρως ἀνέρπει σειρὰ, καθάπερ ἐλέγομεν, καὶ δι' ἀμφοῖν ἰοῦσα ταῖν ἀσπιδίσκαιν, ἐπ' αὐτὸ διήκει τῆς ἐπωμίδος τὸ ἄκρον, ἐφ' ᾗ τῆς ἀπογραφῆς αἱ λίθοι. Τί δ' ἂν εἴη καὶ τόδε, πῶς οὐκ ἄξιον ἰδεῖν; Δοκεῖ δὴ οὖν μοι παραδηλοῦν τὸ αἴνιγμα τοιουτονί τι πάλιν· Ὡς γὰρ οἱ λίθοι οἱ τίμιοι καὶ ἐν γνώσει τε καὶ ἐν μνήμῃ Χριστοῦ, πρὸς τὴν ἄνω τρέχοντες ἀπογραφὴν, τὸ χρῆμα κερδαίνουσι διὰ τῶν ὅπλων τῆς δικαιοσύνης τῶν δεξιῶν καὶ ἀριστερῶν· γράφει γὰρ ὧδε σαφῶς ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος. Καὶ μὴν καὶ ἑτέρωθί φησιν· «Ἐνδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Χρυσᾶ δὲ τὰ βασιλέως ὅπλα, χρυσαῖ δὲ ὁμοίως αἱ ἀσπιδίσκαι, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πανοπλίαν αἰνιγματωδῶς ὑποφαίνουσαι. Ἐσόμεθα δὴ οὖν οὐχ ἑτέρως ἐν μνήμῃ τε καὶ ἀπογραφῇ Θεοῦ, μὴ οὐχὶ τῶν ὅπλων τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἁψάμενοι, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν ἰόντες πρακτικῶς. Τὸ δὲ δὴ τῆς ἐπωμίδος ἀνῆφθαι
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.
Witnesses
- 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.