The half-man and the holy food: what the blemished may receive
Cyril: …in check and destroys it little by little. Next, as I at least think, he means by the man with only one testicle the half-man, the one who has, as it were, been cut off from full manliness. ‘For neither the sexually immoral,’ he says, ‘nor the soft will inherit the kingdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 6:9–10). By this he names the effeminate, because, though they were given the nature of a man, they belie their manhood: they grow soft in mind and body and willingly break themselves down into feebleness and womanish ways. It is likely, again, that the man with one testicle points to something else as well. For it is usual to call a ‘man’ one who is strong and well knit, and fully able to accomplish whatever he may choose. So a half-man may fittingly be understood as one who is not wholly strong, nor fully vigorous for what befits him. For it is not fitting that one devoted to God should bring him a courage cut short and a strength maimed, so as to be weak in part; rather he should ‘act like a man and be strong,’ as it is written (1 Corinthians 16:13), with an eagerness that no one can fault or mock. So the man listed under ‘blemish’ is admittedly unfit for sacred service. Yet he is not barred from sharing in the holy food. ‘For he shall eat of the holy things,’ he says, ‘but he shall not go in to the veil, and he shall not come near the altar’ (Leviticus 21:22–23). For those who are still subject to weaknesses hidden within the mind may share in the blessing of Christ, not as ranked among the saints, for growth in holiness, for steadiness of mind, and for a steadfastness firmly grounded in all that is best, but in the way that suits the sick: for the putting away of evil, the ending of sin, the putting to death of pleasures, and the recovery of spiritual health. For since Christ is a new creation, according to the Scriptures (2 Corinthians 5:17), we too therefore receive him into ourselves through his holy flesh and blood, so that, refashioned through him and in him for newness of life (Romans 6:4), we may put off the old man, who is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit, as it is written (Ephesians 4:22).
Palladius: You are right.
Cyril: So he forbids the practice of sacred duties to those who are sick with a spiritual affliction that is, as it were, ingrained and cannot be thrown off; for what is always sick with passions grown into it is not holy at all. But if one of those who are blameless in themselves and beyond reproach in their ministry happens to suffer these common passions, which do not fade away, he commands that he must not be left unrebuked, saying (Leviticus 22:2–3): ‘Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and let them keep away from the holy things of the sons of Israel, and they shall not profane my holy name in what they themselves consecrate to me: I am the Lord. Say to them: Throughout your generations, any man from all your offspring who comes near
Greek
λούσης αὐτὸ τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν νήψεως, καὶ ἀναιρούσης κατὰ βραχύ. Μόνορχιν δὲ πρὸς τούτοις, φησὶ, καθάπερ ἐγᾦμαι, τὸν ἡμίανδρον, καὶ οἱονεὶ παρακεκομμένον τὸ τελείως ἀνδροπρεπές. «Οὔτε γὰρ πόρνοι,» φησὶν, «οὔτε μαλακοὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείαν κληρονομήσουσι.» Θηλυδρίας δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους ὀνομάζει, ὅτι τὴν ἀνδρὸς λαχόντες φύσιν, ψεύδονται τὸ ἀνδροπρεπὲς, καὶ νοῦν καὶ σῶμα μαλακιζόμενοι, καὶ ἑκοντὶ κατακλώμενοι πρὸς τὸ ἄναλκι καὶ θηλυπρεπές. Εἰκὸς δὲ δὴ πάλιν, τὸν μόνορχιν καὶ ἕτερόν τι παραδηλοῦν. Ἄνδρα μὲν γὰρ ὀνομάζειν ἔθος τὸν εὐσθενῆ καὶ συνεστραμμένον, καὶ οὐκ ἀνικάνως ἔχοντα πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι κατορθοῦν ἃ ἂν ἕλοιτο τυχόν. Νοηθείη δ' ἂν εἰκότως ἐξ ἡμισείας ἀνὴρ, ὁ μὴ ὁλοκλήρως εὐσθενὴς, μήτε εἰσάπαν εἰς τὰ αὐτῷ πρέποντα γοργός· οὐ γάρ τοι προσήκει τὸν Θεῷ προσκείμενον, διακεκομμένην αὐτῷ τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ λελωβημένον προσάγειν τὸ εὐσθενὲς, καὶ ὡς ἀσθενεῖν ἐκ μέρους· ἀνδρίζεσθαι δὲ καὶ κραταιοῦσθαι, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἀδιάβλητον ἔχοντα καὶ ἀκατάσκωπτον προθυμίαν. Οὐκοῦν ἀνίερος μὲν ὁμολογουμένως, ὁ ὑπὸ μώμου γραφήν. Εἴργεται δὲ οὐχὶ τοῦ χρῆναι μεταλαχεῖν τῆς ἁγίας τροφῆς. «Φάγεται γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων,» φησὶ, «πλὴν πρὸς τὸ καταπέτασμα οὐ προσελεύσεται, καὶ πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ» Οἱ γὰρ ἔτι ταῖς εἰς νοῦν ἔσω κεκρυμμέναις ἀσθενείαις ἔνοχοι, μεταλάχοιεν ἂν τῆς εὐλογίας Χριστοῦ, καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἐν τάξει τῇ τῶν ἁγίων εἰς ἐπίδοσιν ἁγιασμοῦ, καὶ εἰς ἑδραιότητα νοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἐφ' ἅπασι τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἐρηρεισμένην διαμονὴν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν τρόπῳ τῷ πρέποντι τοῖς ἠῤῥωστηκόσιν εἰς ἀπόθεσιν τοῦ κακοῦ, καὶ εἰς κατάληξιν ἁμαρτίας, καὶ εἰς νέκρωσιν ἡδονῶν, καὶ εἰς ἀνάληψιν εὐεξίας τῆς πνευματικῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς καινὴ κτίσις, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, ταύτῃτοι δεχόμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτὸν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς διὰ τῆς ἁγίας αὐτοῦ σαρκός τε καὶ αἵματος, ἵνα πρὸς καινότητα ζωῆς ἀναστοιχειούμενοι δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ, τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποσκευαζώμεθα, τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἀποφάσκει μὲν οὖν τῶν ἱερῶν ἔργων τὴν ἐπιτήδευσιν τοῖς οἱονείπως ἐντετηγμένην καὶ ἀναπόβλητον ἠῤῥωστηκόσι τὴν νοητὴν ἐπήρειαν· ἅγιον γὰρ ἥκιστά γε τὸ νοσοῦν ἀεὶ τὰ προσπεφυκότα τῶν παθῶν· ἀλλ' εἰ καί τινι [τῶν] ἀμωμήτως ἐχόντων ἔν γε δὴ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἀδιαβλήτως εἰς λειτουργίαν, τὸ ἀῤῥωστῆσαι συμβαίνει τὰ κοινὰ δὴ ταυτὶ καὶ οὐκ ἐξίτηλα τῶν παθῶν, οὐκ ἀνεπιτίμητον ἐᾶσθαι δεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπιτάττει, λέγων· «Εἶπον πρὸς Ἀαρὼν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσεχέτωσαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐ βεβηλώσουσι τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιόν μου, ὅσα αὐτοὶ ἁγιάζουσί μοι· ἐγὼ Κύριος. Εἶπον αὐτοῖς· Εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἂν προσέλθῃ ἀπὸ παντὸς τοῦ σπέρματος