Hymenaeus/Alexander; unworthy eating; touching uncleanness = shared counsel/deed
Cyril: …sary unto salvation; of which sort Hymenaeus and Alexander have become, both thinking and saying resurrection has already happened. And to these would be added those inclining unbridledly toward anything whatsoever of the outlandish, and simply casting aside the fruit of their own mind unto stale and wanton pleasures. So then the leprous and the one with flow of seed, that is, the one held in works of deadness (and works of deadness would be the passions of the flesh), and the one not having the inward fruit-bearing, clearly the unto mind and hidden, uncorrupted, let him withdraw, he says, from the holy things, until he should be cleansed. For as all-divine Paul said, ‘Whoever should eat the body of the Lord and drink his cup unworthily, eats and drinks judgment for himself, not discerning his body. But let a human,’ (2 Timothy 2:17–18) he says, ‘test himself, and then eat from the bread, and drink from the cup.’ (1 Corinthians 11:27–28)
Palladius: You spoke best.
Cyril: So then observe, O Palladius, the accuracy of the law; for it has least gone against only the leprous and the one with flow of seed, but as it were also condemns-with them, even if somehow someone should touch those sick, I mean leprous and with flow of seed. ‘And the one touching,’ he says, ‘every uncleanness of soul, or for whom a bed of his seed should go out, will be unclean.’ (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Palladius: And what damage from this would become for those touching?
Cyril: None at least, according to the word in ready hand. For touch of body will not defile a human’s soul. But the law is spiritual, and teaches us again riddlingly, that unclean in charges of pollutions are those liable to soul-passions. And those touching are defiled-with them, or clinging, clearly according to relation of same-counsel, or same-deed; ‘For evil companies corrupt good customs’ (2 Corinthians 6:14–15); and, ‘No share for a faithful with an unfaithful’ (Psalm 18:25–26); and enemy and irreconcilable to the dark is the light. And true that ‘With a holy one you will be holy, and with an innocent man you will be innocent, and with a chosen one you will be chosen, and with a crooked one you will twist.’ (Psalm 140:3) And that not only being sick the most outlandish of the passions will be all-hard for those sick alone, but also whoever should become same-minded and same-opinioned will be defiled with pollutions not less than those, he showed at once adding, that ‘Whoever if he should touch every unclean creeping thing will defile him, or upon a human in whom he defiles according to every uncleanness of him, a soul which should touch them will be unclean until evening.’ (Romans 3:13–14) And bitter and venom-shooting creeping things we say both to be said and to be those for whom the word would be fitting, ‘Venom of asps under their lips; whose mouth is full of curse and bitterness.’ (Leviticus 22:4–6) And these would be also before the others those twisting the straight things, and sounding into the simpler ones the word that procures destruction, carrying them off toward thoughts not good, and unto glory upon God the
Greek
καίων εἰς σωτηρίαν· ὁποῖοί τινες γεγόνασιν Ὑμέναιός τε καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος, οἰόμενοί τε καὶ λέγοντες ἀνάστασιν ἤδη γεγονέναι. Καὶ προστεθεῖεν ἂν τούτοις, οἱ ἀπονεύοντες ἀχαλίνως πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τῶν ἐκτόπων, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν διανοίας τὸν καρπὸν παραῤῥιπτοῦντες ἁπλῶς εἰς ἑώλους καὶ ἀσελγεῖς ἡδονάς. Οὐκοῦν ὁ λεπρὸς μὲν καὶ γονοῤῥυὴς, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὁ τοῖς νεκρότητος ἔργοις ἐνισχημένος (εἶεν δ' ἂν ἔργα νεκρότητος, τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς πάθη), καὶ ὁ τὴν ἔσω καρποφορίαν, τὴν εἰς νοῦν δηλονότι καὶ κεκρυμμένην, οὐκ ἀπαράφθορον ἔχων, ἀποχωρείτω, φησὶ, τῶν ἁγίων, ἕως ἂν καθαρισθῇ. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ θεσπέσιος ἔφη Παῦλος, «Ὃς ἂν ἐσθίῃ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ πίνῃ τὸ ποτήριον αὐτοῦ ἀναξίως, κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει, μὴ διακρίνων τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ. Δοκιμαζέτω δὲ,» φησὶν, «ἄνθρωπος ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τότε ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου ἐσθιέτω, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ποτηρίου πινέτω.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἄριστα ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἄθρει δὴ οὖν, ὦ Παλλάδιε, τὸ ἀκριβὲς τοῦ νόμου· κεχώρηκε γὰρ ἥκιστά γε κατὰ μόνων τοῦ λεπροῦ καὶ γονοῤῥυοῦς, συγκαταδικάζει δὲ ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς, καὶ εἴ τις ἅψαιτο τυχὸν τῶν ἠῤῥωστηκότων, λεπροῦ δὴ λέγω καὶ γονοῤῥυοῦς. «Καὶ ὁ ἁπτόμενος,» φησὶ, «πάσης ἀκαθαρσίας ψυχῆς, ἢ ᾧ ἂν ἐξέλθῃ κοίτη σπέρματος αὐτοῦ, ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Καὶ τίς ἂν γένοιτο τοῖς ἐπαφωμένοις ἡ ἀπό γε τούτου ζημία;
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐδεμία μὲν, κατά γε τὸν ἐν προχείρῳ λόγον. Καταμιανεῖ γὰρ οὐχὶ τὴν ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴν, σώματος ἐπαφή. Πνευματικὸς δὲ ὁ νόμος, καὶ διδάσκει πάλιν ἡμᾶς αἰνιγματωδῶς, ὡς ἀκάθαρτοι μὲν ἐν ἐγκλήμασι μολυσμῶν, οἱ ψυχικοῖς ἔνοχοι πάθεσιν. Συγκαταμιαίνονται δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ οἱ θιγγάνοντες, ἤτοι κολλώμενοι, κατὰ σχέσιν δὲ δηλονότι τῆς ταυτοβουλίας, ἤγουν ταυτοεργίας· «Φθείρουσι γὰρ ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί·» καὶ, «Μερὶς μὲν οὐδεμία πιστῷ μετὰ ἀπίστου·» πολέμιον δὲ καὶ ἀσύμβατον τῷ σκότῳ τὸ φῶς. Καὶ ἀληθὲς, ὅτι «Μετὰ ὁσίου ὁσιωθήσῃ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἀθώου ἀθῶος ἔσῃ, καὶ μετὰ ἐκλεκτοῦ ἐκλεκτὸς ἔσῃ, καὶ μετὰ στρεβλοῦ διαστρέψεις.» Ὅτι δὲ οὐχὶ τὸ ἀῤῥωστῆσαι μόνον τὰ ἐκτοπώτατα τῶν παθῶν, μόνοις ἔσται τοῖς ἠῤῥωστηκόσι παγχάλεπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἵπερ ἂν γένοιντο σύμφρονές τε καὶ ὁμογνώμονες, οὐ μείοσιν ἢ ἐκεῖνοι καταμιανθήσονται μολυσμοῖς, παρέδειξεν εὐθὺς ἐπειπὼν, ὅτι «Ὅστις ἐὰν ἅψηται παντὸς ἑρπετοῦ ἀκαθάρτου, μιανεῖ αὐτὸν, ἢ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν ᾧ μιανεῖ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀκαθαρσίαν αὐτοῦ, ψυχὴ ἥτις ἂν ἅψηται αὐτῶν, ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας.» Ἑρπετὰ δὲ πικρὰ καὶ ἰοβόλα λέγεσθαί τε καὶ εἶναί φαμεν, τοὺς οἷσπερ ἂν εἴη πρέπων ὁ λόγος, «Ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν· ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει.» Εἶεν δ' ἂν οὗτοι καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων οἱ τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφοντες, καὶ τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις τὸν ὀλέθρου πρόξενον ἐνηχοῦντες λόγον, ἀποφέροντές γε πρὸς ἐννοίας οὐκ ἀγαθὰς, καὶ εἰς δόξαν ἐπὶ Θεῷ τὴν δι
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 12 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 12 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 12 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 12)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 12)
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.