Unconfused sacred order; Lord the portion; no land lot for Levi
Palladius: You spoke well.
Cyril: So then in the unconfused order are the sacred things; for thus it would be fitting, and not to have otherwise.
Palladius: You speak well.
Cyril: And as it were a common lot he apportions to both, the gift-bearings of those under hand, and as many as one should bring up unto a dedication and sacrifice to God, these he says must be of priests and Levites together. For thus the God of the wholes said toward Aaron: ‘In their land you will not inherit, and a portion will not be for you in them; because I am your portion and your inheritance in midst of the sons of Israel. And to the sons of Levi: Behold I have given every tenth in Israel in a lot instead of their liturgies, as many as they themselves liturgize a liturgy in the tent of the witness, and the sons of Israel will no longer come forward into the tent of the witness to take a death-bearing sin, and the Levite himself will liturgize the liturgy of the tent of the witness, and they themselves will take their sins; eternal lawful into their generations, and in midst of sons of Israel they will not inherit an inheritance; because the tenths of the sons of Israel as many as if they should set apart to Lord, a taking-away I have given to the Levites in a lot; through this I have said to them: In midst of sons of Israel they will not inherit a lot.’ (Numbers 18:20–24) And in Deuteronomy at least having as it were cycled the same word, somehow thus he says: ‘There will not be for the priests the Levites, for whole tribe of Levi, a portion, nor a lot with Israel. Fruits of Lord their lot; they will eat them. And a lot will not be for them in their brothers; Lord himself his lot, according as he said to him. And this the judgment of the priests the things from the people from those sacrificing the victims, whether a calf, or a sheep; and you will give the arm to the priest, and the jaws, and the fourth-stomach, and the firstfruits of your grain, and of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstfruit of the shearings of your sheep you will give him; because Lord chose him from all your tribes, to stand before Lord the God, to liturgize and to bless upon his name, he and his sons all the days.’ (Deuteronomy 18:1–5) So then observe how unarranged with the people is the sacred race, and somehow has been marked-off from the others; and not only by the practices according to the liturgy, but already also by the difference of the hope. For for those living through the earth-fallen life, and having clung to the earthly and thirsted the temporary, and driving past in equal to shadows, it would reasonably be said: ‘This is your portion, this your lot, a portion of your disobeying me, says Lord.’ (Jeremiah 13:25) And for those having prized the holy and blameless life, and already chosen-out through virtue, very well must be said: ‘In their land you will not inherit, and a portion will not be for you in them; because I am your portion and your inheritance,’
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐν τάξει δὴ οὖν τῇ ἀσυγχύτῳ τὰ ἱερά· πρέποι γὰρ ἂν ὡδὶ, καὶ οὐχ ἑτεροίως ἔχειν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ λέγεις.
{ΚΥΡ.} Κοινὸν δὲ ὥσπερ ἀμφοῖν ἀπονέμει κλῆρον, τὰς τῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα δωροφορίας, καὶ ἅπερ ἀνοίσειέ τις εἰς ἀνάθημα καὶ θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ, ταῦτα δεῖν εἶναί φησιν ἱερέων τε ἅμα καὶ Λευϊτῶν. Ἔφη γὰρ οὕτω πρὸς Ἀαρὼν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· «Ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτῶν οὐ κληρονομήσεις, καὶ μερὶς οὐκ ἔσται σοι ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὅτι ἐγὼ μερίς σου καὶ κληρονομία σου ἐν μέσῳ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς Λευΐ· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα πᾶν ἐπιδέκατον ἐν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν κλήρῳ ἀντὶ τῶν λειτουργιῶν αὐτῶν, ὅσα αὐτοὶ λειτουργοῦσι λειτουργίαν ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ οὐ προσελεύσονται ἔτι οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου λαβεῖν ἁμαρτίαν θανατηφόρον, καὶ λειτουργήσει ὁ Λευΐτης αὐτὸς τὴν λειτουργίαν τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ αὐτοὶ λήψονται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῶν· νόμιμον αἰώνιον εἰς τὰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ οὐ κληρονομήσουσι κληρονομίαν· ὅτι τὰ ἐπιδέκατα τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ὅσα ἐὰν ἀφορίσωσι Κυρίῳ, ἀφαίρεμα δέδωκα τοῖς Λευΐταις ἐν κλήρῳ· διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα αὐτοῖς· Ἐν μέσῳ υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ οὐ κληρονομήσουσι κλῆρον.» Ἐν δέ γε τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ τὸν αὐτὸν ὥσπερ ἀνακυκλώσας λόγον, ὧδέ πή φησιν· «Οὐκ ἔσται τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τοῖς Λευΐταις ὅλῃ φυλῇ Λευῒ μερὶς, οὐδὲ κλῆρος μετὰ Ἰσραήλ. Καρπώματα Κυρίου ὁ κλῆρος αὐτῶν· φάγονται αὐτά. Κλῆρος δὲ οὐκ ἔσται αὐτοῖς ἐν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτῶν· Κύριος αὐτὸς κλῆρος αὐτοῦ, καθότι εἶπεν αὐτῷ. Καὶ αὕτη ἡ κρίσις τῶν ἱερέων τὰ παρὰ τοῦ λαοῦ παρὰ τῶν θυόντων τὰ θύματα, ἐάν τε μόσχον, ἐάν τε πρόβατον· καὶ δώσεις τὸν βραχίονα τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ τὰ σιαγόνια, καὶ τὸ ἔνυστρον, καὶ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τοῦ σίτου σου, καὶ τοῦ οἴνου σου, καὶ τοῦ ἐλαίου σου, καὶ τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῶν κουρῶν τῶν προβάτων σου δώσεις αὐτῷ· ὅτι αὐτὸν ἐξελέξατο Κύριος ἐκ πασῶν τῶν φυλῶν σου, παρεστάναι ἔναντι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ, λειτουργεῖν καὶ εὐλογεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας.» Ἄθρει δὴ οὖν ὅπως ἀσύντακτον τῷ λαῷ τὸ ἱερόν ἐστι γένος, καὶ διεσχοίνισταί πως τῶν ἄλλων· καὶ οὐχὶ δὴ μόνοις τοῖς κατὰ τὴν λειτουργίαν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἤδη καὶ τῇ τῆς ἐλπίδος διαφορᾷ. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ τὸν χαμαιπετῆ διαζῶσι βίον, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγείοις προστετηκόσι καὶ δεδιψηκόσι τὰ πρόσκαιρα, καὶ ἐν ἴσῳ σκιαῖς παρελαύνοντα, λέγοιτ' ἂν εἰκότως· «Αὕτη ἡ μερίς σου, οὗτος ὁ κλῆρός σου, μερὶς τοῦ ἀπειθεῖν ὑμᾶς ἐμοὶ, λέγει Κύριος.» Τοῖς δὲ τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ ἀμώμητον ἐκτετιμηκόσι ζωὴν, καὶ ἀπολέκτοις ἤδη δι' ἀρετὴν, εὖ μάλα ῥητέον· «Ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτῶν οὐ κληρονομήσεις, καὶ μερὶς οὐκ ἔσται σοι ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὅτι ἐγὼ μερίς σου καὶ ἡ κληρονομία σου,
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 13 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 13 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 13 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 13)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 13)
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.