Flee fornication; living sacrifice; Peor; example opposite the sun

Cyril: …the fornication; Every sin which if a human should do is outside the body; and the one whoring sins unto his own body.’ So then let him also call toward the needing to desire the better things those leaping-upon bravely with boasts of continence. For he said again: ‘For I entreat you, brothers, through the compassions of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well-pleasing to God, your rational worship; and do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, unto your approving what the will of God is, the good and well-pleasing and perfect.’ (1 Corinthians 6:18) Or do you not say there is a sacrifice truly holy and all-pure truly, the putting-away of the more shameful things?

Palladius: I at least would say; for how not?

Cyril: And with us departing from fleshly pleasure God is gladdened-upon, and he is very gloomy for those turning-aside toward the strengthless, and for those having chosen to fall behind flesh he brings-on the justices; for hot and unchastened pleasure sometimes even forces unto a standing-away from God. And true that the matter is, the word upon Solomon would show-out at once. And before him Israel having been carried-aside unto this in the desert is caught; for it has been written that ‘Israel lodged in Shittim, and the people was profaned to whore-out unto the daughters of Moab; and they called them unto the sacrifices of their idols, and the people ate of their sacrifices, and they worshiped their idols, and Israel was finished for Baal-peor, and Lord was angered with wrath for Israel. And Lord said to Moses: Take all the leaders of the people and make-examples of them for Lord opposite the sun, and the wrath of Lord’ (Romans 12:1–2)s wrath will be turned-back from Israel.’ Do you see that somehow the divine and most gentle nature is sharpened, and all but also is carried-out unto unwilling angers toward us? For cattle-fitting is the matter, the raging-upon, I say, the seasons of women, and altogether unholy, and daring to make the unchastened pleasure an exchange of the piety unto God. Therefore also they are made-examples for the Lord opposite the sun, that is, they have been hung from upright woods turned toward east, and this was for them the manner of the punishment, with the type all but having cried-through vividly and releasing a voice, that the all-seeing and unarguable eye of the judging one no one would outrun, having been caught in such stumblings, nor would he go unpaid, but he will lie according to the prophet’s voice unto a seeing for all flesh, holding-under bitter justices of the things having been faulted by him.

Palladius: So then the being punished manifestly, and the as it were somehow having been made-example in eyes of God he says, opposite the sun.

Cyril: Very much so; and the word for us is not from aim; and that for those whoring, or for those having been whored, the words of the thus cold and profane life toward God, and manifest are the hidden things, (Numbers 25:1–4)