A living sacrifice, and Israel's sin at Peor
Cyril: …from fornication. Every sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against his own body’ (1 Corinthians 6:18). And let him also call those who press nobly toward the glories of self-control to strive for what is better. For again he said: ‘I appeal to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and well pleasing and perfect’ (Romans 12:1–2). Or would you deny that putting away shameful things is a sacrifice truly holy and wholly pure?
Palladius: I would certainly say it is; how could it not be?
Cyril: When we turn away from fleshly pleasure, God rejoices over us; but he looks with deep displeasure on those who turn aside to weakness, and on those who have chosen to fall in behind the flesh he brings punishment. For hot and unbridled pleasure sometimes forces a man even into apostasy from God. That this is true, the account of Solomon would show at once. But before him Israel is found to have been led astray into this very thing in the wilderness. For it is written: ‘Israel encamped at Shittim, and the people profaned themselves by committing fornication with the daughters of Moab. And they invited them to the sacrifices of their idols, and the people ate of their sacrifices and worshipped their idols. And Israel was initiated into the rites of Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry with Israel in his wrath. And the Lord said to Moses: Take all the chiefs of the people and make an example of them before the Lord in the face of the sun, and the fierce anger of the Lord will turn away from Israel’ (Numbers 25:1–4).
Do you see how the divine and most gentle nature is somehow provoked by us, and all but driven into an anger it does not desire? For it is a thing fit for beasts, I mean going mad over the beauty of women; and it is utterly unholy as well to dare to give up piety toward God in exchange for unbridled pleasure. That is why they are made an example before the Lord in the face of the sun: that is, they were hung on upright stakes turned toward the east, and this was the manner of their punishment. The type all but cries out plainly and raises its voice to say that no one caught in such sins will escape the all-seeing eye of the Judge, which cannot be deceived, nor will he get away unpunished; rather, as the prophet’s word says, he will be set out ‘as a spectacle to all flesh’ (Isaiah 66:24), paying the bitter penalty for his offenses.
Palladius: So by ‘in the face of the sun’ it means being punished openly, and being made an example, as it were, before the eyes of God.
Cyril: Quite so; and our reading is not wide of the mark. And that those who commit fornication, or who have been prostituted, must give account to God for so cold and profane a life, and that hidden things are laid bare…
Greek
τὴν πορνείαν· Πᾶν ἁμάρτημα ὃ ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ πορνεύων, εἰς τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει.» Καλείτω δὴ οὖν καὶ πρός γε τὸ δεῖν τῶν ἀμεινόνων ἐφίεσθαι τοὺς τῆς ἐγκρατείας αὐχήμασι γενναίως ἐπιθρώσκοντας. Ἔφη γὰρ πάλιν· «Παρακαλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ, διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, παραστήσατε τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν θυσίαν ζῶσαν, ἁγίαν· εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν καὶ μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινίσει τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν, εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς, τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, καὶ εὐάρεστον, καὶ τέλειον.» Ἢ οὐκ εἶναι φῂς θυσίαν ὄντως ἁγίαν καὶ πάναγνον ἀληθῶς, τὴν τῶν αἰσχιόνων ἀπόθεσιν;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Φαίην ἂν ἔγωγε· πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
{ΚΥΡ.} Καὶ ἀποφοιτῶσι μὲν ἡμῖν σαρκικῆς ἡδονῆς, ἐπιγάννυται Θεὸς, ἐπιστυγνάζει δὲ λίαν ἀποκλίνουσι πρὸς τὸ ἄναλκι, καὶ σαρκὸς ὀπίσω πεσεῖν ᾑρημένοις ἐπάγει τὰς δίκας· καταβιάζεται γὰρ ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ εἰς ἀπόστασιν τὴν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, θερμὴ καὶ ἀκόλαστος ἡδονή. Καὶ ἀληθὲς ὅτι τὸ χρῆμά ἐστιν, ἐκδείξειεν ἂν εὐθὺς ὁ ἐπί γε τῷ Σολομῶν λόγος. Καταφωρᾶται δὲ πρὸ αὐτοῦ παρενηνεγμένος εἰς τοῦτο κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον ὁ Ἰσραήλ· γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι «Κατέλυσεν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν Σαττεὶν, καὶ ἐβεβηλώθη ὁ λαὸς ἐκπορνεῦσαι εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας Μωάβ· καὶ ἐκάλεσαν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰς θυσίας τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔφαγεν ὁ λαὸς τῶν θυσιῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ προσεκύνησαν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐτελέσθη Ἰσραὴλ τῷ Βεελφεγὼρ, καὶ ὠργίσθη θυμῷ Κύριος τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος τῷ Μωσῇ· Λάβε πάντας τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ παραδειγμάτισον αὐτοὺς Κυρίῳ κατέναντι τοῦ ἡλίου, καὶ ἀποστραφήσεται ὀργὴ θυμοῦ Κυρίου ἀπὸ Ἰσραήλ.» Ὁρᾷς ὅτι παραθήγεταί πως, μονονουχὶ δὲ καὶ εἰς ἀνεθελήτους ὀργὰς ἐκφέρεται πρὸς ἡμῶν ἡ θεία τε καὶ ἡμερωτάτη φύσις; Κτηνοπρεπὲς γὰρ τὸ χρῆμα, τὸ ἐπιμαίνεσθαι, φημὶ, ταῖς γυναικῶν ὥραις, καὶ ἀνόσιον κομιδῇ, καὶ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν εὐσεβείας ἄλλαγμα ποιεῖσθαι τολμᾷν τὴν ἀκόλαστον ἡδονήν. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ παραδειγματίζονται τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀπέναντι τοῦ ἡλίου, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὀρθῶν ἀπήρτηνται ξύλων τετραμμένων πρὸς ἀνατολὰς, καὶ ἦν οὗτος αὐτοῖς ὁ τῆς κολάσεως τρόπος, μονονουχὶ διακεκραγότος ἐναργῶς τοῦ τύπου, καὶ φωνὴν ἀνιέντος, ὅτι τὸν πανδερκῆ καὶ ἀπαραλόγιστον ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ κρίνοντος, οὐκ ἂν διαδράσειέ τις, τοιοῖσδε πταίσμασιν ἐναλοὺς, οὐδ' ἂν οἴχοιτο νηποινὶ, προσκείσεται δὲ κατὰ τὴν προφήτου φωνὴν, εἰς ὅρασιν πάσῃ σαρκὶ, πικρὰς τῶν αὐτῷ πεπλημμελημένων ὑπέχων τὰς δίκας.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τὸ ἐμφανὲς οὖν ἄρα κολάζεσθαι, καὶ τὸ οἱονείπως ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ παραδειγματισθῆναι φησὶν, ἀπέναντι τοῦ ἡλίου.
{ΚΥΡ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν· ἔστι δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ· ὅτι δὲ τοῖς πορνεύουσιν, ἤτοι τοῖς πεπορνευμένοις, τῆς οὕτω ψυχρᾶς καὶ βεβήλου ζωῆς πρὸς Θεὸν οἱ λόγοι, καὶ ἐμφανῆ μέν ἐστι τὰ κεκρυμμένα,