Peter’s sheet; beasts name manners; justice twofold self/others
Cyril: …four-foots and winged ones: ‘Having stood up Peter, sacrifice and eat.’ (Acts 10:13–15) And with the disciple having cried-up and still fearing the legal watch, and saying, ‘Least, Lord, because I have never eaten every common or unclean, nor has every profane flesh gone into my mouth,’ (1 Corinthians 8:8) again God was sounding: ‘What God has cleansed, you do not common.’ (Colossians 3:5) And also the all-divine Paul writes, that ‘Food does not stand us beside God.’ So then it is not unclear, that least does the law profane some of the beings, and it knows all clean for the clean; but having taken very well the natural of each animal unto qualities of human customs, it benefits not moderately. And you may learn what I say at least, also from these again, true that and undoubted. For the things having been condemned by all, it is seen having ordered needing to abominate, saying camel at least, and the porcupine, night-raven, and the diver, and lizard, and shrew-mouse, and the still more shameful than these. So then would not the aim of the lawgiver be vivid as at least in these, O good one?
Palladius: Very much so.
Cyril: So then unto a quality of customs must be carried-over very well the things being naturally in some of the irrational animals, each, come say, as it were writing-down in itself the manner of so-and-so, and signaling in what things it would be. Or do not even we ourselves somehow custom to call those very hot and most well-strong, and exceeding the others in boldness, swine, or lions, or some other of such? and the meek and quiet, and having a lowered mind, sheep, and doves, and sometimes also to crown with the name of calm, bringing-on for each’s manners the fitting clarifying from the more apparent?
Palladius: True.
Cyril: So then let us go upon the aim of the law, and what ever it is which it enjoins, let us busy very well.
Palladius: Let us go.
Cyril: The boasts of justice, and simply of every fairness, go-forward on the one hand from each one’s judgment somehow, yet are set-upright according to a double manner, I think, and somehow have upon themselves a twofold showing-out.
Palladius: And how do you say?
Cyril: For either unto ourselves we do some of the good things, cutting-off the outlandish and blamed pleasures, deadening the members the upon the earth, setting the mind unto meekness the in spirit, practicing poverty, having the mind clean and unmuddied, as much as possible, or filling the good eager-acts unto brothers, gifting unhurtfulness to those having chosen to grieve and having struck-against unlovingly, helping the weary, encouraging having-been-grieved, turning-over unto the straight those having wandered from unlearning, hand-leading upon the better,
Greek
τετράποδα καὶ πτηνά· «Ἀναστὰς Πέτρε, θύσον καὶ φάγε.» Ἀνακεκραγότος δὲ τοῦ μαθητοῦ καὶ τὴν νομικὴν ἐπιτήρησιν δεδιότος ἔτι, καὶ, «Μηδαμῶς, Κύριε,» λέγοντος, «ὅτι οὐδέ ποτε ἔφαγον πᾶν κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον, οὐδὲ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου πᾶν κρέας βέβηλον,» πάλιν ἐφώνει Θεός· «Ἃ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκαθάρισε, σὺ μὴ κοίνου.» Γράφει δὲ καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, ὅτι «Βρῶμα ἡμᾶς οὐ παρίστησι τῷ Θεῷ.» Ἔστι δὴ οὖν οὐκ ἀσυμφανὲς, ὅτι βεβηλοῖ μέν τι τῶν ὄντων ἥκιστα μὲν ὁ νόμος, πάντα δὲ οἶδε καθαρὰ τοῖς καθαροῖς· ἀλλ' εἰς ἠθῶν ποιότητας ἀνθρωπίνων τὸ ἑκάστου ζώου φυσικὸν εὖ μάλα παραλαβὼν, ὀνίνησιν οὐ μετρίως. Μάθοις δ' ἂν ὅ φημι δὴ, κἀκ τῶνδε πάλιν, ἀληθὲς ὅτι καὶ ἀναμφίβολον. Τὰ γάρ τοι πᾶσι κατεγνωσμένα, καταμυσάττεσθαι δεῖν ὁρᾶται προστεταχὼς, κάμηλον δὴ λέγων, καὶ τὸν χοιρογρύλλιον, νυκτικόρακα, καὶ τὸν καταῤῥάκτην, καὶ ἀσκαλαβώτην, καὶ μυγαλὴν, καὶ τὰ ἔτι τούτων αἰσχίονα. Ἆρ' οὖν οὐκ ἐναργὴς ὡς ἔν γε τούτοις ὁ τοῦ νομοθέτου σκοπὸς εἴη ἂν, ὦ 'γαθέ;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐκοῦν εἰς ἠθῶν ποιότητα μετακομιστέον εὖ μάλα τὰ φυσικῶς ἐνόντα τισὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων, ἑκάστου, φέρε εἰπεῖν, καταγράφοντος ὥσπερ ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν τοῦ δεῖνος τρόπον, καὶ ἐν οἷς ἂν εἴη κατασημαίνοντος. Ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ κατειθίσμεθά πως, τοὺς μὲν ἄγαν θερμοὺς καὶ εὐσθενεστάτους, καὶ θράσει τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερφέροντας, σῦς, ἢ λέοντας, ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων ἕτερον ἀποκαλεῖν; τοὺς δὲ πράους καὶ ἠρεμαίους, καὶ ὑφειμένην ἔχοντας τὴν διάνοιαν, πρόβατα, καὶ περιστερὰς, καὶ τῷ τῇ γαλήνης ὀνόματι στεφανοῦν ἔσθ' ὅτε, τοῖς ἑκάστου τρόποις τὴν πρέπουσαν δήλωσιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐμφανεστέρων ἐπάγοντες;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἴωμεν δὴ οὖν ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ νόμου σκοπὸν, καὶ ὅ τί ποτέ ἐστιν ὃ παρεγγυᾷ, πολυπραγμονῶμεν εὖ μάλα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἴωμεν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τὰ τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐχήματα, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἁπάσης ἐπιεικείας, πρόεισι μὲν ἀπὸ γνώμης τῆς ἑκάστου τυχὸν, κατορθοῦταί γε μὴν κατὰ διττὸν, οἶμαι, τρόπον, καὶ διφυᾶ μέν πως ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἔκφασιν ἔχει.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πῶς δὲ φής;
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἢ γὰρ εἰς ἑαυτοὺς δρῶμέν τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἡδονὰς ἀποκείροντες τὰς ἐκτόπους καὶ μεμωμημένας, νεκροῦντες τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καθιστάντες τὸν νοῦν εἰς πραότητα τὴν ἐν πνεύματι, πτωχείαν ἐπιτηδεύοντες, καθαρὰν καὶ ἀθόλωτον, καθόσον οἷόν τε, τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχοντες, ἤγουν τὰ εἰς ἀδελφοὺς ἀγαθὰ πληροῦντες σπουδάσματα, τοῖς ἑλομένοις λυπεῖν καὶ ἀφιλοστόργως προσκεκρουκόσιν, ἀκακίαν δωρούμενοι, τοῖς κάμνουσιν ἐπαμύνοντες, παρακαλοῦντες λελυπημένους, πεπλανημένους ἐξ ἀμαθίας εἰς τὸ εὐθὲς μετατρέποντες, χειραγωγοῦντες ἐπὶ τὸ ἄμεινον,
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 14 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 14 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 14 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 14)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 14)
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.