Fish with fins and scales, and creatures of the mud
Cyril: …again, in words like these: ‘And these you shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales in the waters, in the seas and in the streams, these you shall eat. But all that have neither fins nor scales in the waters, in the seas and in the streams, of all that the waters bring forth and of every living creature in the water, it is an abomination, and they shall be abominations to you. You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall abhor their carcasses. All that have neither fins nor scales, of the things in the waters, this is an abomination to you’ (Leviticus 11:9–12).
Palladius: But you yourself should explain what the difference is among these, I mean as spiritual contemplation reads them; for I hardly understand it at all.
Cyril: Certainly. I shall tell you as best I can, recasting into plain terms what the law has taken up by way of examples. Those creatures in the waters that the Creator of all has fashioned well after the pattern of fishes are always rowing their way along, as it were, by thrusting out their fins, and they move strongly and very swiftly wherever they may choose. When the sun sends the warm stroke of its rays down into the waters from above, they swim upward and all but dare to leap out of the water itself, refusing to stay below always; and they easily slip through the nets of those who hunt them. But those that are not furnished with scales and fins (those, that is, that live in hard casings and are clothed in a shell that grows with them) know almost nothing of what is above. They are always creeping down into the weeds at the bottom, and they love to linger in muddy places. They are sluggish and easily caught, and anyone who has once caught sight of them can take them without the least effort. That is the plain and true account of those creatures. Now let us go on, as from images and types, to what is clearer.
Palladius: You would do well to explain it, and to go on with it gladly.
Cyril: The Psalmist, pointing out to us with fine wit the distractions of this life and the bitter flood and confusion of affairs within it, sings: ‘This is the sea, great and wide; there are creeping things without number, living creatures small and great’ (Psalm 104:25). For we must surely liken to fishes those who at times dart this way and that for nothing needed for their good, and gather only such things as prove them fleshly and set them to endure pointless toil.
Palladius: Well said.
Cyril: The disciple of Christ also rebukes such people somewhere, speaking in this way: ‘Come now, you who say, “Today and tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there, and trade and make a profit”’ (James 4:13). And a little later (James 4:15–16): ‘Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, and…
Greek
ὡδί πη πάλιν· «Καὶ ταῦτα φάγεσθε ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι· πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς πτερύγια καὶ λεπίδες ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς θαλάσσαις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς χειμάῤῥοις, ταῦτα φάγεσθε· καὶ πάντα ὅσα οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς πτερύγια, οὔτε λεπίδες ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς θαλάσσαις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς χειμάῤῥοις, ἀπὸ πάντων ὧν ἐρεύγεται τὰ ὕδατα καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης ψυχῆς ζώσης ἐν τῷ ὕδατι, βδέλυγμά ἐστι, καὶ βδελύγματα ἔσονται ὑμῖν. Ἀπὸ τῶν κρεῶν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔδεσθε, καὶ τὰ θνησιμαῖα αὐτῶν βδελύξεσθε, καὶ πάντα ὅσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς πτερύγια οὔτε λεπίδες τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι, βδέλυγμα τοῦτό ἐστιν ὑμῖν.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀλλ' ἥτις ποτέ ἐστιν ἔν γε δὴ τούτοις ἡ διαφορὰ, κατὰ θεωρίαν δὴ λέγω τὴν πνευματικὴν, φράσαις ἂν αὐτός. Συνίημι γὰρ οὔτι που μάλα ἐγώ.
{ΚΥΡ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν· ἐρῶ γὰρ, ὡς ἔνι, μεταπλάττων ἐπὶ τὸ ἐμφανὲς τὰ ὡς ἐν τρόπῳ παραδειγμάτων τῷ νόμῳ παρειλημμένα· ὅσα μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι πρὸς τοῦ πάντων Δημιουργοῦ τῷ τῶν ἰχθύων εὖ μάλα πεπλαστούργηται νόμῳ, ταῖς τῶν πτερυγίων ἐκβολαῖς οἱονείπως ἀεὶ διερέττοντα, τὴν οἵπερ ἂν ἕλοιντο τυχὸν ὡς εὐσθενῆ καὶ εὐδρομωτάτην ποιοῦνται κίνησιν. Καὶ ἡλίου μὲν θερμὴν ἄνωθεν ἐνιέντος τοῖς ὕδασι τῆς ἀκτῖνος τὴν προσβολὴν, ἀνανήχεται, καὶ μονονουχὶ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ὑδάτων ἀναθρώσκειν ἀποτολμᾷ, τὸ κάτω μένειν ἀεὶ παραιτούμενα, διεξοίχεται δὲ ῥᾳδίως καὶ τῶν θηρώντων τὰ λῖνα. Τά γε μὴν οὐκ ἐν λεπίσι καὶ πτερυγίοις, ἤγουν ἐν ἐλύτροις ὄντα σκληροῖς, καὶ ὀστράκῳ τῷ συμφυεῖ κατημφιεσμένα, ἥκιστα μὲν οἶδε τὸ ἄνω, εἰσδύεται δὲ τὴν εἰς τὸ κάτω πόαν ἀεὶ, καὶ τοῖς ἰλυώδεσι τῶν τόπων ἐμφιλοχωρεῖ. Ἀδρανῆ τέ ἐστι καὶ εὐάλωτα, καὶ τοῖς ἅπαξ τεθεαμένοις, ἱδρῶτος δίχα ληπτά. Καὶ λόγος μὲν ἐπ' ἐκείνοις, οὑτοσὶ, σαφής τε καὶ ἀληθής· ἴωμεν δ' αὖ ὡς ἐξ εἰκόνων καὶ τύπων ἐπὶ τὰ ἐμφανέστερα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Φράσειας ἂν ἄριστα, καὶ πρός γε δὴ τούτῳ προθύμως ἰών.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τὸν τοῦδε τοῦ βίου περισπασμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ τῶν πραγμάτων πικρὰν ἀνάχυσιν καὶ ἀναφυρμὸν κατασημαίνων ἡμῖν ἀστείως ὁ Μελῳδὸς ψάλλει· «Αὕτη ἡ θάλασσα ἡ μεγάλη καὶ εὐρύχωρος. Ἐκεῖ ἑρπετὰ ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμὸς, ζῶα μικρὰ μετὰ μεγάλων.» Ἰχθύσι γὰρ παρεικαστέον εὖ μάλα τοὺς ἐπ' οὐδενὶ μὲν ἔσθ' ὅτε τῶν ἀναγκαίων εἰς ὄνησιν, τῇδέ τε κἀκεῖσε διᾴττοντας, καὶ μόνα συλλέγοντας τὰ ὅσαπερ ἂν ἀποφῆναι σαρκικοὺς καὶ εἰκαίους ἀνατλῆναι παρασκευάζει πόνους.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ λέγεις.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐπιπλήττει δέ που τοῖς τοιοῖσδέ τισι καὶ ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητὴς, ὡδὶ λέγων· «Ἄγε δὴ νῦν οἱ λέγοντες· Σήμερον καὶ αὔριον πορευσόμεθα εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ποιήσομεν ἐνιαυτὸν ἕνα, καὶ ἐμπορευσόμεθα, καὶ κερδήσομεν.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Ἀντὶ τοῦ λέγειν ὑμᾶς· Ἐὰν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ, καὶ