Proud/greedy/night birds type violent and dark workers
Cyril: ...we unto wickedness, and having in themselves the wickedness of customs unclear for the many. And there has always grown-beside for those sick with cursed arrogance the wishing to greed those they can, and to besiege with many-mannered findings of evil-working, and thus to snatch-away, and this greedily. In this way he joins saying straight: 'And sparrow and gull.' (John 3:20) For most greedy I think these, always collecting what falls in. Then: 'And hawk and the like, and night-raven, and diver, and ibis, and purple-gallinule, and pelican, and swan.' (1 Corinthians 10:24) These write-down upon themselves those plotting harshly against others and springing-upon unrestrainedly whom they can, so as not to refuse even danger upon life. For the hawk leaps-down upon every weaker winged one; diver, ibis, purple-gallinule, pelican rage-upon fishes and make food their destruction. Such are all, as far as manners and wildness, who reckon as nothing destroying some for what is pleasant to themselves; who having thrust-aside mutual-love and struck-against love's ordinances would hear: 'Do not seek the of yourselves, but also the of others; for love does not work evil for the neighbor.' (Romans 13:10) And needing to refuse he said again owl, heron, plover and the like, hoopoe and bat. These are night-loving, rejoicing in the dark, practicing flight as sweetest in it, hating sun's light and not bearing to act in it; and such clearly are workers of the worthless. For true is what Christ said, that 'Everyone doing worthless things' (Leviticus 11:13–19)
Greek
μεῖς εἰς πονηρίαν, καὶ ἀσυμφανῆ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἔν γε δὴ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τὴν τῶν ἠθῶν ἔχοντες μοχθηρίαν. Παραπέφυκε δὲ ἀεὶ τοῖς τὴν ἐπάρατον ἀλαζονείαν ἠῤῥωστηκόσι, τὸ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐθέλειν οὓς ἂν δύναιντο τυχὸν, καὶ πολυτρόποις κακουργίας ἐκπολιορκεῖν εὑρήμασιν, καθαρπάζειν δὲ οὕτω, καὶ τοῦτο ἀπλήστως. Ταύτῃτοι συνάπτει λέγων εὐθύ· «Καὶ στρουθὸν καὶ λάρον.» Ἀπληστότατα γὰρ οἶμαι ταυτὶ, καὶ τὸ παρεμπίπτον ἀεὶ συλλέγοντα. Εἶτά φησιν, ὅτι «Καὶ ἱέρακα καὶ τὰ ὅμοια αὐτῷ, καὶ νυκτικόρακα, καὶ καταῤῥάκτην, καὶ ἴβιν, καὶ πορφυρίωνα, καὶ πελεκᾶνα, καὶ κύκνον.» Καταγράψειαν δ' ἂν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς καὶ τόδε τοὺς ὠμῶς καὶ ἀγρίως ἐπιβουλεύοντας ἑτέροις, καὶ ἀσχέτως ἐπιφυομένους, οἷς ἂν δύναιντο τυχὸν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιφέρειν οὐ παραιτεῖσθαί τισι τὸν ἐπὶ ζωῇ κίνδυνόν τε καὶ φόβον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἱέραξ καταθρῶσκε· δεινῶς παντὸς ἀσθενεστέρου πτηνοῦ, καὶ κατὰ στρουθίων ἴεται, καὶ διόλλυσι λαβὼν, καταῤῥάκτης γε μὴν, καὶ ἴβις, καὶ πορφυρίων, προσθείην δ' ἂν ὅτι καὶ πελεκᾶνος, ἐπιμαίνονται τοῖς ἰχθύσι, καὶ τροφὴν ποιοῦνται τὸν ἐκείνων ὄλεθρον. Τοιοῦτοι δὲ πάντες, ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς τρόπους καὶ ἠθῶν ἀγριότητα, οἱ παρ' οὐδὲν ἡγούμενοι τὸ διολλύναι τινὰς, διά γε τὸ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἡδύ· οἳ τὸν τῆς φιλαλληλίας παρωσάμενοι νόμον, καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀγάπης προσκεκρουκότες θεσμοῖς, καὶ τοῦτο εἰσάπαν ἀκούσειαν ἂν εἰκότως καὶ πρός γε ἡμῶν αὐτῶν· «Μὴ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ζητεῖτε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἑτέρων· ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη, φησὶ, τῷ πλησίον κακὸν οὐκ ἐργάζεται.» Παραιτεῖσθαι δὲ δεῖν ἔφη πάλιν γλαῦκα, καὶ ἐρωδιὸν, καὶ χαραδριὸν, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια αὐτῶν, ἔποπα καὶ νυκτερίδα. Νυκτὸς δὲ οἶμαι φίλα ταυτὶ, καὶ χαίροντα μὲν τῷ σκότει, καὶ πτῆσιν ὡς ἡδυτάτην ἐν αὐτῷ ποιεῖσθαι μεμελετηκότα, κατεχθραίνοντα δὲ τὸ ἡλίου φῶς, καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ τι δρᾷν μὴ ἀνεχόμενα· εἶεν δ' ἂν οἱ τοιοίδε σαφῶς, οἱ τῶν φαύλων ἐργάται. Καὶ γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ὅπερ ἔφη Χριστὸς, ὅτι «Πᾶς ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς, καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται εἰς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα φανερωθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐν Θεῷ ἐστιν εἰργασμένα.» Ἀκάθαρτα δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑρπετὰ τῶν πετεινῶν, «ἃ πορεύεται,» φησὶν, «ἐπὶ τεσσάρων,» οἷον φέρε εἰπεῖν τὰ μυιῶν, καὶ εἴ τι τούτοις ἀγχοῦ. Μυρία δὲ ὅσα ταυτὶ μικρὰ καὶ ἀπόπτυστα, καὶ τὴν εἰς τὸ ὑψοῦ πτῆσιν οὐκ ἔχοντα. Τίς οὖν ἄρα ἐστὶ λόγος τοῦ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὰ τὸν νόμον ἐλθεῖν, περιαθρεῖν ἀναγκαῖον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅτε τῶν κτηνῶν ἐποιεῖτο μνήμην, τὴν κάμηλον ὀνομάσας, προσετίθει τὸν λαγωὸν, ἐν ἴσῳ που πάντως ἀκαθάρτους ἀποφαίνων τοὺς ἐπὶ φαυλότητι διαβεβλημένους, κἂν εἰ μέγας τις εἴη καὶ μικρὸς (προσωποληψία γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον)· οὕτω κἀνθάδε διαμέμνηται μὲν ἀετοῦ, καὶ τῶν πτηνῶν ὀνομάσας τὸν βασιλεύτατον, κάτεισι δὲ πάλιν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὸ τὸ βραχὺ τῶν πτεροφορεῖν εἰωθότων, ἐν ἴσῳ τιθεὶς μικρόν τε καὶ μέγαν, εἰ τῶν ἐκτόπων εἴη δημιουργὸς, καὶ τὸ διαβεβλῆσθαι δεῖν, ἀνεξίτητον ἔχοι. Ὑπεξάγει γε μὴν τοῦ τοιούτου γέ
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.