Leaping insects, the worldly man, and washing toward evening
Cyril: …the locust and the young locust and creatures like them (Leviticus 11:21–22), because of their strength: they can leap up, they are least inclined to linger below, and they often rise on high and spring easily from place to place. Such, in a way, is the person who lives a worldly life and yet is not wholly without a share of decency in other respects and of love for God. Such a person is not bound altogether to earthly things, nor does he settle among what is below. He has learned in some measure to set his mind on the things above (Colossians 3:2), and at times he wins approval, springing up toward the things above and flying over the things of earth.
As for one who touches unclean things and has been defiled, he must wash his garment, and toward evening, the law says, he will be clean (Leviticus 11:24–25). In this it very aptly points to the mystery of Christ, through whom we have been cleansed and are rich in the forgiveness that comes through holy baptism. This came about, clearly, at the time of his coming, a time that fell, as it were, toward evening, that is, when the present age was already drawing toward its end. Or do we not say that the Word of God became man in the last times?
Palladius: Certainly.
Cyril: The law also says that a person becomes unclean in another way, if he happens to touch a wild beast, or any other of the unclean animals. It speaks thus: ‘Every creature that walks on its paws, among all the beasts that go on all fours, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries their carcasses shall wash his garments and be unclean until evening. These are unclean to you (Leviticus 11:27–28). And these are unclean to you among the creeping things on the earth: the weasel, the mouse, the land crocodile, the shrew, the chameleon, the gecko, the lizard, and the mole. These are unclean to you among all the creeping things on the earth. Everyone who touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening (Leviticus 11:29–31). And anything on which one of them falls when they are dead will be unclean, whether any vessel of wood, or a garment, or a skin, or sackcloth. Every vessel with which any work is done shall be dipped in water, and it will be unclean until evening, and then it will be clean’ (Leviticus 11:32). To these it added that every vessel on which any of their carcasses falls will be defiled, an earthen jar and a leather one, a garment, food and drink, except, it says, a spring of water, a cistern, a gathering of water, and seeds (Leviticus 11:33–37).
Through the wild beasts the law seems to point to the most savage of robbers, who count as nothing even murder, the evil beyond all others, and who all but devour whomever they come upon, destroying without pity, with all mercy cast out. Through the mouse and the weasel, and the creatures close to them and like them (I mean the land crocodile, the lizard and the gecko), it points to the easily startled and cowardly kinds of thieves who prowl about at night. They love to prey unseen on those who are dozing, but they are terribly afraid of being caught, and…
Greek
νους, ἀκρίδα καὶ βροῦχον, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐμφερῆ, διάτοι τὸ εὐσθενὲς, ὡς ἀναθρώσκειν δύνασθαι, καὶ ἥκιστα μὲν ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν τοῖς κάτω, αἴρεσθαι δὲ πολλάκις εἰς τὸ ὑψοῦ, καὶ διαπηδᾷν εὐκόλως. Τοιουτοσὶ δέ πως, ὁ βίον μὲν ἔχων τὸν κοσμικὸν, ἐπιεικείας γε μὴν τῆς ἄλλης καὶ ἀγάπης τῆς εἰς Θεὸν οὐκ εἰσάπαν ἠμοιρηκώς· ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος, οὐ τοῖς ἐπιγείοις παντελῶς ἐνδέδεται, καὶ ἐνιζάνει τοῖς κάτω, μεμελέτηκε δέ πως καὶ τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖν, καὶ εὐδοκιμεῖν ἔσθ' ὅτε, πρὸς τὰ ἄνω διαπηδῶν καὶ τῶν ἐπιγείων ὑπεριπτάμενος. Τὸν δὲ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἀποθιγγάνοντα καὶ μεμολυσμένον, ἀποπλύνεσθαι μὲν δεῖ τὸ ἱμάτιον· πρὸς ἑσπέραν δὲ, καθαρὸν ἔσεσθαί φησι, τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον εὖ μάλα παραδηλῶν, δι' οὗ κεκαθάρμεθα, τὴν διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος πλουτοῦντες ἄφεσιν, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν δηλονότι τῆς ἐπιδημίας αὐτοῦ, πρὸς ἑσπέραν οἱονεὶ γεγονότα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, εἰς τέλος ἤδη διέρποντος τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος. Ἢ οὐκ ἐν ἐσχάτοις καιροῖς ἐνανθρωπῆσαί φαμεν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Βέβηλον δὲ καὶ ὁ νόμος ἑτέρως ἔσεσθαί φησι, τὸν ἐπιθιγγάνοντά πως ἢ θηρὸς ἀγρίου τυχὸν, ἤγουν ἑτέρου τοῦ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ζώων· ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· «Καὶ πᾶς ὃς πορεύεται ἐπὶ χειρῶν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς θηρίοις, ἃ πορεύεται ἐπὶ τέσσαρα, ἀκάθαρτά ἐστιν ὑμῖν. Πᾶς ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῶν θνησιμαίων αὐτῶν, ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας, καὶ ὁ αἴρων τῶν θνησιμαίων αὐτῶν, πλυνεῖ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας. Ἀκάθαρτα ταῦτά ἐστιν ὑμῖν. Καὶ ταῦτα ὑμῖν ἀκάθαρτα ἀπὸ τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἡ γαλὴ, καὶ ὁ μῦς, καὶ ὁ κροκόδειλος, ὁ χερσαῖος, μυγάλη, καὶ χαμαιλέων, καὶ καλαβώτης, καὶ σαῦρα, καὶ ἀσπάλαξ. Ταῦτα ἀκάθαρτα ὑμῖν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Πᾶς ὁ ἁπτόμενος αὐτῶν τεθνηκότων, ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας. Καὶ πᾶν ἐφ' ὃ ἂν ἐπιπέσῃ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἐπ' αὐτὸ τεθνηκότων αὐτῶν, ἀκάθαρτον ἔσται ἀπὸ παντὸς σκεύους ξυλίνου ἢ ἱματίου ἢ δέρματος ἢ σάκκου. Πᾶν σκεῦος ὃ ἂν ποιηθῇ ἔργον ἐν αὐτῷ, εἰς ὕδωρ βαφήσεται, καὶ ἀκάθαρτον ἔσται ἕως ἑσπέρας, καὶ καθαρὸν ἔσται.» Προσετίθει δὲ τούτοις, ὡς ἔσται μεμολυσμένον πᾶν σκεῦος, ἐφ' ᾧ ἂν πέσῃ τῶν θνησιμαίων αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἄγγος ὀστράκινον, καὶ δερμάτινον, καὶ ἱμάτιον, ἔδεσμά τε καὶ ποτὸν, πλὴν πηγῆς ὑδάτων, καὶ λάκκου, φησὶ, καὶ συναγωγῆς ὑδάτων καὶ σπερμάτων. Ἔοικε δὲ ὁ νόμος διὰ μὲν τῶν ἀγρίων θηρίων, τοὺς τῶν λῃστῶν ὠμοτάτους παραδηλοῦν, οἷς λελόγισται παρ' οὐδὲν, καὶ αὐτὸ τῶν πάντων ἐπέκεινα τῶν κακῶν, ἡ ἀνδροκτονία, μόνον δὲ οὐχὶ προστυγχάνοντα καταδαρδάπτουσι διολλύντες ἀνηλεῶς, καὶ φειδοῦς ἁπάσης ἐξῃρημένης. Διὰ δέ γε μυὸς καὶ γαλῆς, καὶ τῶν ἀγχοῦ τε καὶ ἐοικότων, κροκοδείλου τέ φημι τοῦ χερσαίου, σαύρας τε καὶ ἀσκαλαβώτου, τὰ ψοφοδεῆ καὶ ἄνανδρα, καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ περιθέοντα τῶν κλεπτῶν γένη, ἃ λεληθότως μὲν τοὺς νυστάζοντας κατασίνεσθαι φιλεῖ, ἐκδέδιε δὲ τὸ ἀλῶναι δεινῶς, καὶ