Leaping insects; evening wash types baptism at age-end
Cyril: ...ones, locust and caterpillar and the resembling these, through at least the well-strong, as to be able to leap-up, and least to love-to-dwell in the below, and to be lifted often unto the on-high, and to leap-through easily. And somehow such is the one having the worldly life, yet not altogether without-share of fairness and of love unto God; for such a one has not been bound altogether to the earthly things, yet has somehow practiced also to think the above, and is well-reputed sometimes, leaping-through toward the above and flying-over the earthly. And the one touching the unclean and having been defiled must wash-out the garment; and toward evening, he says, he will be clean, signaling very well the mystery of Christ, through whom we have been cleansed, enriching the release through the holy baptism, according to the season of his sojourn, having become as it were toward evening, that is, with the present age already creeping-through unto an end. Or do we not say the Word of God has become human in last seasons?
Palladius: Very much so.
Cyril: And profane also the law says otherwise will be the one somehow touching either of a wild beast or of another unclean animal; and he said thus: 'And every one who walks upon hands in all the beasts which walk upon four, unclean they are for you. Everyone touching their carcasses will be unclean until evening; and the one lifting of their carcasses will wash his garments and be unclean until evening. Unclean these are for you. And these unclean for you from the creeping ones upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the land-crocodile, shrew-mouse, and chameleon, and gecko, and lizard, and mole. These unclean for you from all the creeping ones upon the earth. Everyone touching them having died will be unclean until evening. And every upon which if there should fall from them having died, unclean it will be, from every wooden vessel or garment' (Leviticus 11:21–32) (1 Corinthians 10:11)
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
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.