Joseph resists Potiphar's wife; continence bound yet graced
Cyril: And the sacred Writing sets Joseph as living image of the clean life. Sold by brothers to Ishmaelites, a stranger and house-servant in Egypt, he refused the mistress's shameful ask; she reverse-wrote the charge, calling the not-yielding one insolent. Bound he was; yet by divine grace he was saved, and at once gained as wage of continence the ruling all Egypt's land.
Palladius: Continence under pressure is possible.
Cyril: Even if the matter has labors, and heavy sweats should lie before of the boasts unto continence, not great is the word, for the one having altogether chosen to God-love; for he will have, he will have also equal (Genesis 39:7–20) (Genesis 41:39–41)
Greek
{ΚΥΡ.} Εἰ δὲ δὴ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτόν τις τὸν ἀοίδιμον Ἰωσὴφ ἴοι, εὑρήσει παρέντα τῆς ἐπιεικείας οὐδὲν, ἐννενοηκότα δὲ ὅτι συνεργάσεται πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐπαμυνεῖ Θεὸς, εἰ παραιτοῖτο γενικῶς τὸ καταμολύνεσθαι δεῖν. Ἐξὸν γὰρ εὐημερεῖν καὶ κατευρύνεσθαι ταῖς τρυφαῖς, τοῖς τῆς νεότητος διαπύροις σκιρτήμασιν εἰς τὸ ἡδύ τε καὶ φίλον ἀνέντα τρέχειν, καὶ ἀνεπιπλήκτοις φέρεσθαι ταῖς ὁρμαῖς, τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἔδρα, πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ, μοῖραν δὲ ὥσπερ ἐποιεῖτο κρείττονα τὴν παρὰ Θεῷ, καὶ τῆς ἐγκρατείας τοὺς πόνους προετίθει παντὸς τοῦ παραυτίκα καταπιαίνοντος. Ἤδει γὰρ ὅτι γλυκὺ μέν πώς ἐστιν ἐν ἀρχαῖς, τὸ σαρκὸς ἐρέθισμα, καὶ οἱονεὶ μέλιτι καταγοητεύει τὸν νοῦν, ὡς ἔν γε τούτοις ἡδονὴ, καταστρέφει γε μὴν εἰς τέλος οὐκέτι τὸ γλυκύ· ποιναὶ γὰρ εὐθὺς καὶ δίκαι, καὶ τί γὰρ οὐχὶ τῶν τοιῶνδε κακῶν, τῆς τοῦ πεπλημμεληκότος καταρτηθήσονται κεφαλῆς, βούλει λέγωμεν ὀλίγα ἄττα τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ γεγραμμένων;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} «Καὶ ἦν,» φησὶν, «Ἰωσὴφ καλὸς τῷ εἴδει, καὶ ὡραῖος τῇ ὄψει σφόδρα. Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, καὶ ἐπέβαλεν ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῆς ἐπὶ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ εἶπεν· Κοιμήθητι μετ' ἐμοῦ. Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἤθελεν, εἶπε δὲ τῇ γυναικὶ τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ· Εἰ ὁ κύριός μου οὐ γινώσκει δι' ἐμὲ οὐδὲν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν αὐτῷ, ἔδωκεν εἰς τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ οὐχ ὑπερέχει ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ταύτῃ οὐθὲν ἐμοῦ, οὐδὲ ὑπεξῄρηται ἀπ' ἐμοῦ οὐδὲν, πλὴν σοῦ, διὰ τὸ σὲ γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ εἶναι, καὶ πῶς ποιήσω τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ πονηρὸν τοῦτο, καὶ ἁμαρτήσομαι ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἡνίκα δὲ ἐλάλει τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουεν αὐτῇ καθεύδειν μετ' αὐτῆς, τοῦ συγγενέσθαι αὐτῇ. Ἐγένετο δὲ τοιαύτη τις ἡμέρα, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἰωσὴφ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ποιεῖν τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐθεὶς ἦν τῶν ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἔσω, καὶ ἐπεσπάσατο αὐτὸν τῶν ἱματίων, λέγουσα· Κοιμήθητι μετ' ἐμοῦ. Καὶ καταλιπὼν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῆς, ἔφυγε, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἔξω. Καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς εἶδεν ὅτι καταλιπὼν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῆς ἔφυγε καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἔξω, ἐκάλεσε τοὺς ὄντας ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, λέγουσα· Ἴδετε, εἰσήγαγεν ἡμῖν παῖδα Ἑβραῖον, ἐμπαίζειν ἡμῖν. Εἰσῆλθε πρὸς μὲ, λέγων· Κοιμήθητι μετ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἐβόησα φωνῇ μεγάλῃ. Ἐν δὲ τῷ ἀκοῦσαι αὐτὸν, ὅτι ὕψωσα τὴν φωνήν μου καὶ ἐβόησα, καταλιπὼν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ παρ' ἐμοὶ ἔφυγε, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἔξω.» Ὁρᾷς ὅπως τὸ μὲν γύναιον εἰς εὐνὴν, καὶ οὐχ ἑκόντα παρεβιάζετο, τῷ γεμὴν ἐρήρειστο πρὸς ἐγκράτειαν ὁ νοῦς ὑπ' οὐδενὸς τὸ σύμπαν ἡττώμενος; Βούπαις ἦν ἔτι, ἑπτακαίδεκά που μόλις ἐτῶν, ἐν πρώταις ὑπήνης ἐκβολαῖς, ἐν ἀκμαῖς ἡδονῶν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὅτι μάλιστα διαπύροις κινήμασι, καὶ ἵν' οὕτως εἴποιμεν, σκληραῖς καὶ ἀνουθετήτοις ἐπιθυμίαις. Φιλεῖ γὰρ ἀεί πως ἐν ἀθραύστοις ἔτι τοῦ ὀρεκτιᾷν ὁρμαῖς, τὸ ἔφ
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.
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- Copy-text Migne PG 68 De adoratione Book 14 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 14)
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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.