Wasted gifts, bad company, and the cleansing of the eighth day
Palladius: I agree.
Cyril: But suppose he lets these things go and becomes no longer wise but foolish and senseless. He does not incline his own will toward those whose habit is to guide people into truth, but prefers to be carried beyond what is fitting and to rush headlong to ruin with those who have made a practice of twisting what is right. He neither holds the best and blameless belief about God, nor travels the road of right conduct without reproach. Would it not, in a way, be accurate to say that such a man suffers a discharge of seed in a spiritual sense, since he spends to no purpose the very things through which he might well have borne fruit for God?
Palladius: I would say so, I assure you.
Cyril: And what if he gives up doing justice and taking pride in the noble deeds of courage, and is seen instead to be unjust and slack, given over to pleasures? Would you not think that he suffers the same sickness as the man with a discharge, since he spends on baser things the natural aptitude for good that he has, and has chosen to lose his spiritual fruitfulness for nothing of any use?
Palladius: I would think so.
Cyril: So the law ordered that one keep as far away as possible from the man with a discharge. By this it teaches us to stay well away from those who have turned toward wickedness, and to shake off with resolve those whom God himself would loathe, as people sick with a continual defilement. For to cling to the wicked is truly not without harm. For it is true, as it is written: ‘Whoever touches pitch will be defiled’ (Sirach 13:1). Indeed, the man with a discharge defiles every article he happens to touch: his bed, skin, vessels, water and wooden utensils (Leviticus 15:4–12). Through these riddles the law hints that a person can share in the uncleanness that is in him even by drawing close to him only in the disposition of the spirit. For it is written: ‘Keep yourself pure, and do not share in the sins of others’ (1 Timothy 5:22). Yet Christ, and the cleansing that comes through him, removes even the passions given up as hopeless, and the sicknesses hidden deep in our thoughts, and simply all the weakness in us; the law could not do this. For ‘no one is justified by the law’ (Galatians 3:11), as it is written; and you will see that this too is no falsehood if you look at what is written next. For it said again: ‘If the man with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, he shall count seven days for his cleansing; he shall wash his garments and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean. And on the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them before the Lord to the doors of the tent of witness, and give them to the priest. And the priest shall offer them, one for sin and one as a whole burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge’ (Leviticus 15:13–15). So it does cleanse the man with a discharge and free him from his condition…
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σύμφημι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Εἰ δὲ τὰ τοιάδε μεθεὶς, σοφὸς μὲν οὐκέτι, μωρὸς δ' ἂν γένοιτο καὶ ἀκάρδιος, οὐ τοῖς εἰς ἀλήθειαν παιδαγωγεῖν εἰωθόσι τῶν οἰκείων θελημάτων ἐπιδοὺς τὴν ῥοπὴν, ἐκτετιμηκὼς δὲ μᾶλλον τὸ ἔξω φέρεσθαι τοῦ εἰκότος, καὶ τοῖς τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφειν μεμελετηκόσι συγκαταθρώσκειν πρὸς ὄλεθρον, οὔτε τὴν ἀρίστην καὶ ἀμωμήτως ἔχουσαν περὶ Θεοῦ δόξαν ἔχων, οὔτε μὴν ἀδιαβλήτως τὴν τῶν πρακτέων διάττων ὁδὸν, ἆρ' οὐκ ἀτρεκὲς ἤδη πως γονοῤῥυᾶ νοητῶς τὸν τοιόνδε λέγειν, ὡς τὰ δι' ὧν ἦν εἰκὸς καρποφορεῖν δύνασθαι τῷ Θεῷ, δαπανῶντα πρὸς τὸ μηδέν;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Φαίην ἂν, ἴσθι τοι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τί δὲ, εἰ τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἀφεὶς, καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀνδρείας ἐναβρύνεσθαι καλοῖς, ἄδικός τε καὶ παρειμένος εἰς ἡδονὰς ὁρῷτο δὴ πάλιν, ἆρ' οὐκ ἂν οἰήσῃ τῷ γονοῤῥυεῖ τὰ ἴσα νοσεῖν, τὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα τῆς φύσεως, ἣν ἂν ἔχοι πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν, δαπανῶντα πρὸς τὰ αἰσχίω, καὶ πνευματικῆς εὐκαρπίας τὴν ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τῶν χρησίμων ζημίαν ἀνθῃρημένον;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οἰηθείην ἄν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἰέναι δὴ οὖν ὁ νόμος ἀπωτάτω προστέταχε τοῦ γονοῤῥυοῦς, ὡς ἀποφοιτᾷν ὅτι μάλιστα διδάσκων ἡμᾶς τῶν εἰς φαυλότητα νενευκότων, καὶ ἀποσείεσθαι γεννικῶς οὓς ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς καταμυσάττοιτο Θεὸς, ὡς διηνεκῆ νοσοῦντας τὸν μολυσμόν. Χρῆμα γὰρ ἀληθῶς οὐκ ἀζήμιον τὸ κολλᾶσθαι πονηροῖς. Ἀτρεκὲς γὰρ ὅτι, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· «Ὁ ἁπτόμενος πίσσης, μολυνθήσεται.» Καταμιαίνει γε μὴν πᾶν σκεῦος, οὗπερ ἂν ἅπτοιτο τυχὸν ὁ γονοῤῥυὴς, καὶ κοίτην αὐτοῦ, καὶ χρῶτα καὶ ἀγγεῖα, καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ σκεύη ξύλινα· δι' αἰνιγμάτων ὑποδηλῶν, ὅτι τῆς ἐνούσης ἀκαθαρσίας αὐτῷ μετάσχοι τις ἂν, κἂν εἰ μόνον ἀγχοῦ κατὰ διάθεσιν γένοιτο τὴν πνευματικήν. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι «Σεαυτὸν ἁγνὸν τήρει, καὶ μὴ κοινώνει ἁμαρτίαις ἀλλοτρίαις.» Πλὴν, καὶ τὰ τῶν παθῶν ἀπεγνωσμένα, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ βάθει κεκρυμμένα τῶν ἡμετέρων διανοιῶν ἀῤῥωστήματα, καὶ πᾶσαν ἁπλῶς τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν μαλακίαν, ἐξίστησιν ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ἡ δι' αὐτοῦ κάθαρσις, οὐχ οἵουτε ὄντος τοῦ νόμου τοῦτο δρᾷν. «Δικαιοῦται γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἐν νόμῳ,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἴδοις δ' ὅτι καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν οὐ διεψευσμένον τοῖς ἐφεξῆς γεγραμμένοις προσβάλλων· ἔφη γὰρ πάλιν· «Ἐὰν δὲ καθαρισθῇ ὁ γονοῤῥυὴς ἐκ τῆς ῥύσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξαριθμήσεται αὐτῷ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας εἰς τὸν καθαρισμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πλυνεῖ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ λούσεται τὸ σῶμα ὕδατι, καὶ καθαρὸς ἔσται. Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ λήψεται ἑαυτῷ δύο τρυγόνας, ἢ δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν, καὶ οἴσει αὐτὰ ἔναντι Κυρίου ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ δώσει αὐτὰ τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ ποιήσει αὐτὰ ὁ ἱερεὺς, μίαν περὶ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ μίαν εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα, καὶ ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἔναντι Κυρίου ἀπὸ τῆς ῥύσεως αὐτοῦ.» Καθαίρει μὲν οὖν τὸν γονοῤῥυᾶ, καὶ ἀπαλλάττει τοῦ πάθους,