Boiled arm=tempered strength; bread/cake life; Christ mediator hands
Cyril: …and living way. (Hebrews 10:20) And after at least the to be shaved toward themselves having arrived the doors of the holy tent, and indeed also with fire to spend the hair: ‘The priest will take,’ he says, ‘the arm boiled from the ram, and a bread and a thin-cake, and will put upon the hands of the one having vowed, and again having taken-up he will bring-forward,’ he says, ‘a placing-upon opposite Lord, and holy it will be for the priest, just as also the breast of the taking-away.’ (Numbers 6:19-20)
Palladius: Then, what would wish to make-clear the law?
Cyril: Unto a type on the one hand then of the being-strong, or of the in strength right-doings, the arm always beside at least the God-breathed Writing is understood, and of a life then again both holy and clean, the unleavened bread, and indeed also the well-graced and the pleasant would show-beside upon itself, the thin-cake with oil being kneaded, and unto a cake completing. And of the mediating priest the face, one would put-around also very reasonably for the Emmanuel. So then the one purity the uppermost having righted, and a dedication bright having brought-forward for the all-pure God, the from strength works, clear then that of the spiritual, as in an arm of the ram, and a life unblemished, as in a bread the unleavened being understood, and indeed also the pleasant and the upon-grace of the in sanctification life, as in the thin-cake, only-not with hands own putting-upon, brings-up for God, through a mediator Christ, who as it were somehow from a hand unto hands receives the gift-bearings, with the uppermost honors, and in this then most, the genuine truly honoring-down worshiper. In this way he says, that with hands having put own, the the holy thus and all-pure completing vow, will give-upon for the priest
Palladius: You spoke well.
Cyril: And boiled then he has ordered to be taken the arm, the as it were somehow raw, and the of the fitting unreasonable of the of the holy ones strength driving-off; for not abrupt to be is necessary those being dedicated for God, nor indeed with an unmixed to have used the mind, but both softly-touching and tenderly and very well-artfully to right to urge the unto virtue. And they would be thus and not otherwise of the holy ones the right-doings useful and edible for God, the
Greek
τόν τε καὶ ζῶσαν ὁδόν. Μετὰ δέ γε τὸ ξυρᾶσθαι πρὸς αὐταῖς ἥκοντα ταῖς θύραις τῆς ἁγίας σκηνῆς, καὶ μὴν καὶ πυρὶ δαπανῆσαι τὴν τρίχα· «Λήψεται,» φησὶν, «ὁ ἱερεὺς τὸν βραχίονα ἑφθὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κριοῦ, ἄρτον τε καὶ λάγανον, καὶ ἐπιθήσει ἐπὶ τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ εὐξαμένου, καὶ αὖθις ἀναλαβὼν προσοίσει,» φησὶν, «ἐπίθεμα ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ ἅγιον ἔσται τῷ ἱερεῖ, καθὰ καὶ τὸ στηθύνιον τοῦ ἀφαιρέματος.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εἶτα, τί ἂν βούλοιτο δηλοῦν ὁ νόμος;
{ΚΥΡ.} Εἰς τύπον μὲν δὴ τοῦ ἰσχύοντος, ἤτοι τῶν ἐν ἰσχύϊ κατορθωμάτων, ὁ βραχίων ἀεὶ παρά γε τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ Γραφῇ νοεῖται, ζωῆς δὲ δὴ πάλιν ἁγίας τε καὶ καθαρᾶς, ὁ ἄζυμος ἄρτος, καὶ μὲν καὶ τὸ εὔχαρί τε καὶ τὸ ἡδὺ παραδείξειεν ἂν ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ, τὸ λάγανον ἐλαίῳ ματτόμενον, καὶ εἰς πλακοῦντα τελοῦν. Τοῦ δὲ μεσιτεύοντος ἱερέως τὸ πρόσωπον, περιθείη τις ἂν καὶ μάλα εἰκότως τῷ Ἐμμανουήλ. Ὁ τοίνυν ἁγνείαν τὴν ἀνωτάτω κατωρθωκὼς, καὶ ἀνάθημα λαμπρὸν προσκεκομικὼς τῷ πανάγνῳ Θεῷ, τὰ ἐξ ἰσχύος ἔργα, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῆς πνευματικῆς, ὡς ἐν βραχίονι τοῦ κριοῦ, καὶ ζωὴν ἄμωμον, ὡς ἐν ἄρτῳ τῷ ἀζύμῳ νοουμένην, καὶ μέν τοι καὶ τὸ ἡδὺ καὶ τὸ ἐπίχαρι τῆς ἐν ἁγιασμῷ ζωῆς, ὡς ἐν τῷ λαγάνῳ, μονονουχὶ χερσὶν ἰδίαις ἐπιτιθεὶς, ἀναφέρει Θεῷ, διὰ μεσίτου Χριστοῦ, ὃς οἱονεί πως ἀπὸ χειρὸς εἰς χεῖρας δέχεται τὰς δωροφορίας, ταῖς ἀνωτάτω τιμαῖς, κἂν τούτῳ δὴ μάλιστα, τὸν γνήσιον ἀληθῶς καταγεραίρων προσκυνητήν. Ταύτῃτοί φησιν, ὅτι χερσὶν ἐπιθεὶς ἰδίαις, ὁ τὴν ἁγίαν οὕτω καὶ πάναγνον ἀποπεραίνων εὐχὴν, ἐπιδώσει τῷ ἱερεῖ ἐπίθεμα καὶ ἐξαίρετον, καὶ ἐκνεμηθὲν αὐτῷ, καθὰ καὶ τὸ στηθύνιον τοῦ κριοῦ, κατά γε τῷ νομοθέτῃ δοκοῦν. Ὥσπερ δὴ τὸν βραχίονα μήνυσιν εἶναί φαμεν τῶν ἐξ ἰσχύος κατορθωμάτων, ἤγουν τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτῆς, οὕτω καὶ τὸ στηθύνιον τοῦ κριοῦ, φρενός τε καὶ νοῦ. Κεκτήμεθα γὰρ ἐν σπλάγχνοις καὶ ἐν τῷ στήθει τὰς φρένας. Ἀδιαφορεῖ δὲ πολλάκις ἡ θεία Γραφὴ, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν εἰς νοῦ τύπον τὴν κεφαλὴν, ποτὲ δὲ τὸ στῆθος εἰς φρενὸς ποιεῖται δήλωσιν. Ἱερὰ δὴ οὖν καὶ ἐξαίρετα, μόνον δὲ οὐχὶ καὶ ἀπὸ χειρὸς εἰς χεῖρα προσκομιζόμενα, καὶ εὐπαράδεκτα δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ, τῶν ἁγνιζομένων ἰσχὺς ἡ πνευματικὴ, καὶ μέν τοι καὶ φρένες. Εἴπερ ἔστιν ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἑτέρως γένοιτό ποτε κατορθοῦν δύνασθαι τοὺς ἁγίους τὰ ἁνδάνοντα Θεῷ, μὴ οὐχὶ δι' ἰσχύος τῆς πνευματικῆς, καὶ μέν τοι καὶ φρενὸς ἀγαθῆς.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἑφθὸν δὲ προστέταχε λαμβάνεσθαι τὸν βραχίονα, τὸ οἱονεί πως ὠμὸν, καὶ τὸ τοῦ καθήκοντος παράλογον τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἰσχύος ἀποσοβῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἀποτόμους εἶναι χρὴ τοὺς ἀνακειμένους Θεῷ, οὔτε μὴν ἀκράτῳ κεχρῆσθαι τῷ νῷ, ἀλλ' εὐαφῶς τε καὶ ἁπαλῶς καὶ λίαν εὐτέχνως κατορθοῦν ἐπείγεσθαι τὰ εἰς ἀρετήν. Εἶεν δ' ἂν ὧδε καὶ οὐχ ἑτέρως τῶν ἁγίων τὰ κατορθώματα χρηστὰ καὶ ἐδώδιμα τῷ Θεῷ, τὸ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 16 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 16 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 16 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 16)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 16)
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.