Male unblemished = manly mind; human fairness measured
Cyril: …males and unblemished would be fitting to be those for God having been consecrated, nothing having the female-fitting, not having been slackened unto ease; but much exceedingly having nodded-through unto the needing to man-up, male and as it were having been awakened the in at least themselves preserving mind. And indeed toward this I would say, that clean and unblemished to be is necessary, according at least to the possible for the human nature. For somewhere also very mindfully psalms the all-divine David: ‘Judge me, Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my harmlessness upon me.’ (Psalm 7:8) For somehow has been measured-with beside God of the human fairness the manner, of the of the holy angels surpassing-up clearly, and much the according to us over-lifting measure. So then male and unblemished the sacred let be victim
Greek
ἄρσενάς τε καὶ ἀμώμους πρέποι ἂν εἶναι τοὺς Θεῷ καθιερωμένους, οὐδὲν ἔχοντας τὸ θηλυπρεπὲς, οὐ παρειμένους εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν· ἀλλὰ πολὺ λίαν διανενευκότας εἰς τὸ ἀνδρίζεσθαι δεῖν, ἄρσενά τε καὶ οἱονεὶ διεγηγερμένον τὸν ἔν γε δὴ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς διασώζοντας νοῦν. Καὶ μέντοι πρὸς τόδε φαίην ἂν, ὅτι καθαρούς τε καὶ ἀμώμους εἶναι χρὴ, κατά γε τὸ ἐγχωροῦν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει. Ψάλλει γάρ που καὶ μάλα ἐμφρόνως ὁ θεσπέσιος Δαβίδ· «Κρῖνόν με, Κύριε, κατὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν μου ἐπ' ἐμοί.» Συμμεμέτρηται γάρ πως παρὰ Θεῷ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἐπιεικείας ὁ τρόπος, ὑπερανισχούσης δηλονότι τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων, καὶ πολὺ τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὑπεραιρούσης μέτρον. Οὐκοῦν ἄρσεν τε καὶ ἄμωμον τὸ ἱερὸν ἔστω θῦμα. Ἀποφέρεται δέ πως πρὸς αὐταῖς ταῖς θύραις τῆς ἁγίας σκηνῆς. Τελειούμεθα γὰρ οὐχ ἑτέρωσέ ποι, ἢ ὅτι πάντη τε καὶ πάντως ἐν ἐκκλησίαις ἐσόμεθα εὐπαράδεκτοι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ, προσκομίζοντος ἡμᾶς ὡς ἱερέως Χριστοῦ. Δι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ τὴν προσαγωγὴν ἐσχήκαμεν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν ἐνεκαίνισε τὴν εἰς τὸ εἶναι πάροδον, πρόδρομος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰσελάσας εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ καταδείξας ἡμῖν τὴν ἀληθῆ τρίβον. Ἐπιθεῖναί γε μὴν τῷ μόσχῳ τὰς χεῖρας προστέταχε, διά γε δὴ τούτου πλαγίως ὑποσημαίνων, ὡς ἀνθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐν τύπῳ προσάγουσιν εἰκόνα τινὰ τοῦ χρῆναι βιοῦν ἁγίως, διὰ τοῦ τεθνάναι τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν τοῦ κτήνους σφαγὴν εὖ μάλα ποιούμενοι. Ἄθρει δὴ οὖν ὅπως ἡμῖν ἡ σκιὰ διαμορφοῖ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἐσφάζετο μὲν γὰρ ὁ μόσχος ἔναντι Κυρίου, προσεχεῖτο δὲ τὸ αἷμα τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ. Τὸ γάρ τοι τεθνάναι τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ τῶν σαρκικῶν ἡ νέκρωσις κινημάτων, ἥδιστον τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐποπτείας ἄξιον· καὶ τάχα που ψάλλει τι τοιοῦτον ὁ θεῖος ἡμῖν Δαβὶδ, ὡδί πη λέγων· «Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ.» Ἀνάθημα γὰρ ὥσπερ ἱερὸν ἔσται τῷ Θεῷ, τῶν ὁσίων ὁ θάνατος· καὶ οὔτι που πάντων τῶν κατὰ σάρκα, φημί· κατασημήνειεν δὲ μᾶλλον ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν, ὃν ὑπομένειν ἔθος αὐτοὺς, κόσμῳ μὲν ἀποθνήσκοντας, Θεῷ δὲ ζῶντας ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ ἁγιασμῷ· ἀμήχανον γὰρ τὴν ἁγίαν ἡμᾶς κατορθῶσαι ζωὴν, μὴ οὐχὶ προεκτεθνεῶτας τῷ κόσμῳ. Γράφει γὰρ ὁ Πέτρος περὶ Χριστοῦ· «Ὃς τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἀνήνεγκεν ἐν τῷ σώματι αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου, ἵνα ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἀπογενόμενοι, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ ζήσωμεν.» Οὐκοῦν ἡ τοῦ μόσχου σφαγὴ, καταδηλοῦν ἔοικε τὸ ἀπογενέσθαι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, καὶ τὸ ὑπομεῖναι θάνατον τὸν παρὰ Θεῷ τίμιον, ὃν καὶ ἐφορᾷν ἀξιοῖ. «Σφάξουσι γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν μόσχον ἔναντι Κυρίου.» Ἡ δέ γε τοῦ αἵματος χύσις ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, τὴν τῆς ζωῆς ἀφιέρωσιν καὶ ψυχῆς ἀνάθεσιν εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ κατασημήνειεν ἂν, οἶμαί που. Ἐκδέρεται δὲ τὸ θῦμα, καὶ τέμνεται κατὰ μέλος· τοῦ μὲν ἐκδέρεσθαι, τὴν οἱονεὶ γύμνωσίν τε καὶ ἀποκάλυψιν τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ὑποφαίνοντος· τοῦ δὲ μελίζεσθαι, τὸ μέχρις ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καθικνεῖσθαι λόγον, εὖ μάλα παραδεικνύντος.
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.
Witnesses
- 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.