Grain dies → many; two calves=peoples; one ram=unity; seven lambs; virtue grades
Cyril: ‘…besides the continual holocausts.’ Look then, Palladius, at Emmanuel’s death bearing much fruit, according to what he said clearly and truly: ‘Amen, amen, I say to you: unless the grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’ (Jn 12:24; Num 28:23)
For the lamb is slaughtered as a type of Christ, in the first month according to the law, on the fourteenth day. And calves and a ram and lambs are added for sacrifice and holocausts — signifying, I think, both the multitude of those called through faith into holiness and the measure of spiritual vigor, as in a type. (Ex 12:6)
For if Christ had not died for us, we would not have been received as a fragrance of sweet smell. The two calves hint at the two peoples; the one ram at the unity of faith; the seven lambs at the full course of virtue in the Spirit. (Eph 2:14-16; Eph 4:5)
Greek
«πλὴν τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων τοῦ ἐνδελεχισμοῦ.» Θέα δὴ οὖν, ὦ Παλλάδιε, τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ τὸν θάνατον, καρποφοροῦντα πολλοὺς, κατά γε τὸ παρ' αὐτοῦ σαφῶς τε καὶ ἀληθῶς εἰρημένον, «Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου πεσὼν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀποθάνῃ, αὐτὸς μόνος μένει· ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ, καρπὸν πολὺν φέρει.» Σφάζεται γὰρ ὁ ἀμνὸς εἰς τύπον Χριστοῦ, μηνὶ μὲν πρώτῳ κατὰ τὸν νόμον, ἡμέρᾳ δὲ αὖ τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ. Προσεπάγονται δὲ μόσχοι, καὶ κριὸς, καὶ ἀμνοὶ πρὸς θυσίαν καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματα, τῶν διὰ πίστεως κεκλημένων εἰς ἁγιασμὸν, καθάπερ ἐγᾦμαι, τήν τε πληθὺν, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς εὐεξίας τὸ μέτρον, ὡς ἐν τύπῳ κατασημαίνοντα· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν Χριστὸς, οὐκ ἂν ἡμεῖς παρεδέχθημεν εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τετελείωται διὰ παθημάτων, κατόπιν ἴμεν εὐθὺς ἱεροπρεπὲς ἀνάθημα τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ, καὶ θυσίαν ὄντως πνευματικὴν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἀναφέροντες. Δύο μὲν οὖν οἱ μόσχοι· δύο γὰρ οἱ λαοί· φημὶ δὲ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ μέντοι τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν. Εἷς δὲ κριός· ἑνούμεθα γὰρ ἐν Χριστῷ, «Τῷ ποιήσαντι ἀμφότερα ἒν, καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λελυκότι, καὶ τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασι καταργήσαντι, ἵνα τοὺς δύο κτίσῃ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον, ποιῶν εἰρήνην,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. Ἑπτὰ δὲ ἦσαν οἱ ἀμνοί· ἒν γὰρ οἱ πάντες ἐν Χριστῷ γεγονότες, πλατεῖά τίς ἐσμεν ἀγέλη, καὶ τὴν ἑνὸς τοῦ πάντων ἀρχιποίμενος ὑποτρέχοντες χεῖρα, καὶ ἐκ ποίμναιν δυαῖν, εἰς μίαν ἤδη πως συναγηγερμένοι, καὶ ἐν καθαρᾷ καὶ ἀμωμήτῳ διαπρέποντες ζωῇ, διατελοῦμεν ἐν κόσμῳ, διὰ τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐν ἀνόμοις, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁπάντων ἁμαρτίας ὑπομείναντα σφαγὴν, ὃς καὶ ἐν τῷ χιμάρῳ σημαίνεται. Μόσχου γε μὴν καὶ κριοῦ, καὶ μὴν καὶ ἀμνοῦ μνημονεύσας ὁ νόμος, τῆς τῶν ἁγίων θεοφιλοῦς πολιτείας τὰς τρεῖς ὑπέφηνε διαφοράς· τήν τε ἀνωτάτω, φημὶ, καὶ μέσην, καὶ τὴν ἔτι μείω τε καὶ ὑποδεεστέραν. Ἐν γὰρ τοῖς σωματικοῖς μεγέθεσι τῶν ζώων, ἡ τῆς πνευματικῆς εὐεξίας ἀνετυποῦτο ποσότης. Ἦ γὰρ, οὐχὶ καὶ γῆν ἔφη τὴν γονιμωτάτην ἐκδοῦναι καρποὺς ἐν τρισὶ διαφοραῖς, τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας ὁ λόγος;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ναί· ἡ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐποίησεν ἑκατὸν, ἡ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ἡ δὲ τριάκοντα.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἄραρεν οὖν ὅτι τὸ διάφορον ἐν ἀρετῇ, καὶ τοῦ βίου τὸ παρηλλαγμένον, ὡς ἐν ποσότητι τῶν θυμάτων, καὶ ὡς ἐν ὄγκῳ σωματικῷ σκιαγραφεῖται καλῶς· ἄκρως μὲν γὰρ καὶ ὑπερκειμένως, ὡς ἔν γε δὴ τῷ μόσχῳ. Μέσως δὲ αὖ, καὶ τοῦ τελείως ἔχοντος ὑποβεβηκότως ὡς ἐν μείονι τῷ κριῷ, ἐνυφιζάνοντι δὲ καὶ ἔτι μείονι, τῷ ἀμνῷ. Κριοῦ γὰρ μείων, ὁ ἀμνὸς, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ μόσχου, κριός. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἀναλόγως τοῖς ἑκάστου μεγέθεσι, τὸ τῆς σεμιδάλεως ἐπιφέρεται μέτρον, ζωῆς ἐχούσης τύπον· τρία μὲν γὰρ τῷ μόσχῳ δέκατα, δύο δὲ τῷ κριῷ, καὶ ἒν τῷ ἀμνῷ. Πλὴν ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὰ πάντα δεδεῦσθαι δεῖν ἔφη· ἕψεται γὰρ πάντως τοῖς ἑκάστου μέτροις ἀναλόγως, [τὰ] παρὰ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τῆς ἐν εὐκλείᾳ καὶ μακαριότητι ζωῆς πολλή τις ἔσται διαφορά. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ πρέποι ἂν εἰκότως, ἡ ἀνωτάτω, ἑτέροις δ' αὖ ἡ ὡς ἐν μείονι μὲν, πλὴν ἐν τιμῇ τε καὶ δόξῃ, τισὶ δὲ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 17 of a seventeen-book dialogue — the final book of the series.
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 17 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 17 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 17)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 17)
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.