Three annual feasts; Pharaoh resists; plagues begin
Palladius: Go on, then, wherever you please; you will benefit me most richly.
Cyril: When the people of Israel were once gathered in the wilderness under Mount Horeb, the God of all shaped the law that defines what we must do. After he had commanded countless profitable statutes, he added at last: ‘Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me.’ (Ex 23:14)
And he made plain at once what those times are. He said: ‘You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the season of the month of new grain; for in it you came out of Egypt. You shall not appear before me empty. And you shall keep the feast of harvest, of the firstfruits of your works that you sow in your field; and the feast of ingathering at the outgoing of the year, when you gather in your works from the field. Three times in the year shall every male appear before the Lord your God.’ (Ex 23:15-17; Ex 34:18-23; Dt 16:16)
That we must fulfill the feasts to God would be fitting for every age — yet Pharaoh resisted, and the plagues began to press Egypt until the destroyer came upon the firstborn.
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἴθι δὴ οὖν ὅποι φίλον· ὀνήσεις γὰρ καὶ μάλα πλουσίως.
{ΚΥΡ.} Συναγηγερμένων ποτὲ κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον ὑπὸ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Χωρὴβ, τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, τὸν τῶν πρακτέων ἡμῖν ὁριστὴν διετύπου νόμον ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, μυρία δὲ ὅσα καὶ ἐπωφελῆ θεσπίσματα προστεταχὼς, προσετίθει λοιπὸν, «Τρεῖς καιροὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἑορτάσατέ μοι.» Τίνες δ' ἂν εἶεν τοιοίδε καιροὶ, διεσάφει πάλιν. Ἔφη γὰρ εὐθύς· «Τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων φυλάξασθε ποιεῖν· ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἔδεσθε ἄζυμα, καθάπερ ἐνετειλάμην σοι κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ μηνὸς τῶν νέων· ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ἐξῆλθες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου· οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ ἐνώπιόν μου κενός· καὶ ἑορτὴν τοῦ θερισμοῦ πρωτογενημάτων ποιήσεις ἔργων σου, ὧν ἐὰν σπείρῃς ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ σου, καὶ ἑορτὴν συντελείας ἐπ' ἐξόδῳ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν ἔργων σου, τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ σου. Τρεῖς καιροὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὀφθήσεται πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου.» Ὅτι μὲν οὖν τὸ χρῆναι πληροῦν τὰς ἑορτὰς τῷ Θεῷ, πρέποι ἂν ὅτι μάλιστα τοῖς ἀνδριζομένοις, καὶ οὐχὶ δὴ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἀναπεπτωκόσι καὶ ἄναλκιν ἔν γε δὴ σφίσιν ἔχουσι νοῦν, καὶ τεθρυμμένον ἀεὶ πρὸς τὰ σαρκός τε καὶ κόσμου, παρέδειξεν εἰπών· «Τρεῖς καιροὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὀφθήσεται πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου.» Ἐποπτείας γὰρ ἄξιον τῆς ἄνωθεν καὶ παρὰ Θεοῦ τὸ ἀρσενικὸν, κατά γε τοὺς ἤδη προειρημένους τρόπους. Πλὴν ἐνομοθέτει χρησίμως τὸ χρῆναι πληροῦν ἑορτὰς ἁγίας. Ἔδει γὰρ, ἔδει τοῖς εἰς ἀρχὴν ἀναβαίνουσι παιδαγωγίας ὀρθῆς, καὶ ὑπὸ ζεύγλην ἤδη πως ἰοῦσι τὴν ὑπὸ Θεῷ, τῆς ἐν νόμῳ πολιτείας τὸ τέλος, ὅτι πάντη τε καὶ πάντως ἐκτελευτήσειεν ἂν αὐτοῖς εἰς τρυφάς τε καὶ εὐθυμίας, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τὰς πνευματικὰς, εὖ μάλα παραδηλοῦν. Ταύτῃτοι προσηγορευκὼς τὸν νόμον, καὶ ἀποκρίνας ἀστείως τὸ πεφυκὸς ἀδικεῖν, ἐπαινέσας δὲ τὸ τελοῦν εἰς ὄνησιν, καὶ τῆς ἁνδανούσης αὐτῷ πολιτείας καὶ ζωῆς, παραθεὶς τὴν ὁδὸν, ὅτι καὶ καταλήξει ποτὲ πρὸς τρυφὰς ὁ πόνος αὐτοῖς, ἐφῆκε νοεῖν. Οὐκοῦν πρώτη μὲν ἑορτὴ κατὰ μῆνα τὸν νέον· δευτέρα δὲ ὥσπερ καὶ γείτων εὐθὺς ἡ τοῦ θερισμοῦ τῶν πρωτογενημάτων, τρίτη δὲ καὶ ἐπ' ἐσχάτοις ἡ ἐπ' ἐξόδῳ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, συγκεκομισμένων ἡμῖν τῶν καρπῶν, ἐν ἑβδόμῳ τοῦ ἔτους μηνί. Ἢ οὐχ ὧδε ἔφη τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερόν;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σύμφημι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαῖον, τὸ ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ καιρῷ παρακομίζειν εἰς μέσον, καὶ ὅπως τε καὶ ἐπὶ τίσι τελεῖσθαι πρέποι, διαθρεῖν ὡς ἔνι. Ἀπαίρειν μὲν γὰρ τῆς Αἰγυπτίων ἐκέλευε τότε τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ φιλοικτίρμων Θεὸς, καὶ τῆς ἀφορήτου θητείας ἀποφορτίζεσθαι τὸν ζυγὸν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας μεθορμίσασθαι γῆν. Ἀντανίστατο δὲ τοῖς τεθεσπισμένοις ὁ Φαραὼ, καὶ ἀγροικὸν μὲν ἐφίει φωνὴν κατὰ τῆς ἀῤῥήτου δόξης, «Οὐκ οἶδα,» λέγων, «τὸν Κύριον.» Οὐκ ἀνήσειν δὲ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ διεβεβαιοῦτο πλειστάκις· καὶ δὴ καὶ πληγαῖς συχναῖς καὶ ἀλλεπαλλήλοις κατηκίζετο. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἦν ἀτεράμων ἔτι, καὶ ἄθραυστον
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.