On Adoration and Worship in Spirit and Truth, Book 17 · §20

Kingdom leaven; scribe new+old; lambs→calf→rams = growth in Christ

Cyril: How could this still be thought newness? And how could some still be called a new lump if a remnant of leaven remains in them, and they have not altogether been quit of unholy and abominable baseness?

So one must conceive, according to the word fitting for these contemplations, another kind of leaven that has nothing in itself that must be blamed — rather even admired by the God-breathed Scripture. The Savior likens to leaven the renowned and beneficial power of the divine and evangelical training, saying: ‘The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was leavened.’ (Mt 13:33; 1 Cor 5:7)

For when the life-giving energy of evangelical training enters mind and heart, it leavens soul and body and the whole human being. The scribe discipled for the kingdom brings out of his treasure things new and old. (Mt 13:52) And the move from lambs to calf to rams sketches growth in Christ from beginnings toward maturity.

Greek

τοῦτο νοοῖτο καινότητος; πῶς δ' ἂν ἔτι καὶ νέον φύραμα λέγοιντό τινες, εἰ ζύμης ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐναπομένει λείψανον, εἶέν τε τῆς ἀνοσίου καὶ βδελυρᾶς φαυλότητος οὐκ εἰσάπαν ἠμοιρηκότες; Ἐπινοητέον δὴ οὖν κατά γε τὸν πρέποντα τοῖς θεωρήμασι λόγον, ζύμης εἶδος ἑτέρας, τὸ καταψέγεσθαι δεῖν οὐκ ἐχούσης ἐφ' ἑαυτῇ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τεθαυμασμένης παρά γε τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ Γραφῇ. Ζύμῃ δὴ οὖν ὁ Σωτὴρ τῆς θείας τε καὶ εὐαγγελικῆς παιδεύσεως τὴν εὐκλεᾶ τε καὶ ὀνησιφόρον δύναμιν παρεικάζει, λέγων· «Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ζύμῃ, ἣν λαβοῦσα γυνὴ, ἔκρυψεν εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία, ἕως οὗ ἐζυμώθη τὸ ὅλον.» Εἰσδύνουσα γὰρ εἰς νοῦν καὶ καρδίαν τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς παιδεύσεως ἡ ζωοποιὸς ἐνέργεια, ψυχήν τε καὶ σῶμα καὶ πνεῦμα πρὸς ἰδίαν ὥσπερ ποιότητα μεταστοιχειοῖ. Οὐκοῦν τῇ τοιᾷδε ζύμῃ πρέποι ἂν ὑπονοεῖν ἐζυμῶσθαι τοὺς λαοὺς, ὡς ἐν εἴδει τῶν ἄρτων προσκεκομισμένους, καὶ ἐκ δύο δεκάτων ἕκαστος· τὸ οἱονεὶ διττὸν τῆς παιδεύσεως, καταγράφοντος ἡμῖν αἰνιγματωδῶς τοῦ τύπου.

{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οἷον δὴ τί φῄς;

{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐ γὰρ, ὦ Παλλάδιε, φαίης ἂν, ὅτι διὰ διττῆς παιδεύσεως, νομικῆς τε καὶ εὐαγγελικῆς, ἱεροί τε ἐσόμεθα, καὶ εὐπαράδεκτοι τῷ Θεῷ, ἴμεν τε οὕτως εἰς νέαν καὶ ἀπόλεκτον ζωήν;

{ΠΑΛΛ.} Φημί.

{ΚΥΡ.} Τοῦτό τοι καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν ὁ Σωτὴρ διεσάφει, λέγων· «Διὰ τοῦτο εἶπον ὑμῖν, ὅτι πᾶς γραμματεὺς μαθητευθεὶς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὅμοιός ἐστιν ἀνθρώπῳ πλουσίῳ, ὅστις ἐκβάλλει ἐκ τοῦ θησαυροῦ αὐτοῦ καινὰ καὶ παλαιά.» Οἱ γὰρ τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντες ἐπιστήμονα τῶν διὰ Μωσέως τεθεσπισμένων, καὶ τῆς ἀρχαίας ἐκείνης καὶ ὡς ἐν τύποις ἐντολῆς ἐκμεμεστωμένον, εἶτα πρὸς ἐκείνῃ τὴν νέαν καὶ εὐαγγελικὴν καταπλουτήσαντες γνῶσιν, διττὴν, οἶμαί που, λοιπὸν αὐχοῦσι καὶ τὴν παίδευσιν.

{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.

{ΚΥΡ.} Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν μόνοις ἄρτοις ἡμῖν ἡ τῶν εἰς καινότητα ζωῆς ἐσκευασμένων πληθὺς κατεγράφετο, προσεπιτάττει δὲ δεῖν ὁ νόμος ἑπτὰ προσάγειν ἀμνοὺς σὺν μόσχῳ τῷ ἑνὶ, καὶ κριοῖς δυσίν· ἑπομένης δὲ δηλονότι σπονδῆς τοῖς θύμασι, τουτέστιν, οἴνου καταχεομένου, καὶ ὡς ἐν τετάρτῳ τοῦ ἲν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ ξεστῶν ἓξ, γλώσσῃ τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκφωνούμενον. Οὐκοῦν τύπος ἂν εἶεν οἱ ἑπτὰ πάλιν ἀμνοὶ τῆς τῶν πιστευόντων ἀγέλης, νηπιαζούσης μὲν ἐν Χριστῷ. Νηπιότητος γὰρ σύμβολον, ὁ ἀμνός· πλὴν ὡς ἐν ἰσχύϊ καὶ ἀνδρίᾳ πνευματικῇ, προϊούσης εἰς τελειότητα καὶ εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος Χριστοῦ.

{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πῶς ἔφης;

{ΚΥΡ.} Τοὺς ἀμνοὺς ὀνομάσας, εἶτα διὰ μέσου παρενθεὶς τὸν μόσχον, ἐπιφέρει τοὺς κριούς. Τύπος δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ μὲν ἀμνοὶ, τῆς ἀγέλης· ἰσχύος δὲ καὶ ἀνδρείας, ὁ μόσχος· τὸ γάρτοι ζῶον εὐσθενές· ἡλικίας δὲ λοιπὸν τῆς ἐντελοῦς, οἱ κριοί. Οὐκοῦν οἱ πιστεύοντες διὰ τοῦ κατανδρίζεσθαι φιλεῖν τῶν γεω

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.