The Law was put in until the seed should come
Palladius said: I would reasonably ask, then, what the delay of the sanctification according to faith was — why you say the sign is in the older place and the thing that surpasses it in the second.
Cyril: Did we not just say that it was the work of an admirable and unspeakable skill, that the Law which condemns should leap up in time before the faith that justifies? Or does not the light shine in the darkness? And is not power perfected in weakness, according to what is written?
Palladius: You speak well.
Cyril: So the Law came in besides, so that the trespass might increase. For where there is no Law, there is no transgression either. And how would anyone see the forgiveness of transgression and of the ease toward it, if the Law had not first condemned us? That what I say is true, and that the argument on this is not some faded or ugly thing, Paul will help, saying, 'So the Law was added for the sake of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom it has been promised, ordained through angels.' And being very wise, he tries to cut off in advance the inventions and questions that will sometimes be found by some. For it was likely that some would blame the delay of the righteousness in faith, and say that the coming-in of the Law in between became a setting-aside of that ancient promise. That is why he says, 'Is the Law then against the promises of God? Let it not be. For if a Law had been given that was able to make alive, righteousness would truly have been in Law. But Scripture shut up all things under sin, so that the promise from faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Before the faith came, we were guarded under Law, being shut up into the faith about to be revealed to us. So the Law became our tutor unto Christ, so that we might be justified from faith. But when the faith has come we are no longer under a tutor, for you are all sons of God through the faith in Christ Jesus.'
And he makes the question white-clear, as it were, by adding, 'This I say: a covenant previously ratified by God, the Law that came after four hundred and thirty years does not annul, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance is from Law, it is no longer from promise. But God has granted it to Abraham through a promise.' So the Law, having shut us up into sin, tutored us unto Christ, for the end of Law and prophets is Christ. That is why he also said to the peoples of the Jews who had not believed him, 'If you believed Moses, you would believe me. For he wrote about me.' We are justified, then, not from works of Law, but rather by the faith in Christ. 'For as many as are from works of Law are under a curse. For it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not remain in all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them. But from the curse of the Law Christ bought all, having become'
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τίς οὖν ἡ μέλλησις τοῦ κατὰ πίστιν ἁγιασμοῦ, ἐπαπορήσαιμι δ' ἂν εἰκότως, ἀνθ' ὅτου δὴ λέγων ὡς ἐν πρεσβυτέρᾳ θέσει τὸ σημεῖον καὶ ὡς ἐν δευτέροις τὸ ὑπερτεροῦν;
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐ γὰρ ἔφαμεν ἀρτίως ὡς ἀξιαγάστου καὶ ἀποῤῥήτου τινὸς εὐτεχνίας ἔργον ἦν τὸ προαναθρώσκειν ἐν χρόνῳ τῆς δικαιούσης πίστεως τὸν κατακρίνοντα νόμον; ἢ οὐχὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει; καὶ ἡ δύναμις ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εὖ λέγεις.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐκοῦν νόμος παρεισῆλθεν, ἵνα πλεονάσῃ τὸ παράπτωμα. Οὗ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος, οὐδὲ παράβασις. Παραβάσεως δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦτο ῥᾳστώνης πῶς ἄν τις ἴδοι τὴν ἄφεσιν, οὐ προκατακρίναντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ νόμου; Ὅτι δὲ ἀληθὲς ὅ φημι, καὶ οὐκ ἐξίτηλός τις ἢ ἀκαλλὴς ὁ ἐπὶ τῷδε λόγος, συλλήψεται λέγων ὁ Παῦλος· «Ὥστε ὁ νόμος τῶν παραβάσεων χάριν προσετέθη, ἄχρις οὗ ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα ὃ ἐπήγγελται, διαταγῇ ἀγγέλων.» Σοφὸς δὲ ἄγαν ὢν τὰς ἐσομένας ἔσθ' ὅτε παρά τινων εὑρεσιλογίας καὶ ἐπαπορήσεις προανακόπτειν ἐπιχειρεῖ· ἦν γὰρ δή τινας εἰκὸς τῆς ἐν πίστει δικαιοσύνης ἐπαιτιᾶσθαι τὴν μέλλησιν καὶ τὴν μεταξὺ τοῦ νόμου παρεισδρομὴν, εἰς ἀθέτησιν τῆς ἀρχαίας ἐκείνης ἐπαγγελίας γενέσθαι λέγειν. Τοιγάρτοι φησίν· «Ὁ οὖν νόμος κατὰ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ; μὴ γένοιτο. Εἰ γὰρ ἐδόθη νόμος ὁ δυνάμενος ζωοποιῆσαι, ὄντως ἐν νόμῳ ἂν ἦν ἡ δικαιοσύνη. Ἀλλὰ συνέκλεισεν ἡ Γραφὴ τὰ πάντα ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοθῇ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. Πρὸ τοῦ δὲ ἐλθεῖν τὴν πίστιν, ὑπὸ νόμου ἐφρουρούμεθα συγκλειόμενοι εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς. Ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστὸν, ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν. Ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς πίστεως οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν, πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.» Καταλευκαίνει δὲ ὥσπερ τὴν ἐπαπόρησιν εὖ μάλα προστιθεὶς, «Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω, διαθήκην προκεκυρωμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ μετὰ ἔτη τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα γεγονὼς νόμος οὐκ ἀκυροῖ, εἰς τὸ καταργῆσαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν· εἰ γὰρ ἐκ νόμου ἡ κληρονομία, οὐκέτι ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας. Τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ δι' ἐπαγγελίας κεχάρισται ὁ Θεός.» Κατακλείσας οὖν ἡμᾶς εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ὁ νόμος, πεπαιδαγώγηκεν εἰς Χριστὸν, τέλος γὰρ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν ὁ Χριστός. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν ἠπειθηκόσιν αὐτῷ τοῖς Ἰουδαίων λαοῖς· «Εἰ ἐπιστεύετε Μωσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί. Περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψε·» Δικαιούμεθα δὴ οὖν οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, πίστει δὲ μᾶλλον τῇ εἰς Χριστόν· «Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου εἰσὶν, ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσί. Γέγραπται γάρ· Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει πᾶσι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά. Ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τοῦ νόμου κατάρας ἐξεπρίατο πάντας ὁ Χριστὸς, γεγενημένος
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius on worship in spirit and truth. Book 2 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 2 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 2 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 2)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 2)
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.