From the rising of the sun a pure sacrifice
fragrance of the bloodless and intelligible sacrifice. For he said again, 'I have no will in you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will not receive a sacrifice from your hands, because from the rising of the sun even to its setting my name has been glorified among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name and a pure sacrifice, because my name is great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty.' You understand that he says incense and a pure sacrifice will be brought up to him from every nation. And just as, naming the new covenant in Christ 'new,' he has made the first old — for divine Paul writes to us this way — so here too, having said that the sacrifice from every nation will be pure in its times, he condemns the ancient one as not being so. For how is something pure in a way, which neither cleanses nor even has the power to perfect toward virtue? That is why the blessed Paul says that it was not without fault, and that the things through Christ had to be brought in, and that a place for the second was sought.
Palladius: Was the worship in shadows wholly unwanted, then, by the all-holy God?
For much better before God than a falling calf and the slaughter of a sheep is love toward brothers, unto the fulfilling of the Law, and the surpassing of the knowledge of Christ, through whom the Father himself would become known to us. And that the thing is a bringer of eternal life, no one would doubt, when Christ says to the Father in the heavens, ‘And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent.’ He will not—
Greek
τον εὐωδίαν. Ἔφη γὰρ ὧδε πάλιν· «Οὐκ ἔστι μου θέλημα ἐν ὑμῖν, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ θυσίαν οὐ προσδέξομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν, διότι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ ἕως δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξασται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσφέρεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ θυσία καθαρὰ, διότι μέγα τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ.» Συνίης ὅτι θυμίαμά τε καὶ θυσίαν αὐτῷ καθαρὰν ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους ἀνενεχθήσεσθαί φησιν. Ὥσπερ δὲ τὴν νέαν ἡμῖν καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ διαθήκην, καινὴν ὀνομάσας, πεπαλαίωκε τὴν πρώτην. Γράφει γὰρ ἡμῖν οὕτως καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος. Ὡς κἀνθάδε, καθαρὰν εἰπὼν τὴν ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους θυσίαν ἐσομένην κατὰ καιροὺς, τῷ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν τῆς ἀρχαίας καταψηφίζεται. Καθαρὰ γάρ τινα τρόπον, ἡ μήτε καθαίρουσα, μήτε μὴν ἔχουσα τὸ τελειοῦν δύνασθαι πρὸς ἀρετήν; Ταύτῃ τοί φησιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, ὡς ἦν μὲν οὐκ ἄμεμπτος, εἰσκεκομίσθαι δὲ ἀναγκαίως τὰ διὰ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὸν τῆς δευτέρας ἐκζητεῖσθαι τόπον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀβούλητος ἄρα παντελῶς ἡ ἐν σκιαῖς λατρεία παναγίῳ Θεῷ;
{ΚΥΡ.} Παντάπασι μὲν οὖν. Πάρα δέ γε σαφῶς ἐπαΐειν λέγοντος τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, διὰ τῆς Ἱερεμίου φωνῆς· «Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα ὑμῶν συναγάγετε μετὰ τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ φάγετε κρέα. Ὅτι οὐκ ἐλάλησα πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἐνετειλάμην αὐτοῖς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ᾖ ἀνήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου περὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων καὶ θυσιῶν. Ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἐνετειλάμην αὐτοῖς λέγων, Ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς μου.» Ὅσον μὲν γὰρ ἧκεν εἴς γε τὸ ἀκριβὲς τῷ νομοθέτῃ δοκοῦν, οὐδ' ἂν ὅλως ἐν ἀρχαῖς ὁ ἐν σκιαῖς ἔτι κατεχρησμῳδήθη νόμος, τῆς ἐν πνεύματι λατρείας σεσιγημένης. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἦν τὸ χρῆμα φορτικὸν, καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι πληροῦν τὸ τελείως ἀγαθὸν, τοῖς τὸ τηνικάδε βάσιμον μὲν οὐχὶ, φαίην δ' ἂν ὅτι σκληρὸν καὶ οὐκ ἄτραχυ, νηπιοπρεπὴς οἷά τις μελέτησις, τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχουσα μόρφωσιν, ὁ ἐν γράμμασι νόμος, οἰκονομικῶς ἐθεσπίζετο. Πλὴν ἐδήλου σαφῶς ὁ τῶν νόμων ἡμῖν ὁριστὴς, ὅτι μὴ ἐκεῖνα μᾶλλον αὐτῷ θυμηρέστατα, τριπόθητα δὲ τὰ διὰ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ γοῦν ἔφη πάλιν· «Διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεθέρισα τοὺς προφήτας ὑμῶν, ἀπέκτεινα αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥήμασι στόματός μου, καὶ τὸ κρίμα μου ὡς φῶς ἐξελεύσεται· διότι ἔλεος θέλω, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν, καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν Θεοῦ, ἢ ὁλοκαυτώματα.» Πολὺ γὰρ ἄμεινον παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ μόσχου πίπτοντος, καὶ προβάτου σφαγῆς, ἡ εἰς ἀδελφοὺς ἀγάπη, εἰς τὸ τοῦ νόμου πλήρωμα, καὶ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗπερ ἂν γένοιτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν γνωστὸς ὁ Πατήρ. Πρόξενον δὲ ὅτι τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς τὸ χρῆμά ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐνδοιάσῃ τις ἂν, Χριστοῦ λέγοντος πρὸς τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς Πατέρα· «Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ, ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν.» Ἀψευ
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.