Night and day; fire of Law, cloud of baptism; Pharaoh pursues
and the one according to it: ‘The night has advanced, and the day has drawn near; let us put away therefore the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light, that we may walk decently as in day.’ The ancient time therefore being understood unto night, and unto day again the one in which the Only-begotten became human, we say that he was going before those from Israel in a form of fire, as in the law that condemns and chastises (for fire is a sign of chastisement); but of us in a form of cloud, as in a type of holy baptism and of the salvation through water. Or is the cloud not water?
Palladius: How not?
Cyril: And when those from Israel had gone out from the Egyptians’, the one who used to take advantage of old—that is, Pharaoh—was being kindled toward angers, and was attempting to pursue. For ‘He yoked,’ it says, ‘his chariots and took along all his people with himself, and taking six hundred choice chariots, and all the cavalry of the Egyptians, and captains over all.’ And after other things again: ‘And the sons of Israel looking up with their eyes see, and behold the Egyptians had camped behind them, and they feared exceedingly. And the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, and were bearing down on Moses openly saying: Because there are no graves in the land of Egypt, have you led us out to kill us in the wilderness? What is this you have done to us, leading us out of Egypt? Was this not the word which we spoke to you in Egypt, saying: Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it is better for us to serve Egyptians than to die in this wilderness.’ Toward such things Moses: ‘Take courage,’ he says; ‘stand and see the salvation from the Lord which he will do for us today. For in the manner you have seen Egyptians today, you will not add still to see them unto the age of time. The Lord will war for us, and you will be silent. And the Lord said to Moses: Why do you cry to me? Speak to the sons of Israel, and let them break camp; and you lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand upon the sea, and dry it. And let the sons of Israel go into the midst of the sea according to the dry.’ And God was making clear the manner of the help: for ‘The angel of God who was going before the camp of the sons of Israel removed, and went from behind; and the pillar of the cloud also removed from before their face, and stood from behind them; and it went in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and stood, and there came to be darkness and gloom. And the night passed, and they did not mix with one another the whole night.’ And these things the word of the history weaves for us; but I think we must again see the precision of the thoughts, putting a fine mind into what is written.
Palladius: Very much so.
Cyril: Those from Israel therefore set out hastening unto the holy land, God advancing and leading as in a pillar of fire and of cloud. For there is not, there is not a arriving unto the upper and holy
Greek
μίας καὶ τοῦ κατ' αὐτήν· «Ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤγγικεν· ἀποθώμεθα οὖν τὰ ἔργα τοῦ σκότους, καὶ ἐνδυσώμεθα τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ φωτὸς, ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εὐσχημόνως περιπατήσωμεν.» Νοουμένου τοιγαροῦν εἰς νύκτα τοῦ πάλαι καιροῦ, εἰς ἡμέραν δὲ αὖ τοῦ καθ' ὃν γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος ὁ Μονογενὴς, φαμὲν ὅτι προηγεῖτο μὲν τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν εἴδει πυρὸς, ὡς ἐν τῷ κατακρίνοντί τε καὶ κολάζοντι νόμῳ (κολάσεως γὰρ σημεῖον τὸ πῦρ)· ἡμῶν δὲ ἐν εἴδει νεφέλης, ὡς ἐν τύπῳ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος καὶ τῆς δι' ὕδατος σωτηρίας. Ἢ οὐχ ὕδωρ ἡ νεφέλη;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐκπεφοιτηκότων δὲ τῆς Αἰγυπτίων τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀνεκαίετο πρὸς ὀργὰς ὁ πάλαι πλεονεκτῶν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὁ Φαραὼ, καὶ διώκειν ἐπεχείρει. «Ἔζευξε γὰρ,» φησὶ, «τὰ ἅρματα αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν συναπενέγκαι μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ λαβὼν ἑξακόσια ἅρματα ἐκλεκτὰ, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἵππον τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, καὶ τριστάτας ἐπὶ πάντων.» Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα πάλιν· «Ἀναβλέψαντες δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρῶσιν, καὶ ἰδοὺ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐστρατοπέδευσαν ὀπίσω αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα. Ἀνεβόησαν δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ κατεφέροντο τοῦ Μωσέως ἀναφανδὸν λέγοντες· Παρὰ τὸ μὴ ὑπάρχειν μνήματα ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ, ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς θανατῶσαι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ; τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας ἡμῖν ἐξαγαγὼν ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου; Οὐ τοῦτο ἦν τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλαλήσαμεν πρὸς σὲ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, λέγοντες· Πάρες ἡμᾶς ὅκως δουλεύσωμεν Αἰγυπτίοις; Κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἡμᾶς δουλεύειν Αἰγυπτίοις, ἢ ἀποθανεῖν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ταύτῃ.» Πρὸς τὰ τοιάδε Μωσῆς· «Θαρσεῖτε, φησὶ, στῆτε καὶ ὁρᾶτε τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἣν ποιήσει ἡμῖν σήμερον. Ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἑωράκατε Αἰγυπτίους σήμερον, οὐ προσθήσεσθε ἔτι ἰδεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον. Κύριος πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὑμεῖς σιγήσετε. Εἶπε δὲ Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν· Τί βοᾷς πρός με; λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἀναζευξάτωσαν· καὶ σὺ ἔπαρον τὴν ῥάβδον σου, καὶ ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ξήρανον αὐτήν. Καὶ εἰσελθέτωσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς μέσον τῆς θαλάσσης κατὰ τὸ ξηρόν.» Καὶ τόν γε τῆς ἐπικουρίας τρόπον φανερὸν ἐποίει Θεός· «Ἐξῆρε γὰρ ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ προπορευόμενος τῆς παρεμβολῆς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἐκ τῶν ὄπισθεν· ἐξῆρε δὲ καὶ ὁ στύλος τῆς νεφέλης ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔστη ἐκ τῶν ὀπίσω αὐτῶν· καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς παρεμβολῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον παρεμβολῆς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἔστη, καὶ ἐγένετο σκότος καὶ γνόφος. Καὶ διῆλθεν ἡ νὺξ, καὶ οὐ συνέμιξαν ἀλλήλοις ὅλην τὴν νύκτα.» Καὶ ταυτὶ μὲν ἡμῖν ὁ τῆς ἱστορίας ἐξυφαίνει λόγος· χρῆναι δὲ οἶμαι πάλιν ἡμᾶς τὴν τῶν νοημάτων ἀκρίβειαν ἰδεῖν λεπτὸν ἐνιέντες τοῖς γεγραμμένοις τὸν νοῦν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐξαίρουσι τοιγαροῦν οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν σπεύδοντες γῆν, ὡς ἐν στύλῳ πυρὸς καὶ νεφέλης προβιβάζοντός τε καὶ ἡγουμένου Θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν εἰς τὴν ἄνω τε καὶ ἁγίαν ἀφικνεῖσθαι
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 3 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 3 §§1–10 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 3 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 3 §§1–10)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 3)
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.