Half to elect, half to many called; offerings through saints
number. Therefore whatever the glory to be given to every people according to times ever is, and the measure of the heavenly gift, of this the precise as-it-were half will be allotted to the chosen, and they show themselves worthy of the divine oversight; and of the other half to be given to every multitude, although taking advantage so much in number; for ‘Many are called, but few chosen’ … for the word is deep.
Palladius: I understand. For even if we will be partners of the saints’ glory, yet in lesser things than according to them; for your word somehow not dimly hints this to us.
Cyril: You have spoken rightly. And look besides these another thing, through which especially the freeness of speech unto God of those playing the man is easy to see.
Palladius: And what do you say?
Cyril: For he has ordered the twelve thousands of the warriors, from the half of the whole allotted to them, to bring forward to the high priest one head from five hundred, both in the humans and in the beasts; and this was for them the end to the Lord. And the other multitude the Lord judged must set down one soul from fifty for the sacred tribe. And Eleazar again typing for us upon himself the one and only truly high priest—that is Christ—exceptionally and truly and as it were somehow to him face to face privately, the gift-bearing of the chosen will be dedicated; for they bring forward to him, nothing mediating; which also the blessed disciples were doing, and those leading peoples still do even now, making the toils upon the divine proclamation a private offering to Christ; and the other multitude of those of good reputation makes the gift-bearings unto Christ’s glory, yet through a middle, saints lying, as understood in the sacred tribe; for it has been said: ‘A chosen race, a royal priesthood.’ Therefore through middles of saints is their reverence unto God and the awe, bearing fruit, yet not making the gift-bearing privately belonging to Christ’s person. Some such thing those bringing together the so-called collections were eager to succeed at, and sending ministries to the saints in Jerusalem, or also reclaiming those dedicated to God through some other service whatever. A private offering to God, then, are the more distinguished ones’ gifts; and through middles as it were of saints, and as in a second rank, also that of the more deficient. And some bring forward one soul from five hundred, and others from fifty; for what is of good reputation is in lesser debts, therefore also the offering is lesser; and the deficient is in much more, therefore also the things brought forward by them are in a greater number, the things for them being offered proportionally to each one’s stumbles; for ‘To whom more will be forgiven,’ he says, ‘he will love more; and to whom the lesser is let go, he will love less.’ Tenfold therefore they offer
Greek
ἀριθμῷ. Οὐκοῦν ἥτις ποτέ ἐστιν ἡ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ δοθησομένη δόξα κατὰ καιροὺς, καὶ τῆς οὐρανίου δωρεᾶς τὸ μέτρον, ταύτης ἡ ἀκριβὴς οἱονεί πως ἡμίσεια τοῖς ἐξειλεγμένοις ἀπονεμηθήσεται, καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπισκέψεως ἀξίους ὄντας ἑαυτοὺς ἀποφαίνουσι· τῆς δὲ ἑτέρας ἡμισείας τῷ παντὶ πλήθει δοθησομένης, καίτοι πλεονεκτοῦντι τοσοῦτον ἐν ἀριθμῷ· «Πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσι κλητοὶ, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί» ..... βαθὺς γὰρ ὁ λόγος.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Συνίημι. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μέτοχοι τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἐσόμεθα δόξης, ἀλλ' οὖν ἐν μείοσιν ἢ κατ' αὐτούς· τουτὶ γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ὁ σὸς οὐκ ἀμυδρῶς ὑπαινίττεται.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης. Θέα δὲ δὴ πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερον, δι' οὗ μάλιστα τῶν ἀνδριζομένων τὴν εἰς Θεὸν παῤῥησίαν εὔκολον ἰδεῖν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τὸ τί δὲ φής;
{ΚΥΡ.} Τὰς μὲν γὰρ δυοκαίδεκα χιλιάδας τῶν πολεμιστῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς ἡμισείας τῆς ἐκνεμηθείσης αὐτοῖς προσκομίζειν προστέταχε τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ μίαν κεφαλὴν ἀπὸ πεντακοσίων, ἔν τε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἐν τοῖς κτήνεσι· καὶ τοῦτο ἦν αὐτοῖς τῷ Κυρίῳ τὸ τέλος. Πληθύν γε μὴν τὴν ἑτέραν, μίαν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ πεντήκοντα, τῇ ἱερᾷ φυλῇ καταθέσθαι δεῖν ἐδικαίωσε Κύριος. Ἀνατυποῦντος δὲ πάλιν ἡμῖν τοῦ Ἐλεάζαρ ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ, τὸν ἕνα τε καὶ μόνον ἀληθῶς ἀρχιερέα, τουτέστι Χριστὸν, ἐξαιρέτως καὶ ἀληθῶς καὶ οἱονεί πως αὐτῷ κατὰ πρόσωπον ἰδικῶς, ἀνακείσεται τῶν ἐξειλεγμένων ἡ δωροφορία· αὐτῷ γὰρ προσάγουσι, μεσολαβοῦντος οὐδενός· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἔδρων οἱ μακάριοι μαθηταὶ, δρῶσι δὲ ἔτι καὶ νῦν οἱ λαῶν ἡγούμενοι, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ θείῳ κηρύγματι πόνους ἰδικὸν ἀνάθημα ποιούμενοι τῷ Χριστῷ· ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα τῶν εὐδοκιμούντων πληθὺς ποιεῖται μὲν τὰς δωροφορίας εἰς δόξαν Χριστοῦ, πλὴν διὰ μέσον, κειμένων ἁγίων, ὡς ἔν γε τῇ ἱερᾷ φυλῇ νοουμένων· εἴρηται γάρ· «Γένος ἐκλεκτὸν, βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα.» Οὐκοῦν διὰ μέσων ἁγίων ἡ εἰς Θεὸν αἰδὼς καὶ τὸ σέβας αὐτῶν, καρποφορούντων μὲν, οὐ μὴν ἀνήκουσαν ἰδικῶς τῷ προσώπῳ Χριστοῦ ποιουμένων τὴν δωροφορίαν. Ὁποῖόν τι κατορθοῦν ἐσπούδαζον οἱ τὰς καλουμένας λογίας συμφέροντες, καὶ διακονίας πέμποντες τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἢ καὶ δι' ἡστινοσοῦν ἑτέρας θεραπείας ἀνακτώμενοι τοὺς ἀνακειμένους Θεῷ. Ἰδικὸν οὖν ἀνάθημα τῷ Θεῷ, τῶν ἐκπρεπεστέρων τὰ δῶρα· διὰ μέσων δ' ὥσπερ ἁγίων, καὶ ὡς ἐν δευτέρᾳ τάξει, καὶ ἡ τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπὸ πεντακοσίων μίαν προσάγουσι ψυχὴν, οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ πεντήκοντα· ἐν ἐλάττοσι γὰρ ὀφλήμασι τὸ εὐδοκιμοῦν, διὸ καὶ μείων ἡ προσφορά· ἐν πολλῷ δὲ πλείοσι τὸ ὑποδεὲς, διὸ καὶ ἐν ἀριθμῷ πλείονι τὰ προσκομιζόμενα παρ' αὐτῶν, ἀναλόγως τοῖς ἑκάστου πταίσμασι, τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν προσφέρεται· «Ὧ γὰρ πλεῖον ἀφεθήσεται,» φησὶ, «πλεῖον ἀγαπήσει· καὶ ᾧ τὸ ἔλαττον ἀφίεται, ἔλαττον ἀγαπήσει.» Δεκαπλασίονα τοιγαροῦν προσφέρουσι
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 4 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 4 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 4 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 4)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 4)
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.