Ranks in the book of life; Levites enrolled from a month old
having stepped beyond boyish thinking, would not some own and fitting place of enrollment and glory, measured together with the brightness of what is done, belong to each of those according to us, friend?
Palladius: I say so.
Cyril: For among the holy apostles the one not according to them will not somehow be; far from it.
Palladius: True.
Cyril: Nor again do we say that with those made very bright from many-formed virtue, and having practiced the most lawful success of life, the one not such will be ranked together, but will inherit that, according to his own measure, not unclear.
Palladius: You have spoken rightly.
Cyril: Therefore, inasmuch as we have believed unto the Savior and Redeemer of the whole, and through baptism have been enriched with the strength from heaven and from above—for we have put on the power from on high, sealed with the holy Spirit—we ourselves also have been set as in a rank and account of males, and have been counted in God’s book. Yet there is some difference even here. For first as in enrollment, and nearer God rather, are the more priestly and more holy. One is the faith unto Christ; yet not all who have believed are in like and equal
Palladius: And how would this also become clear?
Cyril: From what is Written. For the word is not premature for us; for after the counting-up which he made upon the males and most peak-ready, the God of the whole was again forming for us another manner of enrollment. And it holds thus: ‘The Lord spoke toward Moses in the Sinai wilderness saying: Oversee the sons of Levi according to houses of their fatherhoods, according to their kinships, according to peoples. Every male from a month old and upward you will oversee them. And Moses and Aaron oversaw them through the Lord’s voice, in the manner the Lord arranged for them.’
Greek
μειρακιώδη φρόνησιν ὑπερβεβηκότες, οὐχὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἁρμόσειεν ἂν, ὦ ἑταῖρε, τόπος τις ἴδιός τε καὶ πρέπων ἀπογραφῆς καὶ δόξης, τῇ τῶν δρωμένων λαμπρότητι συμμετρούμενος;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Φημί.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐ γὰρ ἔν γε τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις ὁ μὴ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἔσται ποθέν· πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐδ' αὖ ἐκεῖνό φαμεν, ὡς τοῖς ἄγαν ἐκλελαμπρυσμένοις ἐκ πολυειδοῦς ἀρετῆς, καὶ βίου κατόρθωσιν τὴν ἐννομωτάτην ἐπησκηκόσιν, ὁ μὴ τοιοῦτος συντετάξεται, κληρονομήσει δὲ ὅτι, κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον μέτρον, οὐκ ἀσυμφανές.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐκοῦν, καθὸ πεπιστεύκαμεν εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων Σωτῆρα καὶ Λυτρωτὴν, καὶ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος τὴν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἄνωθεν ἰσχὺν πεπλουτήκαμεν· ἐνεδυσάμεθα γὰρ τὴν ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν τῷ ἁγίῳ· κατεσφραγισμένοι Πνεύματι, τεθείμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς ὡς ἐν ἀρσένων τάξει τε καὶ λόγῳ, καὶ κατελογίσθημεν ἐν βίβλῳ Θεοῦ. Πλὴν ἔστι τις κἀνθάδε διαφορά. Πρῶτοι γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐν ἀπογραφῇ, καὶ ἀγχοῦ Θεοῦ μᾶλλον οἱ ἱερώτεροί τε καὶ ἁγιώτεροι. Μία μὲν ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς Χριστόν· πλὴν, οὐχ ἅπαντες οἱ πεπιστευκότες ἐν ὁμοίῳ καὶ ἴσῳ τρόπῳ τέ εἰσι καὶ βίῳ, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν, οὕτως· οἱ δὲ οὕτως, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου φωνήν. Οὐκοῦν, οἱ μὲν βίου σεμνότητι προὔχοντες, ἁγιώτεροι δὲ διὰ τοῦτο, πρώτην ἔχουσι τὴν τάξιν ἐν ἀπογραφῇ τῇ θείᾳ, καὶ ἐν μνήμῃ Θεοῦ· οἱ δὲ τὸ μεῖον ἔχοντες, ἐν ἁγιασμῷ, διὰ τὸ μεῖον ἐν ἀρετῇ, δεύτεροί που πάντως καὶ ἐν ἀπογραφαῖς.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Καὶ πῶς ἂν γένοιτο καὶ τοῦτο σαφές;
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἀπό γε τῶν Γεγραμμένων. Ἔστι γὰρ ἡμῖν οὐ προαλὴς ὁ λόγος· μετὰ γάρ τοι τὴν ἐπαρίθμησιν ἢν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἄῤῥεσί τε καὶ ἀκμαιοτάτοις ἐποιήσατο, τρόπον ἡμῖν ἕτερον ἀπογραφῆς διετύπου πάλιν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός. Ἔχει δὲ οὕτως· «Ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Σινᾷ λέγων· Ἐπίσκεψαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Λευὶ κατ' οἴκους πατριῶν αὐτῶν, κατὰ συγγενείας αὐτῶν, κατὰ δήμους. Πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν ἀπὸ μηνιαίου καὶ ἐπάνω ἐπισκέψῃ αὐτούς. Καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο αὐτοὺς ὁ Μωσῆς καὶ Ἀαρὼν διὰ φωνῆς Κυρίου, ὃν τρόπον συνέταξεν αὐτοῖς Κύριος.» Γενομένης δὲ οὕτω τῆς ἀπογραφῆς κατὰ δήμους, καὶ κατ' οἴκους πατριῶν, ὅλον εὐθὺς τὸν ἐκλογισμὸν ἐπιφέρει, λέγων· «Πᾶσα ἡ ἐπίσκεψις τῶν υἱῶν Λευὶ, οὓς ἐπεσκέψατο Μωσῆς καὶ Ἀαρὼν διὰ φωνῆς Κυρίου κατὰ δήμους αὐτῶν, πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν ἀπὸ μηνιαίου καὶ ἐπάνω, δύω καὶ εἴκοσι χιλιάδες.» Ἐπισυνάπτει δὲ παραχρῆμα, καί φησι· «Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων·
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.