Little leaven; no soft mind in man’s gear; hypocrisy abominated
a little leaven leavens the whole lump.’ Has it been shown you clearly, then—in Abraham first, that the boasts unto strength remain unharmed for the saints, and that having been able to contend down the enemies follows easily, if they should choose to seek nothing of the things from a world; and in Achan, the affairs having gone out unto the opposite of these, for one having bent from the straight, and having nodded toward the things in the world?
Palladius: Very much so; for the word is clear.
Cyril: And that the saints must be seen everywhere single-mannered, and not other-minded, would become clear, the law saying evidently: ‘There will not be a man’s vessels upon a woman, nor will a man put on a womanish garment, because every one doing these things is an abomination before the Lord.’ For equal abomination beside God and most ugly sight is a reputation of nobility upon softnesses—for this is the being a man’s vessels upon a woman; and being sick with softness in manlinesses—for this likewise is the man putting on a womanish garment.
Palladius: What sort of thing do you say?
Cyril: Is not hypocrisy an evil and unapproved thing beside both God and humans?
Palladius: Truly.
Cyril: If then someone should be pleasure-loving and unrestrained, and should be convicted from the very things done that he is such, then should make upon himself a plastered reputation of equity—would you yourself praise such a one, Palladius?
Palladius: Not at all.
Cyril: And what of the truly orderly and well-schooled—will you not think he must be known fixed in sameness of judgment, not something other beside what he is?
Palladius: I say so.
Cyril: Therefore never let some people’s fragile and soft mind run under the reputation of manliness; for this is: There will not be a man’s vessels upon a woman; nor indeed let the truly well-strong seek the soft; for this again is: A man will not put on a womanish garment. For the baseness is as equal in both, and the charges are insolence unto virtue.
Palladius: Softness is slippery, as it seems, and the matter is not without penalty.
Cyril: Do not hesitate at all. For the passion is altogether cast-away, and God-hated; therefore also the one held in such charges somehow is sent out from the sacred catalogues. For I myself say that the truly well-strong and most noble must nowhere leave his own mind to be shattered unpracticed, but keep it higher than every fright and hesitation, and fixed blamelessly in the faith unto God, say: ‘I am strong all things in Christ who empowers me’; and decline as procuring destruction, and showing us unapproved beside God, choosing to mind the
Greek
μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ.» Ἆρά σοι δέδεικται σαφῶς, ἐν μὲν τῷ πρώτῳ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, ὡς ἀπήμαντα μὲν τοῖς ἁγίοις διαμένει τὰ εἰς ἀλκὴν αὐχήματα· ἕψηται δὲ ῥᾳδίως τὸ δεδυνῆσθαι καταθλεῖν τῶν ἐχθρῶν, εἰ μηδὲν ἕλοιντο τῶν ἀπὸ κόσμου ζητεῖν· ἐν δέ γε τῷ Ἄχαρ, εἰς τὸ τούτοις ἐναντίον ἐκκεχωρηκότα τὰ πράγματα, ἀποκλίναντι τῆς εὐθείας, καὶ νενευκότι πρὸς τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν· σαφὴς γὰρ ὁ λόγος.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὅτι δὲ χρὴ τοὺς ἁγίους πανταχῆ μονοτρόπους ὁρᾶσθαι, καὶ οὐχ ἑτερογνώμονας, σαφὲς ἂν γένοιτο, τοῦ νόμου λέγοντος ἐναργῶς· «Οὐκ ἔσται σκεύη ἀνδρὸς ἐπὶ γυναικὶ, οὐδὲ μὴ ἐνδύσηται ἀνὴρ στολὴν γυναικείαν, ὅτι βδέλυγμά ἐστιν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα.» Βδέλυγμα γὰρ ἐν ἴσῳ παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ ἀκαλλέστατον θέαμα, γενναιότητος ὑπόληψις ἐπὶ μαλακισμοῖς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ εἶναι σκεύη ἀνδρὸς ἐπὶ γυναικί· καὶ τὸ νοσεῖν ἐν ἀνδρείαις τὸν μαλακισμόν· τοῦτο γὰρ ὁμοίως τὸ ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν ἄνδρα στολὴν γυναικείαν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οἷον δὴ τί φής;
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐ χρῆμα πονηρὸν καὶ ἀδόκιμον ἡ ὑπόκρισις παρά τε Θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἄρ' οὖν εἴ τις εἴη φιλήδονος καὶ ἀκρατὴς, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐλέγχοιτο τῶν δρωμένων, ὡς ἔστι τοιοῦτος, εἶτα τῆς ἐπιεικείας κατάπλαστον ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ ποιοῖτο τὴν δόξαν, ἐπαινέσαις ἂν τόν γε τοιοῦτον αὐτὸς, ὦ Παλλάδιε;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οὐ μὲν οὖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τί δὲ δὴ τὸν ἀληθῶς κόσμιον καὶ εὐσχήμονα, οὐκ οἰήσῃ δεῖν ἐν ταυτότητι γνώμης ἐρηρεισμένον, οὐχ ἕτερόν τι παρ' ὅπερ ἐστὶ γινώσκεσθαι;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Φημί.
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐκοῦν μήποτε τὸ εὔθρυπτόν τε καὶ μαλθακὸν φρόνημά τινων, τὴν τῆς ἀνδρείας ὑποτρεχέτω δόξαν· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ, Οὐκ ἔσται σκεύη ἀνδρὸς ἐπὶ γυναικί· μήτε μὴν τὸ ἀληθῶς εὐσθενὲς ζητείτω τὸ μαλθακόν· τοῦτο γὰρ πάλιν τὸ, Οὐ μὴ ἐνδύσηται ἀνὴρ στολὴν γυναικείαν. Ἴση γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐν ἀμφοῖν ἡ φαυλότης, καὶ ὕβρις εἰς ἀρετὴν τὰ ἐγκλήματα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σφαλερὸν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁ μαλθακισμὸς, καὶ τὸ χρῆμά ἐστιν οὐκ ἀζήμιον.
{ΚΥΡ.} Μὴ γὰρ ἐνδοιάσῃς ὅλως. Ἀπόβλητον γὰρ κομιδῇ, καὶ θεομισὲς τὸ πάθος· τοιγάρτοι καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκπέμπεται καταλόγων ὁ τοῖς τοιοῖσδε τυχὸν ἐγκλήμασιν ἐνεχόμενος. Χρῆναι γὰρ ἔγωγέ φημι τόν γε ἀληθῶς εὐσθενῆ τε καὶ γενναιότατον, μηδαμῆ τὸν οἰκεῖον περιθραύεσθαι νοῦν ἀμελετήτως ἐᾷν, δείματος δὲ καὶ ὄκνου παντὸς ἀνωτέρω τηρεῖν, καὶ πίστει μὲν τῇ εἰς Θεὸν ἀμωμήτως ἐρηρεισμένον, «Πάντα ἰσχύω,» λέγειν, «ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ·» παραιτεῖσθαι δὲ ὡς ὀλέθρου πρόξενον, καὶ ἀδοκίμους ἡμᾶς ἀποφαῖνον παρὰ Θεῷ, τὸ φρονεῖν ἑλέσθαι τὰ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 5 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 5 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 5 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 5)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 5)
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.