Parents must not sacrifice children to rulers; Molech ban opens
having thrown a yoke upon them, what sort those around their own offspring would also be—and the parents—if they should not scare out what seems to God. For it is necessary that the ones having begotten also be seen keeping the love unto the children unadulterated, and not bringing them forward unto blood and pollution for the sake of money, nor indeed selling the dignity of nature for gifts. Therefore the law has also shouted: ‘You will not give of your seed to serve a ruler, and you will not profane the name of the holy one; I am the Lord.’ And again: ‘And you will not give from your seed to serve a ruler, and you will not defile the name of your God; I am the Lord your God.’ And he strengthens the ordinance with a fear, saying: ‘And if a human gives from his seed to a ruler, by death let him be put to death; the nation upon the earth will stone him with stones; and I will set my
Greek
αὐτοῖς ἐπιῤῥίψας ζυγὸν, ὁποῖοί τινες εἶεν ἂν περὶ τὰ σφῶν αὐτῶν γεννήματα καὶ οἱ γονεῖς, εἰ τὸ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν οὐκ ἐκσοβήσονται, παραχρῆμα νομοθετεῖ. Παῦλος μὲν οὖν ὁ σοφώτατος ἐν βραχεῖ καὶ εὐαπαλλάκτως, ὑποτάττεσθαι δεῖν τοῖς πατράσι, παρεγγυᾷ τοῖς τέκνοις· ἔφη δὲ, ὅτι καὶ «Οἱ πατέρες, μὴ παροργίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου·» τουτέστι, Τῶν ἀρίστων αὐτοῖς μαθημάτων εἰσηγηταὶ γεγονότες, πρὸς θεοφιλῆ καὶ ἐννομωτάτην ἀπευθύνετε πολιτείαν. Διὰ κύκλου δὲ ὥσπερ ὁ νόμος (σύνηθες γάρ ἐστιν ὡς ἀεὶ τοῦτο αὐτῷ), τῆς τῶν τέκνων ἐπιεικείας προνοεῖν ὅτι μάλιστά γε καὶ μάλα ὀρθῶς ἐπισκήπτει πατράσιν· «Οὐ γὰρ βεβηλώσεις,» φησὶ, «τὴν θυγατέρα σου ἐκπορνεῦσαι αὐτὴν, καὶ οὐκ ἐκπορνεύσῃ ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἡ γῆ πλησθήσεται ἀνομίας. Τὴν γάρ τοι σωμάτων ἁγνείαν καὶ πρό γε τῶν ἄλλων, καὶ πρωτόλειον ὥσπερ τι τῆς εὐαγοῦς πολιτείας, ἐξαιτεῖ παρ' ἡμῶν ὁ Δημιουργός· προεισβολαὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ τῆς κατὰ πνεῦμα λαμπρότητος τὰ σωματικὰ, τὸν ἐπ' αἰσχρότητί τε καὶ ἀτιμίᾳ διαδιδράσκοντα μῶμον. Τὰ πάντων οὖν ἄριστα πρέποι ἂν ἡμῖν εἰσηγεῖσθαι πατέρας. Εἰ δὲ δὴ μέλλοιεν ὑπτιοῦσθαι καὶ ῥᾳθυμεῖν οἱ παιδαγωγοὶ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τῶν αἰσχιόνων αὐτοῖς γεγονότες ἀρχηγοὶ καὶ καθηγηταὶ παραλόγως ἡλίσκοντο, ποινὴν ὑποστήσονται τὴν ἐσχάτην, ὡς τοὺς ἰδίους αὐτοὶ καρποὺς καταφθείροντες, καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀπωλείας ἐνιέντες βόθροις, ὧν ἦν δήπου καὶ ὑπερθνήσκειν ἄμεινον· νομοθετεῖ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἡ φύσις πατράσιν. Ὁ δὲ δὴ πρὸς αἰσχρότητα τὴν ἐμφανεστάτην τοῖς ἐθέλουσι προθεὶς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ κόριον, οὐχ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ μόνου δικαίως ἂν εὐθύνοιτό τε καὶ ἐξαιτοῖτο δίκας παρά γε τοῦ πάντων κριτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ παντὸς τοῦ πρὸς αἰσχρότητα διωλισθηκότος. Θήρατρον γὰρ ὥσπερ τι προθεὶς καὶ θανάτου λίνον, πάντας ἔχει συλλαβὼν, καὶ εἰ μὴ πάντες ἁλίσκοιντο. Δοκιμάζεται γὰρ οὐχὶ δή που πάντως τὸ ἐκβεβηκὸς, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐγχειρημάτων ἡ δύναμις· γυναικὸς δὲ πέρι τοιᾶσδε, καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος γράφει Σολομών· «Τὴν γυναῖκα, ἥτις ἐστὶ θήρευμα καὶ σαγήνη καρδία αὐτῆς, δεσμὸς εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς.» Ἀναγκαίως τοιγαροῦν ὁ νομοθέτης, «Οὐ βεβηλώσεις,» φησὶ, «τὴν θυγατέρα σου, ἐκπορνεῦσαι αὐτὴν, καὶ οὐκ ἐκπορνεύσῃ ἡ γῆ.» Οὐ γὰρ οὔσης ὅλως, περὶ ἣν ἂν γένοιτο τυχὸν τῆς πορνείας τὸ ἔγκλημα, χαλεπὸν οὐδὲν τὸ διαδράναι παθεῖν, καὶ εἴ τῴ τις εἴη πρὸς ἡδονὴν εὐπάροιστος, καὶ τὸ ἄναλκι παντελῶς ἀῤῥωστήσας ὁ νοῦς, εὐκοσμίαν δὲ τὴν εἴς γε τὸ σῶμα τηρεῖσθαι. Τέως προστάξας παρὰ τῶν πατέρων τοῖς τέκνοις, θανάτῳ τιμᾶται καὶ τὸν εἰς τοῦτο ἰόντα γνώμην, ὡς εἰς ἀπόστασιν τὴν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ τὰ ἴδια παραῤῥίψαι γεννήματα· γέγραπται δὲ οὕτως ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων· Καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ λαλήσεις λέγων· Ἐάν τις ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ἢ τῶν προσγεγενημένων προσηλύτων ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, ὃς ἂν δῷ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ ἄρχοντι, θανάτῳ θανατούσθω· τὸ ἔθνος τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς λιθοβολήσουσιν αὐτὸν ἐν λίθοις· καὶ ἐγὼ ἐπιστήσω τὸ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 7 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 7 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 7)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 7)
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.