Molech face of God; Christ frees from law’s pedagogue yoke
face upon that human, and I will destroy him from his people, because he has given of his seed to a ruler, in order that he may defile my holy things and profane the name of those having been made holy for me; and if the natives of the land overlooking overlook with the eyes from that human, when he gives of his seed to the ruler, so as not to kill him, I will set my face against that human and his family, and I will destroy him and all consenting with him to go a whoring toward the rulers, from their people.’ Do you see how much he is disgusted at those choosing to sell their own children for money, and to throw into ruin the dignity of nature for the sake of unholy gifts? Therefore also the prophet was accusing Israel saying: ‘You have slaughtered my children and given them when you made them pass through for them.’ And again: ‘And you took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me, and sacrificed them for yourselves to eat.’ Away then with such a love of money, and let the love of parents toward children be kept pure. And since we have already sufficiently gone through the things about the honor of parents, and about the love of those having begotten toward the offspring, come let us go toward the remaining laws which educate the love unto the neighbor. For there is a short thing mediating, for both those having been justified in Christ, and those being pedagogued through law. For the
Greek
πρόσωπόν μου ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκεῖνον, καὶ ἀπολῶ αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν ἄρχοντι, ἵνα μιάνῃ τὰ ἅγιά μου, καὶ βεβηλώσῃ τὸ ὄνομα τῶν ἡγιασμένων μοι.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀμυδρὸς ὁ νόμος. Οὐ γὰρ ἐναργές πω μάλα τὸ τί ἂν βούλοιτο δηλοῦν. Διασάφει δὴ οὖν· δράσεις γὰρ ὀρθῶς.
{ΚΥΡ.} Μωαβῖται καὶ Μαδιηναῖοι, Γεργεσαῖοί τε καὶ Ἀγαρηνοὶ, καὶ βαρβάρων ἕτερα ἄττα γένη, τὴν Ἰουδαίων προσοικοῦντα χώραν, ἔθεσιν ἐπολιτεύετο τοῖς Ἑλληνικοῖς, καὶ ἦν ἑκάστῳ θρησκεία τὸ δοκοῦν, καὶ τὸ εἰς νοῦν ἧκον ἁπλῶς, προσκύνησις καὶ λατρεία· ἀσφαλῆ δὲ οὔπω καὶ ἐρηρεισμένην ἔχοντες τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς φιλοθεῖαν οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, κομιδῇ μὲν ἦσαν εὐπάροιστοι πρὸς ἀπόστασιν, εὔκολοι δὲ οὕτως εἰς ἀποφορὰν, ὡς ἡγεῖσθαι παρ' οὐδὲν τὸ καὶ αὐτοῖς, εἰ τύχοι, προσκυνεῖν τοῖς τῶν ὁμόρων θεοῖς, καὶ συνελέσθαι νοσεῖν τοῖς γείτοσι τὴν ἄνωθεν τε καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πλάνησιν. Καὶ γοῦν ταῖς ἐκ Μαδιὰμ νεάνισιν ἐπεμαίνοντό ποτε, καὶ γυναίων ὥραις συνηρπασμένοι, συνεπεκαλοῦντο αὐτοῖς τὸν Βεελφεγώρ. Ἐντεῦθεν ὁ νομοθέτης προαναθρήσας εὖ μάλα τὸ σαθρόν τε καὶ εὐδιάκλαστον τῆς ἐνούσης αὐτοῖς διανοίας, ἀπέφησε παντελῶς τὴν πρὸς ἀλλοτρίους ἐπιμιξίαν, σαφέστατα λέγων· «Τὴν θυγατέρα σου οὐ δώσεις τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ οὐ λήψῃ τῷ υἱῷ σου· ἀποστήσει γὰρ τὸν υἱόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ πορευθεὶς λατρεύσει θεοῖς ἑτέροις.» Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἦν δή που πάντως, καὶ μάλα εἰκότως, τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ἑλέσθαι τινὰς, τοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν περιφανεστέροις κατεγγυᾷν θυγατέρας πλούτῳ σεσαγηνευμένας, εἴς γε τὸ χρῆναι λογίζεσθαι παρ' οὐδὲν τὴν ἀπόστασιν, ὀργὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον καθορίζει τοῦ τολμήματος, καὶ τοῖς περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ὑποφέρει λόγοις τὴν γραφήν· ἦν γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον τὴν ἀλλογενεῖ δοθεῖσαν, γενέσθαι καὶ ἑτερόφρονα, καὶ λατρεῦσαι δαίμοσιν· ὡς ὀλετῆρα δὴ οὖν τοῦ ἰδίου καρποῦ, ταῖς ἰσοῤῥόποις ὑπέστρωσε δίκαις. Οὐκοῦν ἡ μὲν ἱερά τε καὶ νέα Γραφὴ παρεγγυᾷ τοῖς φύσασιν, ἐν νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου ποιεῖσθαι σπουδάζειν τὰς τῶν τέκνων ἀνατροφὰς, ὁ δὲ βραδύγλωσσος νόμος διὰ κύκλου καὶ περιφορᾶς τὴν αὐτὴν εἴσεισιν ὁδόν. Τὸ γάρ τοι μὴ χρῆναι πατέρας θυγατράσιν ἐφεῖναι δρᾷν τὰ εἰς αἰσχρότητα καὶ ἀσέλγειαν προεπιτάξας εὖ μάλα, δεῖν δὴ ἔτι καὶ μετὰ τοῦτό φησι τὰ εἰς θεογνωσίαν αὐταῖς ἀσάλευτα τηρεῖν, καὶ βεβήλοις εἰδωλολατρ[ε]ίαις οὐκ ἐᾷν ἐναλίσκεσθαι, κἂν εἰ πολλή τις αὐταῖς προκέοιτο περιουσία χρημάτων· ἀνδρὶ μὲν γὰρ ἀλλογενεῖ, πλουσίῳ δ' οὖν ὅμως, νόμῳ τοῦ γάμου συνεζευγμένη, ἆρ' οὐχὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ, «Τί γὰρ ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ;»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἴδοι δ' ἄν τις, καὶ μάλα ῥᾳδίως, οὐ βραχὺ τὸ μεσολαβοῦν, τοῖς τε ἐν Χριστῷ δεδικαιωμένοις, καὶ τοῖς διὰ νόμου παιδαγωγουμένοις. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ
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.