Sons not slaves; murder vs injury; turn other cheek; slave rod; cities of refuge begin
Cyril: …as also to the ancient law. But rather the things fitting for free persons are set forward—bright and worthy-of-taking gifts, and firstfruits and promises of spiritual goods, and beatitudes fitting for right-doings, and no longer a threat, but rather invitations unto virtue. For Moses was speaking toward house-slaves as a house-slave and fellow-slave, to the more ancient ones, but Christ toward sons as Son, and as toward brothers according to placement, the true and genuine from God the Father.
Palladius: It holds uprightly.
Cyril: And indeed he fines the one murdering with death, and by bringings-on of equals he reins back the unbridled boldness, and punishes the no-longer-bearable anger with an unbearable judgment and with evils going unto an end, proving very well beforehand the aim of the doer; and if the wronged should be willing, he takes away the pity. And he does not allow mutual-love to be unseemly, being crumbled not in season, and upon what least must, somehow being dragged down unto the softer. For he said thus: ‘And if someone should set upon the neighbor to kill him by deceit, and he should flee, from my altar you will take him, to put him to death.’ And if the suffering of the one forced advances for the striker only as far as being weak; he measures out the judgment, and commands the damage to become as far as money. For he said thus again: ‘And if two men should revile, and someone should strike the neighbor with a stone, or with a fist, and he should not die, but should be laid down upon a bed, if the human having stood up should walk outside upon a staff, the one who struck will be guiltless, yet he will repay of his idleness, and the medical costs. And these things the law. But the Savior, bringing in the perfectly good: ‘To the one striking you,’ he says, ‘upon the right jaw, turn to him also the other.’ And concerning house-slaves he legislates these things: ‘And if someone should strike his boy, or his maidservant, with a rod, and he should die under his hands, he will be avenged with judgment; and if he should live through one day or two, he will not be avenged; for it is his silver.’ So then he honors the anger altogether with death; for it is not because we have become masters from grasping, and to shut out life itself
Greek
ἕπονται, καθὰ καὶ τῷ πάλαι νόμῳ. Πρόκειται δὲ μᾶλλον τὰ ἐλευθέροις πρέποντα, λαμπραὶ καὶ ἀξιόληπτοι δωρεαὶ, καὶ πνευματικῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπαρχαί τε καὶ ὑποσχέσεις, καὶ μακαρισμοὶ τοῖς κατορθώμασι πρέποντες, καὶ ἀπειλὴ μὲν οὐκέτι, προκλήσεις δὲ μᾶλλον ἐπ' ἀρετήν. Οἰκέταις μὲν γὰρ ὡς οἰκέτης καὶ συνομόδουλος προσελάλει Μωσῆς, τοῖς ἀρχαιοτέροις, Χριστὸς δὲ υἱοῖς ὡς Υἱὸς, καὶ ὡς ἀδελφοῖς κατὰ θέσιν, ὁ ἀληθῶς καὶ γνήσιος ἐκ Θεοῦ Πατρός.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔχει.
{ΚΥΡ.} Θανάτῳ γε μὴν τὸν φονεύοντα ζημιοῖ, καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἴσων ἐπαγωγαῖς, τὸ ἀχάλινον ἀνασειράζει θράσος, καὶ τὸν οὐκέτι φορητὸν κολάζει θυμὸν ἀφορήτῳ δίκῃ καὶ τοῖς εἰς λῆξιν ἰοῦσι κακοῦ, προβασανίζων εὖ μάλα τοῦ δεδρακότος τὸν σκοπόν· καὶ εἰ μὲν ἑκούσιον εἴη τὸ πλημμεληθὲν, ἀναιρεῖ τὸν ἔλεον. Ἀσχημονεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἐᾷ τὴν φιλαλληλίαν, θρυπτομένην οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ, καὶ ἐφ' οἷς ἥκιστα χρὴ, κατασπωμένην ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τὸ μαλθακώτερον. Ἔφη γὰρ οὕτως· «Ἐὰν δέ τις ἐπίθηται τῷ πλησίον ἀποκτεῖναι αὐτὸν δόλῳ, καὶ καταφύγῃ, ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου μου λήψῃ, αὐτὸν θανατῶσαι.» Εἰ δὲ μέχρι τοῦ ἀῤῥωστῆσαι μόνον προήκει τῷ παίοντι τοῦ βεβιασμένου τὸ πάθος· ἐπιμετρεῖ τὴν δίκην, καὶ μέχρι χρημάτων προστάττει γενέσθαι τὸ βλάβος. Ἔφη γὰρ ὧδε πάλιν· «Ἐὰν δὲ λοιδορῶνται δύο ἄνδρες, καὶ πατάξῃ τις τὸν πλησίον λίθῳ, ἢ πυγμῇ, καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ, κατακλιθῇ δὲ ἐπὶ κοίτης, ἐὰν ἐξαναστὰς ὁ ἄνθρωπος περιπατήσῃ ἔξω ἐπὶ ῥάβδου, ἀθῶος ἔσται ὁ πατάξας, πλὴν τῆς ἀργίας αὐτοῦ ἀποτίσει, καὶ τὰ ἰατρεῖα. Καὶ ταυτὶ μὲν ὁ νόμος. Ἀλλ' ὅ γε Σωτὴρ, τὸ τελείως ἀγαθὸν εἰσφέρων· «Τῷ παίοντί σε,» φησὶν, «ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, στρέψον αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην.» Οἰκετῶν δὲ πέρι νομοθετεῖ τάδε· «Ἐὰν δέ τις πατάξῃ τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ, ἢ τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ ἐν ῥάβδῳ, καὶ ἀποθάνῃ ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, δίκῃ ἐκδικηθήσεται, ἐὰν δὲ διαβιώσῃ ἡμέραν μίαν ἢ δύο, οὐκ ἐκδικηθήσεται· τὸ γὰρ ἀργύριον αὐτοῦ ἐστιν.» Θανάτῳ μὲν οὖν τιμᾶται τὴν εἰσάπαν ὀργήν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπεί τοι γεγόναμεν ἐκ πλεονεξίας δεσπόται, καὶ ζωῆς ἀπείργειν αὐτῆς ἐφῆκε Θεὸς, τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρα καὶ ζυγόν. Συναναπλέκειν δὲ ταῖς ὀργαῖς ἀναπείθει τὸν ἔλεον, ποινὴν καθορίζων τοῦ φονεύοντος τὴν ἐσχάτην. «Εἰ δὲ διαβιῴη, φησὶν, ἡμέραν μίαν ἢ δύο, οὐκ ἐκδικηθήσεται, τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτοῦ ἐστιν.» Μονονουχὶ γάρ φησιν, Οὐ τῆς τοῦ παίοντος ἔργον ὀργῆς τὸ τῷ παθόντι συμβεβηκὸς, μετά γε τὸ εὐρωστῆσαί πως. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἠθέλησέ τις ἀποβαλεῖν τὸν ἴδιον οἰκέτην, ὃν ἀργυρίοις ἐπρίατο, καὶ χρήματα δοὺς, ἐκτήσατο. Ἀκούσιος δὲ εἰ γένοιτο φονεὺς, ζημιοῦν ἀειφυγίᾳ δικαιοῖ πάλιν ὁ νόμος αὐτὸν, συμμέτρῳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ κεράσας τὴν κόλασιν, καὶ τὸ ἀνεθελήτως πλημμεληθὲν, οὐκ ἐν ἴσῃ μοίρᾳ τοῖς ἐθελουσίοις εὖ μάλα τιθείς. Πόλεις δὲ ἀφορίζεσθαι τρεῖς προστέταχεν, ἃς καὶ τῶν Φυγαδευτηρίων ὠνόμασε, συνελαύνει τε οὕ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 8 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 8 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 8)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 8)
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.