Just will shine; mercy-seat = Christ propitiation; cherubim face it
Cyril: …times will shine out as the sun in the kingdom of their Father,’ what then will the glory of Christ himself be? And how will the shining-out not be beyond every mind and word? And having gold carriers of the ark, gold also the rings, and all the things in it; for those around him are sharers of the glory, and as fixed and useful in love and sanctification. Such also were the blessed disciples, receiving the God-fitting power from him, and having been enriched participatively with the brightness of the upper superiority, and for this reason fulfilling the God-signs.
Palladius: You have spoken uprightly.
Cyril: ‘And toward the ark you will make,’ he says, ‘a mercy-seat, a cover of pure gold, of two cubits and a half the length, and a cubit and a half the breadth. And you will make two gold cherubim turned; and you will set them from both sides of the mercy-seat. Cherubim will be made—one from this side, and cherubim one from the second side of the mercy-seat. And you will make the two cherubim upon the two sides. The cherubim will be stretching the wings from above, overshadowing with their wings upon the mercy-seat, and their faces toward one another; toward the mercy-seat will be the faces of the cherubim. And you will set the mercy-seat upon the head from above, and into the ark you will cast the testimonies which I should give you. And I will be known to you from there, and I will speak to you from above the mercy-seat between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the testimony, according to all things whatever I should command you toward the sons of Israel.’
Palladius: Then what do you say the mercy-seat is?
Cyril: As far as concerns letter and shadow, it had been made from pure gold, and was somehow hung lying upon the ark; for it has been called a cover because of this. And those beautified with the boasts of the priesthood, having been turned toward it and looking, seemed to have been turned toward God and to look. And we say that the mercy-seat, if it should be understood spiritually, is the one who became human because of us, ‘whom God set forward as a mercy-seat through faith in his blood, unto a showing of his righteousness.’ For Paul says thus. And John the most wise disciple also writes to us: ‘Little children, I write these things to you that you may not sin, and if someone should also sin, we have a comforter toward the Father, Jesus Christ just, and he himself is propitiation concerning our sins, and not concerning ours only, but also concerning the whole world.’ For through him is propitiation, and every prayer, and asking of goods. ‘For until now,’ he says, ‘you have asked nothing upon my name; ask, and it will be given you.’ So then he himself is the mercy-seat. For through him the Father is merciful to us, and every end of prayer lands upon him, and through him we approach, being acceptable not otherwise. Therefore he says, ‘I am the way’; and, ‘I am a door’; and, ‘No one comes toward the
Greek
καιροὺς ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῶν,» τίς ἔσται λοιπὸν ἡ αὐτοῦ δόξα Χριστοῦ; Πῶς δὲ οὐ νοῦ καὶ λόγου πέρα παντὸς ἡ ἔκλαμψις; Χρυσοῖ δὲ τὴν κιβωτὸν ἔχοντες ἀναφορεῖς, χρυσοῖ καὶ οἱ κρίκοι, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ· μέτοχοι γὰρ τῆς δόξης οἱ ἀμφ' αὐτὸν, καὶ ὡς ἐν ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ προσερηρεισμένοι καὶ χρήσιμοι. Τοιοῦτοί τινες ἦσαν καὶ οἱ μακάριοι μαθηταὶ, δύναμιν τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν θεοπρεπῆ δεχόμενοι, καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν ὑπεροχῆς τὴν λαμπρότητα μεθεκτῶς ἐκπεπλουτηκότες, καὶ πληροῦντες διὰ τοῦτο τὰς θεοσημίας.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} «Καὶ πρός γε τῇ κιβωτῷ, ποιήσεις,» φησὶν, «ἱλαστήριον, ἐπίθεμα χρυσίου καθαροῦ δύο πήχεων καὶ ἡμίσους τὸ μῆκος, καὶ πήχεως καὶ ἡμίσους τὸ πλάτος. Καὶ ποιήσεις δύο Χερουβὶμ χρυσᾶ τορνευτά· καὶ ἐπιθήσεις αὐτὰ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν κλιτῶν τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου. Ποιηθήσονται Χερουβὶμ εἷς ἐκ τοῦ κλίτους τούτου, καὶ Χερουβὶμ εἷς ἐκ τοῦ κλίτους τοῦ δευτέρου τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου. Καὶ ποιήσεις τοὺς δύο Χερουβὶμ ἐπὶ τὰ δύο κλίτη. Ἔσονται οἱ Χερουβὶμ ἐκτείνοντες τὰς πτέρυγας ἐπάνωθεν συσκιάζοντες ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν εἰσάλληλα, εἰς τὸ ἱλαστήριον ἔσονται τὰ πρόσωπα τῶν Χερουβίμ. Καὶ ἐπιθήσεις τὸ ἱλαστήριον ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἄνωθεν, καὶ εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐμβαλεῖς τὰ μαρτύρια ἃ ἂν δῶ σοι. Καὶ γνωσθήσομαί σοι ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ λαλήσω σοι ἄνωθεν τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν δύο Χερουβὶμ τῶν ὄντων ἐπὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἐντείλωμαί σοι πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εἶτα τί τὸ ἱλαστήριον εἶναι φής;
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὅσον μὲν ἧκεν εἴς τε γράμμα καὶ σκιὰν, ἐκ χρυσοῦ ἐπεποίητο καθαροῦ, καὶ ἐπήρτητό πως ἐπικειμένη τῇ κιβωτῷ· εἴρηται γὰρ ἐπίθεμα διὰ τοῦτο. Τετραμμένοι δὲ εἰς αὐτὸ καὶ βλέποντες, οἱ τοῖς τῆς ἱερωσύνης αὐχήμασι κατηγλαϊσμένοι, πρὸς Θεὸν ἐδόκουν τετράφθαι καὶ βλέπειν. Φαμὲν δὲ εἶναι τὸ ἱλαστήριον, εἰ νοοῖτο πνευματικῶς, τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον, «ὃν προέθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι, εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ.» Παῦλος γὰρ ὧδέ φησιν. Ἐπιστέλλει δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ σοφώτατος μαθητής· «Τεκνία, ταῦτα γράφω ὑμῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἁμάρτητε, καὶ ἐάν τις δὲ ἁμάρτῃ, παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν δίκαιον, καὶ αὐτὸς ἱλασμός ἐστι περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, οὐ περὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων δὲ μόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου.» Δι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἱλασμὸς, εὐχή τε πᾶσα, καὶ αἴτησις ἀγαθῶν. «Ἕως γὰρ ἄρτι,» φησὶν, «οὐκ ᾐτήσατε οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου· αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν.» Αὐτὸς οὖν ἄρα τὸ ἱλαστήριον. Δι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἵλεως ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν καταλήγει πᾶν πέρας εὐχῆς, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ πρόσιμεν, οὐχ ἑτέρως ὄντες δεκτοί. Τοιγάρτοι φησὶν, «Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός·» καὶ, «Ἐγώ εἰμι θύρα,» καὶ, «Οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 9 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 9 of seventeen. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition of the Greek.
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- Copy-text Migne PG 68 De adoratione Book 5 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 9)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 9)
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.