Fragments on Acts and the Catholic Epistles · §7

Critique of Legalistic Burden and Call to Inner Repentance

Since the action undertaken was regarded as a kind of disgrace, they tore their garments, following Jewish traditions and written customs. Moreover, the custom itself is slandered as not deriving from the law and being altogether lawless. Indeed, the God of all things spoke to those who were shaping such practices and turning far from true piety, saying to the Jews: 'Return to me with all your heart, in fasting and weeping and lamentation; tear your hearts, and not your garments.'

Now then, what are you trying to do, placing a yoke upon the neck of the disciples?... Cyril. Furthermore, since the law is burdensome and hard to bear, the godly disciples have truly confessed this, reproaching certain forms of ignorance. For they said: 'Now then, what are you trying? And the following things.' This is the same point: the law is admittedly burdensome to those of Israel, and the godly disciples agreed to this as well. The Savior himself taught us this, saying: 'Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.' Yet he describes those who labor and are burdened under the law as such, while he himself calls himself gentle, not claiming this quality comes from the law. As it is written, after these things I will return and rebuild the tent of David that has fallen.... Cyril. The tent of David signifies the race of the Jews.

Greek

Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ δρώμενον δυσφημία τις ἦν, διέῤῥηξαν τὰ ἱμάτια ἑαυτῶν, παραδόσεσι Ἰουδαϊκαῖς καὶ ἐγγράφοις ἔθεσιν ἀκολουθοῦντες. Ἔτι διαβέβληται τὸ ἔθος, ὡς οὐκ ὂν ἐκ νόμου καὶ ἀνόνητον παντελῶς. Καὶ γοῦν ἔφη πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, πλαττομένους τὰ τοιάδε, καὶ τῆς ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας ἀποφοιτῶντας μακράν· Ἐπιστρέψατε πρός με ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ἐν νηστείᾳ καὶ κλαυθμῷ καὶ ἐν κοπετῷ· καὶ διαῤῥήξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, καὶ μὴ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν. 74.772 Νῦν οὖν τί πειράζετε τὸν Θεὸν, ἐπιθεῖναι ζυγὸν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον τῶν μαθητῶν, κ. τ. λ. Κυρίλλου. Καὶ γοῦν ὅτι τε εἰ φορτικὸς καὶ δύσοιστος ὁ νόμος, διωμολογήκασιν ἀληθῶς οἱ θεσπέσιοι μαθηταὶ, ταῖς τινων ἀμαθίαις ἐπιπλήττοντες. Ἔφασκον γάρ· Νῦν οὖν τί πειράζετε; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Φορτικὸς μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογουμένως ὁ νόμος ἦν τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραήλ· ὡμολόγουν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ θεσπέσιοι μαθηταί. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ Σωτὴρ προσφωνῶν καὶ λέγων· ∆εῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι· κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς. Ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ· καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. Κοπιῶντας δὲ καὶ πεφορτισμένους τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον εἶναί φησιν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ πρᾶον ὠνόμαζεν, ὡς οὐκ ἔχοντος τοῦτο τοῦ νόμου. Καθὼς γέγραπται, μετὰ ταῦτα ἀναστρέψω καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω τὴν σκηνὴν ∆αβὶδ τὴν πεπτωκυῖαν, κ. τ. λ. Κυρίλλου. Σκηνὴν ∆αβὶδ τὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων σημαίνει γένος. Ἰστέον δὲ ὅτι Κύρου τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἀνέντος τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, κατῆλθον πάλιν εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν τὸν θεῖον ναὸν, τειχίσαντες τὰς ἠρημωμένας πόλεις, ᾤκουν ἐν αὐταῖς ἀσφαλῶς κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ αἰῶνος, τουτέστιν εἰς ἡμέρας πολλὰς καὶ χρόνους μακρούς. ∆εῖγμά τε καὶ πληροφορία γεγόνασι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσι, τοῦ χρῆναι λοιπὸν ἐπιστρέφειν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Ὁ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἱστορίας ἐν τούτοις λόγος· ὁ δὲ ἐσωτέρω καὶ ἀληθέστερος εἴη ἂν ἐν Χριστῷ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνεβίω τὴν εἰς θάνατον αὐτοῦ πεσοῦσαν σκηνὴν, τουτέστι, τὴν ἀπὸ γῆς σάρκα ἐγείραντος τοῦ 5 Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, τότε δὴ, τότε πάντα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πρὸς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀνέστη σχῆμα, καὶ πάντα ἡμῶν τὰ κατεῤῥιμμένα πρὸς νέαν ὄψιν ἐνήνεκται. Εἴ τις γὰρ ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις, κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς· συνεγηγέρμεθα γὰρ αὐτῷ· καὶ κατέσκαψε μὲν ὁ θάνατος τὰς ἁπάντων σκηνὰς, ἀνῳκοδόμησε δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ἐν Χριστῷ. Ὃν οὖν ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε, τοῦτον ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν. Κυρίλλου. Τουτέστι τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ὕψιστον. Οἱ γὰρ δείλαιοι Ἕλληνες οἴονται εὐσεβεῖν καὶ τὸν ὄντως ὄντα Θεὸν, ἐὰν τοῖς λοιποῖς θεοῖς σχοῖεν τὸ σέβας αὐτοῦ· ἀγνοοῦντες ὅτι μείζονος τιμωρίας ἀξιωθήσονται, τὸ φῶς τῷ σκότει συγκρίνοντες, καὶ τῷ φαύλῳ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, καὶ τῷ ἀλόγῳ τὸ νοερὸν, καὶ τῷ εὐτελεῖ τὸ θεῖον. Ὅθεν

About this text

Cyril of Alexandria, Fragmenta in Acta et epistulas catholicas (Greek).

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 74 (Greek)

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