The Power of the Tongue
The chosen stone is placed in the foundations of Zion, and what is the benefit from this? The one believing in him will not be put to shame, because it is essential to control one's tongue, stopping it from evil, as the Bible says that death and life are in the hand of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Those who can control their tongue will eat its fruits, and this restraint is a great virtue, just as not having it is a painful disease. The restraint of the tongue is a crucial aspect of being a perfect person, able to bridle also the whole body, as Scripture says that if someone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man, able to bridle also the whole body (James 3:2).
The Only-Begotten, with authority, cried out to the souls who suffered similarly, according to the plan of the economy, saying to those in bonds, 'Come out', and to those in darkness, 'Be revealed'. This was his proclamation to those in Hades, that he might free those who were about to believe, if he had come in the flesh at the time of their life, if the incarnation was indeed profitable. For these also certainly recognized him in Hades, whom the gatekeepers of Hades, upon seeing him, were terrified by, and the bronze gates were broken, and the iron bars were shattered.
For the things beyond our economy are beyond nature and tradition, and just as Christ cried out equally to all on earth through his bodily presence, and those who believed were helped, so also through his descent into Hades, he freed those who believed and recognized him from the bonds of death. The souls of those who lived in idolatry and lawless debauchery were unable to see the rays of the divine appearance, and thus they could not faithfully recognize the one who came to free all, who appeared to those below and proclaimed to all in common, showing both his philanthropic and just nature.
Greek
ἐλεύθερον. Καί φησι· Τίθημι τὸν ἐκλεκτὸν λίθον εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιών· καὶ τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν ὄφελος; Ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. Παυσάτω τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κακοῦ. Κυρίλλου. Ἁγιοπρεπὲς τὸ μάθημα καὶ σωτήριον, καὶ λόγου παντὸς ἀξίαν εἶναί φημι τὴν ὑφήγησιν. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι Θάνατος καὶ ζωὴ ἐν χειρὶ γλώσσης· οἱ δὲ κρατοῦντες αὐτῆς, ἔδονται τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς. Ἔφη δέ που καὶ ὁ Χριστοῦ μαθητής· Εἴ τις ἐν λόγῳ οὐ πταίει, οὗτος τέλειος ἀνὴρ, δυνατὸς χαλιναγωγῆσαι καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα. Μέγα οὖν τῆς γλώσσης τὸ ἐγκρατὲς, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει παγχάλεπον νόσημα τὸ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν. Ἐν ᾧ καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλάκῃ πνεύμασι πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν, ἀπειθήσασί ποτε, ὅτε ἀπεξεδέχετο ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία, ἐν ἡμέραις Νῶε, κατα σκευαζομένης κιβωτοῦ, εἰς ἣν ὀλίγαι, τουτ έστιν ὀκτὼ, ψυχαὶ διεσώθησαν δι' ὕδατος. Κυρίλλου. Λύει ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀντίθεσιν ἐκείνην ἤν τινες ἀντιτιθέντες λέγουσιν· Εἰ ἐπωφελὴς ᾗ ἡ ἐνανθρώπησις, τί δήποτε μὴ πρὸ πολλῶν ἐνηνθρώπησε χρόνων; Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασι πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν, ἵνα λύσῃ τούτους, ὅσοι πιστεύειν ἔμελλον, εἰ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ σαρκωθεὶς τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἐπεφοίτησεν. Οὗτοι γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐν τοῖς καταχθονίοις ἐπιφανέντα πάντως ἐπέγνωσαν, καὶ τῆς ἐπιφανείας ἀπέλαυσαν. Τῇ ψυχῇ πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξε τοῖς ἐν ᾅδου, ὡς ψυχὴ μετὰ ψυχῶν ὀφθεὶς, ὃν οἱ πυλωροὶ τοῦ ᾅδου ἰδόντες ἔπτηξαν, καὶ πύλαι χαλκαῖ συνετρίβησαν, καὶ μοχλοὶ σιδηροῖ συνεθλάσθησαν· καὶ ὁ Μονογενὴς ἐφώνει μετ' ἐξουσίας ταῖς ὁμοιοπαθέσι ψυχαῖς, κατὰ τὸν τῆς οἰκονομίας λόγον, λέγων τοῖς ἐν δεσμοῖς· Ἐξέλθετε [Cod. ἐξέλθατε], καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότει· 8 Ἀνακαλύφθητε. Τουτέστι, καὶ τοῖς ἐν ᾅδου ἐκήρυζεν, ἵνα λύσῃ τούτους ὅσοι πιστεύειν ἔμελλον, εἰ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐκείνων ζωῆς καιρὸν σαρκωθεὶς ἐπεδήμησεν· οὗτοι γὰρ καὶ εἰς ᾅδου πάντως ἐπέγνωσαν. Ἔστι γὰρ τὰ 74.1016 πλείω τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκονομίας ὑπὲρ φύσιν καὶ παράδοσιν· καθάπερ οὖν ὁμοτίμως πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς διὰ τῆς ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας ἐπεφώνει Χριστὸς, καὶ οἱ πιστεύσαντες ὠφελήθησαν· οὕτω καὶ διὰ τῆς εἰς ᾅδου καταβάσεως, τοὺς πιστεύοντας καὶ ἐπεγνωκότας αὐτὸν ἠλευθέρωσε τῶν τοῦ θανάτου δεσμῶν. Αἱ γὰρ τῶν ἐν εἰδωλολατρίαις καὶ ἀθεμίτοις ἀσελγείαις βιωσάντων ψυχαὶ, ταῖς σαρκικαῖς προσπαθείαις οἱονεὶ ἀποτυφλωθεῖσαι, πρὸς τὰς τῆς θεοφανείας αὐγὰς βλέπειν οὐκ ἴσχυον, ἵνα καὶ πιστῶς ἐπιγνοῖεν τὸν ἐπὶ τῷ πάντας ἐλευθερῶσαι, τό γε ἐπ' αὐτῷ, τοῖς καταχθονίοις ἐπιφανέντα, καὶ κοινῇ πᾶσι κηρύξαντα, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου καὶ τὸ δίκαιον ἐνδεικνύμενον· ἵνα οἱ τῆς τοιαύτης εὐεργεσίας ἀποπεσόντες, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἔχοιεν αἰτιᾶσθαι, τὸν
About this text
Cyril of Alexandria, Fragmenta in Acta et epistulas catholicas (Greek).
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 74 (Greek)
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