Praise deferred; virgin courts and temples
there you will find perfection in every good thing, and what stands sound for holiness.
So every word we have trails behind the renown that is already yours, and admits defeat without a blush. It may even deserve pardon if it fears to praise what it cannot reach.
If speech could do what it longs to do, it would stand charged with weakness for delaying. No one should clear that delay by calling it laziness. Why wound people you could have adorned with praise of virtue, by choosing silence instead?
But if speech goes slack, fears, and admits defeat, we will not blame it so much as you — you who are so public that the surpassing weight of your own brave acts has made even the speeches that usually dress everyone look like nothing.
Royal blood has come down to you from long ago, and it still runs, as we believe. Yet look: you also take hold of the kingship in Christ, and you are eager to think and to do what pleases him — shining by works and by a faith without blame, brightening your courts and the emperors’ with the glory of virginity, and raising costly temples to Christ.
He has given this too, with the rest, to your holy souls.
So I will take a word from the holy writings: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your fairness be known to all people.” (Philippians 4:4–5)
It is known, then, and cried abroad even to those throughout
Greek
ἔργων ἀγαθῶν αὐχήμασιν εὖ μαλα συμῴφερεται koi ἰσο-
Üpouov ἔχει τὴν εἰσβολὴν, ἐκεῖ που πάντως εἴη ἂν ἐν παντὶ
καλῷ τελειότης καὶ τὸ ἀρτίως ἔχον εἰς ἁγιασμόν. λόγος μὲν οὖν ἅπας ὁ ἐν ἡμῖν, τῆς ἐνούσης ὑμῖν εὐκλείας κατόπιν
ε ἔρχεταε καὶ ὁμολογεῖ τὴν ἧτταν, ἐρυθριάσας οὐδέν" εἴη δ᾽ e ἃ 4 ’ y 4 ’᾽ ᾽ σι φ » E dy καὶ συγγνώμης ἄξιος, εἰ δέδιεν ἐπαινεῖν ὧν οὐκ àv ϑι ^ 9 , φ b] h! E d N , ^ ἐφίκοιτο τῆς ἀξίας. ei μὲν γὰρ ἔχει τὸ δύνασθαι koropÜoUv
ro ποθούμενον, διαβεβλήσεται μὲν, πολὺ νοσήσας ro ἀδρανές"
καὶ τὴν εἰς τοῦτο μέλλησιν ἀπαλλαττέτω μηδεὶς τῶν εἰς M , , , δ Ἁ φ 9». ἃ , to ῥᾳθυμίαν αἰτιαμάτων, οὖς γὰρ ἦν εἶκος karakaAAvvety δύνασθαι ταῖς εἰς ἀρετὴν εὐφημίαις, ἀνθ᾽ ὅτου λυπεῖ, σιωπᾶν ἡρημένος ; εἰ δὲ ἀτονεῖ καὶ δέδιε καὶ ὁμολογεῖ τὴν ἧτταν, ἃ 43 A. οὐκ αὐτῷ δὴ μᾶλλον τὰς αἰτίας ἀναθήσομεν, ἀλλ᾽ ὑμῖν ταῖς οὕτω περιφανέσιν, αἱ ταῖς τῶν ἰδίων ἀνδραγαθημάτων ὑπερ- σι ^ A i50yai$ καὶ τοὺς ἅπαντας κοσμεῖν εἰωθότας λόγους οὐδὲν
ὄντας ἀπεφήνατε. αἷμα μὲν γὰρ ὑμῖν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐκ μακρῶν
ἥκει χρόνων TO βασιλικὸν, παρατείνει δὲ kal εἰς δεῦρο kai ἔτι καθὰ πεπιστεύκαμεν. ἀλλ᾽ ἰδοὺ δὴ καὶ μάλα σαφῶς, καὶ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ βασιλείας ἐπιδραττόμεναι, τὰ αὐτῷ δοκοῦντα
20 φρονεῖν τε καὶ δρᾶν σπουδαζέτε τοῦτο μέν, ὡς ἔφην, ἔργοις b τε καὶ ἀμωμήτῳ διαπρέπουσαι πίστει, καὶ τὰς ὑμῶν τε καὶ βασιλέων αὐλὰς τῇ τῆς παρθενίας καταλαμπρύνουσαι δόξῃ" τοῦτο δὲ πολυτελεστάτους ἀνιστῶσαι ναοὺς τῷ Χριστῷ. ) Ἁ » 3 ^ ^ e€ ? e σε ^ N κεχάρισται yap Tap αὐτοῦ ταῖς ἁγίαις ὑμῶν ψυχαῖς pera
5» τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦτο. οὐκοῦν, ἐρῶ γάρ τι λαβὼν καὶ ἐκ
τῶν ἱερῶν γραμμάτων “ Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε, παλιν “Ὁ
* ἐρῶ, χαίρετε' TO ἔπιεικες ὑμῶν γνωσθήτω πᾶσιν ἀνθρὼ- c
* ποις." ἐγνώσθη μὲν οὖν kai διαβεβόηται καὶ τοῖς ἀνὰ
I. αὐχήμασιν»] καυχή Edd. 2. εἰσβολὴν] συμβολὴν Edd. ede,
ri Cod. 8. νοήσας τὴν om. C.
14. ὑπεροχαῖς) ἐξοχαῖς Comm. neutrum habet C. 18. σοφῶς
C. Comm. 22. βασιλείους Edd. emendavi ex C. 25. ἀνιστάσαι C. ἀνιστᾶσαι Comm. 24. ἡμῶν C. 26. πάλι» χαίρετε καὶ πάλιν Edd.
37. σιωπηθήτω pro γνωσθήτω (sic) C. Comm.
About this text
Cyril’s court treatise on right faith for Arcadia and Marina (CPG 5219). One Son, Word made flesh — not two Christs. English from Pusey’s Greek.
English follows Pusey’s 1877 Greek of De recta fide ad Arcadiam et Marinam. OCR of that print was cleaned section by section before Pass A/B. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Pusey, De recta fide ad reginas (Oxford, 1877) (Greek · CPG 5219 §§1–100)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.