Faith establishes one God; Christ vivifies the dead
“Do we then abolish the law through faith? By no means — rather, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31) The law through Moses taught those from Israel to worship one God: “For the Lord,” (Deuteronomy 6:4) it says, “your God is one Lord.” And God himself addressed them, saying: “You shall have no other gods besides me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Did faith toward Christ, then, move those called through it so that they no longer worship the one God by nature? Do we abolish a law that brings offerings to the one true God? “By no means,” he says, “rather, we establish the law.” So we approach Christ as God, lest we be charged with destroying the law — and rather be praised for establishing the law through faith.
About Abraham he says: “Before the God in whom he believed, who makes the dead alive and calls the things that are not as though they are.” (Romans 4:17) So when the power to make the dead alive would fit no one else except the God by nature alone — and Christ also makes the corrupted alive through his own flesh, touching the dead and raising them — how is he not true God, who also gave others authority to raise the dead through his name?
“So, my brothers, you also were put to death to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, the one raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” (Romans 7:4) We are put to death to the law by leaving its worship; we belong to another, the one raised from the dead — that is, to Christ — eager to follow his gospel decrees, so that we may bear fruit for God. The chief of the gospel decrees is faith toward him, and this fruit of ours is offered to Christ as to God.
Greek
«Νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστῶμεν.» ὁ διὰ Μωσέως νόμος Θεὸν ἕνα προσκυνεῖν ἐδίδαξε τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραήλ· «Κύριος γὰρ,» φησίν, «ὁ Θεός σου Κύριος εἷς ἐστι.» καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς προσεφώνει λέγων αὐτοῖς· «Οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ.»
ἆρ᾽ οὖν μετέστησεν ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν τοὺς δι᾽ αὐτῆς κεκλημένους εἰς τὸ μὴ ἑνὶ τῷ κατὰ φύσιν Θεῷ προσκυνεῖν; ἆρα καταργοῦμεν νόμον τῷ ἑνὶ τῷ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν Θεῷ προσκομίζοντα; «μὴ γένοιτο,» φησίν, «ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστῶμεν.» οὐκοῦν ὡς Θεῷ προσίεμεν τῷ Χριστῷ, ἵνα μὴ κατηγορώμεθα ὡς καταλύοντες νόμον· ἐπαινώμεθα δὲ μᾶλλον ὡς ἱστῶντες νόμον διὰ τῆς πίστεως.
Περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ φησι· «Κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσε Θεοῦ τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ καλοῦντος τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα.» ὅτε τοίνυν τὸ ζωοποιεῖν δύνασθαι τοὺς νεκροὺς ἁρμόσειεν ἂν οὐχ ἑτέρῳ, πλὴν ὅτι μόνῳ τῷ κατὰ φύσιν Θεῷ, ζωοποιεῖ δὲ Χριστὸς καὶ διὰ τῆς ἰδίας σαρκὸς τοὺς κατεφθαρμένους, ἁπτόμενος τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ ἀνιστὰς αὐτούς — πῶς οὐ Θεὸς ἀληθινὸς ὁ δοὺς καὶ ἑτέροις ἐξουσίαν τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐγείρειν διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ;
«Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ διὰ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι ὑμᾶς ἑτέρῳ τῷ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθέντι, ἵνα καρποφορήσωμεν τῷ Θεῷ.» θανατούμεθα τῷ νόμῳ τῆς κατ᾽ αὐτὸν λατρείας ἀποπαυόμενοι, γινόμεθα δὲ ἑτέρῳ τῷ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθέντι, τουτέστι Χριστῷ, τοῖς αὐτοῦ θεσπίσμασι τοῖς εὐαγγελικοῖς κατακολουθεῖν σπουδάζοντες, ἵνα καρποφορήσωμεν τῷ Θεῷ. κεφάλαιον δὲ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν θεσπισμάτων ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς αὐτόν, καὶ οὗτος ἡμῶν ὁ καρπὸς ὡς Θεῷ προσαγόμενος τῷ Χριστῷ.
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.