Priest at the right; pioneer’s joy is deity in flesh
Offering gifts and sacrifices is taken up; those called to priesthood do not perform the worships for themselves, but rather for God, to whom reverence from all creation is owed. And the one who ministers to God will not lie in equal measure with God. Then how, having become our high priest, does Christ sit at God’s right and have the throne of majesty in the heavens and is minister of the holies and of the tent above and true, bringing forward to himself and to the Father the worships from all? So there is one Christ and Son, yet he has also been styled priest and minister economically through the human.
“Therefore we also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the easily besetting sin, let us run with endurance the contest lying before us, looking away to the pioneer and perfecter of faith, Jesus, who for the joy lying before him endured a cross, despising shame, and has sat at the right of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2) If Christ were a common human and not truly God in flesh and as we are, what joy does it say lay before him? Or how has he sat at the right of God’s throne? But indeed joy did lie before him; for he is in unending glory as God (Hebrews 8:1–2).
Greek
τὸ προσφέρειν δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας παραλαμβάνεται· οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς τελοῦσι τὰς λατρείας οἱ καλούμενοι πρὸς ἱερωσύνην, τῷ Θεῷ δὲ μᾶλλον ᾧ τὸ παρὰ πάσης κτίσεως ὀφείλεται σέβας. ὁ δὲ Θεῷ λειτουργῶν οὐκ ἐν ἴσῳ μέτρῳ κείσεται Θεοῦ. εἶτα πῶς ἀρχιερεὺς ἡμῶν γεγονὼς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν δεξιᾷ κάθηται τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸν θρόνον ἔχει τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἐστὶ λειτουργὸς καὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἄνω καὶ ἀληθινῆς, ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τῷ Πατρὶ προσκομίζων τὰς παρὰ πάντων λατρείας; εἷς οὖν ἄρα ἐστὶ Χριστὸς καὶ Υἱὸς, κεχρηματικὼς δὲ καὶ ἱερεὺς καὶ λειτουργὸς οἰκονομικῶς διὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον.
«Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς τοσοῦτον ἔχοντες περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων, ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα καὶ τὴν εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν, δι’ ὑπομονῆς τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα, ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν, ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς ὑπέμεινε σταυρὸν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, καὶ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ κεκάθικεν.» εἰ κοινὸς ἄνθρωπος ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ οὐχὶ Θεὸς ἀληθῶς ἐν σαρκί τε καὶ καθ’ ἡμᾶς, ποίαν αὐτῷ προκεῖσθαί φησι τὴν χαράν; ἢ πῶς κεκάθικεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἀλλὰ μὴν προὔκειτό τε αὐτῷ χαρά· καὶ γάρ ἐστιν ἐν ἀκαταλήκτῳ δόξῃ ὡς Θεός.
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.