One offering of own body; weak in flesh, beyond weakness as God
“For this he did once for all, having offered himself; for the law appoints humans as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath-swearing after the law appoints a Son perfected forever.” (Hebrews 7:27–28) With one offering—clearly that through his own body—our Lord Jesus Christ has perfected those being sanctified forever; for he has brought himself forward for them as a fragrance of aroma to God and Father. About him the inspired Paul says that he was crucified from weakness (2 Corinthians 13:4). How then is the same one believed to be better than weakness, and as Son perfected, yet is also crucified from weakness? So it follows to think that he was weak fleshly, having endured a cross, yet is as God beyond being weak. “For the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
And the one who exists better than sin as God has offered himself, and has become our high priest—said humanly to minister, yet priesting to the Father his own body. So in a God-befitting way he does not admit suffering sin, because he was not of a created nature. So he is an all-perfect Son, and the fruit of his own nature is blamelessness.
Greek
«Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἐφάπαξ ἑαυτὸν προσενέγκας· ὁ νόμος γὰρ ἀνθρώπους καθίστησιν ἀρχιερεῖς ἔχοντας ἀσθένειαν, ὁ λόγος δὲ τῆς ὁρκωμοσίας τῆς μετὰ τὸν νόμον Υἱὸν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τετελειωμένον.» μιᾷ μὲν προσφορᾷ, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῇ διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος, τετελείωκεν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός· προσκεκόμικε γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ. περὶ αὐτοῦ φησὶν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος ὅτι ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας. πῶς οὖν ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ ἀσθενείας κρείττων εἶναι πεπίστευται, καὶ ὡς Υἱὸς τετελειωμένος, σταυροῦται δὲ καὶ ἐξ ἀσθενείας; οὐκοῦν ἀκόλουθον ἐννοεῖν ὡς ἠσθένησε μὲν σαρκικῶς σταυρὸν ὑπομείνας, ἔστι γεμὴν ὡς Θεὸς τοῦ ἀσθενεῖν ἐπέκεινα. «τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα πρόθυμον, ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής.»
ὁ δὲ κρείττων ἁμαρτίας ὑπάρχων ὡς Θεὸς προσκεκόμικεν ἑαυτόν, καὶ γέγονεν ἡμῶν ἀρχιερεύς· ἀνθρωπίνως μὲν λεγόμενος λειτουργεῖν, ἱερατεύων δὲ τῷ Πατρὶ τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα. θεοπρεπῶς οὖν ἄρα παθεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχεται τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὅτι μὴ φύσεως ἦν γενητῆς. Υἱὸς οὖν ἄρα ἐστὶ παντέλειος, φύσεώς τε καρπὸν ἰδίας τὸ ἀπλημμελές.
About this text
Cyril’s court treatise on right faith for Pulcheria and Eudocia (CPG 5220). One Son who suffers in flesh yet remains impassible as God. English from Pusey’s Greek.
English follows Pusey’s 1877 Greek of De recta fide ad Pulcheriam et Eudociam. 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 5220 §§1–48)
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.