Procatechesis, or, Prologue To The Catechetical Lectures Of Our Holy Father, Cyril, Archbishop Of Jerusalem.

 1. Already there is an odour of blessedness upon you, O ye who are soon to be enlightened : already ye are gathering the spiritual  that to them that

 2. Even Simon Magus once came to the Laver : he was baptized, but was not enlightened and though he dipped his body in water, he enlightened not his

 3. A certain man in the Gospels once pried into the marriage feast , and took an unbecoming garment, and came in, sat down, and ate: for the bridegroo

 4. For we, the ministers of Christ, have admitted every one, and occupying, as it were, the place of door-keepers we left the door open: and possibly

 5. Possibly too thou art come on another pretext. It is possible that a man is wishing to pay court to a woman, and came hither on that account . The

 6. See, I pray thee, how great a dignity Jesus bestows on thee. Thou wert called a Catechumen, while the word echoed round thee from without hearing

 7. We may not receive Baptism twice or thrice else it might be said, Though I have failed once, I shall set it right a second time: whereas if thou f

 8. For God seeks nothing else from us, save a good purpose. Say not, How are my sins blotted out? I tell thee, By willing, by believing . What can be

 9. Let thy feet hasten to the catechisings receive with earnestness the exorcisms : whether thou be breathed upon or exorcised, the act is to thee sa

 10. Attend closely to the catechisings, and though we should prolong our discourse, let not thy mind be wearied out. For thou art receiving armour aga

 11. Let me give thee this charge also. Study our teachings and keep them for ever. Think not that they are the ordinary homilies for though they als

 12. When, therefore, the Lecture is delivered, if a Catechumen ask thee what the teachers have said, tell nothing to him that is without . For we deli

 13. Ye who have been enrolled are become sons and daughters of one Mother. When ye have come in before the hour of the exorcisms, let each one of you

 14. And when the Exorcism has been done, until the others who are being exorcised have come , let men be with men, and women with women. For now I nee

 15. I shall observe each man’s earnestness, each woman’s reverence. Let your mind be refined as by fire unto reverence let your soul be forged as met

 16. Great is the Baptism that lies before you : a ransom to captives a remission of offences a death of sin a new-birth of the soul a garment of l

 17. We for our part as men charge and teach you thus: but make not ye our building  hay and stubble  and chaff, lest we  suffer loss   work being burn

 (  To the Reader 

 FIRST CATECHETICAL LECTURE

 Lecture II.

 Lecture III.

 Lecture IV.

 Lecture V.

 Lecture VI.

 Lecture VII.

 Lecture VIII.

 Lecture IX.

 Lecture X.

 Lecture XI.

 Lecture XII.

 Lecture XIII.

 Lecture XIV.

 Lecture XV.

 Lecture XVI.

 Lecture XVII.

 Lecture XVIII.

 Lecture XIX.

 Lecture XX.

 Lecture XXI.

 Lecture XXII.

 Lecture XXIII.

17. We for our part as men charge and teach you thus: but make not ye our building  hay and stubble and chaff, lest we  suffer loss , from our  work being burnt up: but make ye our work gold,  and silver, and precious stones   59  1 Cor. iii. 12, 15. ! For it lies in me to speak, but in thee to set thy mind  60  Greek προσθέσθαι, Sept. Deut. xiii. 4, “cleave unto Him.” Compare Josh. xxiii. 12; Ps. lxii. 10, “Set not your heart upon them.” upon it, and in God to make perfect. Let us nerve our minds, and brace up our souls, and prepare our hearts. The race is for our soul: our hope is of things eternal: and God, who knoweth your hearts, and observeth who is sincere, and who a hypocrite, is able both to guard the sincere, and to give faith to the hypocrite: for even to the unbeliever, if only he give his heart, God is able to give faith. So may He  blot out the handwriting that is against you   61  Col. ii. 14. , and grant you forgiveness of your former trespasses; may He plant you into His Church, and enlist you in His own service, and put on you  the armour of righteousness   62  2 Cor. vi. 7; Rom. vi. 13. : may He fill you with the heavenly things of the New Covenant, and give you the seal of the Holy Spirit indelible throughout all ages, in Christ Jesus Our Lord: to whom be the glory for ever and ever! Amen.

59 1 Cor. iii. 12, 15.
60 Greek προσθέσθαι, Sept. Deut. xiii. 4, “cleave unto Him.” Compare Josh. xxiii. 12; Ps. lxii. 10, “Set not your heart upon them.”
61 Col. ii. 14.
62 2 Cor. vi. 7; Rom. vi. 13.

Ἡμεῖς μὲν ταῦτα, ὡς ἄνθρωποι, καὶ παραγγέλλομεν καὶ διδάσκομεν. Μὴ ποιήσητε δὲ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν ἡμῶν χόρτον, καὶ καλάμην, καὶ ἄχυρα: ἵνα μὴ τοῦ ἔργου κατακαέντος, ζημιωθῶμεν: ἀλλὰ ποιήσατε τὸ ἔργον χρυσίον, καὶ ἀργύριον, καὶ λίθους τιμίους. Ἐν ἐμοὶ μὲν γάρ ἐστι τὸ εἰπεῖν, ἐν σοὶ δὲ τὸ προθέσθαι, ἐν Θεῷ δὲ τὸ τελειῶσαι. Νευρώσωμεν τὴν διάνοιαν: συντείνωμεν τὴν ψυχήν: ἑτοιμάσωμεν τὴν καρδίαν: περὶ ψυχῆς τρέχομεν: περὶ αἰωνίων πραγμάτων ἐλπίζομεν. Δυνατὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς, [ὁ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν εἰδὼς, καὶ γινώσκων τίς μέν ἐστι γνήσιος, τίς δὲ ὑποκριτὴς] τὸν μὲν γνήσιον φυλάξαι, τὸν δὲ ὑποκριτὴν πιστοποιῆσαι. Δύναται γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τὸν ἄπιστον πιστοποιῆσαι, ἐὰν μόνον δῷ τὴν καρδίαν. Καὶ ἐξαλείψαι τὸ καθ' ὑμῶν χειρόγραφον: ἀμνηστίαν δὲ ὑμῖν παράσχοι τῶν πρώτων παραπτωμάτων: φυτεύσοι δὲ ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ στρατεύσοι ὑμᾶς ἑαυτῷ, ὅπλα περιβαλὼν τῆς δικαιοσύνης: οὐρανίων δὲ πραγμάτων καινῆς διαθήκης πληρώσειε, καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου σφραγίδα δώῃ ἀνεξάλειπτον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.  Προσλόγιον.