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De sancta trinitate

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, CONCERNING THE HOLY AND LIFE-GIVING TRINITY.

PROLOGUE. PROLOGUE. It were indeed fitting for all who are made glorious by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, and who pride themselves on being sheep of the Shepherd who laid down his life for us, to hear the Shepherd's voice, and to graze on the pasture shown by him, and to abide by the definitions and laws of the evangelical faith, and to love the simple teaching of the apostles. But since many, smitten with arrogance, and having become lovers of vainglory, and being ignorant of themselves, have preferred the offspring of their own erring thought to the divinely-inspired teaching, and having turned aside from the straight road that leads to the city above, have proceeded onto diverse and death-bearing paths, all wandering alike, yet not all treading the same path of error alike, but following the deceit of their reasonings in various ways, I think it is fitting for those who travel the royal and well-trodden road of the pious, both to pity those who wander, and to expose their deceit, and to point out piety, and to guide those who follow, and to prevent them from turning aside in either direction, until they reach the queenly city.

CHAPTER 1. That God makes the salvation of men a matter of great importance. For on this account

also the Savior of all sent the sacred choir of the apostles into the world, that with the rays of the knowledge of God they might enlighten those nourished in the darkness of ignorance, that they might gather together and properly shepherd the scattered sheep exposed to wolves, that by the art of the Spirit they might change the wild olive into a good olive tree, that with the word of teaching they might fish for those hidden in the depth of impiety. Since, therefore, to the Maker of all men the salvation of men is most pleasing, and it seems natural to aid a neighbor in need of care, let us also deposit the talent of knowledge given to us by the Lord with the bankers, so that we may not be condemned with the lazy servant. And we shall set forth the teaching of the divine doctrines, for those who know, as a reminder, and for those who are ignorant, for learning.

2. What is the character of ecclesiastical discourse. And let it proclaim the

evangelical faith, the discourse, simply and didactically, not dialectically nor contentiously, but in a manner suitable to the Church of God, with compunction, not ostentatiously, instructively, not forensically, freed from technical rules, using theology; not meddling with unattainable things, not investigating incomprehensible things, not defining with mind and word things that are incomprehensible, not subjecting the Master-craftsman to technical methods, not abandoning faith and demanding proof; following the fishermen, tracking the shoemaker, being guided by the tax collector, illuminated by the prophetic lamp, enlightened by the evangelical sun, mixing in none of its own reasonings, but weaving all the teachings of the all-holy Spirit; for this is the standard of divine teaching.

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De sancta trinitate

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΖΩΟΠΟΙΟΥ ΤΡΙΑ∆ΟΣ.

ΠΡΟΟΙΜΙΟΝ. ΠΡΟΟΙΜΙΟΝ. Ἔδει μὲν πάντας τοὺς τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοῦ Σωτῆ ρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ λαμπρυνομένους, καὶ πρό βατα εἶναι σεμνυνομένους τοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν τεθεικότος ποιμένος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τῆς τοῦ ποιμένος ἀκούειν φω νῆς, καὶ τὴν ὑπ' ἐκείνου δεικνυμένην νέμεσθαι πόαν, καὶ τοῖς τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πίστεως ὅροις καὶ νόμοις ἐμμένειν, καὶ τὴν ἁπλῆν τῶν ἀποστόλων στέργειν διδασκαλίαν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοὶ πληγέντες τύφῳ, καὶ δόξης κενῆς ἐρασθέντες, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἀγνοήσαν τες, τὰ τῆς πεπλανημένης αὐτῶν ἐννοίας κυήματα, τῆς θεοπνεύστου διδασκαλίας προυτίμησαν, καὶ τῆς εὐθείας εἰς τὴν ἄνω πόλιν ἀγούσης ὁδοῦ παρατρα πέντες, εἰς πολυσχεδεῖς καὶ θανατηφόρους ἐχώρησαν ἀτραποὺς, πάντες μὲν ὁμοίως πλανώμενοι, οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ τῆς πλάνης ὁμοίως μετιόντες ὁδὸν, ἀλλὰ δια φόρως τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν ἀκολουθοῦντες ἀπάτῃ, ἡγοῦ μαι πρέπειν τοῖς τὴν βασιλικὴν καὶ τετριμμένην ὑπὸ τῶν εὐσεβῶν ὁδεύουσιν, ἐλεεῖν τε τοὺς πλανωμένους, καὶ τὴν ἀπάτην γυμνοῦν, καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ὑποδει κνύναι, καὶ ποδηγεῖν τοὺς ἑπομένους, καὶ τῆς ἑκα τέρωσε παρατροπῆς ἀπείργειν, ἕως ἂν τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν καταλάβωσι.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Αʹ. Ὅτι περὶ πολλοῦ ποιεῖται ὁ Θεὸς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν. Τούτου γὰρ

χάριν καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Σωτὴρ εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀπέστειλε τῶν ἀποστόλων τὸν ἱερὸν χο ρὸν, ἵνα ταῖς ἀκτῖσι τῆς θεογνωσίας τοὺς ἐν τῷ σκό τει τῆς ἀγνοίας συντεθραμμένους φωτίσωσιν, ἵνα τὰ διασκεδασμένα πρόβατα καὶ τοῖς λύκοις προκείμενα συναγάγωσί τε καὶ ποιμάνωσιν ἐμμελῶς, ἵνα τὴν ἀγριέλαιον εἰς καλλιέλαιον τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος μετα βάλλωσι τέχνῃ, ἵνα τοὺς κρυπτομένους τῷ βυθῷ τῆς ἀσεβείας, τῷ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἁλιεύσωσι λόγῳ· ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ τῷ ποιητῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πάντων ἥδιστον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ σωτηρία, καὶ τῇ φύσει δὲ δοκεῖ τὸ τῷ πέλας ἐπαμύνειν δεομένῳ κηδεμονίας, τὸ δοθὲν ἡμῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου τῆς γνώσεως τάλαντον ἐπὶ τοὺς τραπεζίτας καὶ ἡμεῖς καταβάλλωμεν, ἵνα μὴ τῷ ἀργῷ συγκαταδικασθῶμεν οἰκέτῃ· καὶ τῶν θείων δογμάτων τὴν διδασκαλίαν προθήσομεν, τοῖς τε εἰδόσιν εἰς ἀνά μνησιν, καὶ τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν εἰς μάθησιν.

Βʹ. Τίς ὁ χαρακτὴρ τοῦ ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ λόγου. Κηρυττέτω δὲ τὴν

εὐαγγελικὴν ὁ λόγος πίστιν ἁπλοϊκῶς οὕτω καὶ διδασκαλικῶς, μὴ διαλεκτικῶς μηδ' ἀντιλογικῶς, ἀλλ' Ἐκκλησίας Θεοῦ προσφό ρως, κατανυκτικῶς, μὴ ἐπιδεικτικῶς, διδακτικῶς, μὴ δικανικῶς, τεχνολογίας ἀπηλλαγμένος, θεολογίᾳ κε χρημένος· μὴ πολυπραγμονῶν τὰ ἀνέφικτα, μὴ ἐρευνῶν τὰ ἀπερινόητα, μὴ νῷ καὶ λόγῳ τὰ ἀχώρητα περιγράφων, μὴ τεχνικαῖς τὸν ἀριστοτέχνην ὑποβάλ λων μεθόδοις, μὴ τὴν πίστιν ἐῶν, καὶ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἀπαιτῶν· τοῖς ἁλιεῦσιν ἑπόμενος, τὸν σκυτοτόμον ἰχνηλατῶν, ὑπὸ τοῦ τελώνου ποδηγούμενος, τῷ προ φητικῷ καταυγαζόμενος λύχνῳ, τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ φω τιζόμενος ἡλίῳ, μηδὲν τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν ἀναμι γνὺς, πάντα δὲ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ὑφαίνων διδάγματα· οὗτος γὰρ τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας ὁ ὅρος.