{"slug":"khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-oratio-in-ascensionem-domini","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-oratio-in-ascensionem-domini","title":"Oratio in ascensionem domini","title_source":"Oratio in ascensionem domini","author":"Cyril of Alexandria","genre":"homily","date":"","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T07:17:40Z","cost_usd":0.008551},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-oratio-in-ascensionem-domini","work_id":"khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-oratio-in-ascensionem-domini","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":"Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Cyril%20of%20Alexandria_PG%2068-77/Oratio%20in%20ascensionem%20domini.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":15,"english_words":4148,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":16218,"commentary_units":88,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":23,"work_notes":4,"external_links":0,"timeline":4},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-oratio-in-ascensionem-domini","abstract":"This homily, attributed to Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444), was composed for the feast of the Ascension. It survives in a single Greek manuscript tradition, preserved in later Byzantine homiliaries, with no early translations into Latin or Syriac. The work is not mentioned in Cyril's other writings, making precise dating impossible. The edition from khazarzar lacks a critical apparatus, so readers cannot assess scribal errors or textual emendations. The homily reflects anti-Jewish polemic common in early Christian homiletics and engages with docetic interpretations of Christ's economy, emphasizing the reality of the incarnation and redemptive work.","historical_context":"Cyril of Alexandria was a prominent theologian and bishop who played a key role in the Christological controversies of the 5th century, particularly at the Council of Ephesus (431). This homily was likely delivered in Alexandria during a celebration of the Ascension, though the exact year is unknown. The feast of the Ascension was well established in the Eastern Church by the 5th century, and Cyril's homily would have been part of the liturgical cycle. The work's survival in a single Greek manuscript tradition, without early versions in Latin or Syriac, suggests limited circulation. Its inclusion in later Byzantine homiliaries indicates some liturgical use, but it never achieved the authority of Ascension homilies by John Chrysostom or Gregory of Nazianzus. The lack of a critical edition means the text's transmission history and potential scribal alterations remain unexamined.","significance":"This homily provides insight into Cyril's liturgical preaching and his engagement with Christological themes in a festal setting. It reflects the anti-Jewish polemic and anti-docetic concerns of early 5th-century Alexandria. The work's uncertain attribution and transmission history illustrate the challenges of studying late antique homiletics.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 376–444","event":"Life of Cyril of Alexandria"},{"date":"5th c.","event":"Probable composition of the homily, exact year unknown"},{"date":"5th–6th c.","event":"Transmission in Greek manuscript tradition; no early Latin or Syriac versions"},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Preservation in Byzantine homiliaries for the feast of the Ascension"}],"relations":[{"work":"John 1:1","relation":"Echoed in the homily's emphasis on the pre-existence of the Word","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Homilies on the Ascension by John Chrysostom","relation":"Contemporary works for the same feast, but more widely transmitted","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Homilies on the Ascension by Gregory of Nazianzus","relation":"Another patristic author whose Ascension homilies achieved greater authority","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Cyril of Alexandria's other writings","relation":"This homily is not mentioned in them, complicating dating and attribution","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The exact year of composition is unknown; the homily is not mentioned in Cyril's other writings.","The work survives in a single Greek manuscript tradition; no early Latin or Syriac versions are known.","The edition from khazarzar lacks a critical apparatus, so scribal errors or textual emendations cannot be assessed.","The homily is transmitted under the name of Athanasius of Alexandria in some sources, but modern scholarship attributes it to Cyril."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000403,"generated":"2026-11-15T07:17:40Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Cyril%20of%20Alexandria_PG%2068-77/Oratio%20in%20ascensionem%20domini.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-oratio-in-ascensionem-domini","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":15,"translated":15,"commentary_passages":15,"commentary_units":88,"english_words":4148,"source_letters":16218,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The homily survives in a single Greek manuscript tradition, with no early Latin or Syriac versions known. Its preservation depends on later Byzantine homiliaries.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) wrote this homily likely for a feast of the Ascension, but the exact year is unknown. The work is not mentioned in his other writings, complicating firm dating.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This homily was included in some Byzantine liturgical collections for the Ascension, but it never achieved the authority of works by John Chrysostom or Gregory of Nazianzus in the same feast.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The edition (khazarzar) does not provide a critical apparatus or collation of variant readings. Readers cannot assess scribal errors or textual emendations from this source alone.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: homily in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 15 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":15},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας εἰς τὴν ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν Θεὸς Λόγος, τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν τὸ λύτρον, τοῦ διαβόλου ὁ πόλεμος, τῆς οἰκουμένης ἡ ἐλευθερία· ὁ πάντα λόγῳ τεκταινόμενος πρὸς τὸ ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀξίαν χάριτι ἀναγαγεῖν· ὁ πεπτωκότας ἡμᾶς διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐγείρας τῷ ὑποκύψαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως· ὁ θανατωθέντας ἡμᾶς διὰ τὴν παρακοὴν ἀναγεννήσας διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπιδημίας καὶ τὸν πατέρα μὴ καταλείψας· ὁ τὴν γῆν πατήσας καὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἡνίκα ὢν σὺν ἡμῖν σωματικῶς πληρῶν ἑαυτοῦ· ὁ πάντα γενόμενος ὅσα ἡμεῖς χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας καὶ μείνας ἄτρεπτος· ὁ μηδὲν παθεῖν δι' ἡμᾶς παραιτησάμενος, ἵνα ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀπάθειαν ἀγάγῃ· ὁ σταυρῷ προσηλωθεὶς καὶ τὰ τοῦ παραδείσου κλεῖθρα ἀναπετάσας· οὗτος ὁ τὴν πρὸς τὸν διάβολον πάλην δι' ἡμᾶς ἀναδεξάμενος καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας θλάσας τὸ κέντρον καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τεφρώσας τὸ φρόνημα τῆς τε ἱεροσύνης αὐτῶν κενώσας τὰ μεγαλεῖα καὶ τὸν ναὸν αὐτῶν ἐριπώσας μετὰ τὸ βεβήλων ἄρξαι χειρῶν τὴν διαθήκην παύσας, τὴν λατρείαν στήσας καὶ τὰ ἔθνη προσκαλεσάμενος· ὁ τὸν θάνατον καταργήσας καὶ γῆν οὐρανὸν ποιήσας τῇ τῶν ἀγγελικῶν πολιτευμάτων διαγωγῇ προσηλώσας τε τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας χειρόγραφον τῷ σταυρῷ καὶ ὑποχειρίους γεναμένους τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ εἰς υἱοθεσίαν ἀνακαλεσάμενος ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος οἰκονομίας. Σήμερον ἀνῆλθεν ὅθεν οὐκ ἀπελείφθη.","english":"Of Saint Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, on the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He who in the beginning before the ages was God Word with God, the ransom of our souls, the war against the devil, the freedom of the inhabited world; he who contrives all things by word in order to lead us up to his own dignity by grace; he who raised us who had fallen through sin by stooping down to us through the incarnation; he who regenerated us who had been put to death through disobedience by his visitation to us and did not abandon the Father; he who trod the earth and filled the heavens with himself while being with us bodily; he who became everything that we are without sin and remained unchanged; he who refused to suffer nothing for our sake in order to lead us to impassibility; he who was nailed to the cross and opened the locks of paradise; this one who undertook the struggle against the devil for us and crushed the sting of sin and burned up the arrogance of the Jews and emptied the grandeur of their priesthood and razed their temple after they began to lay profane hands, ended the covenant, stopped the worship, and summoned the nations; he who abolished death and made earth heaven by the conduct of angelic ways of life, and nailed the hand-written bond of sin against us to the cross, and called us who had become subject to sin back to adoption through the economy of the Spirit. Today he ascended whence he never departed.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας","severity":"info","text":"The homily is transmitted under the name of Athanasius of Alexandria, but modern scholarship attributes it to Cyril of Alexandria, as reflected in the work metadata.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Θεὸς Λόγος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'God Word' renders Θεὸς Λόγος, a standard Christological title identifying the pre-existent Logos as divine, central to Alexandrian theology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων","severity":"info","text":"Echoes John 1:1 ('In the beginning was the Word') and the prologue's emphasis on pre-existence, a common ascension homily motif.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Σήμερον ἀνῆλθεν","severity":"info","text":"The final sentence shifts from a long series of relative clauses describing Christ's works to a declarative statement marking the ascension day, providing rhetorical closure.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τῶν Ἰουδαίων τεφρώσας τὸ φρόνημα","severity":"info","text":"Reflects anti-Jewish polemic common in early Christian homiletics, likely referencing the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE as divine punishment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ὁ μηδὲν παθεῖν δι' ἡμᾶς παραιτησάμενος","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek could be read as 'he who refused to suffer nothing for us' (double negative), but the English draft interprets it as 'refused to suffer nothing' = 'accepted all suffering'. The sense is contested; the intended meaning is likely that Christ did not decline any suffering for our sake.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The double negative in 'μηδὲν παθεῖν ... παραιτησάμενος' is ambiguous: it may mean 'he who refused to suffer nothing' (i.e., accepted all suffering) or 'he who refused to suffer anything' (i.e., avoided suffering). The context supports the former, but the grammar is not entirely clear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Μὴ σκιὰν ὑπογράφῃς τὴν οἰκονομίαν, μὴ φάντασμα ἡγήσῃ τὴν σωτηρίαν, μὴ σκιὰν εἴπῃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἤκουσας ὅτι κατῆλθεν. Οὕτως νόησον· κατῆλθεν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐκένωσεν, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπερίγραπτος ἦν τὴν φύσιν, πληροῖ δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν κατὰ τὸ προφητικὸν λόγιον. Καὶ παρὰ Μαρίᾳ ἦν καὶ παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ παρὰ Πιλάτῳ καὶ παρ' ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἐν ᾅδῃ καὶ ἐν γῇ καὶ ἐν ἀέρι· Θεὸς γὰρ ἦν καὶ ἡνίοχος τῶν ἁπάντων. Ἦλθεν ὅπου ἦν, ἀνῆλθεν ὅθεν οὐκ ἀπελείφθη. Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν· ἄρα οὖν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὢν τῇ θεότητι πῶς ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὢν τῇ θεότητι σωματικῶς οὐχ ὁρᾶτο, ἀναλαμβάνει τὸ σῶμα ἵνα διὰ τοῦ σώματος ὡς ἐκ κατόπτρου ὁρῶντες τὸν Θεὸν παιδαγωγηθῶμεν εἰς εὐσέβειαν. Ἀντιστρέψωμεν τὸν λόγον· ἄρα οὖν καὶ ἐν γῇ ὢν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἦν; ἀνῆλθεν ὅπου ἦν; Ἀλλὰ οὐ μάχεσθαί μοι πρόκειται, οὐδὲ γὰρ δεῖ παραμεῖξαι πόλεμον τῇ εἰρήνῃ. Συνχορεῦσαι τῷ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σήμερον νενικηκότι παραγενώμεθα, ἀνιόντι τοίνυν αὐτῷ εἰς οὐρανοὺς πάντες ἀκολουθήσωμεν, ῥίψωμεν τὰ σωματικά, ἀποταξώμεθα ταῖς ἡδοναῖς, ὅλοι γενώμεθα πνεύματα ἵνα ἀκολουθήσαντες αὐτῷ ἀκούσωμεν τῶν ἐπουρανίων δυνάμεων λεγούσων· Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἐρωτώσας· Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης;, ἀντιφθεγξώμεθα οἱ πεπειραμένοι τῆς εὐεργεσίας καὶ εἴπωμεν οἱ ἐλευθερωθέντες ὅτι Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατός· Κύριος δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης.","english":"Do not sketch the economy as a shadow, do not consider the salvation a phantom, do not call the truth a shadow. You have heard that he descended. Understand it thus: he descended here and did not empty the heavens of himself, for since he was uncircumscribed in nature, he fills both heaven and earth according to the prophetic saying. And he was with Mary and with the Father and with Pilate and with angels and in heaven, in Hades and on earth and in the air; for he was God and the charioteer of all things. He came where he was, he ascended whence he was not absent. He was in the world; therefore, being in the world in his divinity, how did he come into the world? But because, while being in the world in his divinity, he was not seen bodily, he takes up the body so that through the body, as through a mirror, we, seeing God, might be led to piety. Let us reverse the argument: therefore, while being on earth, was he in the heavens? Did he ascend where he was? But it is not my purpose to contend, for war should not be mingled with peace. Let us come to join the dance with him who has today conquered for us; therefore, as he ascends into the heavens, let us all follow him, let us cast off the bodily, let us renounce pleasures, let us become entirely spirits so that, following him, we may hear the heavenly powers saying: \"Lift up the gates, you rulers, and be lifted up, eternal gates, and the King of Glory will enter.\" And to those asking, \"Who is this King of Glory?\" let us, who have experienced the benefaction, reply, and let us, the liberated, say: \"The Lord is mighty and powerful; the Lord is powerful in war; he is the King of Glory.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"οἰκονομίαν","severity":"info","text":"Here 'economy' refers to the divine plan of salvation, especially the incarnation and redemptive work of Christ. Cyril warns against docetic interpretations that reduce it to a mere shadow.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"πληροῖ δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν","severity":"info","text":"Echoes the prophetic saying (likely Jer 23:24 LXX) that God fills heaven and earth, supporting Cyril's argument for Christ's omnipresence despite the ascension.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀπερίγραπτος","severity":"info","text":"The term 'uncircumscribed' is a key Christological attribute in Cyril's theology, emphasizing that Christ's divine nature is not spatially limited, enabling his simultaneous presence in multiple locations.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀντιστρέψωμεν τὸν λόγον","severity":"info","text":"Cyril uses a rhetorical reversal to preempt objections about Christ's simultaneous presence on earth and in heaven, then shifts to a hortatory call to follow Christ's ascension spiritually.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν","severity":"info","text":"Alludes to Psalm 24:9-10 LXX, where gates are lifted for the Lord's entry, here adapted to the ascension scene with the King of Glory entering heaven.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατός","severity":"info","text":"The acclamation 'Lord mighty and powerful' echoes Psalm 24:8 LXX and is used in liturgical contexts, reinforcing the victory and kingship of Christ in the ascension narrative.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Coptic text is not provided; the Greek original is used. The phrase 'Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν' may be a conflation of Psalm 24:9-10, but the exact source is ambiguous."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Οὐδὲν σεσιώπηται τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς σωτηρίας τοῖς προφήταις, οὐδὲν τεταμίευται ἐν ἀπορρήτοις. Πάντα ὅσα ἔμελλεν πάσχειν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὁ Χριστός, ταῦτα προανετύπωσεν προφητικαῖς φωναῖς, ἵνα ὅταν ἔλθῃ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πάθῃ τὰ ἀνθρώπων μὴ ξενισθῶμεν οἱ προακούσαντες. Γεννᾶσθαι ἔμελλεν ὡς ἄνθρωπος καί φησιν Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης· Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήμψεται καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν καὶ καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰμμανουήλ. Προωμίλησεν τῷ προφήτῃ τὸ θαῦμα.\n\nΣταυροῦσθαι ἔμελλεν καί φησιν ὁ αὐτὸς Ἡσαΐας ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἔχεις καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὸ πρᾶον καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν παθητικὸν καὶ πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ συνδεδεμένην εἰς ἓν θαῦμα τὴν οἰκονομίαν. Ῥαπίζεσθαι καὶ μαστιγοῦσθαι ἔμελλεν καί φησιν πάλιν ὁ αὐτός· Τὸν νῶτόν μου δέδωκα εἰς μάστιγας, τὰς δὲ σιαγόνας μου εἰς ῥαπίσματα. Προσηλοῦσθαι ἔμελλεν ξύλῳ καὶ προανεφώνησεν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Δαβὶδ λέγων· Ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας. Διψήσας ἔμελλεν πίνειν ὄξος καί φησιν διὰ τοῦ Δαβίδ· Ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολὴν καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος. Ἀνιέναι ἔμελλε εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἐπὶ τὰ ἴδια, ἐπὶ τὰ πατρῷα, εἰ καὶ πάντα αὐτοῦ ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς πάντα πληροῖ. Πλὴν ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτῷ πρέπουσαν λῆξιν ἀνιὼν ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλεν καὶ ταύτην ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὑπομένειν τὴν μυσταγωγίαν, φησὶν διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου· Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ;. Μικρὸν δὲ ἀνάσχου, ἀγαπητέ, ἵνα τῆς παρούσης πανηγύρεως εἴπω σοι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, διδάξω δέ σε πῶς πανηγυρίζειν οὐχ ὡς μὴ εἰδότα, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰδότα.","english":"Nothing of the salvation that was to come to us has been concealed by the prophets, nothing has been stored away in secret. All that Christ was about to suffer for us, these things he prefigured through prophetic voices, so that when God came to us and suffered the things of men, we who had heard beforehand would not be astonished. He was about to be born as a man, and the prophet Isaiah says: Behold, the virgin will conceive in her womb and bear a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel. The wonder spoke beforehand to the prophet.\n\nHe was about to be crucified, and the same Isaiah says: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer, speechless, and so forth. In this you have both the gentleness and the authority, and the suffering for us, and the whole economy bound together into one wonder. He was about to be slapped and scourged, and the same one says again: I have given my back to the lashes, and my cheeks to the slaps. He was about to be nailed to wood, and he proclaimed beforehand through the prophet David, saying: They dug through my hands and feet. He was about to drink vinegar when thirsty, and he says through David: They put gall into my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. He was about to ascend into the heavens to his own, to his father's realm, although all things were his and he fills all things. Yet, ascending to the station befitting him, since he was about to undergo even this initiation for us, he says through the prophet Isaiah: Who is this coming from Edom? But bear with me a little, beloved, so that I may tell you the subject of the present festival, and I will teach you how to celebrate, not as one who does not know, but as one who knows.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"προανετύπωσεν","severity":"info","text":"The passage follows a pattern: each prophetic fulfillment is introduced by a future event (ἔμελλεν + infinitive) and a prophetic citation, culminating in the ascension. This rhetorical structure reinforces the homily's argument that Christ's entire economy was foretold.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήμψεται καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν καὶ καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰμμανουήλ","severity":"info","text":"A paraphrase of Isaiah 7:14 (LXX), referring to the virgin birth and the name Emmanuel. Cyril uses this to show the prophecy of Christ's incarnation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας","severity":"info","text":"A citation of Psalm 21:17 (LXX), interpreted as a prophecy of the nailing of Christ's hands and feet. Cyril attributes it to David.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ;","severity":"info","text":"A citation of Isaiah 63:1 (LXX), which Cyril reads as a prophecy of Christ's ascension. The verse is part of a passage traditionally interpreted in Christian exegesis as referring to Christ.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"μυσταγωγίαν","severity":"info","text":"The term μυσταγωγία (mystagogy) here refers to the initiation into sacred mysteries, specifically Christ's ascension as a salvific event. It underscores the liturgical and theological significance of the feast.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"πανηγύρεως","severity":"info","text":"The word πανήγυρις denotes a festival or solemn assembly, here the feast of the Ascension. Cyril's homily is part of the liturgical celebration, instructing the congregation on its proper observance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἐξ Ἐδώμ' (from Edom) in the Isaiah citation is ambiguous: it may refer to a geographical region or symbolically to the realm of the dead, but Cyril interprets it as a prophecy of Christ's ascension."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Ὑπομιμνήσκω ἵνα ἀκριβέστερόν σε διηγήμασιν ἐπιστήσω, ἵνα εἰλικρινῶς προσκυνῇς τοῦ πεπονθότος ὑπέρ σου τὴν δύναμιν. Ἐπειδὴ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνιέναι ἔμελλεν πάντα ὑπομείνας δι' ἡμᾶς. Ἀνῄει δὲ οὐχ ὡς κατῆλθεν· κατῆλθεν γὰρ ἀσώματος, ἀνέρχεται μετὰ σώματος οὐκέτι τὰ τοῦ σώματος πάσχων· συγκεκραμμένως δέ, ἀσυγχύτως εἷς τῇ τῆς θεότητος δυνάμει. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἀνίει εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐξαισίοις πράγμασιν ξενιζόμεναι αἱ οὐράνιοι δυνάμεις φασίν· Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ; Τίς ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνέρχεται; Οὐδεὶς οὕτως κατῆλθεν ἄνωθεν. Ἡμεῖς τοιοῦτον δέχεσθαι οὐ μεμελετήκαμεν σῶμα· οὐκ ἀεροπορεῖ ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ οὐρανοπορεῖ. Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ;. Τίς ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνέρχεται; Ἐδὼμ γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται γῆ. Τίς, φασίν, ὁ τέμνων τὰς αἰθεροπόρους πύλας; Τίς ὁ κρείττων στοιχείων γινόμενος; Τίς ὁ μεταβαλὼν τὴν φύσιν; Τίς τὸ γεῶδες εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάγει; Τίς τὸν αἰχμάλωτον ἠλευθέρωσεν Ἀδάμ; Εἰκόνα ὁρῶμεν οὐρανοβατοῦσαν, ξενιζόμεθα ἐπὶ τοῖς γιγνομένοις. Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ;. Ἀπορούντων ὁ λόγος, οὐκ εἰδότων ἡ ἔννοια. Ἔλαθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν κάθοδον οὐκ ἀνεκοινώσατο ἀγγέλοις, οὐκ ἀνεκοινώσατο δυνάμεσιν· κατῆλθεν λαθὼν τὴν παρουσίαν, ἵνα θριαμβεύσῃ λάθρᾳ τὸν τύραννον. Οὐκ ἦν καιρὸς δορυφορίας, ἀτιμίας ἦν χρείας, ἵνα μὴ μάθωσιν οἱ ὑπηρέται· διὰ τοῦτο σιωπᾷ ὁ δεσπότης. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὴν κάθοδον οὐκ ἐθεάσαντο αἱ ἄνω δυνάμεις, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνόδῳ ξενίζονται θαῦμα καινὸν καὶ πρᾶγμα ξένον παρὰ τὴν φύσιν τελεσιουργούμενον ὁρῶσαι καί φασιν πρὸς ἀλλήλους·","english":"I remind you, so that I may set you more precisely in the narrative, that you may sincerely worship the power of the one who suffered for you. Since he was about to ascend into the heavens, having endured everything for our sake. But he ascended not as he descended; for he descended bodiless, he ascends with a body, no longer suffering the things of the body; yet in a mixed manner, without confusion, one with the power of the divinity. Since, then, he was ascending into the heavens, the heavenly powers, astonished at the extraordinary events, say: Who is this arriving from Edom? Who ascends from earth into the heavens? No one has descended thus from above. We have not been accustomed to receive such a body; a man does not travel through the air, he does not travel through the heavens. Who is this arriving from Edom? Who ascends from earth into the heavens? For Edom is interpreted as earth. Who, they say, is the one cutting through the aether-traveling gates? Who is the one becoming mightier than the elements? Who is the one who has changed nature? Who leads the earthly up into the heavens? Who has freed the captive Adam? We see an image treading the heavens, we are astonished at what is happening. Who is this arriving from Edom? The speech is of those at a loss, the thought of those who do not know. The Son of God escaped notice; he did not communicate his descent to the angels, he did not communicate it to the powers; he descended, concealing his presence, so that he might secretly triumph over the tyrant. It was not a time for a retinue; there was need of dishonor, so that the servants might not learn; for this reason the master is silent. Since, then, the powers above did not witness the descent, at the ascent they are astonished, seeing a new wonder and a thing contrary to nature being accomplished, and they say to one another:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ἐδώμ","severity":"info","text":"Cyril glosses Edom as 'earth' (γῆ), a symbolic reading that connects the earthly origin of Christ's body with the ascension. This etymology is not standard in Greek but serves Cyril's typological argument.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ;","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes the LXX of Numbers 24:21 (Balaam's oracle) and is used in early Christian exegesis to refer to Christ. Cyril adapts it to the ascension narrative.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"συγκεκραμμένως δέ, ἀσυγχύτως","severity":"info","text":"Cyril's phrase 'mixed yet without confusion' reflects the Christological language of the Council of Chalcedon (451), though Cyril died before it. It shows later Cyrillian influence on miaphysite theology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπειδὴ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνιέναι ἔμελλεν","severity":"info","text":"This passage transitions from the descent (incarnation) to the ascent (ascension), framing the narrative as a dramatic dialogue between heavenly powers. The repeated question 'Who is this from Edom?' structures the astonishment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἔλαθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ","severity":"info","text":"The motif of Christ's hidden descent to deceive the devil appears in later Byzantine hymnography (e.g., the Kontakion of the Ascension by Romanos). Cyril's homily may be an early witness to this tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'συγκεκραμμένως δέ, ἀσυγχύτως' is ambiguous: it could mean 'in a mixed manner, yet without confusion' (as translated) or 'in a mixed manner, but not confusedly'. The theological nuance is debated.","The identity of 'the tyrant' (τὸν τύραννον) is not explicit; it likely refers to Satan or death, but Cyril does not specify."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ;. Βοσὸρ πάλιν ἑρμηνεύεται σάρξ· τὸ οὖν ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ, ἐκ σαρκός ἐστιν. Ποῖον ἆρα ἐρύθημα; Ἦ τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς αὐτοῦ ἐξελθόν. Τηρεῖ γάρ, ὡς πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, τὴν πλευρὰν καὶ τὸ αἷμα τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ἵνα μὴ ἐν δόξῃ ὁρῶντες ἀρνήσονται τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ εἴπωσιν· τοῦτον ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐσταυρώσαμεν. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ αἷμα καὶ τὰ ἴχνη τῆς τετρωμένης πλευρᾶς δεικνύει, ἵνα ἐντρέψῃ ἐκείνους ἐν καιρῷ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ. Ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ, ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ βιαίᾳ. Βιαία δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται δύναμις, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑρμηνεύεται πάνυ καὶ λίαν καὶ μάλιστα. Ὡραῖος οὖν φησιν ἐν στολῇ πάνυ, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀδοξίαν ἀναδεξάμενος διὰ τῆς τῶν παθημάτων δόξης ἠλευθέρωσεν τοὺς καταδεδουλωμένους τῇ αἰσχύνῃ καὶ εἰς ἐλευθερίαν ἀνεκαλέσατο.\n\nὍτι μὲν ἦν ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ φησὶν ὁ προφήτης· Εἴδαμεν αὐτὸν καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὔτε κάλλος, ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἄτιμον ἐκλεῖπον παρὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἐν γὰρ ἐμπτύσμασιν γέγονεν, ἐν αἰσχύνῃ, ἐν χλεύῃ, ἐν πείνῃ, ἐν δίψῃ, ἐν δικαστηρίοις, ἐν εὐθύναις, ἐν δήμοις Ἰουδαίων, ἐν ἀπειλαῖς, ἐν γέλωτι, ἐν ὕβρεσιν,","english":"Who is this one who comes from Edom, the reddening of whose garments is from Bosor? Bosor is again interpreted as flesh; therefore, the reddening of his garments from Bosor is from flesh. What then is this reddening? It is the blood that came forth from his side. For he preserves, as we have often said, the side and the blood for the Jews, so that when they see him in glory they may not deny the cross and say, \"We did not crucify this one.\" For this reason he also displays the blood and the traces of the wounded side, so that he may put them to shame at the time of his kingdom. The reddening of his garments from Bosor, beautiful in a violent garment. Violent is interpreted as power, but among others it is interpreted as very, exceedingly, and especially. Therefore he says beautiful in a very garment, since by taking upon himself our dishonor he freed those enslaved to shame through the glory of his sufferings and recalled them to freedom.\n\nThat he was in dishonor, the prophet says: We saw him and he had neither form nor beauty, but his form was dishonorable, inferior to the sons of men. For he was subject to spittings, to shame, to mockery, to hunger, to thirst, to tribunals, to judgments, to the assemblies of the Jews, to threats, to laughter, to insults.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ","severity":"info","text":"Cyril adapts Numbers 24:18 LXX (Balaam’s oracle: ‘Who is this coming from Edom…?’) to Christ, a common patristic typology of the cross.","cites":[],"named_sources":["LXX Numbers 24:18"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Βοσόρ","severity":"info","text":"Cyril glosses Bosor as ‘flesh’ (σάρξ), following a standard etymological link (cf. Hebrew bāśār). The reddening (ἐρύθημα) from Bosor is thus the blood from Christ’s side.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"βιαία","severity":"info","text":"Cyril notes that βιαία can mean ‘violent’ (δύναμις) or, in other interpreters, ‘very, exceedingly’ (πάνυ, λίαν). He adopts the latter to read ‘beautiful in a very garment’.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἐδώμ … Βοσόρ","severity":"info","text":"Edom and Bosor are place-names from Numbers 21–24 LXX, used in patristic exegesis to prefigure Christ’s passion. Cyril’s audience would recognize the allusion to Balaam’s prophecy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from a scriptural citation (Num 24:18) to etymological glosses (Bosor, βιαία), then to a prophetic description of Christ’s dishonor, building a typological argument for the cross.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"ἵνα μὴ ἐν δόξῃ ὁρῶντες ἀρνήσονται τὸν σταυρὸν","severity":"info","text":"Cyril argues Christ preserves the wound and blood to shame the Jews at his parousia, a polemical trope common in anti-Jewish homiletics of the 5th century.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text of the scriptural citation (Num 24:18 LXX) is not verbatim; Cyril may be quoting from memory or a variant. The phrase ‘beautiful in a violent garment’ is syntactically awkward; Cyril’s resolution via βιαία as ‘very’ is a lexical choice not universally attested."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"ἐν διωγμοῖς, ἐν συκοφαντίαις καὶ ἀνάγκαις, ποτε μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν μετανιστάμενος, ποτε δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς τὴν Καισαρίαν διωκόμενος· ἐν τούτοις ὢν ἀληθῶς οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὔτε κάλλος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταῦτα νενίκηκεν καὶ διὰ τούτων ἐξελθὼν ἔδειξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα ἀνύβριστον, ἐπειδὴ ἐν τοῖς πάθεσιν ἔμεινεν ἀπαθὴς καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὕβρεσιν ἀνύβριστος καὶ ἐν τῇ πείνῃ πάντων τροφεὺς καὶ ἐν τοῖς διωγμοῖς πάντων σωτὴρ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀνάγκαις πάντων ἐλευθερωτὴς, ἐπειδὴ τὸν ἀκανθώδη στέφανον περιελὼν ἐξ ἡμῶν τέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν πιστῶν κεφαλὴν στέφανον ἐκ λίθου τιμίου πάντων τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἐκείνων πεπατημένων, τῆς δόξης ἀναδραμούσης ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδάμ, φασὶν αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ δυνάμεις· ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ βιαίᾳ.\n\nΚαὶ μή μοι τις μέμψηται τίνος ἕνεκεν τὴν προφητικὴν ταύτην ἐξέρχομαι νῦν ῥῆσιν λέγων· μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο προανηγόρευται νῦν, μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀναγνώσθη νῦν, μὴ γὰρ Ἠσαΐου ἐπηκούσαμεν νῦν. Μηδεὶς μέμψηται, ἀγαπητοί· μηδεὶς φιλολοίδορος φάνῃ, εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔξω τῆς πανηγύρεως εἱλκύσατο διήγημα καὶ ἄλλην ὑπόθεσιν μελῳδῷ· μέμψασθαι ὡς ἄκαιρον καὶ φλύαρον, εἰ δὲ διήγημα προφητικὸν εἰς ταύτην ἁρμόττον τὴν πανήγυριν εὐκαίρως ὑμῖν παρήγαγον. Δέξασθε πειθανῶς καὶ προσδέξασθε εὐμενῶς καὶ ἐγχρονίσατέ μοι μικρὸν καὶ δείξω ὑμῖν καὶ ἀγγέλους μανθάνοντας τίς ὁ ἀνελθὼν καὶ Χριστὸν πάλιν συμπεριφερόμενον δούλοις καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας διηγούμενον τὸ μυστήριον. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ προφήτης; Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ, ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ βιαίᾳ;.","english":"in persecutions, in slanders and constraints, at one time moving from Galilee to Judea, at another being driven from Judea to Caesarea; being in these things, truly he had neither form nor beauty. But since he has conquered these and, having passed through them, has shown his divinity unharmed, since he remained impassible in sufferings, unharmed in insults, the nourisher of all in hunger, the savior of all in persecutions, the liberator of all in constraints, since he has taken the crown of thorns from us and placed upon the head of the faithful a crown of precious stone, all those shameful things having been trampled, glory having run back to Adam, the angelic powers say: beautiful in a violent garment.\n\nAnd let no one blame me for what reason I now go forth to this prophetic saying, saying: for was this not proclaimed before now, was this not read now, did we not hear Isaiah now? Let no one blame me, beloved; let no one appear fond of slander. For if I had drawn a narrative from outside the festival and another subject for a song, blame me as untimely and foolish; but if I have brought forth a prophetic narrative fitting for this festival at the right time, receive it persuasively and accept it kindly, and tarry with me a little, and I will show you even angels learning who the one who ascended is, and Christ again associating with servants and relating the mystery of our salvation. What then does the prophet say? Who is this one who comes from Edom, the reddening of whose garments is from Bosor, beautiful in a violent garment?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ, ὡραῖος ἐν στολῇ βιαίᾳ;","severity":"info","text":"Cyril quotes Isaiah 63:1-2 (LXX), a passage traditionally interpreted in Christian exegesis as a prophecy of Christ’s suffering and triumph. The verse is the basis for the preceding allegorical exposition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Βοσόρ","severity":"info","text":"Cyril glosses Bosor as 'flesh' (σάρξ), following a common patristic etymology. This interpretation links the reddening of garments to the blood of Christ’s side wound, reinforcing the typological reading of the Isaiah passage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐκ λίθου τιμίου","severity":"info","text":"The 'crown of precious stone' contrasts with the crown of thorns, symbolizing Christ’s victory and the glory restored to Adam. This imagery reflects early Christian liturgical and catechetical themes of redemption and restoration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ μή μοι τις μέμψηται","severity":"info","text":"Cyril interrupts the narrative with a rhetorical defense of his use of Isaiah, addressing potential criticism that the reading is not from the day’s lectionary. This self-apology is a homiletic device to justify the allegorical interpretation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀγγέλους μανθάνοντας","severity":"info","text":"Cyril claims that even angels learn from the prophetic saying, elevating the authority of his exegesis. This reflects a common homiletic strategy to engage the congregation and underscore the mystery of the Ascension.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐρύθημα ἱματίων","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek 'reddening of garments' is ambiguous: it may refer to blood or to a dyed garment. Cyril explicitly interprets it as blood from Christ’s side, but the LXX text itself does not specify the cause. The homily’s allegory depends on this reading.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἐρύθημα ἱματίων' could be read literally as a red garment, but Cyril interprets it as blood-stained clothing. The homily’s allegorical framework requires the latter reading.","The identity of 'the one who comes from Edom' is not explicit in the Isaiah text; Cyril identifies him as Christ, but the original context may refer to a different figure."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"Ταῦτα μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὑπὸ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων· πρὸς δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Χριστός οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστιν ὑπερόπτης, οἶδεν καὶ δούλοις συμπεριφέρεσθαι, οἶδεν καὶ οἰκέταις ἐρωτῶσιν ἀποκρίνεσθαι Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ; ἀποκρίνεται ἐφεξῆς καὶ λέγει· Μετὰ ἰσχύος ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Ὢ τῆς καλῆς καὶ δεσποτικῆς φωνῆς ὢ τῆς ἀληθείας τῆς ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ πρεπούσης Μετὰ ἰσχύος, φησίν, ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Θέλεις μαθεῖν ἰσχύν; Σταυρούμενος ἐνίκα· ἰδού, ἰσχύς. Δεδεμένος ἐδουλαγώγει· ἰδού, ἰσχύς. Κρατεῖται ὡς ἄνθρωπος· ἰδού, ἰσχύς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην θέλεις μαθεῖν, μάθε. Ἔλαβέν σε ὁ διάβολος οὐκ ὄντα αὐτοῦ, ἤλασέν σε πολὺν χρόνον οὐ πλάσας σε περὶ ὄρη καὶ νάπας, ἐπτόησέν σε, ζυγόν σοι ἐπέθηκεν οὐκ ὤν σου δεσπότης· ἦλθεν ὁ ἀληθινὸς ποιμήν, ἀπέσπασέν σε ἀπὸ τοῦ λύκου, ἐποίησεν μετά σου δικαιοσύνην καὶ λοιπὸν πεπλήρωται· Μετὰ ἰσχύος ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Οὐχ ὅσον δὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα κατορθώματα, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμεῖς εὐπραγήσαντες ἐπείσαμεν ἐνανθρωπῆσαι τὸν Θεόν. Οὐχ ἡμετέρα δικαιοσύνη κατήγαγεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ γῆς, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ τυράννου παρανομία, ἵνα μάθῃ ὁ τύραννος τὰ ἀλλότρια μὴ δεσμεύειν πρόβατα. Μετὰ ἰσχύος, φησίν, ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου. Τὴν πρᾶξιν λέγει, τὴν ἀξίαν σιωπᾷ. Ἐρωτηθεὶς γὰρ Τίς οὗτος οὐ λέγει ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰμὶ ὁ δεσπότης ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἐσιώπησεν τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν ἔργων θέλων γνωρίζεσθαι. Μετὰ ἰσχύος ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου.","english":"These things are said by the angels, by the powers above; and to these things Christ does not respond, for he is not disdainful; he knows how to associate even with slaves, he knows how to answer servants who ask, \"Who is this one arriving from Edom?\" He answers in turn and says, \"With strength I speak of righteousness and judgment of salvation.\" O the beautiful and lordly utterance! O the truth that befits him alone! \"With strength,\" he says, \"I speak of righteousness and judgment of salvation.\" Do you wish to learn strength? While being crucified, he conquered—behold, strength. While bound, he enslaved—behold, strength. He is seized as a man—behold, strength. And if you wish to learn righteousness, learn. The devil took you, though you were not his; he drove you for a long time, not having formed you among mountains and glens; he terrified you, he placed a yoke upon you, though he was not your master. The true shepherd came, he tore you away from the wolf, he wrought righteousness with you, and then it is fulfilled: \"With strength I speak of righteousness and judgment of salvation.\" Not, however, because of our own achievements, for we did not by our good deeds persuade God to become incarnate. It was not our righteousness that brought him down to earth, but the tyrant's lawlessness, so that the tyrant might learn not to bind another's sheep. \"With strength,\" he says, \"I speak of righteousness and judgment of salvation.\" He speaks of the action; he is silent about the title. For when asked, \"Who is this?\" he does not say, \"I am your master,\" but he was silent about this, wishing to be known from his deeds. \"With strength I speak of righteousness and judgment of salvation.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ","severity":"info","text":"The question 'Who is this one arriving from Edom?' alludes to a prophetic or apocalyptic tradition, possibly from the Old Testament, where Edom symbolizes a hostile or foreign power.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Μετὰ ἰσχύος ἐγὼ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίσιν σωτηρίου","severity":"info","text":"This repeated phrase is not a direct biblical quotation but echoes themes of divine justice and strength found in the Psalms and prophetic books, such as Psalm 145:11 LXX.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐδώμ","severity":"info","text":"Edom (Ἐδώμ) in patristic exegesis often represents the devil or earthly tyranny, drawing on the identification of Edom with Rome or evil powers in Jewish and Christian apocalyptic.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage alternates between Christ's response to the angels and a rhetorical dialogue with the audience, using the repeated refrain 'With strength I speak...' to unify the argument.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The motif of Christ conquering while crucified and enslaving while bound parallels Cyril's earlier emphasis on Christ's paradoxical victory through suffering, common in Alexandrian theology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text contains a lacuna or unclear reference in 'ἤλασέν σε πολὺν χρόνον οὐ πλάσας σε περὶ ὄρη καὶ νάπας', which may be corrupt or require emendation for sense.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the speaker of 'Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ' is ambiguous: it could be the angels, the powers above, or a rhetorical question from the audience. The reading taken is that it is asked by servants or angels, as Christ responds to them.","The phrase 'οὐ πλάσας σε περὶ ὄρη καὶ νάπας' is obscure; it may refer to the devil not having formed humans in natural settings, but the exact meaning is uncertain."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Καὶ σιωπᾷ τέως ταῦτα εἰρηκὼς καὶ ἀντιφθέγγεται πάλιν ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων χορὸς καί φησιν πρὸς αὐτόν· Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ πλήρους καταπεπατημένης. Καὶ ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ τὰ ἡμέτερα ῥήματα πεπλάσθαι ἢ ἐκ πολλῶν προφητειῶν συνειλῆφθαι ἡμῖν φωνάς, ἐν μίᾳ σελίδι εὑρήσει ταῦτα ἠρτημένα. Διὸ καὶ μίαν ἔχει τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ὡς ἡρμοσμένον σῶμα παρὰ Ἠσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ. Καὶ τί ἐρεῖ; Τὰ τέλη ἀνάγνωθι, ὁ φιλομαθὴς καὶ σπουδαῖος, καὶ εὑρήσεις ὡς οὐκ ἀπὸ πολλῶν προφητειῶν ταῦτα συνελέξαμεν, ἀλλὰ μίαν ἀκολουθίαν λαβόντες διεσαφηνίσαμεν. Εἶτα πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς ἔφην, οἱ ἄγγελοι· Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ πλήρους καταπεπατημένης. Ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια βλέπομεν, βουλόμεθα τὴν αἰτίαν μαθεῖν.\n\nἘπειδὴ γὰρ ἐρωτηθεὶς τίς εἶ ἐσιώπησας τὴν οὐσίαν σου, ἐταμιεύσω τὴν ἀξίαν καὶ πάθος ἡμῖν ἐκήρυξας καὶ κρίσιν καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀνήγγειλας. Ἐάσαντες λοιπὸν ἡμεῖς μανθάνειν ἐκεῖνα, ἴσως γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὰς ἡμετέρας ἐστὶν ἀκοὰς ἃ βλέπομεν, φησίν, θέλομεν ἐρωτᾶν· Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια;. Οὐδὲ εἷς καιρὸς ἀργὸς τῷ σωτῆρι· ἐπὶ γῆς ὢν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάσχει, εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνίων ἀγγέλους διδάσκει. Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ. Εὐγενὴς ἀκρίβεια τοῦ προφήτου, μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς πάντα γινωσκούσης δυνάμεως τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἠσαΐα ἐπιγράφω τὸ τοιοῦτο, οὐδὲ αὐτοῦ ῥήματα δέχομαι·","english":"And for a time he is silent, having said these things, and again the chorus of angels responds and says to him: \"Why are your garments and your clothes red, as if from a full, trodden winepress that has been trampled?\" And so that no one might think our words are fabricated or that we have gathered voices from many prophecies, one will find these things hanging on a single page. Therefore they have a single sequence, like a well-fitted body, in the prophet Isaiah. And what will he say? Read the end, the diligent and studious one, and you will find that we did not collect these things from many prophecies, but we took one sequence and explained it. Then, as I said, the angels to him: \"Why are your garments and your clothes red, as if from a full, trodden winepress that has been trampled?\" We see the red garments; we wish to learn the cause.\n\nFor since, when asked who you are, you were silent about your essence, you kept your dignity in reserve and proclaimed to us suffering and judgment and announced justice. So, leaving aside learning those things—for perhaps what we see is beyond our hearing—they say, we wish to ask: \"Why are your garments red?\" Not a single moment is idle for the Savior; while on earth he suffers for us, while ascending to the heavens he teaches angels. \"Why are your garments and your clothes red, as if from a full, trodden winepress?\" A noble precision of the prophet, or rather of the all-knowing power of the Holy Spirit. For I do not attribute such a thing to Isaiah, nor do I accept his words as his own.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια","severity":"info","text":"The angels' question echoes Isaiah 63:2 LXX: 'Why are your garments red, as if from a winepress?' Cyril uses this to link Christ's passion with the prophetic vision.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"πατητοῦ ληνοῦ","severity":"info","text":"'Trodden winepress' (πατητοῦ ληνοῦ) is a metaphor for Christ's blood shed in the passion, evoking the imagery of grapes crushed for wine, common in patristic exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"μίαν ἀκολουθίαν","severity":"info","text":"Cyril insists the angelic dialogue and Isaiah's prophecy form a single sequence (μίαν ἀκολουθίαν), not a patchwork of texts, emphasizing the homily's exegetical unity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια","severity":"info","text":"Red garments (ἐρυθρὰ ἱμάτια) in early Christian iconography and liturgy symbolize Christ's passion and martyrdom; Cyril here interprets them as evidence of suffering and judgment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"οὐδὲ αὐτοῦ ῥήματα δέχομαι","severity":"info","text":"Cyril denies attributing the prophecy to Isaiah's human authorship, ascribing it instead to the Holy Spirit, reflecting a common patristic view of prophetic inspiration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐταμιεύσω τὴν ἀξίαν","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'you kept your dignity in reserve' (ἐταμιεύσω τὴν ἀξίαν) is ambiguous: it may mean Christ concealed his divine rank or postponed revealing it, a nuance debated in Christological contexts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἐταμιεύσω τὴν ἀξίαν' could imply either concealment or postponement of Christ's dignity; the reading taken is 'kept in reserve' to align with Cyril's emphasis on Christ's pedagogical silence."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"κιθάραν δὲ αὐτὸν ὑποτιθέμενος ἐννοῶ τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ μουσουργοῦντα Θεὸν καὶ δέχομαι διὰ Ἠσαΐου τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ ἐννοῶ Θεὸν δι' ἀνθρώπου λαλοῦντα. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις πάλιν· τί οὖν ἀγνοεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια; Ἆρα ἁρμόττει τῷ πνεύματι ἡ φωνὴ ἡ αὐτή; Οὐκ οἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὰ ἐν Χριστῷ; οὐκ οἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα τί πέπονθεν ὁ υἱός; οὐκ οἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα τί ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὑπέμεινεν; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐρωτᾷ τὸ πνεῦμα; Ἐρωτᾷ ταῦτα οὐ δηλουμένης ἀγνοίας, λαλεῖ γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν.\n\nΛαλεῖ οὐχ ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς προσώπου, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ὑποκειμένας ὑποθέσεις ἁρμόττει τὸν λόγον. Καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, μικρὸν ἀνάσχου, ἀγαπητέ, καὶ δέχου τούτων τὰς ἀποδείξεις. Εὑρήσεις γὰρ ἐν τοῖς προφητικοῖς λόγοις καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ πατρὸς φωνὰς καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ προφήτου καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ οὐ δή που ταῦτα πάντα ἀναρτήσεις ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν τὰ λεγόμενα· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ τὸ πνεῦμα φθέγγεται, ἀναγκασθήσει ταῦτα πάντα ἀναγαγεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος οὐσίαν. Ἐκ προσώπου γοῦν τοῦ πατρός φησιν· Ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς. Λαλεῖ ὁ προφήτης ἐν πνεύματι, ἀλλ' οὐ ἁρμόττει τῷ πνεύματι τὸ λόγιον, ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρί· οὐχ ὡς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀλλοτριουμένου, ἀλλ' ὡς τοῦ πνεύματος ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ πατρὸς φθεγγομένου. Πάλιν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ υἱοῦ Διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον.","english":"When he is presented as a cithara, I conceive of the God who makes music in him, and through Isaiah I receive the things of the Spirit, and I conceive of God speaking through a human being. But perhaps someone will say again: \"What then? Does the Spirit not know? 'Why are your garments red?' Does the same utterance suit the Spirit? Does the Spirit not know the things in Christ? Does the Spirit not know what the Son suffered? Does the Spirit not know what he endured for us? For what reason, then, does the Spirit ask?\" It asks these things not as a sign of ignorance, for the Spirit speaks through the prophets.\n\nIt speaks not as from one person, but it adapts the discourse to the subjects at hand. And that this is so, wait a little, beloved, and receive the proofs of these things. For you will find in the prophetic words voices from the person of the Father, and from the person of the Son, and from the person of the Holy Spirit, and from the person of the angels, and from the person of the prophet, and from the person of the Jews; and you will not attach all these things that are said to God. For neither, because the Spirit utters them, will you be compelled to refer all these things to the essence of the Holy Spirit. For instance, from the person of the Father it says: \"I have begotten you today; ask of me, and I will give you nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.\" The prophet speaks in the Spirit, but the saying does not suit the Spirit, but the Father—not as though the Holy Spirit were alienated, but as the Spirit speaking from the person of the Father. Again, from the person of the Son: \"They divided my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothing.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"κιθάραν","severity":"info","text":"The cithara is a stringed instrument; here it symbolizes the prophet as an instrument through which God speaks, a common patristic trope.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια","severity":"info","text":"This question echoes a liturgical or prophetic source, possibly from the Song of Songs or a lost apocryphon, but the exact verse is not identified in the passage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε","severity":"info","text":"This quotation from the person of the Father is likely from a prophetic text, possibly Psalm 2 or a similar messianic psalm, but the source is not explicitly given.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς","severity":"info","text":"This verse from the person of the Son is not directly from the canonical Bible; it may derive from a lost Christian prophetic work or a liturgical adaptation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Cyril uses a dialogic structure: a hypothetical objection about the Spirit's ignorance is answered by distinguishing the speaker (the Spirit) from the person whose voice is adopted.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Cyril's method of attributing prophetic utterances to different divine persons (Father, Son, Spirit) and to human speakers (prophet, Jews) reflects Antiochene exegetical principles.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact scriptural sources for the quotations from the Father and the Son are not identified; they may be from non-canonical or liturgical texts.","The phrase 'Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια' is not a direct biblical citation; its origin is unclear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"Μὴ ἁρμόττει ταῦτα τῷ πνεύματι, μὴ τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ πνεύματος διεμερίσαντο ἑαυτοῖς, μὴ τοῦ πνεύματος τοὺς χιτῶνας κατέκοψαν· ἀλλὰ φθέγγεται ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα. Φθέγγεται πάλιν ἐξ ἰδίου προσώπου ὅταν λέγῃ. Ἀφορίσατε δή μοι τὸν Σαῦλον καὶ τὸν Βαρναβᾶν εἰς τὸ ἔργον ὃ προσκέκλημαι αὐτούς. Ἰδοὺ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ οὐ δή που ἁρμόττει τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῷ υἱῷ ἡ φωνή.\n\nἈκούσαντες γὰρ ἡμεῖς ὅτι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον εἴρηκεν τό· Ἀφορίσατέ μοι Σαῦλον καὶ Βαρναβᾶν εἰς τὸ ἔργον ὃ προσκέκλημαι αὐτούς, ἐπὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἀναφέρομεν τῶν ῥητῶν τὴν δύναμιν οὐκ ἀλλοτριοῦντες τὸ λόγιον πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ, ἀλλὰ δίδοντες τῷ χωρίῳ τὸ ἁρμόττον πρόσωπον. Πάλιν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ προφήτου· Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐν ἀνομίαις συνελήφθην καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησέν με ἡ μήτηρ μου. Ἄρα οὐκ ἐν πνεύματι εἶπεν, μὴ τῷ πνεύματι ἁρμόττει ἡ φωνή, μὴ ἐν ἀνομίαις συνελήφθη καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησεν ἡ μήτηρ. Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἀκούεις Δαβίδ, νοεῖς δὲ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου φθέγγεσθαι τὸν προφήτην, οὕτως καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὅταν ἀκούσῃς Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ;, νόησον διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος λέγεσθαι ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἀγγέλων. Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματά σου ὡς ἀπὸ πατητοῦ ληνοῦ πλήρους καταπεπατημένης;. Ἀποκρίνεται οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς καί φησιν· Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος. Ἀληθῶν ληνὸν ἐπάτησεν ὁ Χριστός, ληνὸν τῶν ἡμετέρων παθῶν, ληνὸς τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν· ἐκείνους γὰρ συνέτριψεν τοὺς βοτρύας καὶ ἄλλας ληνοὺς ἤγειρεν. Ὑπὲρ τούτων ὁ Δαβὶδ ψάλλει καὶ λέγει·","english":"These things do not suit the Spirit; they did not divide the garments of the Spirit among themselves; they did not cut up the tunics of the Spirit. But the Spirit speaks from the person of the Son. It speaks again from its own person when it says: \"Set apart for me Saul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them.\" Behold, it is from the person of the Spirit, and the utterance does not suit the Father or the Son.\n\nFor when we hear that the Holy Spirit said: \"Set apart for me Saul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them,\" we refer the force of the sayings to the Holy Spirit, not alienating the utterance from the Father and the Son, but giving the appropriate person to the passage. Again, from the person of the prophet: \"Behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and my mother bore me in sins.\" Therefore, he did not speak in the Spirit; the utterance does not suit the Spirit; he was not conceived in iniquities, nor did his mother bear him in sins. Just as here you hear \"David,\" but you understand that the prophet speaks through the Holy Spirit, so also there, when you hear: \"Why are your garments and your clothes red, as from a trodden winepress?\" understand that it is spoken through the Spirit from the person of the angels. \"Why are your garments and your clothes red, as from a trodden winepress full of trampled grapes?\" Then Christ answers and says: \"I trod the winepress alone.\" Truly Christ trod a winepress, the winepress of our passions, the winepress of our evils; for he crushed those grapes and raised other winepresses. Concerning these things David sings and says:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀφορίσατέ μοι Σαῦλον καὶ Βαρναβᾶν","severity":"info","text":"Cyril cites Acts 13:2, where the Holy Spirit speaks through the prophets at Antioch, commissioning Saul and Barnabas.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐν ἀνομίαις συνελήφθην καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησέν με ἡ μήτηρ μου","severity":"info","text":"A paraphrase of Psalm 51:5 (LXX), attributed to David, expressing penitential language that Cyril uses to illustrate prophetic personhood.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Διὰ τί σου ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια","severity":"info","text":"Cyril adapts a liturgical or apocryphal question (cf. Isaiah 63:1-2 LXX) where angels ask Christ about his red garments, symbolizing his passion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος","severity":"info","text":"Cyril quotes Christ's reply (cf. Isaiah 63:3 LXX), interpreting the winepress as a metaphor for Christ's solitary trampling of human passions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"προσώπου","severity":"info","text":"Cyril uses 'person' (πρόσωπον) in a prosopological exegetical sense, assigning speech to different speakers (Spirit, Son, prophet, angels) to resolve apparent contradictions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This passage forms a chiastic argument: it opens with a denial that the Spirit's garments are divided, then moves through examples of person-switching, and concludes with the winepress metaphor, returning to David's song.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact source of the question about red garments is unclear; it may be a conflation of Isaiah 63:1-2 with a lost apocryphon or liturgical text.","The phrase 'they did not divide the garments of the Spirit' may refer to a specific heretical interpretation (perhaps Arian or Pneumatomachian) that Cyril is refuting, but the target is not named."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"Ὡς ἀγαπητὰ τὰ σκηνώματά σου Κύριε τῶν δυνάμεων. Καὶ\n\nἐπειδὴ οὗτος ἡμῖν ὁ ψαλμὸς ἀρτίως ἀνεγνώσθη, ἐννόησον, ἀγαπητέ, μᾶλλον δὲ μάθε παρ' ἡμῶν, εἴ σοι δοκεῖ, ὡς ταύτην ἔχει ὁ ψαλμὸς τὴν ἐπιγραφήν· Ψαλμὸς ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν. Ἐκείνην τοίνυν, ὡς ἔφην, τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων ληνὸν παύσας ἄλλην ἐπουράνιον ἡμῖν ἤγειρεν. Ἀλλ' ἐπαναλάβωμεν τὸ ῥητόν. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ Χριστὸς; Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος. Τίς γὰρ ἄλλος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πέπονθεν; Μὴ Παῦλος ἐσταυρώθη ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἢ εἰς τὸ ὄνομα Παύλου ἐβαπτίσθημεν;. Μόνος ἐσταυρώθη ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, μόνος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πέπονθεν, μόνος ἡμᾶς ἔσωσεν· Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος. Μὴ πάλιν, ὦ ἀγαπητέ, ἔξω βάλῃς τὸν πατέρα τῆς οἰκονομίας, μηδ' αὔπαλιν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, μὴ εἴπῃς ὅτι οὐκ ᾔδει ὁ πατὴρ ὅτι πάσχει ὁ υἱός. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ᾔδει καὶ προεώρα καὶ συνηυδόκει, οὐ συνέπασχεν δέ, οὐδὲ τὸ πνεῦμα· ὁ γὰρ υἱὸς μόνος ἀναδέξατο τὴν οἰκονομίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸς φυσικῶς πέπονθεν τῇ θεότητι, ἀλλ' ἀνεδέξατο μὲν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῆς οἰκονομίας εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὰ πάθη· οὐκ ἔπαθεν δὲ ἐπειδὴ Θεὸς ὑπῆρχεν. Ληνόν, φησίν, ἐπάτησα μονώτατος καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ. Οὐ προφήτης, οὐ δίκαιος, οὐ πατριάρχης, οὐχ ὅσιος.","english":"How beloved are your tabernacles, O Lord of the powers. And since this psalm has just been read to us, consider, beloved, or rather learn from us, if you please, that this psalm has the following superscription: A psalm concerning the winepresses. Therefore, as I said, having stopped that winepress of the adversaries, he raised up for us another, heavenly one. But let us take up the text again. What then does Christ say? I alone trod the winepress. For who else suffered for us? Was Paul crucified for us, or were we baptized in the name of Paul? Christ the Son of God alone was crucified for us, he alone suffered for us, he alone saved us: I alone trod the winepress. Do not again, O beloved, exclude the Father from the economy, nor again the Holy Spirit; do not say that the Father did not know that the Son was suffering. But he both knew and foresaw and consented, yet he did not suffer with him, nor did the Spirit; for the Son alone undertook the economy for us. But neither did he himself suffer physically in his divinity, but he undertook for us the sufferings of the economy into himself; yet he did not suffer, since he was God. I alone, he says, trod the winepress, and there was no man of the nations with me. No prophet, no righteous man, no patriarch, no saint.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος","severity":"info","text":"Cyril quotes a psalm with the superscription 'A psalm concerning the winepresses,' likely Psalm 8 (LXX) or a similar text, though the exact verse is not standard.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"οἰκονομία","severity":"info","text":"The Greek term 'οἰκονομία' (economy) refers to the divine plan of salvation, especially the incarnation and suffering of Christ, a key concept in Cyril's Christology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ληνός","severity":"info","text":"The 'winepress' (ληνός) is a metaphor for suffering or sacrifice, possibly drawing on Old Testament imagery of treading the winepress as a type of Christ's passion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐκείνην τοίνυν... Ἀλλ' ἐπαναλάβωμεν τὸ ῥητόν","severity":"info","text":"Cyril transitions from a previous argument about the 'winepress of the adversaries' to a direct exegesis of the psalm, using a rhetorical return to the text.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Μὴ Παῦλος ἐσταυρώθη ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν","severity":"info","text":"Cyril refutes any notion that Paul or other saints could be co-redeemers, emphasizing Christ's unique role, a point echoed in later anti-Pelagian and orthodox polemics.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"οὐκ ἔπαθεν δὲ ἐπειδὴ Θεὸς ὑπῆρχεν","severity":"caution","text":"Cyril asserts that Christ did not suffer in his divinity, a nuanced position that avoids both adoptionism and patripassianism, but requires careful reading to avoid docetic implications.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact psalm referenced is not specified; Cyril's citation may be a paraphrase or a lost variant. The phrase 'Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος' is not a direct quote from the standard Septuagint Psalter."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"Λέγει γάρ που· Οἱ φίλοι μου καὶ οἱ πλησίον μου ἐξ ἐναντίας μου ἤγγισαν καὶ ἔστησαν. Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος. Ἐμάκρυνας γάρ, φησίν, τοὺς γνωστούς μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ. Θέλεις μαθεῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἦν τῶν ἐθνῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ; Ἐννόησον τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους· ὅτε γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐσταυροῦτο, Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ἔφυγον καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἰχθύων ἁλείαν ἔτρεχον. Μὴ ἦν τις τῶν ἐθνῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ. Ληνὸν ἐπάτησε μονώτατος καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ. Ἴσχυσα, φησίν, πρὸς τὴν πάλην μόνος, ἴσχυσα πρὸς τὴν νίκην μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μονώτατος νικήσας. Τοῖς ἐμοῖς δωροῦμαι τὴν νίκην· εἰ γὰρ καὶ κατὰ προαίρεσιν ἦσαν ἔχθροι, ἀλλ' οὖν γε κατ' οὐσίαν ἐμὸν ἔργον ὑπῆρχον. Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ καὶ κατεπάτησα αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ θυμῷ μου καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπάγει τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ πατῆσαι τὴν ληνὸν καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπάτησεν καί φησιν· Ἡμέρα γὰρ ἀνταποδόσεως ἦλθεν αὐτοῖς. Ἐμακροθύμησα, φησίν, τῷ διαβόλῳ πολὺν χρόνον, ἠνεσχόμην αὐτοῦ τυραννοῦντος, εἶδον μου τὸ ἔργον συντετριμμένον καὶ ἔφερον. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἔφθασεν ἡ ἡμέρα τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως, ἐπειδὴ ἐπὶ τοῖς τοσούτοις ἁμαρτήμασιν τῶν ἐμῶν πλασμάτων ἵλεως γενέσθαι ηὐδόκησα, ἐπειδὴ ἠλέησα τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὑβρίσαντά με, ἐπέστη ὁ καιρὸς καὶ πάντας τοὺς δαίμονας ὡς βοτρύας συναγαγὼν εἰς ἓν μόνος αὐτῶν τὴν ληνὸν ἐπάτησα, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ. Καὶ τί μετὰ ταῦτα ἡμέρα ἀνταποδόσεως ἦν;","english":"For he says somewhere: \"My friends and my neighbors drew near and stood opposite me. I trod the winepress alone. For you have removed my acquaintances from me, and there was no man of the nations with me.\" Do you wish to learn that none of the nations was with him? Consider the time of the Passion: for when Christ was being crucified, Peter and John and the others abandoned him and fled, and again ran to the fishing of fish. There was no one of the nations with him. \"I trod the winepress alone, and there was no man of the nations with me. I prevailed,\" he says, \"in the struggle alone, I prevailed in the victory alone, but also I conquered utterly alone. I bestow the victory upon my own; for even if they were enemies by choice, yet by nature they were my own work. I trod the winepress alone, and there was no man of the nations with me, and I trampled them in my wrath,\" and so forth. And immediately he adds the reason for treading the winepress and why he trod it, and says: \"For the day of retribution came for them. I was patient,\" he says, \"with the devil for a long time, I endured his tyranny, I saw my work crushed and I bore it. But since the day of retribution arrived, since I deigned to become merciful toward the many sins of my creatures, since I pitied Adam who insulted me, the time came and, gathering all the demons together like grapes into one, I alone trod their winepress, and there was no man of the nations with me.\" And what then? It was a day of retribution.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Λέγει γάρ που· Οἱ φίλοι μου καὶ οἱ πλησίον μου ἐξ ἐναντίας μου ἤγγισαν καὶ ἔστησαν. Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος. Ἐμάκρυνας γάρ, φησίν, τοὺς γνωστούς μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ κα","severity":"info","text":"Cyril adapts Psalm 69(68):4, 6, 9 LXX, which in the Greek reads: 'Οἱ φίλοι μου καὶ οἱ πλησίον μου ἐξ ἐναντίας μου ἤγγισαν καὶ ἔστησαν' and 'Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος' and 'Ἐμάκρυνας τοὺς γνωστούς μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· τῶν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ.' The citation is free, with 'φησίν' marking a shift to the speaker.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος","severity":"info","text":"The winepress (ληνός) is a metaphor for Christ's solitary struggle and victory, drawing on Psalm 69(68) LXX. In patristic exegesis, treading the winepress often symbolizes the crushing of evil or the harvest of salvation, here applied to Christ's Passion and triumph over demons.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπάγει τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ πατῆσαι τὴν ληνὸν","severity":"info","text":"Cyril signals a structural shift: after quoting the psalm, he introduces the reason for the winepress action, linking it to the 'day of retribution' (ἡμέρα ἀνταποδόσεως). This rhetorical move ties the psalm's imagery to Christ's eschatological victory.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ἔφυγον καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἰχθύων ἁλείαν ἔτρεχον","severity":"info","text":"Cyril refers to the disciples' flight after Christ's arrest, a tradition found in early Christian literature (e.g., Gospel of Peter, but not canonical). This detail underscores Christ's solitude, a theme in Cyril's ascension homily.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"μονώτατος","severity":"info","text":"The superlative 'μονώτατος' ('utterly alone') emphasizes Christ's solitary action. Cyril repeats it three times, intensifying the theme of Christ's unique agency in the Passion and victory, contrasting with the absent disciples and nations.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Λέγει γάρ που","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'Λέγει γάρ που' ('For he says somewhere') is vague; Cyril does not specify the speaker. The context suggests Christ as speaker, but the psalm's original speaker is the psalmist. This ambiguity is typical of Cyril's typological exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The speaker of the psalm quotation is ambiguous: Cyril attributes it to Christ, but the original is Davidic. The phrase 'Λέγει γάρ που' does not identify the speaker explicitly.","The reference to Peter and John fleeing to fish is not in the canonical Gospels; it may derive from apocryphal tradition or Cyril's rhetorical embellishment."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":13,"ref":"p13","source":"Πρὸς ταῦτα αἴνιγμα λαβοῦσαι αἱ οὐράνιοι δυνάμεις καὶ αἰσθόμεναι μυστηριωδῶς τίνα ἐστιν ἃ φθέγγεται πρὸς αὐτὰς ὁ δεσπότης, μᾶλλον δὲ διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐνεργείας φωταγωγηθεῖσαι πρὸς ταύτην τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀποκρίνονται πρὸς ταῦτα καὶ φασίν· Τὸν ἔλεον Κυρίου ἐμνήσθην. Οἶδα γάρ, φασίν, τί ἔλεγεν ὁ Κύριος διὰ τῶν λοιπῶν προφητῶν, τί ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ Ἀδάμ· οἶδα τί ἔλεγεν τότε. Ἐπηγγείλατο ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ πάσχειν ὡς ἄνθρωπος τὰ ἀνθρώπων. Ταῦτα ὁρῶμεν ὄψεσιν· Τὸν ἔλεον Κυρίου ἐμνήσθην. Ταῦτα περὶ τῆς σήμερον Ἠσαΐας κράζει ὁ προφήτης, ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν μυσταγωγεῖ, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αἱ κατώτεραι δυνάμεις οὕτως ἀποκαλυφθεῖσαι ἔλεγον· Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βόσορ. Μετὰ ταύτην τὴν ἐξέτασιν καὶ μετὰ τὰς λοιπὰς ἀνεξετάσεις, μετὰ ταύτην τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τῶν ῥημάτων καὶ μετὰ τὴν πολλὴν σαφήνειαν τῶν μυστηρίων, μετὰ τὸ μηδὲν σιωπῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν ἐκραύγαζον κατὰ τὸν Δαβίδ· Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐταῖς αἱ ἀνώτεραι δυνάμεις καὶ λέγουσιν· Τίς οὗτος ὁ ἀναβαίνων καὶ διὰ τί, φασίν, βοᾶτε Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Ταῦτα","english":"To these things, the heavenly powers, taking up the riddle and mystically perceiving what it is that the Lord utters to them—or rather, illuminated to this truth through the activity of the Holy Spirit—answer to these things and say: \"I remembered the mercy of the Lord. For I know,\" they say, \"what the Lord said through the other prophets, what he promised to Adam; I know what he said then. He promised to come to earth and to suffer as a man the things of men. These things we see with our eyes: I remembered the mercy of the Lord.\" These things the prophet Isaiah cries out concerning today, he initiates this day, because the lower powers, having been thus revealed, said: \"Who is this coming from Edom, the redness of his garments from Bozrah?\" After this inquiry and after the other examinations, after this precision of the words and after the great clarity of the mysteries, after Christ had left nothing unsaid, they cried out according to David: \"Lift up the gates, your rulers, and be raised up, eternal gates, and the king of glory will enter.\" The higher powers answered them and say: \"Who is this ascending, and why,\" they say, \"do you cry out, 'Lift up the gates, your rulers, and be raised up, eternal gates, and the king of glory will enter'?\" These things","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τὸν ἔλεον Κυρίου ἐμνήσθην","severity":"info","text":"Cyril alludes to Psalm 89:1 LXX (Ἐλεήμων κύριος, ἐμνήσθην τοῦ ἐλέους κυρίου), though the exact phrasing is adapted. The speaker recalls God's mercy as a response to the riddle.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγινόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ, ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βόσορ","severity":"info","text":"This is a direct quotation of Isaiah 63:1 LXX, where the coming figure from Edom with red garments is interpreted by Cyril as a type of Christ's ascension.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης","severity":"info","text":"Cyril adapts Psalm 24:7-10 LXX, where gates are lifted for the king of glory. The phrase 'king of glory' is a Christological title common in patristic exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"αἱ κατώτεραι δυνάμεις / αἱ ἀνώτεραι δυνάμεις","severity":"info","text":"Cyril distinguishes lower (earthly or demonic) and higher (heavenly) powers in a dramatic dialogue. This reflects a common homiletic device of personifying cosmic orders to narrate salvation history.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Μετὰ ταύτην τὴν ἐξέτασιν ... μετὰ τὸ μηδὲν σιωπῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν","severity":"info","text":"Cyril builds a cumulative rhetorical sequence (μετὰ ... μετὰ ... μετὰ) to emphasize the thoroughness of the revelation before the cry to lift the gates. This crescendo marks the climax of the narrative.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ταῦτα περὶ τῆς σήμερον Ἠσαΐας κράζει ὁ προφήτης, ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν μυσταγωγεῖ","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'today' (σήμερον) may refer to the feast of the Ascension, but Cyril's text does not specify the liturgical date. The homily's occasion is inferred from the title, not from internal evidence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'lower powers' and 'higher powers' is not explicitly defined; they may represent angelic orders or cosmic forces in Cyril's typological drama.","The phrase 'τὸν ἔλεον Κυρίου ἐμνήσθην' is not a verbatim biblical citation; its source is uncertain, possibly a liturgical adaptation of Psalm 89."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":14,"ref":"p14","source":"ἀκούσασαι αἱ ἐγγὺς δυνάμεις λέγουσι· Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατός, Κύριος δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ. Τάξεις γάρ εἰσιν καὶ ἐν ἀσωμάτοις καὶ ἀκολουθίαι ἐν αὐταῖς πολλαί· καὶ οὐ πάντες ἄγγελοι, οὐ πάντες θρόνοι, οὐ πάντες κυριότητες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπερβεβηκότα ἐστι τάγματα καὶ ὑπερβεβηκυῖαι δυνάμεις.\n\nἘπεὶ οὖν ἀνταπόκρισιν τῆς ἐρωτήσεως ἔλαβον αἱ ἀνώτεραι δυνάμεις φασίν· Ἔγνωμεν τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμαθον τίς ὁ ἀναβαίνων οὐκέτι χρείαν ἔχουσιν ἑρμηνείας, οὐκέτι λόγων χρείαν ἔχουσι μακρῶν, ἀλλὰ λέγουσιν· Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Μέχρις ἐνταῦθα συνηκολούθησα τῷ δεσπότῃ ἄτονον ἔχων πρὸς τὰ ἐκεῖνα τὸ πτερὸν τῆς διανοίας. Εἴθε δέ, εἰ ἦν δύναμίς μοι, καὶ εἰς τὸ ὅρος αὐτῷ συνανελθεῖν τῆς θείας ὀπτασίας, ἵνα ἴδω τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἐπειδὴ ὁ κολλώμενος τῷ Κυρίῳ, φησίν, ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστιν, καὶ ἡμῖν δὲ ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ. Συνανέλθωμεν τοίνυν τῷ Χριστῷ εἰς οὐρανὸν, ἀδελφοί· μὴ μείνωμεν ἐπὶ γῆς, μὴ πάλιν γεώδη φρονήσωμεν, μὴ πάλιν περὶ ἐπιθυμίας, μὴ πάλιν περὶ ἁρπαγάς, μὴ πάλιν περὶ φιλοχρηματείας· μὴ ἐπαρθῇς, ἐπεὶ καὶ σὺ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πίπτεις ὡς ἡ ἀστραπή. Μὴ γένοιτο δὲ τοῦτο παθεῖν τὸν τῷ Χριστῷ ἀκολουθοῦντα. Πεπείσμεθα γὰρ περὶ ὑμῶν, ἀγαπητοί, τὰ κρείττονα καὶ ἔχομεν σωτηρίας, εἰ καὶ οὕτω λαλοῦμεν. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγομεν πρὸς τὴν ὑμῶν ἀσφάλειαν, καθὼς λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος· Ἐμοὶ μὲν τὸ λέγειν οὐκ ὀκνηρόν, ὑμῖν δὲ τὸ ἀσφαλές. Γένοιτο δὲ πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀμέμπτως ἀκολουθῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ τυχεῖν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ·","english":"The nearby powers, hearing, say: “The Lord is mighty and strong, the Lord is strong in war.” For there are orders even among the bodiless, and many successions within them; and not all are angels, not all are thrones, not all are lordships, but there are also ranks that have been surpassed and powers that have been surpassed.\n\nSince, then, the higher powers received an answer to their question, they say: “We have learned who this king of glory is.” For when they learned who the one ascending is, they no longer need interpretation, they no longer need long speeches, but they say: “The Lord of the powers, he himself is the king of glory.” Up to this point I have followed the master, having the wing of my mind too weak for those things. Would that it were possible for me, if I had the strength, to ascend with him to the mountain of the divine vision, so that I might see Jesus, since, as it is said, he who clings to the Lord is one spirit, and God has revealed to us through his Spirit. Let us, therefore, ascend with Christ to heaven, brothers; let us not remain on earth, let us not again think earthly thoughts, let us not again concern ourselves with desires, let us not again concern ourselves with plunder, let us not again concern ourselves with love of money; do not be lifted up, for you too fall from heaven like lightning. May this not happen to one who follows Christ. For we are convinced concerning you, beloved, of better things and that we have salvation, even if we speak thus. We say these things for your security, as the apostle says: “For me to speak is not irksome, for you it is safe.” May it be that all of us blamelessly follow Christ and attain his kingdom.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"δυνάμεις","severity":"info","text":"Here δυνάμεις refers to angelic powers, a technical term in the celestial hierarchy (cf. Pseudo-Dionysius, Celestial Hierarchy 8). The homily distinguishes 'nearby' (ἐγγὺς) from 'higher' (ἀνώτεραι) powers, reflecting graded angelic orders.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατός, Κύριος δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ","severity":"info","text":"This acclamation echoes the Septuagint of Exodus 15:3 (τὸν κύριον κραταιὸν καὶ δυνατόν) and Psalm 24:8 (κύριος δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ), blending the Song of the Sea with a royal-warrior epithet for God.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'king of glory' (βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης) is a Christological title drawn from Psalm 24:7-10 LXX and applied to the ascended Christ in early Christian hymnody and patristic exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ὁ κολλώμενος τῷ Κυρίῳ, φησίν, ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστιν","severity":"info","text":"This maxim is not a direct biblical quotation but a patristic adaptation of 1 Corinthians 6:17 (ὁ κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστιν), where Paul speaks of spiritual union with Christ.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐμοὶ μὲν τὸ λέγειν οὐκ ὀκνηρόν, ὑμῖν δὲ τὸ ἀσφαλές","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 7:13 (ἐμοὶ μὲν τὸ λέγειν οὐκ ὀκνηρόν, ὑμῖν δὲ τὸ ἀσφαλές), where Paul defends his frank speech for the security of his hearers.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage shifts from angelic dialogue to a first-person homiletic exhortation (συνανέλθωμεν τοίνυν τῷ Χριστῷ), marking a transition from narrative to paraenesis typical of Cyril's festal homilies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἐγγὺς δυνάμεις' could mean 'nearby powers' (spatially proximate to the ascension) or 'close powers' (in rank); the translation adopts the former, but the latter is possible given the subsequent mention of 'higher powers' (ἀνώτεραι δυνάμεις).","The clause 'εἴθε δέ, εἰ ἦν δύναμίς μοι, καὶ εἰς τὸ ὅρος αὐτῷ συνανελθεῖν' is ambiguous: 'mountain of the divine vision' may refer to Tabor (Transfiguration) or to a metaphorical ascent; the context of ascension favors a spiritual mountain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":15,"ref":"p15","source":"αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐξ ὁμιλίας ῥηθείσης ἐν τῇ Κυρίνου ἐκκλησίᾳ, τρισκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ φαμενὼθ μηνὸς κατ' Αἰγυπτίους, ἐν ᾗ τὸ τοῦ Ἠσαΐου ῥητὸν ἑρμηνεύει τὸ φάσκον· Κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου.\n\nὉ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ὅλων θεός, ἅτε δὴ ζωὴ καὶ ζωοποιὸς ὑπάρχων, ἄφθαρτον ἐπὶ γῆς ζῷον ἠθέλησεν εἶναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, εἰ καὶ φύσεώς ἐστι φθαρτῆς. Ὁ δέ, ἐπείπερ ἦν πονηρὸς καὶ βάσκανος, ἐπεβούλευσε τῷ γένει, ἀντετάττετο τῇ βουλήσει τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, κατεκόμισε πανούργως εἰς παρακοήν, εἰδὼς ὅτι πεσεῖται δι' αὐτῆς εἰς θάνατον.","english":"to him is the glory for ever and ever. Amen. The same from a homily delivered in the church of Cyrinus, on the thirteenth of the month of Phamenoth according to the Egyptians, in which he interprets the saying of Isaiah that reads: \"Death, having prevailed, swallowed up, and again God removed every tear from every face.\"\n\nFor the God of all, being indeed life and life-giver, wished man to be an imperishable living being on earth, even though he is of a perishable nature. But the other, since he was wicked and envious, plotted against the race, opposed the will of the creator, cunningly led him into disobedience, knowing that through it he would fall into death.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐξ ὁμιλίας ῥηθείσης ἐν τῇ Κυρίνου ἐκκλησίᾳ, τρισκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ φαμενὼθ μηνὸς κατ' Αἰγυπτίους","severity":"info","text":"This colophon identifies the preceding homily as delivered in the church of Cyrinus on the 13th of Phamenoth (Egyptian calendar), and introduces a new interpretive section on Isaiah.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Isaiah 25:8 LXX, which reads: 'κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας' and 'ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον'. Cyril adapts the verse to contrast death's power with God's removal of tears.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἄφθαρτον","severity":"info","text":"The adjective 'ἄφθαρτον' (imperishable) is a key theological term in Cyril, denoting the original state of humanity as intended by God, despite the perishable nature of the body.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ δέ, ἐπείπερ ἦν πονηρὸς καὶ βάσκανος","severity":"info","text":"The figure described as 'wicked and envious' is the devil, a standard patristic interpretation of the serpent in Genesis, who opposes the creator's will and leads humanity to disobedience and death.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀμήν","severity":"info","text":"The closing 'Ἀμήν' is a liturgical marker, indicating the homily's use in a worship setting. The colophon further specifies the date and location, suggesting the text was preserved for liturgical reading.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The colophon may be a later addition; the phrase 'Τοῦ αὐτοῦ' could imply the preceding homily is by Cyril, but the attribution is not certain. The paraphrase of Isaiah is not a direct quotation, and the exact source text is unclear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}