On the Falling Away of the Synagogue
De synagogae defectu
On the Falling Away of the Synagogue§1
1On the falling away of the synagogue, or the renaming of Abram as Abraham.
Of Saint Cyril, from the discourse entitled Demonstration, through the divine oracles spoken from the first to the inspired patriarchs, concerning the exchange and transfer involving the Jews and the nations.
The renaming of Abraham has been found to signify the threefold count of the divine and sovereign persons: for though the inspired patriarch was called Abram, God renamed him Abraham (Genesis 17:5).
If anyone should choose to interpret the matter — taking the opening letter of the name, alpha, together with the letter joined and clinging to it, I mean beta — he will surely discover, by carrying over the alpha that stands after rho,
Greek · §1
De synagogae defectu DE SYNAGOGE DEFECTU SEU TRANSNOMINATIONE ABRAMI IN ABRAHAMUM. Τοῦ ἁγίου Κυρίλλου, ἐκ τοῦ λόγου, οὗ ἡ ἐπι γραφή· Ἀπόδειξις διὰ τῶν ἀρχῆθεν γεγενημένων θείων χρησμῶν τοῖς θεσπεσίοις πα τριάρχαις περὶ τῆς ἀμείψεως καὶ μεταθέσεως τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν. Ἡ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἀντωνομασία κατείληπται σημαίνουσα τὸν τριαδικὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν θεαρχικῶν ὑποστάσεων· ἐπεὶ γὰρ Ἄβραμ ὠνομάσθη ὁ θεσπέσιος πατριάρχης, Ἀβραὰμ ἀντωνομάσθη θεόθεν. Εἰ μέν τις ἕλοιτο διερμηνεῦσαι τουτὶ, τοῦ ὀνόματος τὸ προκαταρκτικὸν στοιχεῖον τὸ α ἄγων μετὰ τοῦ συνημμένου καὶ συμπελάζοντος αὐτῷ, τοῦ β φημι, πάντως εὑρήσει καθ' ὑπερβιβασμὸν τοῦ μετὰ τὸ ρ
Father and Son in the Letters of Abraham§2
2alpha, a grouping that signifies Father — for ‘aba’ is surely translated father.
And if he should wish to explain separately the second letter in position — I mean beta — together with the rho joined and clinging to it, he will again discover, by likewise carrying over the same alpha, a grouping that signifies Son — for ‘bar’ is surely translated son.
But if he should wish to read in along with it, and to explain, the final letter — I mean mu — together with what is joined and clinging to it,
Greek · §2
α, σημαῖνον Πατήρ· τὸ γὰρ ἀβὰ, πατὴρ ἑρμηνεύεται δήπουθεν. Εἰ δέ γε πάλιν διῃρημένως τὸ δεύτερον τῇ θέσει στοιχεῖον, λέγω δὴ τὸ β, μετὰ τοῦ συνημμένου καὶ συμπελάζοντος αὐτῷ ρ, διασαφῆσαι θελήσει, πάλιν εὑρήσει καθ' ὑπερβιβασμὸν ὡσαύτως τοῦ αὐτοῦ α, σημαῖνον Υἱός· τὸ γὰρ βὰρ, υἱὸς ἑρμηνεύεται δήπουθεν. Εἰ δὲ τὸ τελικὸν στοιχεῖον, λέγω δὴ τὸ μ, μετὰ τοῦ συνημμένου καὶ συμπελάζοντος αὐτῷ προσαναγνῶναι καὶ διασαφῆσαι βουληθείη,
The Most High and the Holy Spirit§3
3he will again discover, in reverse order and gathering in the same rho, a grouping that signifies Most High — for ‘mar’ is plainly translated most high — a title that hints at the person of the all-holy Spirit, since the term teaches us indirectly that he is God by nature and truly exists. For the Most High is by nature nothing else but altogether God by nature.
Since this renaming, then, was given to the patriarch by God, there has been found
Greek · §3
76.1424 πάλιν ἀνθυποστρόφως εὑρήσει κατὰ σύλληψιν τοῦ αὐτοῦ ρ, σημαῖνον ὕψιστος· ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ δηλονότι τὸ μὰρ, ὕψιστος· ὅπερ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος αἰνίττεται τὴν ὑπόστασιν· Θεὸν αὐτὸν πεφυκέναι καὶ εἶναι περιφραστικῶς ἡμᾶς διδασκούσης τῆς λέξεως· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερον ὁ ὕψιστος πέφυκεν, ἀλλ' ἢ πάντως κατὰ φύσιν Θεός. Ταύτης οὖν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τῷ πατριάρχῃ δοθείσης ἀντωνομασίας, εὕρηται
The Trinity Prefigured in the Name§4
4clearly outlined beforehand and proclaimed beforehand the most ineffable and most mystical doctrine of the holy Trinity as well. The name of Abraham plainly displaying, signifying, and initiating into the mystery the Father and the Son and the holy Spirit — in agreement with the most manifest naming and numbering and handing down of Christ our Savior in the doctrine of God (Matthew 28:19).
Greek · §4
σαφῶς προγεγραμμένον τε καὶ προδεδηλωμένον καὶ τὸ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος ἀποῤῥητότατον καὶ μυστικώτατον δόγμα, σαφῶς ἐξ ὀνόματος Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἐμφαινούσης καὶ σημαινούσης καὶ μυσταγωγούσης τῆς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ προσηγορίας, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θεολογίας ἀριδηλοτάτην ὀνομασίαν καὶ ἀπαρίθμησιν καὶ παράδοσιν.