Ignorance and the Beast Within
The Father’s word is sure. You will do well to obey the prophetic word, for it leads those who are in ignorance as a light-bringer, until the light of the Gospel shines clearly among you, and the intellectual morning star, that is Christ, rises in your hearts, having been testified by the Father.
But those who act like irrational beasts, born for capture and corruption, who in their ignorance blaspheme, will be destroyed in their very corruption, receiving the wages of injustice.
Cyril says: And indeed the glorious Melodus declares that man, though placed in honor, did not understand, but was mingled with the senseless beasts and became like them. For customs of ignorance, woven together like laws, having brought only a little through, appeared as beasts, as I said, which have become only for corruption.
Concerning impious conduct, he says, and the whole life having been corrupted... He showed. The custom of divine Scripture is to take the things according to nature, which are divine, as wild beasts, and present them to men as images and examples, so that from those natural things the things of choice—meaning human movements—may be made evident, and thus either base or just the manner of these is shown.
Upon the base things, if he commands: Do not become as horse and mule, which have no understanding. Or also when, blaming those who have become thus, he says: Man, being in honor, did not understand, was mingled with the senseless beasts, and became like them. And again: Mares, becoming lustful, were made. And the Savior calls Herod a fox, and to the 74.1020 disciples he commanded: Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.
Greek
τοῦ Πατρός. Εὖ δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιήσετε τῷ προφητικῷ πειθόμενοι λόγῳ· οὗτος γὰρ τοὺς ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ φωταγωγεῖ, ἕως καθαρὸν ὑμῖν τὸ φῶς τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου διαφανῇ, καὶ ὁ νοητὸς ἑωσφόρος, τουτέστι Χριστὸς, ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν ἀνατείλῃ, μαρτυρηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός. Οὗτοι δὲ, ὡς ἄλογα ζῶα, γεγενημένα εἰς ἅλωσιν καὶ φθορὰν, ἐν οἷς ἀγνοοῦσι βλασφημοῦντες, ἐν τῇ φθορᾷ αὐτῶν καταφθαρήσονται, κομιού μενοι μισθὸν ἀδικίας. Κυρίλλου. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος Μελῳδὸς, Ἄνθρωπος, φησὶν, ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς. Ἔθη γὰρ ἀλογίας συμπεπλεγμένα νόμους ὤσπερ ἔχοντες, ὀλίγα κομιδῇ διενεγκόντες ἐφαίνοντο κτηνῶν, ὡς ἔφην, ἃ πρὸς μόνην γέγονε φθοράν. Πρὸς τῷ ἀσεβεῖν, φησὶ, καὶ τὸν βίον ἅπαντα κατεφθαρμένον ... ἔδειξεν. Ἔθος τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ τὰ κατὰ φύσιν ὄντα θεῖα [φ. θήρεια] πράγματα ταῦτα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἰς εἰκόνας καὶ παραδείγματα λαμβάνειν. Τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ, ἵνα ἐκ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἐκείνων τὰ ἐκ προαιρέσεως φαίνηται τῶν κινημάτων τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ οὕτως ἢ φαῦλος ἢ δίκαιος ὁ τούτων δείκνυται τρόπος. Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν φαύλων, ἐὰν παραγγέλλῃ· Μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς ἵππος καὶ ἡμίονος, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σύνεσις. Ἢ καὶ ὅταν μεμφόμενος τοὺς οὕτω γενομένους λέγῃ· Ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἵπποι θηλυμανεῖς ἐγενήθησαν. Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ τὸν Ἡρώδην ἀλώπεκα καλεῖ· καὶ τοῖς 74.1020 μαθηταῖς παρήγγειλεν· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων· γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡσεὶ ὄφεις, καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί. Ἔλεγε δὲ τοῦτο, οὐχ ἵνα γενώμεθα ὄφεις ἢ περιστεραί· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἡμᾶς αὐτὸς πεποίηκε· διὸ οὐδὲ τοῦτο οἶδεν ἡ φύσις· ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμεῖς, τῶν μὲν τὰς ἀλόγους ὁρμὰς ἐκφεύγωμεν, τοῦ δὲ τὸ φρόνιμον, ἵνα γινώσκοντες μὴ ἀπατώμεθα παρ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς περιστερᾶς τὸ πρᾶον ἀναλάβωμεν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν θείων πάλιν εἰκόνας τοῖς ἀνθρώποις λαμβάνων, φησὶν ὁ Σωτήρ· Γίνεσθε οἰκτίρμονες ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. –Καὶ ἔσεσθε ὑμεῖς τέλειοι, ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν [Cod.
About this text
Cyril of Alexandria, Fragmenta in Acta et epistulas catholicas (Greek).
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 74 (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.