The Vision of the Cross
The wonders are not from the earth, but from the heavens, prevailing through a greater reverence toward the divine; and the trophy of the victory over death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God—I call it the blessed Cross—was seen flashing with flashes of light in Jerusalem.
For in these holy days of the holy Pentecost, around the third hour, the immense Cross, constructed out of light, appeared in heaven, stretched out from above the holy Golgotha even unto the holy Mount of Olives; not appearing only once or twice, but being shown most clearly to the entire multitude of the city; nor as anyone might think it passing quickly through a vision, but being seen eye-attractively over many hours above the earth, and having conquered the solar rays with its flashing glimmers (for it would have been covered by them if it were being conquered by them, unless it provided more brilliant torches to those seeing it); as the multitude of the city rushed all at once from it into the holy church, seized with the fear of the theophany along with joy, both young and old men and women, and of every age, even unto the maidens already staying at home, both locals and strangers, Christians and also pagans visiting from elsewhere; and all of them unanimously, as if from one mouth, were hymn-singing the miracle-worker Christ Jesus our Lord, the only-begotten Son of God, having received Him through deed and experience; because the most pious doctrine of Christians is not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration.
Greek
μείζονι τῇ πρὸς τὸ θεῖον εὐλαβείᾳ νικῶντος, οὐκ ἀπὸ γῆς λοιπόν, ἀλλ' ἐξ οὐρανῶν τὰ θαυματουργήματα· καὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ κατὰ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου νικῆς τρόπαιον, ὁ μακάριος λέγω σταυρός, φωτὸς μαρμαρυγαῖς ἀπαστράπτων ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ὤφθη. 4 Ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἁγίαις ἡμέραις ταύταις τῆς ἁγίας πεντηκοστῆς, νόνναις μαΐαις, περὶ τρίτην ὥραν, παμμεγέθης ὁ σταυρός, ἐκ φωτὸς κατεσκευασμένος, ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὑπεράνω τοῦ ἁγίου Γολγοθᾶ μέχρι τοῦ ἁγίου Ὄρους τῶν ἐλαιῶν ἐκτεταμένος ἐφαίνετο· οὐχ ἑνὶ καὶ δευτέρῳ μόνον φανείς, ἀλλὰ παντὶ τῷ τῆς πόλεως πλήθει φανερώτατα δειχθείς· οὐδ' ὡς ἄν τις νομίσειεν ὀξέως κατὰ φαντασίαν παραδραμών, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πλείοσιν ὥραις ὑπὲρ γῆν ὀφθαλμοφανῶς θεωρούμενος, καὶ ταῖς ἀπαστραπτούσαις μαρμαρυγαῖς τὰς ἡλιακὰς ἀκτῖνας νικήσας (ἦ γὰρ ἂν ὑπ' αὐτῶν νικώμενος ἐκαλύπτετο, εἰ μὴ δυνατωτέρας ἡλίου τοῖς ὁρῶσι παρεῖχε τὰς λαμπηδόνας)· ὡς ἅπαν μὲν ἀθρόως ἐξαυτῆς εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν συνδραμεῖν τῆς πόλεως τὸ πλῆθος, τῷ τῆς θεοπτίας φόβῳ μετ' εὐφροσύνης κατασχεθέν, νέων ἅμα καὶ πρεσβύτων ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν, καὶ πάσης ἡλικίας καὶ μέχρις αὐτῶν ἤδη τῶν κατ' οἴκους θαλαμευομένων κορῶν, ἐντοπίων τε καὶ ξένων, χριστιανῶν τε ἅμα καὶ τῶν ἀλλαχόθεν ἐπιδημούντων ἐθνικῶν· ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ πάντων ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς στόματος Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν θαυματοποιὸν ἀνυμνούντων, ἔργῳ τε καὶ πείρᾳ παραλαβόντων· ὅτι χριστιανῶν τὸ δόγμα τὸ πανευσεβὲς οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖς σοφίας ἐστι λόγοις, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀποδείξει
About this text
Cyril of Jerusalem’s letter to Constantius on the vision of the cross.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (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.