Divine Witness and the Sign of the Son of Man
It is a matter of spirit and power, proclaimed not by men alone, but witnessed from the heavens by God. Since therefore we, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, having received the wonder of the miracle through sight to them, have offered and will offer a surpassing worship with thanksgiving to God the All-King and to the only-begotten Son of God, having made and making earnest prayers and prayers for your God-beloved rule in the holy places, it was necessary not to hand over these heavenly theophanies in silence, but I strove to evangelize your inspired piety through them from the Scriptures; so that, having built upon the knowledge recently shown by God upon the good foundation of the faith already existing from you, you might take up the hope toward our Lord Jesus Christ more firmly, while also being habitually filled with confidence and all manliness, as if having God as an ally, so that you might most readily present the trophy of the cross, a boast of boasts, being led by the sign shown in heaven; of which, having shown the form to men, heaven boasted even more greatly.
But this miracle, most God-beloved King, following the testimonies of the prophets and the holy voices of Christ in the Gospels, has been accomplished now and will be accomplished again even more greatly; for in the Gospel according to Matthew, the Savior, giving knowledge of things to come to his blessed apostles and through them pre-proclaiming most clearly to those speaking after them, was saying: 'And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven' (Matthew 24:30). Having taken into my hands the divine book of the Gospel, which is accustomed to be held, the things written concerning this...
Greek
πνεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως, οὐχ ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων μόνον καταγγελλόμενον, ἀλλ' ἐξ οὐρανῶν θεόθεν μαρτυρούμενον. 5 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἡμεῖς, οἱ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκήτορες, τὸ τοῦ θαύματος παράδοξον αὐταῖς ὄψεσι παραλαβόντες, θεῷ μὲν τῷ παμβασιλεῖ καὶ υἱῷ τῷ μονογενεῖ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν πρέπουσαν μετ' εὐχαριστίας προσκύνησιν ἀπεδώκαμεν τε καὶ ἀποδώσομεν, εὐχὰς ἐκτενεῖς καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς σου κράτους ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις τόποις πεποιημένοι τε καὶ ποιησόμενοι, ἔδει δὲ τὰς ἐπουρανίους ταύτας θεοπτίας μὴ παραδοῦναι σιωπῇ, ἀλλ' εὐαγγελίσασθαι σου τὴν ἔνθεον εὐσέβειαν ἐξαυτῆς διὰ τούτων ἐσπούδασα τῶν γραμμάτων· ἵν' ἀγαθῷ θεμελίῳ τῆς παρὰ σοὶ προϋπαρχούσης πίστεως τὴν ἐκ τῶν προσφάτως θεόθεν ἐπιδειχθέντων γνῶσιν ἐποικοδομήσας, βεβαιότερον μὲν τὴν εἰς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἀναλάβῃς τὴν ἐλπίδα, θαρσῶν δὲ καὶ πασῆς ἀνδρείας συνήθως πεπληρωμένος, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸν θεὸν ἔχων σύμμαχον, τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τρόπαιον ἑτοιμότατα προφέρῃς, καύχημα καυχημάτων, τὸ δειχθὲν ἐν οὐρανῷ σημεῖον ἐπαγόμενος· οὗ καὶ τὸ σχῆμα δείξας ἀνθρώποις οὐρανὸς μειζόνως ἐκαυχήσατο. 6 Τὸ μέντοι θαυματούργημα τοῦτο, βασιλεῦ θεοφιλέστατε, προφητῶν μαρτυρίαις καὶ Χριστοῦ φωναῖς ἁγίοις εὐαγγελίοις ἐγκειμέναις ἀκολούθως, ἐτελέσθη τε νῦν καὶ πάλιν μειζόνως τελεσθήσεται· ἐν γὰρ τῷ κατὰ Ματθαῖον εὐαγγελίῳ μελλόντων πραγμάτων γνῶσιν ὁ σωτὴρ τοῖς μακαρίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ δωρούμενος καὶ δι' ἐκείνων τοῖς μετ' αὐτοὺς ὁμιλῶν λευκότατα προαναφωνῶν ἔλεγε· "Καὶ τότε φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν οὐρανῷ". Ἥντινα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου θείαν βίβλον συνηθῶς εἰς χεῖρας ἀναλαβών, τὰς περὶ τούτου κειμένας
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.