Faith better than Moses’ law; Spirit given through Christ; pedagogue to Christ
Preferring the justification in Christ to the law through Moses, how is Christ not God — the one through whom the law is abolished, since his faith surpasses it? And if Christ were merely a human being, how could faith in him have become better than the law?
“He who supplies the Spirit to you and works powers…” (Galatians 3:5) The law through Moses, though it is God’s law and “spoken through angels,” (Hebrews 2:2) (Galatians 3:19) does not have the supply of the Holy Spirit, nor did it procure for anyone the power to work wonders. But through faith in Christ we gain both. How then is faith in him not better, if it has abolished the old law? And if we who live by faith are in a better state than those of the time when the law held, how is Christ not God?
“Before faith came we were kept under the law, shut up for the faith about to be revealed… that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian; for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:23–27)
If the law was a guardian pointing to none other than Christ alone — even while teaching true knowledge of God — how is Christ not God? And if the law is abolished through faith in him and hands him the end of its guardianship, leading those under it to the highest good — and that final good is nothing other than knowledge of the true God — how could anyone doubt that he is God?
Greek
νόμῳ τῷ διὰ Μωϋσέως τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ προτιμῶντες δικαίωσιν, πῶς οὐ Θεὸς ὁ Χριστός, δι’ οὗ καταργεῖται νόμος, ὡς διαφερούσης αὐτοῦ τῆς πίστεως; εἰ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἦν ἁπλῶς ὁ Χριστός, πῶς ἂν ἐγένετο καὶ νόμου κρείττων ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς αὐτόν;
«Ὁ οὖν ἐπιχορηγῶν ὑμῖν τὸ Πνεῦμα καὶ ἐνεργῶν δυνάμεις…» ὁ διὰ Μωϋσέως νόμος, καίτοι Θεοῦ νόμος ὢν καὶ «λαληθεὶς δι’ ἀγγέλων,» οὐκ ἔχει τὴν τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος χορηγίαν οὔτε μὴν προὐξένησέ τισι τὸ ἐνεργεῖν δύνασθαι τὰ παράδοξα· κερδαίνομεν δὲ διὰ τῆς πίστεως τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀμφότερα. πῶς οὐκ ἐν ἀμείνοσιν ἡ πίστις τοῦ παλαιοῦ κατήργησε νόμον ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς αὐτόν; καὶ εἰ ἐσμὲν ἐν ἀμείνοσιν οἱ διὰ πίστεως μᾶλλον ἢ οἵπερ ἦσαν κατ’ ἐκεῖνο τοῦ καιροῦ καθ’ οὓς ἦν ὁ νόμος, πῶς οὐ Θεὸς ὁ Χριστός;
«Πρὸ τοῦ δὲ ἐλθεῖν τὴν πίστιν ὑπὸ νόμον ἐφρουρούμεθα συγκλειόμενοι εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι… ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν· ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς πίστεως οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν· πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε.»
εἰ παιδαγωγὸς ἦν ὁ νόμος οὐκ ἐφ’ ἕτερον ἀναφέρων πλὴν ὅτι μόνον ἐπὶ Χριστόν, καίτοι τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεογνωσίας διδάσκαλος ὤν, πῶς οὐ Θεὸς ὁ Χριστός; καὶ εἰ καταργεῖται νόμος διὰ τῆς πίστεως τῆς εἰς αὐτόν καὶ τὸ τῆς παιδαγωγίας αὐτῷ τέλος παραδίδωσιν ὡς εἰς τὸ ἄκρον ἀγαθὸν ἀναφέρων τοὺς παιδαγωγουμένους — τὸ δὲ εἰς λῆξιν ἀγαθὸν εἴη ἂν ἕτερον οὐδὲν παρὰ γε τὴν τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεογνωσίας εἴδησιν — πῶς ἂν ἐνδοιάσειέ τις ὅτι Θεός ἐστιν;
About this text
Cyril’s court treatise on right faith for Arcadia and Marina (CPG 5219). One Son, Word made flesh — not two Christs. English from Pusey’s Greek.
English follows Pusey’s 1877 Greek of De recta fide ad Arcadiam et Marinam. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Pusey, De recta fide ad reginas (Oxford, 1877) (Greek · CPG 5219 §§1–100)
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.