God and man economically; living God; blood of Christ cleanses; trampling the Son
So Christ is God and human: God by nature, and the same one human as we are economically, when he came to be from a woman according to the flesh.
“See to it, brothers, that there not be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in falling away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12) By denying Christ we fall away from the living and true God; by remaining in faith toward him we in no way make that apostasy. How, then, is Christ not God?
“For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the purity of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the Holy Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13–14) If Christ is not true God, what is the benefit through his blood? Or how will he cleanse our conscience from dead works? What more does the blood of a common human have than the blood of goats? Nothing at all — except that one is of an irrational animal and the other of a rational one. But since the one who is from God by nature took flesh and laid down his own blood for all, by that very fact he can cleanse those who believe in him, free them from dead works, and lead them into worship of God.
“Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant a common thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace by which he was sanctified?” (Hebrews 10:28–29) The one who insults — that is, sets aside — a divine law does not face a charge equal to sinning against a human, but one far heavier.
Greek
, ^ ἢ « δῇ LN L4 e / " μένου ToU χρίσματος. Θεὸς ἀρα καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὁ Χριστος
Θεὺς μὲν τῇ φύσει, ἄνθρωπος δὲ καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς ὁ αὑτὸς oixovo-
μικῶς, ὅτε γέγονεν ἐκ γυναικὸς κατὰ σάρκα.
as * Βλέπετε, ἀδελφοὶ, μήποτέ ἐστιν ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία Al. e 4 ^ ^ ΝΥ ^ -
* πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν TQ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ζῶντος." &s
ἀρνούμενοι τὸν Χριστὸν ἀφιστάμεθα Θεοῦ ζῶντος καὶ ἀλη-
θινοῦ: ἐμμένοντες δὲ τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν πίστει, kar οὐδένα τρόπον
d ποιούμεθα την ἀποστασίαν, πῶς ov Θεὸς ὁ Xpuwros ;
Ih.ix. * ΕΠ yap ro αἷμα ταύρων kai τράγων kai σποδὸς δαμά-
λεως ῥαντίζουσα TOUS κεκοινωνημένους ἁγιάζει πρὸς τὴν τὸ
τῆς σαρκος καθαροτητα, πόσῳ μαλλον TO αἱμα TOV
* Χριστοῦ, ὃς διὰ πνεύματος ayiov ἑαυτὸν προσήνεγκεν ^ ^ ^ 4 ͵ e ^ Α * ἅμωμον τῷ Θεῷ, καθαριεῖ τὴν συνείδησι:: ὑμῶν ἀπὸ & ^ ν 4 « λ ’ Θ ^ - S » 4 Θ A νεκρῶν ἔργων εἰς TO λατρεύειν Θεῷ ζῶντι ;" εἰ μὴ Oeos
eaGAÀgÜps ἐστιν ὁ Χριστος, τίς ἡ ὄνησις ἢ δια τοῦ αἵματος 15
αὐτοῦ ; ἢ πῶς ἡμῶν καθαριεῖ τὴν συνείδησιν ἀπὸ νεκρῶν
ἔργων ; αἷμα yap ἀνθρώπου κοινοῦ τί TO πλέον ἔχει παρὰ . φ ^ , 3 * ͵φλ σ᾽ . Ψὦ 4 , τὸ αἷμα τῶν τράγων ; ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲν ὅλως, πλὴν ὅτι μὴ μόνον bl , 3 ᾽ λ , , bl δὲ λ ^ 3 δὴ δὲ t » τὸ μέν ἐστιν ἀλόγου ζῴου, τὸ δὲ λογικοῦ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ ἐκ ^ 1 , , Ἁ »"» ε»" ’ 3 Θεοῦ κατὰ φύσιν σαρκα λαβὼν, ἔθηκεν ὑπὲρ πάντων To?
74 A. ἃ ἴδιον αἷμα, ταύτη τοι καὶ καθαρίζειν δύναται τοὺς πιστεύοντας
εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ νεκρῶν ἔργων ἀπαλλάττειν, καὶ προσαγειν εἰς
λατρείαν τῷ Θεῴ.
Ib.x. * A0ergsas τις νόμον Μωσέως, χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν eri ^ b! , σι “ δυσὶν ἢ τρισὶ μάρτυσιν ἀποθνήσκει πόσῳ δοκεῖτε χείρονος ti;
* ἀξιωθήσεται τιμωρίας ὁ τὸν viov τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατήσας,
* καὶ TO αἷμα τῆς διαθηκης κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος, kal τὸ
74 ^ P [4 3 ’ 3 φ e , 49 ε ^
πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος ἐνυβρισας, ἐν ᾧ ἡγιασθη ; o θεῖον
ὑβρίσας νομον, ἤγουν ἀθετήσας, ovk ἴσον ἔχει TO ἔγκλημα
b τῷ εἰς avÜporrov ἡμαρτηκοτι, ἀλλὰ πολὺ φορτικώτερον" καὶ m
5. Θεοῦ ofn, C. 13. ὑμῶν C. ἡμῶν Comm, Edd. 17. τὸ on.
C. Cod. 28. ἐνυβρίσας] ἀτιμάσας C. Comm. Edd. mg.
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.