Son of Man sends his angels; Peter’s confession; temple tax setup
“…all causes of sin and those who do lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire.” (Matthew 13:41–42) Of God it is written: “Bless the Lord, all his angels.” (Psalm 103:20) For an angel is not a human’s servant; rather, all things belong to God. How, then, does he say of the Son of Man that he will send his angels? So he is God, as one who has the angels as his own and is served through the spirits above.
Christ asked: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13–17) Jesus answered him: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.” If Christ were a bare human, why is Peter marvelled at for confessing him? How is he God-taught, or what illumination from above did he need to learn the mystery about him? But he knew him to be God, and confessed him Son of the living God — and for that he is marvelled at. Yet he says one Son, not two sons; so it is impious to divide him into two.
“For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels.” (Matthew 16:27) See again: he calls the spirits above his angels, though he is called Son of Man.
“When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax approached Peter and said: Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma? He said: Yes.” (Matthew 17:24)
Greek
«…πάντα τὰ σκάνδαλα καὶ τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὴν ἀνομίαν, καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός.» περὶ Θεοῦ γέγραπται· «Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ.» οὐ γὰρ ἄγγελος ἀνθρώπου δοῦλός ἐστι, Θεοῦ δὲ μᾶλλον τὰ πάντα. πῶς οὖν φησὶ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι ἀποστελεῖ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ; Θεὸς οὖν ἄρα ἐστίν, ὡς καὶ ἰδίους ἔχων τοὺς ἀγγέλους, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἄνω πνευμάτων ὑπηρετούμενος.
Ἠρώτησεν ὁ Χριστός· «Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;» ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπε· «Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος.» ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· «Μακάριος εἶ, Σίμων Βαριωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέ σοι ἀλλ’ ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» εἰ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ὁ Χριστός, διὰ τί τεθαύμασται Πέτρος ὁμολογήσας αὐτόν; πῶς δέ ἐστι καὶ θεοδίδακτος, ἢ ποίας ἐδεήθη φωταγωγίας ἄνωθεν, ἵνα μάθῃ τὸ ἐπ’ αὐτῷ μυστήριον; ἀλλ’ ἔγνω Θεὸν ὄντα, καὶ Υἱὸν Θεοῦ ζῶντος διωμολόγησεν αὐτόν· ταύτῃ τοι τεθαύμασται. πλὴν ἕνα Υἱόν, καὶ οὐχὶ υἱοὺς δύο φησί· δυσσεβὲς οὖν ἄρα τὸ διορίζειν εἰς δύο.
«Μέλλει γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ.» ἰδοὺ πάλιν ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ φησὶ τὰ ἄνω πνεύματα, καίτοι λεγομένου υἱοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
«Ἐλθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν εἰς Καπερναοὺμ προσῆλθον οἱ τὰ δίδραχμα λαμβάνοντες τῷ Πέτρῳ καὶ εἶπον· Ὁ διδάσκαλος ὑμῶν οὐ τελεῖ τὰ δίδραχμα; καὶ λέγει· Ναί.»
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.