Judge of the world; seated at the right hand; creation shakes at the cross
Will Christ sit as one human among us, with all the angels standing by him, and so judge the world (Matthew 25:31)? What sense would that make? For it is written that “there is one lawgiver and judge.” (James 4:12) So Christ is God — the one who has God’s glory and a throne, angels standing by, and who judges the inhabited world in righteousness.
“And the high priest said to him: I adjure you by the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus says to him: You have said so; yet I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:63–64) How does the Son of Man sit at the right hand of Power? Clearly: even if the Word from God has become Son of Man, he has not ceased to be God, but is the same one who sits with the One who begot him, and is seen shining in the dignities of the deity, even though he has become flesh.
“And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, gave up the spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.” (Matthew 27:50–52) If Christ were a common human, how was there such uproar in the elements when he died? The sun drew in its ray and made darkness in daytime; the earth, seeing her own Master insulted by the Jews, was split; and Hades too released the souls of the saints.
Greek
ἆρα ὡς ἄνθρωπος τῶν καθ’ ἡμᾶς εἷς καθεδεῖται Χριστός, παρεστηκότων αὐτῷ πάντων τῶν ἀγγέλων, οὕτω τε κρινεῖ τὸν κόσμον; εἶτα ποῖον ἂν ἔχοι τοῦτο λόγον; γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι «εἷς ἐστιν ὁ νομοθέτης καὶ κριτής.» Θεὸς οὖν ἄρα Χριστός, ὁ ἐν δόξῃ Θεοῦ καὶ θρόνον ἔχων καὶ παρεστῶτας ἀγγέλους καὶ κρίνων τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ.
«Καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ὁρκίζω σε κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος ἵνα ἡμῖν εἴπῃς εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Σὺ εἶπας· πλὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπ’ ἄρτι ὄψεσθε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καθήμενον ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.» πῶς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κάθηται ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς δυνάμεως; ἀλλ’ ἔστι δῆλον, ὅτι κἂν εἰ γέγονεν υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ Λόγος, οὐ πέπαυται τοῦ εἶναι Θεός, ἀλλ’ ἔστιν ὁ ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ συνεδρεύει τῷ φύσαντι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς τῆς θεότητος ἀξιώμασιν ἐμπρέπων ὁρᾶται, κἂν εἰ γέγονε σάρξ.
«Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κράξας φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἀφῆκε τὸ πνεῦμα. καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη ἄνωθεν εἰς δύο ἕως κάτω, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐσείσθη καὶ αἱ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν, καὶ τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν, καὶ πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ἠγέρθη.» εἰ κοινὸς ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁ Χριστός, πῶς τεθνεῶτος αὐτοῦ τοσοῦτος ἦν ἐν τοῖς στοιχείοις ὁ θόρυβος; ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἥλιος τὴν ἀκτῖνα συνέστειλε, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σκότος εἰργάσατο· ἡ δὲ γῆ τὸν ἑαυτῆς δεσπότην ὁρῶσα ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐμπαροινούμενον ἐσχίζετο· ἀφῆκε δὲ καὶ ὁ ᾅδης τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ψυχάς.
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.