[1193] The word synaxis' was used by the early Christians to distinguish their assemblies from the Jewish synagogue,' a word formed from the same root and more regularly. Synaxis' came to be used more especially of a celebration of the Eucharist. See Suicer, Thesaurus, Sunaxis.
[1194] skeuasto, Ex. xxx. 22-25: "a perfume compounded (murepsikon ) after the art of the perfumer" (R.V.).
[1195] Heb. vii. 21.
[1196] Ib. vi. 18.
[1197] Ps. cxxxii. 17. The "lamp for the Anointed" was commonly applied by the Fathers to John the Baptist. Compare John v. 35, and Bishop Westcott's note there.
[1198] 2 Pet. i. 19. The supposed reference in the Psalm to the lamp of prophecy is mentioned by Eusebius (Demonstr. Evang. IV. cap. 16).
[1199] 2 Cor. iv. 7. The reference of the lamp' to Christ's Incarnation is mentioned by Eusebius (u.s.) and other Fathers.
[1200] Amos. iv. 13: "and declareth unto man what is his thought." For v&x#o@"hm, what is his thought,' the LXX. read vchysm, His Anointed,' ton Christon autou.
[1201] Luke iv. 41.
[1202] John iv. 29.
[1203] Heb. ix. 11.
[1204] ouk epoliteueto, "was not in citizenship," "not naturalised." Cf. Sueton. Nero. cap. 16: "Christiani, genus hominum superstitionis novae et maleficae."
[1205] to xenon.
[1206] Isa. lxv. 15, 16. The LXX. here depart from the meaning of the Hebrew: "He shall call His servants by another name: so that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth" (R.V.).
[1207] 2 Cor. xiii. 3.
[1208] Ib. iv. 5.
[1209] Acts ix. 21.
[1210] 1 Cor. xv. 9.
[1211] 1 Tim. i. 13.
[1212] Matt. v. 17.
[1213] 1 Tim. i. 14.
[1214] he theotokos-- Deipara. Gibbon (Chap. xlvii. 34) says, "It is not easy to fix the invention of this word, which La Croze (Christianisme des Indes, tom. i. p. 16) ascribes to Eusebius of Cæsarea and the Arians. The orthodox testimonies are produced by Cyril (of Alexandria) and Petavius (Dogmat. Theolog. tom. v. L. v. cap. 15, p. 254, &c.), but the veracity of the Saint is questionable, and the epithet of theotokos so easily slides from the margin to the text of a Catholic ms." This passage is justly described as "Gibbon's calumny" by Dr. Newman: see his notes on the title theotokos (Athan. c. Arian. Or. ii. cap. 12, n.; Or. iii. capp. 14, 29, 33). The word is certainly used by Origen (Deut. xxii. 13, Lommatzch. Tom. x. p. 378): "She that is already betrothed is called a wife, as also in the case of Joseph and the Theotokos." Cf. Archelaus (Disput. cum Mane, cap. xxxiv. "qui de Maria Dei Genetrice natus est"); Eusebius (de Vita Constantini, III. cap. 43: "The pious Empress adorned with rare memorials the place of the travail of the Theotokos"). For other examples see Suicer's Thesaurus, theotokos, Pearson, Creed, Art. iii. notes l, m, n, o, and Routh, Reliq. Sacr. ii. p. 332.
[1215] "Chrysostom describing the flourishing state of the Church in Egypt in those times, says: Egypt welcomes and saves Him when a fugitive and plotted against, and receives a beginning as it were of its appropriation to Him, in order that when it shall hear Him proclaimed by the Apostles, it may in their day also be honoured as having been first to welcome Him'" (Cleopas).
[1216] Luke ii. 29, 30.
[1217] Mark i. 24.
[1218] See Cat. iv. 10, note 7.
[1219] The Bordeaux Pilgrim, who visited the Holy Places of Jerusalem, a.d. 333, c. speaks of this palm-tree as still existing. The longevity of the palm was proverbial: cf. Aristot. (De Longitudine Vitæ, c. iv. 2).
[1220] The same Pilgrim (as quoted by the Benedictine Editor) says, "There is also the rock where Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ." Compare Cat. xiii. 38.
[1221] See Index, Golgotha.
[1222] See the passage of the Introduction referred to in Index, Sepulchre.
[1223] See Cat. ii. 15, note 8, and xiii. 25, 34, 38. On the supernatural character of the darkness mentioned in the Gospels see Meyer, Commentary, Matt. xxvii. 45. An eclipse of the sun was of course impossible, as the moon was full. Mr. J. R. Hind (Historical Eclipses, "Times," 19th July, 1872) states that the solar eclipse, mentioned by Phlegon the freedman of Hadrian, which occurred on Nov. 24, a.d. 29, and was partial at Jerusalem, is "the only solar eclipse that could have been visible at Jerusalem during the period usually fixed for the ministry of Christ." He adds, "The Moon was eclipsed on the generally received date of the Crucifixion, 3 April, a.d. 33. I find she had emerged from the earth's dark shadow a quarter of an hour before she rose at Jerusalem (6:36 p.m.), but the penumbra continued upon her disc for an hour afterwards." Thus the "darkness from the sixth hour unto the ninth" cannot be explained as the natural effect of an eclipse either solar or lunar.
[1224] This clause is omitted in Codd. Mon. 1, 2, Roe, Casaub., and is probably repeated from the preceding line: such repetitions, however, are not uncommon in Cyril's style.
[1225] Ps. xxiv. 7. The first clause is mistranslated by the LXX. from whom Cyril quotes.
[1226] Acts v. 15.
[1227] Ib. xix. 12.
[1228] The persecution of the Christians in Persia by Sapor II. is described at length by Sozomen (E.H. II. cc. ix.-xv., in this Series). It commenced in a.d. 343, and was going on at the date of these Lectures and long after. "During fifty years the Cross lay prostrate in blood and ashes" (Dict. Bib. Sassanidæ'). Compare Neander, Church History, Tom. III. p 148, Bohn.)
[1229] The Goths here mentioned are the Gothi minores dwelling on the north of the Danube, where Ulfilas, "the Apostle of the Goths" (311-381), converted many of his countrymen to Christianity. After suffering severe persecution, he was allowed by the Constantius to take refuge with his Arian converts in Moesia and Thrace. This migration took place in 348 a.d., the same year in which Cyril's Lectures were delivered.
[1230] See Index, Exorcism.
[1231] Matt. v. 16.
Lecture XI.
On the Words, the Only-Begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father Very God Before All Ages, by Whom All Things Were Made.
Hebrews i. 1
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son.
1. That we have hope in Jesus Christ has been sufficiently shewn, according to our ability, in what we delivered to you yesterday. But we must not simply believe in Christ Jesus nor receive Him as one of the many who are improperly called Christs [1232] . For they were figurative Christs, but He is the true Christ; not having risen by advancement [1233] from among men to the Priesthood, but ever having the dignity of the Priesthood from the Father [1234] . And for this cause the Faith guarding us beforehand lest we should suppose Him to be one of the ordinary Christs, adds to the profession of the Faith, that we believe In One Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God.
2. And again on hearing of a "Son," think not of an adopted son but a Son by nature [1235] , an Only-begotten Son, having no brother. For this is the reason why He is called "Only-begotten," because in the dignity of the Godhead, and His generation from the Father, He has no brother. But we call Him the Son of God, not of ourselves, but because the Father Himself named Christ [1236] His Son [1237] : and a true name is that which is set by fathers upon their children [1238] .
3. Our Lord Jesus Christ erewhile became Man, but by the many He was unknown. Wishing, therefore, to teach that which was not known, He called together His disciples, and asked them, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am [1239] ? --not from vain-glory, but wishing to shew them the truth, lest dwelling with God, the Only-begotten of God [1240] , they should think lightly of Him as if He were some mere man. And when they answered that some said Elias, and some Jeremias, He said to them, They may be excused for not knowing, but ye, My Apostles, who in My name cleanse lepers, and cast out devils, and raise the dead, ought not to be ignorant of Him, through whom ye do these wondrous works. And when they all became silent (for the matter was too high for man to learn), Peter, the foremost of the Apostles and chief herald [1241] of the Church, neither aided by cunning invention, nor persuaded by human reasoning, but enlightened in his mind from the Father, says to Him, Thou art the Christ, not only so, but the Son of the living God. And there follows a blessing upon his speech (for in truth it was above man), and as a seal upon what he had said, that it was the Father who had revealed it to him. For the Saviour says, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but My Father which is in heaven [1242] . He therefore who acknowledges our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, partakes of this blessedness; but he who denies the Son of God is a poor and miserable man.
4. Again, I say, on hearing of a Son, understand it not merely in an improper sense, but as a Son in truth, a Son by nature, without beginning [1243] ; not as having come out of bondage into a higher state of adoption [1244] , but a Son eternally begotten by an inscrutable and incomprehensible generation. And in like manner on hearing of the First-born [1245] , think not that this is after the manner of men; for the first-born among men have other brothers also. And it is somewhere written, Israel is My son, My first-born [1246] . But Israel is, as Reuben was, a first-born son rejected: for Reuben went up to his father's couch; and Israel cast his Father's Son out of the vineyard, and crucified Him.
To others also the Scripture says, Ye are the sons of the Lord your God [1247] : and in another place, I have said, Ye are gods, and ye are all sons of the Most High [1248] . I have said, not, "I have begotten." They, when God so said, received the sonship, which before they had not: but He was not begotten to be other than He was before; but was begotten from the beginning Son of the Father, being above all beginning and all ages, Son of the Father, in all things like [1249] to Him who begat Him, eternal of a Father eternal, Life of Life begotten, and Light of Light, and Truth of Truth, and Wisdom of the Wise, and King of King, and God of God, and Power of Power [1250] .
5. If then thou hear the Gospel saying, The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham [1251] , understand "according to the flesh." For He is the Son of David at the end of the ages [1252] , but the Son of God Before All Ages, without beginning [1253] . The one, which before He had not, He received; but the other, which He hath, He hath eternally as begotten of the Father. Two fathers He hath: one, David, according to the flesh, and one, God, His Father in a Divine manner [1254] . As the Son of David, He is subject to time, and to handling, and to genealogical descent: but as Son according to the Godhead [1255] , He is subject neither to time nor to place, nor to genealogical descent: for His generation who shall declare [1256] ? God is a Spirit [1257] ; He who is a Spirit hath spiritually begotten, as being incorporeal, an inscrutable and incomprehensible generation. The Son Himself says of the Father, The Lord said unto Me, Thou art My Son, to-day have I begotten Thee [1258] . Now this to-day is not recent, but eternal: a timeless to-day, before all ages. From the womb, before the morning star, have I begotten Thee [1259] .
6. Believe thou therefore on Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, and a Son Only-Begotten, according to the Gospel which says, For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life [1260] . And again,He that believeth on the Son is not judged, but hath passed out of death into life [1261] . But he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him [1262] . And John testified concerning Him, saying, And we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the father,--full of grace and truth [1263] : at whom the devils trembled and said, Ah! what have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the living God [1264] .