Excerpts from commentaries on the prophets, Baruch, Ezekiel, and Daniel

Interpretations of St. Cyril of Alexandria on the Books of the Prophets Jeremiah, Baruch, Ezekiel, and Daniel have survived only in the form of fragments, the authenticity of which is difficult to establish. Many of them survive in catenas (later exegetical collections), where the names of the authors of the passages are sometimes confused. Contents Passages of interpretation on the prophet Jeremiah Passages of interpretation on the prophet Baruch Passages of interpretation on the prophet Ezekiel Passages of interpretation on the prophet Daniel Excerpts from the interpretation of the prophet Jeremiah Ch. III, 23. Truly the hills and many mountains were a lie, except through the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. He remembers the mountains and hills, because in those ancient times, on them, building churches and churches and erecting altars, they made sacrifices that were very pleasing to the demons. Art. 24. Our fathers have eaten up the labors from their youth 1 . Stud is called inglorious and very shameful idolatry, and the error contained in it, which destroyed the (fruits of) the labors of their fathers; for those who sacrificed to demons destroyed their sheep and their oxen and suffered moral damage along with their property, Ch. IV, art. 31, ch. V, art. 1. Woe, as my soul disappears over those killed. Walk in the ways of Jerusalem. Don’t you see here someone who suffers from grief for those killed and strongly desires mercy for Jerusalem, but seems to encounter an obstacle to this within himself and seems to be holding back divine mercy due to the enormity of sin; but still tries to find a basis for the forgiveness of sins and, for the sake of one, destroy the consequences of anger? For those who go around Jerusalem, he commanded to point out at least one faithful man in it. Art. 4. But I said: I am a wretched being, for this reason I could not do it, because I did not know the way of the Lord and the judgment of my God. He rightly expresses lamentation against those who among the Jews enjoyed advantages and were invested with the most sacred dignity. It was on them that he poured out his strongest anger. And Christ himself explains this, saying: woe to you, scribes and hypocrites, for you have traversed sea and dry land, creating one stranger: and when he is, you will create him as a son of Gehenna, worse than you (Matt. 23:15). Ch. VI, Art. 10. To whom shall I speak and testify? For they reviled the word of Christ, saying about Him to the listeners: He has a demon and is violent: why will you listen to him (John 10:20). Ch. VII, 17. Food, don’t you see what these people are doing in the cities of Judah? So they were punished according to a just sentence. For by rendering divine honors to the creatures and serving the works of their hands, they brought divine wrath upon their own heads. It is not without truth that the depths of the birds stretch out, according to what is written (Proverbs 1:17). Ch. VIII. Art. 9. Ashamed of wisdom. By wise here, apparently, he means the best Greek poets and historians. They have a beautiful and refined tongue and are refined to the point of grace in the subtleties of speech, but they have a heart that is not involved in true wisdom; for, as the wise Paul writes: they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened: as they say, to be wise, become fools, and so on (Rom. 1:21-22). So as far as sound and tongue are concerned, they are wise, but in the heart they are foolish; The wisdom of this world, the violence of God, is, according to what is written (1 Cor. 3:19). Ch. XI, 16. Blessed olive tree, red in the eye. For distance from God and complete deprivation of His grace and help makes a person’s soul unfit for anything; for it is terrible to fall into the hand of the living God (Heb. 10:31). Ch. XVI, 19. The Gentiles come to you. For although they have become self-willed and disobedient and having a mind full of foolishness; but through Christ they are saved and glorified. Their beginnings were the martyrs who achieved victorious rewards, the brilliance of whose glory illuminates the whole of heaven. Ch. XVII, 8. And it will be like a tree. For he does not exalt himself with wealth and, having renounced empty glory, does not raise his eyebrow high. For all this is nothing more than nothingness. The reliable guarantee of salvation is trust in Almighty God; pinning hope on anything else is vain and useless. Ch. ХVIII, 6. This is like clay... For what came from Him He transforms without any difficulty into whatever He pleases. Ch. XXIII, 29. The food of my words is not a burning fire, says the Lord, nor is it like the mass of a stone that burns away. Fire calls the gospel and saving sermon, or the very reception of the Holy Spirit, which is likened to fire. Therefore, the wise John the Baptist says this about the Savior of us all, Jesus Christ: I baptize you with water for repentance: but he who comes after me, who is mighty for me, is not worthy to bear the boots: he you baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). Therefore, Christ said correctly: fire came to burn on the earth, and whatever I want, even if it is already on fire (Luke 12:49). Ch. XXXIV, 16. And you have averted and profaned My covenant, to restore to each man his servant, and to each man his servant, and let them go free in their souls. Do you see how God does not tolerate disdain for images, but rather the truth itself, insulted as if in the shadows? Unrepentant for the gifts and calling of God (Rom. 11:29), according to what is written. But the Jews, returning to themselves and again subordinating the yoke of slavery to those who had once been set free, did not observe this impenitence - and thereby offended God, dishonoring the power of the sacrament, although it was in images. Because we are justified freely, by grace, without offering any ransom for life in Christ; but having not acquired the glory of freedom by ransom, we receive it from the goodness and love of the Lord. Ch. XLII, 15. 16. If you give your face to Egypt, and go down to live there, and the sword that you fear from his presence will be found in Egypt. When God persecutes, no one will save the one who is in danger; but wherever he is, he will meet with the manifestation of (divine) wrath. Ch. XLVI, 25. Behold I will visit against Ammon her son, and against Pharaoh, and against Egypt, and against her gods, and against her kings, and against Pharaoh, and against the people who trust. The explanation of these words of Cyril and Apollinaris is the same. Some by Ammon mean Alexandria, which in ancient times was called so, as it is said in (the book of) Nahum: are you better than Ammon, who lives in the rivers: the water is around him, the sea began with him, and the water took him away: and Ethiopia is his fortress, and Egypt, and there is no end to your flight: and Fud and Libyan were his helpers, and this one will go into exile (Nahum. 3, 8–9). But the real (which we are talking about now) circumstances are older than Alexandrov’s creation. So maybe there was a city there before Alexander and he restored it from the ruins. Some say that the Egyptians call Zeus Ammon, from whom the country is called Ammonian. He is called her son, as one who is numbered among the gods by her. For this is a hand-made image, which, they say, the Babylonians will take, and their other gods, which are mentioned. The words: against Pharaoh and against Egypt are in connection with the word: I will visit. Ch. XLIX, 14. Ambassadors to the languages ​​of the ambassador. Jeremiah called the taxation ambassadors, and Symmachus translated the word: embassy; but can be understood in the sense of: siege. The divine command convenes many nations against Idumea, and the movement caused by it is called ambassadors. For those who were moved by God to war stirred up each other, as Obadiah says (v. 1), for the neighboring nations attacked Idumea along with the Israelites. Turning to Idumea, he says: behold, I have made you known, “but being insignificant, you dreamed highly of yourself in the midst of sorrows, not knowing that you would be captured, although you, like an eagle, set your home high” (Jer. 49: 15-16). For this: and Idumea will be desolate and similar to the further words Obadiah said: and the house of Esau will be in reeds, and they will burn against them, and there will be no fire-bearer in the house of Esau 2. A similar saying: “not even a fire-bearer remained” is also used by secular writers about people who were ultimately exterminated. For a certain fire-bearer went ahead and cleared the troops before the battle, and there was a law that no one should make an enemy attack on him. Ch. LI, 9. The physicians of Babylon, and they were not healed. Jerusalem is called Babylon here because it tried to imitate it and was no different from the pagan country either in its ordinary way of life, or in disrespect for the law, or in non-recognition of the benefits of prophetic leadership. Excerpts from the interpretation of the prophet Baruch Ch. III, 8. As you endure forever, we are perishing forever. For created nature is always and at all times subject to corruption, and this is the measure of all created things. But Wisdom, having produced and arranged everything, remains, that is, invariably remains in the same state. And again, being here indicates to us the inviolability and strength of the existence and life of the highest Being, the words: we are perishing forever mean that we are at all times subject to decay due to the fact that we are created, because there is no doubt that everything born and passed from non-existence into existence is necessarily subject to corruption. Excerpts from the interpretation of the prophet Ezekiel Ch. I, 6. And four wings to one. For intelligent and higher powers always remain unchanged, are not inclined to anything shameful, but flow along the straight and blameless path of the life appropriate to them. Ch. VII, 16. And they will be like doves on the mountains. These are the blessed disciples; for they went around the whole universe, proclaiming the mystery of Christ and having it as a song and a lyre. Ch. XIV, 14. And if these three men be among her, Noah, and Daniel, and Job, they will be saved in their righteousness. Since I think that these words of the prophet should not be left without examination, we will try to explain why, when Noah, Job and Daniel had already died, probably Daniel himself had died, he says about them that they will be saved in their righteousness, even if the whole earth was corrupted, over which the death sentence was pronounced. It seems that he likens Noah to those who, by faith in God, please Him; Daniel - those who have wisdom and insight; finally, to Job - those who please Him with patience, of course, in everything that is worthy of praise. Ch. XVII, 22. And I will bring from the chosen ones the high cedar from above. He compares the Israelites with tall and very beautiful cedars, among whom blessed David was a chosen part and, as it were, a certain heart; God and the Father took from him and planted Emmanuel, who grew up to become a great cedar and accepted everyone under his shadow. Then the entire universe knew the power and authority of almighty God. For He humbled the luxurious tree and made the dry tree (that is, the church of the pagans), which withered under the dominion of the devil, capable of birth and growth. Ch. XX, 25. And I gave them commandments that were not good. As for spiritual knowledge, the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good (Rom. 7:12). As for the uselessness of works and service only in the shadows, the commandments are unkind and did not bring eternal life; for in the law no one will be justified according to what is written (Gal. 3:11). Ch. XXXIV, 3. Behold, eat milk. For those who demanded the tithes, firstfruits and thanksgivings established by the law and luxuriously enjoyed the gifts received from the people, had no concern for their salvation. Ch. XXXIV, 18. And is it not enough for you that you have grazed in good pasture? For the descendants of Levi, being versed in the law and using, as it were, a beautiful pasture and pleasant and clear water - the teaching of Moses, capable of sufficiently leading to the knowledge of the truth, in some way trampled the pasture and disturbed the water, offering a rough and material teaching and full of earthly uncleanness to those who, like sheep, followed them as rams. Art. 23. And I will raise up for them one shepherd... My servant David. It is not difficult to see that this says about Christ. For blessed Ezekiel prophesied while blessed David had already died and was lying in the tomb. God the Father gave the promise as something that would be fulfilled someday, and not as something that had already happened; for the promises refer to future, and not to past events. Excerpts from the interpretation of the prophet Daniel Ch. V, 2. And when Belshazzar drank, he said, as he partook of the wine, to bring the vessels of gold and silver, which Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought from the temple in Jerusalem, and let the king, and his nobles, and his concubines, and those who reclined around him, drink in them. This was nothing more than disdain for the glory of God and exaltation before the One who ruled the Israelites, as if He could not do anything useful to His people. VII, 10. And the books were opened. For when the Only Begotten (Son) appeared in a form similar to ours; Then the Father opened the books and freed those guilty of sins from judgment and gave those who courageously labored the opportunity to be inscribed in them and numbered among the heavenly choirs and, as it were, included in a memorial book. VII, 13. What does it mean: you will even reach the Old Day? Isn't this what we're talking about here? But to think so would be ignorant; because the Divine is not limited by place, but fills everything. So what does it mean: you will reach the Old Day? Obviously, the Son achieved the glory of the Father. And so that one could see this, He again said further: to him was given both honor and a kingdom. For He heard the Father saying: Sit at My right hand, until I will make Your enemies Your footstool (Psalm 109:1). In Slav. instead of them there is: ours. In Slav.: and you will not flee from the house of Esau. You might be interested in: