Catechesis XV
CA TECHESIS XV
On the Words: "And He Is to Come with Glory to Judge the Living and the Dead, of Whose Kingdom There Shall Be
No End"
"As I watched, thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne . ... As the visions during the night continued, I saw one like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven."l (1) We preach not one coming of Christ, but a second as well, far more glorious than the first. The first gave us a spectacle of His patience; the second wiIl bring with it the crown of the Kingdom of God. In general all things are twofold in our Lord Jesus Christ. His birth is twofold, one of God before the ages, and one of a virgin in the consummation of the ages. His descent is twofold, one lowly, "like the rain upon the fieece,"2 and a second, His manifest coming, which is yet to be. In His first coming He was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger; in His second He will be "robed in light as with a cloak."3 In His first coming He "endured a cross, despising shame";4 in His second He will come in glory, attended by a host of angels. We do not rest, therefore, in His first coming, but we look also for His second. Just as we said of His first coming: "Blessed is he who comes. in the name of the Lord,"5 so we shall repeat the same at His second
I Dan. 7.9, 13.
2 Cf. Ps. 71.6.
3 Ps. 103.2.
4 Reb. 12.2.
5 Matt. 21.9.
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coming, saying with the angels in adoration, as we meet our Master: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
The Savior will come this time, not to be judged, but to judge those who then judged Him. He who then was silent before His judges will remind those wicked men of their cruelty at the Cross, and say: "Such and such you did, and I was silent."6
Then He came by divine condescension, seeking to win men by His teaching; but this time they wiIl of necessity, whether they wiIl or no, submit to Him as King.
(2)' Of these two comings the Prophet Malachia says: "And suddenly there wiII come to the temple the Lord whom you seek";7 that is one coming. Of the second coming he says:
"And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like the refiner's fire, or like the fuller's lye. He wiIl sit refining and purifying."B In what immediately follows the Savior Himself says: "I will draw near to you for judgment, and I wiIl be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers."9 It was with this in view that Paul says in due warning: "But if anyone builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, strawthe work of each will be made manifest, for the day of the Lord will declare it, since the day is to be revealed in fire."lO
Paul indicates these two comings also in writing to Titus in these words: "The grace of God our Savior has appeared to all men, instructing us, in order that, rejecting ungodliness and worldly lusts, we may live temperately and justly and piously in this world; looking for the blessed hope and glorious coming of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."ll Do you see how he speaks of a first coming, for which he gives thanks,
6 Cf. Ps. 49.21.
7 Mal. 3.1.
8 Ibid. 1-3.
9 Ibid. 5.
10 I Cor. 3.Il, 12.
II Titus 2.Il-13.
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and of a second we are to look for? We find the same lesson in the wording of the Creed we profess, as delivered to us, that is, to believe in Him who "ascended into heaven and sat down on the right of the Father, and is to come in glory to judge living and dead, of whose kingdom there will be no end."12
(3) Our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, is to come from heaven, and to come with glory at the end of this world, on the last day. For an end of this world there will be; this created world will be made new again. Corruption, theft, adultery and sins of every kind have flooded the earth, and bloodshed has been paid with blood; so to prevent this wondrous dwelling place from continuing forever filled with iniquity, this world is to pass away, to make room for a fairer world. You want proof of this from Scripture? Hearken to Isaia: "The heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll, and all their hosts shall wither away as the leaf on the vine, or as the fig withers on the fig tree."13 And the Gospel says: "The sun shall be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from heaven."14 Let us not grieve as though we alone were to die, for the stars also will die; but perhaps they will rise again. The Lord shall fold up the heavens, not to destroy them, but to raise them up more beautiful. Listen to David the Prophet: "Of old you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They shall perish but you remain."15 But someone will say:
"Behold, he says plainly that 'they shall perish.''' Ah, but hear in what sense he says, "they shall perish"; it is clear from what follows: "though all of them grow old like a garment. Like clothing you change them, and they are changed."16
For just as man is said to perish, according to the text: "The 12 The Creed was given in Cat. 5.12, but evidently the part of the Creed being explained was repeated by Cyril and his hearers in turn.
13 Isa. 34.4.
14 Matt. 24.29.
15 Ps. 101.26, 27.
16 Ibid. 27, 28.
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just perishes, and no one takes it to heart,"17 and this is said, though the resurrection is expected, so we look for a "resurrection" of the heavens. "The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood."18 Let the converts from the Manichaeans be instructed and no longer make these luminaries their gods, nor impiously think that this sun which is darkened is Christ. Listen to the Lord's words: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away";19 for the Master's creatures are less precious than His words.
(4) The things that are seen, therefore, will pass away, and there shall come the things to be looked for, a fairer world. "It is not for you," He says, "to know the times or dates which the Father has fixed by his own authority."20
Essay not to declare when these things shall be, nor yet supinely slumber. For He says: "Watch, therefore, because at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."21 But since looking for Christ we need to know the signs of the consummation, to save us from deception, destruction and delusion by the false Antichrist, the Apostle, divinely inspired, came by God's dispensation to the True Teacher and said:
" 'Tell us, when are these things to come, and what will be the sign of thy coming and the end of the world?'22 We look for You to come again; but 'Satan disguises himself as an angel of light: "23 Keep us, therefore, from worshipping another than You. He, opening His divine and blessed lips, says: "Take care that no one leads you astray:'24 You also, my hearers, seeing Him now with the eyes of the mind, listen to Him repeating the same words to you: "Take care that no one leads you astray." This saying counsels you to pay heed to our
17 Isa.57.1.
18 Joel 3.4.
19 Matt. 24.35.
20 Acts 1.7.
21 Matt. 24.42. 44.
22 Ibid. 3.
23 2 Cor. 11.14.
24 Matt. 24.4.
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words. For it is not a history of what is past, but a prophecy of the future, and what will surely come to pass. Not that we prophesy, for we are unworthy, but we bring before you what is written and we declare the signs. Observe how much of the prophecy has come true, how much still remains, and put yourself on guard.
(5)- "Take care that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray."25 These words have been fulfilled in part. For already Simon Magus made this claim; Menander too, and other impious heresiarchs.26 Yet others will make the same claim in our time, and after us.
(6) A second sign: "For you shall hear of wars and the rumors of wars."27 Are not the Persians and Romans warring for Mesopotamia right now? Does nation rise against nation, or kingdom against kingdom,28 or not? "And there will be pestilences and famines and earthquakes in various places."29
These calamities have already come to pass. Again: "And terrors from heaven, and great storms."30 "Watch, therefore,"
He says, "for you do not know at what hour your Lord is to come."3l (7) But we seek our own sign of His coming. We who are of the Church seek the Church's sign. The Savior says: "And then many will fall away, and will betray one another, and will hate one another."32 If you should hear of bishops in conflict with bishops, clergy against clergy, and flock against 25 Ibid. 4, 5.
26 Simon Magus claimed at different times to be Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Cat. 6.14). According to Irenaeus (Adv. haer. 1.23.5) Menander claimed to be the savior sent for the salvation of men.
27 Matt. 24.6.
28 After the death of Constantine there was a series of wars between the Persians and the Romans for the possession of Mesopotamia.
29 Matt. 24.7. Jerome in his Chronica testifies to the occurrence of these calamities in the first half of the fourth century.
30 Cf. Luke 21.11.
31 Matt. 24.42.
32 Ibid. 10.
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flock even unto blood, do not be troubled.33 It has been prophesied. Fix your attention, not on the events themselves, but on the fact that they have been foretold. Even if I who teach you should be lost, you must not perish along with me.
It is quite possible for a disciple to surpass his master, for the last to become the first, for the Master receives those who come even at the eleventh hour. If treason was found among the Apostles, do you wonder if hatred of the brethren is found even among bishops? But this sign concerns not only the rulers but also the flock. For He says: "And because iniquity will abound, the charity of the many will grow cold."34
Will anyone present boast that he has a sincere friendship for his neighbor? Is it not true that often the lips kiss, the countenance smiles, the eyes are cheerful, while the malicious heart is plotting guile with smooth words?
(8), You have this sign also, "The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for a witness to all the nations; and then will come the end."35 As we see, nearly the whole world is now filled with the doctrine of Christ.
(9) What is to come to pass next? "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place-let him who reads understand." Again: "Then if anyone say to you, 'Behold here is the Christ,' or 'There he is,' do not believe it."36
Fraternal hatred is followed by the Antichrist. For the devil prepared divisions among the people to bring about a favorable reception when the Antichrist comes. God forbid that any of Christ's servants, here or elsewhere, should side with the enemy. Writing of this, the Apostle Paul has given a 33 The conflict between bishops centered perhaps on the opposition of Athanasius and his followers, and those opposed to him. The factions accused each other in turn of Arianism or Sabellianism.
34 Matt. 24.12.
35 Ibid. 14. The pilgrims coming to Jerusalem from near and far would give the impression to the inhabitants that the Christian faith had been spread through the known world. (Cf. also Cat. 8.27 and Cat.
10.16.) 36 The two quotations: Matt. 24.15, 23.
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manifest sign: "For the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits in the temple of God and gives himself out as if he were God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things? And now you know what restrains him, that he may be revealed in his proper time. For the mystery of iniquity is already at work; provided only that he who is at present restraining it, does still restrain, until he is gotten out of the way. And then the wicked one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and will destroy with the brightness of his coming. And his coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all wicked deception to those who are perishing."37 These are Paul's words. The apostasy has come, for men have forsaken the true faith.as While some preach the identity of the Son with the Father, others dare to say that Christ was brought into being from nonbeing.39 While formerly heretics were manifest, the Church is now filled with secret heretics. Men have fallen away from the truth and have itching ears. Is the discourse charming?
All listen to it gladly. Does it aim at amendment? All turn aside. Many have forsaken sound doctrine; they choose the evil rather than prefer the good. The apostasy is at hand, therefore, and the Enemy's coming is to be looked for; already to some extent he has begun to send his precursors; now he has only to swoop upon his prey. So stand upon your defense, and guard your soul. The Church now charges you before the living God; before the event it briefs you about the Antichrist. Whether all this will come to pass in your time, we do
37 2 Thess. 2.3·10.
38 In speaking of the apostasy here and below, Cyril has in mind defec· tion from the true faith, not the advent of the Antichrist or the collapse of the Roman Empire.
39 The two heresies referred to are Sabellianism and Arianism.
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not know. But it is good to be aware of these events and to be on your guard.
(10) The True Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, comes no more from the earth. If somebody should come with vain show in the desert, do not go out. If they say: "Lo, here is
Christ, 10, there," do not believe them. No more look downwards or to the earth; for it is from heaven that the Lord is to come; not alone, as before, but with a countless host of angels in His train; not secretly, like rain upon the fleece, but like blazing lightning. For He Himself has said: "As lightning comes forth from the east and shines even to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."4o Again: "And they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty. And he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet."41
(II)' When the Incarnation was at hand and God's birth from a virgin was expected, the devil created prejudice against the holy mystery by the crafty invention among idol worshippers of fables in which gods begot and were begotten of women; thus, he felt that the truth, coming after the false, would win no credence. So, too, when the second coming of the True Christ is imminent, the adversary will take advantage of the simple, and especially of those of the circumcision, by advancing a mysterious wizard, highly skilled in the guileful craft of sorceries and enchantments; he will seize the power of the Roman Empire and falsely call himself Christ. By this title he will deceive the Jews, who await the Messiah, and by his magical illusions he will lead astray the Gentiles as well.
(12) The Antichrist is to come when the termination of the Roman Empire and the end of the world are imminent.42
40 Matt. 24.27.
41 Ibid. 30, 31.
42 It was a common opinion that the Roman Empire was the fourth kingdom of Daniel (7.23), as Cyril indicates in the next chapter, and that it would last to the coming of the Antichrist and the end of the world.
CATECHESIS XV
Ten kings of the Romans will rise up together, ruling in different places perhaps, but at the same time. Following these an eleventh, the Antichrist, seizing the Roman power by his magical arts, will humble three of the kings before him, while reducing to subjection the remaining seven. At first, posing as a learned and prudent man, he will pretend to be moderate and benevolent; he will take in the Jews as their hoped-for Messiah by deceitful signs and wonders of his magical craft; afterwards he will be so marked by the variety of his cruel and lawless crimes as to surpass all the workers of injustice and impiety before him; he will display against all men, but especially against us Christians, a sanguinary, relentless, merciless, and crafty spirit. After three and a half years of such wickedness he will be destroyed by the glorious descent of the Only-begotten Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus, the True Christ; He will slay the Antichrist with the breath of His mouth, and consign him to the fire of Gehenna.
(13) Our teaching is no invention on our part, but derived from the Sacred Scriptures, particularly from the prophecy of Daniel just read; the Archangel Gabriel has interpreted it thus: "The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be greater than all the kingdoms."43 According to the traditional interpretation of the Fathers, this is the kingdom of the Romans. The first famous kingdom was the Assyrian, the second that of the Medes and the Persians; next came the kingdom of the Macedonians; the fourth is the present kingdom of the Romans. Subsequently, by way of interpretation Gabriel says: "The ten horns shall be ten kings rising out of that kingdom; another shall rise up after them, who shall surpass all those before him in wickedness"44 (not only these ten, he says, but all who were before him). "And he shall lay low three kings";45 clearly he refers to the ten
43 Cf. Dan. 7.23.
44 Cf. ibid. 24.
45 Cf. ibid.
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former kings, and, dethroning three of them, he will doubtless rule with the remaining seven. "He shall speak against the Most High,"46 Gabriel says; he is a blasphemer and a transgressor of the law, who has not received the kingdom from his fathers but has seized the power by his magical arts.
(14) Can we identify this character or his deeds? Be our interpreter, 0 Paul. "And his coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders";47 this means that Satan will use him as his personal instrument. Realizing that his own condemnation will be no longer deferred, he will no longer wage war through his ministers in his usual way, but now openly, in person. "With all signs and lying wonders"; for the father of falsehood will display his lying works and cheating fancies, to make the people think they see a dead man raised, when he is not raised, and the lame walking, and the blind receiving sight, when there have been no such cures.
(15) Again Paul says: "Who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God, or that is worshipped" (that is, above every god; Antichrist, then, is to abhor idols)" "so that he sits in the temple of God."48 What temple? He means the ruined temple of the Jews, already destroyed. God forbid that it be the one in which we arel Not with the idea of favoring ourselves do we say this. For if he is to come as Christ to the Jews, and wants their worship, with a view to deceiving them further, he will manifest the greatest zeal for the temple; he will create the impression that he is the descendent of David who is to restore the temple of Solomon. Antichrist will come when in the temple of the Jews not a stone upon a stone will be left, as our Savior foretold.49 For when the decay of time, or demolition with a view to rebuilding, or other causes
46 Ibid. 25.
47 2 Thess. 2.9.
48 Ibid. 4.
49 Cyril seems to believe that the Antichrist and the end of the world would follow the total destruction of the temple as prophesied by Christ (Matt. 24.2).
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have overthrown all the stones both of the outer circuit and the inner shrine of the Cherubim, the Antichrist will appear amid all signs and lying wonders, lifting himself up against all idols; in the beginning he will pretend to be kindly, but afterwards he will display a cruel spirit against the saints of God. For Daniel says: "As I watched, that horn made war against the holy ones";50 and elsewhere: "It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time."51
He is the terrible beast, a mighty dragon, unconquerable by man, ready to devour; we have more from the Sacred Scriptures to narrate concerning him, but we shall observe due measure and content ourselves for the time with what we have said.
(16) The Lord, realizing the might of the adversary, grants indulgence to the devout saying: "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."52 But let the man who is confident that he can resist Satan take his stand (for I do not despair of the sinews of the Church) and say: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"53 Let the timid among us secure their safety, but let the courageous take a bold stand.
"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will be."54 Thanks be to God, who has confined the severe tribulation to a few days, for He says: "But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened."55 The Antichrist will reign but three and a half years; this assertion rests, not on apocrypal books, but on Daniel, who says: "And they shall be delivered into his hands until a time, and times, and half a time."56 A "time" is the one year in which the Antichrist's
50 Dan. 7.21.
51 Dan. 12.1.
52 Matt. 24.16.
53 Rom. 8.35.
54 Matt. 24.31.
55 Ibid. 22.
56 Dan. 7.25 (Douay). When Cyril mentions apocryphal books as opposed to Daniel, some see a reference to the Apocalypse, which Cyril did not include in his canon.
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power will increase; but "times" signify two more years of iniquity, making a total of three years; and the "half a time" is six months. Elsewhere Daniel repeats the same words: "And he swore by him that lives forever, that it should be for a time, and times, and half a time."57 Some may have interpreted in the same sense the following: "There shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days,"58 and also the words: "Blessed is the man who has patience and perseverance until the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days."59 It may be necessary, therefore, to hide and flee; for perhaps we "will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."60
(17) What blessed men will then bear devout witness to Christ? I maintain that the martyrs of that time will surpass all martyrs. Previous martyrs would have wrestled with men only, but they will engage with Satan personally in the time of the Antichrist. Kings in former persecutions merely put men to death; they did not pretend to raise the dead or display apparent signs and marvels. But in this time the seduction of terror and deceit will be such "as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."61 Let no one then alive entertain the thought:
"What more did Christ do? By what power does this man work these wonders? Unless God so willed, He would not have permitted them." The Apostle warns you beforehand: "Therefore God sends them a misleading influence,"62 ("sends," that is, allows to happen,) not to give them an excuse, but for their condemnation. Why? "Who have not believed the truth," that is, in the true Christ, "but have consented to iniquity,"63 that is, to the Antichrist. But in the various per57 Cf. Dan. 12.7.
58 Ibid. 11. 5t. HippoIytus and others have interpreted the 1290 days as the extent of the reign of the Antichrist.
59 Ibid. 12.
60 Matt. 10.23.
61 Matt. 24.24.
62 2 Thess. 2.11.
63 Cf. ibid. 10.
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secutions that arise God permits and will even then permit such happenings, not because He cannot prevent them, but as is His wont, He crowns His champions through suffering, as He crowned His Prophets and Apostles; thus toiling for a short time they inherit the eternal kingdom of heaven, according to the words of Daniel: "At that time all your people shall be saved, everyone who is found written in the book."
(Clearly the book of life is meant.) "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.
But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament; and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever."64
(18), Be on your guard, therefore; you know the signs of the Antichrist; do not keep them to yourself but share them generously with all. If you have a natural son admonish him now; if you have begotten one by catechizing,65 put him also on guard against accepting the false Christ as the true. "For the mystery of iniquity is already at work."66 I fear the wars of the nations, I fear the schisms of the Churches, I fear the mutual hatred of the brethren. But enough on these evils;
God forbid that they be brought to pass in our days; yet let us be wary. So much for the Antichrist.
(19), Let us look hopefully for the Lord's coming upon the clouds of heaven. The angelic trumpets will then be sounded; the dead in Christ shall rise first; the living faithful shall be taken up in the clouds, receiving more than human honor as the reward of their superhuman efforts; thus the Apostle writes: "For the Lord Himself with cry of command, with voice of archangel, and with trumpet of God will descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ will rise up first. Then we who live, who survive, shall be caught up together with 64 Dan. 12.2, 3.
65 It is clear that some of the baptized faithful were present at Cyril's lectures. There were catechists deputed in the various churches.
66 2 Thess. 2.7.
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them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall ever be with the Lord."67
(20) Ecclesiastes knew of the Lord's coming at the end of the world when he said: "Rejoice, 0 young man, while you are young";68 and subsequently: "Ward off grief from your heart, and put away trouble from your presence; remember your Creator, before the evil days come, before the sun is darkened, and the light, and the moon, and the stars; and they who look through the windows grow blind" (this signifies the power of sight); "before the silver cord is snapped"
(he means the cluster of the stars, silvery in appearance),; "and the golden fillet shrinks back" (here is indicated the sun with its golden aspect, for the fillet-like flower [the anthemis] is a well-known plant, with ray-like shoots of foliage circling it); "and they shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and they shall see from the height, and terrors shall be in the way."69 What shall they see? "Then they will see the Son of man coming upon clouds of heaven"7o and they will mourn, tribe by tribe. What happens when the Lord comes? "The almond tree will bloom, and the locust will grow sluggish and the caper berry will be scattered abroad."71 According to the interpreters the blooming of the almond tree signifies the passing of winter; our bodies, after the winter, then, are to flourish with a heavenly bloom.72 "And the locust will grow sluggish," signifies the winged soul clothing itself with the body; "and the caper berry will be scattered abroad"; this suggests that the wicked, like thorns, will be scattered.
(21) You see how all proclaim the coming of the Lord; you see how they know the voice of the sparrow. Let us learn the nature of this voice. "For the Lord Himself with cry of 67 I Thess. 4.16-17.
68 Eccles. 11.9.
69 Cf. Eccles. 11.l0; 12.1-6.
70 Matt. 24.30.
71 Cf. Eccles. 12.5.
72 Cyril seems to believe that the general resurrection will take place in the spring.
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command, with voice of archangel, and with trumpet of God will descend from heaven."73 An Archangel will utter a proclamation, saying to all: "Rise to meet the Lord." Awesome indeed will be that descent of the Master. David says: "God shall come manifestly: our God shall come, and shall not keep
,silence. A fire shall burn before him: and a mighty tempest shall be round about him."74 According to the Scripture just read, the son of Man will come to the Father,75 in the clouds of heaven, trailing a stream of fire, which shall try men. A man whose works are golden shall be made more splendid; if a man's actions have been unsubstantial like stubble, he shall be burned by fire. The Father sits, having "his clothing snow white, and the hair on his head as white as wool."76
This is said after the manner of men. Why? Because He is King of those undefiled by sins. For He says: "I shall make your sins as white as snow and as wool,"77 signifying forgiveness of sins, or actual sinlessness. The Lord who ascended on clouds will come from heaven on clouds. For He has said: "And they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty."78
(22)' But what is the sign of His coming-to prevent a hostile power from daring to imitate it? "And then will appear," He says, "the sign of the Son of Man in heaven."79
73 I Thess. 4.16.
74 Ps.49.3 (Douay).
75 Since Cyril is here speaking of the coming of our Lord from heaven. the expression "will come to the Father" is unsettling, since "from the Father" would appear to be what is meant. But, as he states,
Cyril has in mind the Biblical reading that preceded this Lenten Lecture, and there (Dan. 7.13) the "son of man" is described as having come to "the ancient of days" "on the clouds of heaven."
Cyril's concern appears to be with the image rather than the direction of movement. Perhaps also, by way of parallel with the coptext in Daniel (d. 7.14), there is the suggestion that Christ comes to the Father first to receive the commission to judge all men.
76 Cf. Dan. 7.9.
77 Cf. Isa. 1.18.
78 Matt. 24,30.
79 Ibid. Cf. Letter to Constantius 4 and 6, where Cyril records an appearance of a luminous cross at Jerusalem and predicts it will be seen again at the second coming of Christ.
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The true sign, Christ's own, is the Cross. A sign of a luminous cross precedes the King, showing Him who was formerly crucified; and so the Jews, who before had pierced Him and plotted against Him, on seeing it, will mourn tribe by tribe, saying: "This is He who was struck with blows, this is He whose face they spat upon, this is He whom they fastened with bonds; this is He whom of old they crucified and held in derision. Where," they will say, "shall we flee from the face of Your wrath?" Surrounded by the angelic hosts, they can never escape. The sign of the Cross will terrify His foes but will give joy to His faithful friends, who have heralded Him or suffered for Him. How blessed the man who will then be found a friend of Christl That great and glorious King, attended by angels and sharing His Father's throne, will not despise His faithful servants. To prevent His elect from being confused with His enemies, "He will send forth his angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds."80 He did not despise one man, Lot; how then will He despise the multitude of the just? "Come, blessed of my Father,"81 He will say to those who will then ride upon chariots of clouds and be gathered together by angels.
(23) But someone present will say: "I am poor," or "I may be sick in bed at the time," or "I shall be taken, a woman in the mill"; "Shall we be overlooked?" Take heart; the Judge is no respecter of persons. "Not by appearance shall he judge nor by hearsay shall he decide."82 He does not esteem the learned above the simple, nor the rich above the poor. Though you be in the fields the angels will take you. Do not think that He will take the lords of the land but will leave you, the husbandman. Though you be a slave, though you be poor, have no anxiety; He who took the form of a servant will not despise servants. Though you lie sick in bed, it is written: then "there will be two on one bed; one will be taken, and 80 Ibid. 31.
81 Matt. 25.34.
82 Cf. Isa. 11.3.
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the other will be left."83 Though you be forced to grind in the mill, man or woman, though you be in bonds and attached to the mill, yet He "who leads forth those bound in strength,"84 will not overlook yoU.85 He brought Joseph out of bondage and prison to a kingdom; He will redeem you too from your afHictions and lead you into the kingdom of heaven. Only take courage, toil and strive zealously, for nothing will be lost. Every prayer you make, every psalm you sing is recorded; every alms, every fast is recorded, every lawful marriage as well as continence for God's sake, is recorded. First in the lists are the crowns for virginity and purity, and you shall shine as an angel. You have listened gladly to the good; listen patiently now to the opposite. Your every act of covetousness is recorded, and every act of fornication; every false oath is recorded, every blasphemy, sorcery, theft and murder.
All these are henceforth recorded, if after Baptism you commit the same faults; for what went before is blotted out.
(24) "But when the Son of Man," He says, "shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him."86 Just imagine before how many witnesses you will come to judgment. The whole human race will then be present. Consider the magnitude of the Roman Empire; consider how many barbarian tribes are now in existence, and how many have disappeared in the last hundred years; reckon the number buried in the last thousand years; compute the total number of men from Adam to the present day. It is a huge multitude but smaller in number than the angels. The ninety-nine sheep and the one constitute the ratio of angels to men.87 For we must calculate their number according to the total extent of space.
83 Luke 17.34.
84 Cf. Ps. 67.7.
85 Cyril, like so many saints befOl'e and after him, thought he saw at hand the signs of the end of the world and the second coming of Christ. He speaks as though some of his hearers might be alive at the second coming.
86 Matt. 25.31.
87 Where Cyril got the idea that space is crowded with angels is not clear-possibly from Origen ..
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The entire earth may be compared to a point in the middle of one heaven; the multitude dwelling in this vast encircling heaven must be enormous. The numbers in the heaven of heavens are beyond all reckoning. Indeed it is written: "Thousands of thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him";88 the multitude is not exactly expressed, because the prophet could not express a larger number. Present then at the judgment will be God, the Father of all, Jesus Christ sitting with Him, present too, the Holy
Spirit. The angelic trumpet will summon us all, bringing our deeds with us. Ought we not henceforth be touched with anxiety? Consider the added penalty, apart from punishment, of being condemned in the presence of so many. Should we not prefer to die many times over than to be condemned by friends?
(25) Let us be fearful, my dear brethren, of God's condemnation. He needs no examination or proofs for condemnation. Do not say: "At night I committed fornication," or "I made use of magical arts," or "I committed a certain other deed, and there was no man at hand." From your own conscience you will be judged, as your conflicting thoughts accuse or defend you, "on the day when God will judge the hidden secrets of men."89 The awe-inspiring countenance of the Judge will compel you to speak the truth, or rather, though you are silent, it will convict you. For you will rise clothed in your sins or your just deeds. The Judge Himself declared this.
(For it is Christ who judges. "For neither does the Father judge any man, but all judgment he has given to the Son";90 the Father does not deprive Himself of His power, but judges through the Son. Therefore by the will of the Father the Son judges; for the wills of the Father and the Son are not different, but one and the same.) What, then, does the Judge say about your bearing or not bearing your deeds? "And before 88 Dan. 7.10.
89 Rom. 2.15, 16.
90 John 5.22.
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him will be gathered all the nations."91 In the presence of Christ "every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth."92 "And he will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."93 How does the shepherd do this? Does he seek from a book which is a sheep and which a goat? or does he decide from the evident facts? Does not the wool manifest the sheep, and the hairy and rough skin the goat? So with you too, once you have been cleansed of your sins, your deeds will be as pure wool, your robe unstained, and you will say always:
"I have taken off my robe, how shall I put it on?"94 By your vesture you will be recognized as a sheep. But if you shall be found hairy, like Esau, who was shaggy of body and wicked of mind, who lost his birthright for food, and sold his prerogative, you will be among those on the left hand. God forbid that anyone present fall from grace, or because of evil deeds be found in the ranks of sinners on the left hand!
(26) The judgment will be awesome, the sentence an occasion for dread. The kingdom of heaven lies before us, everlasting fire has been prepared. Some one will ask, how can we escape the fire, how can we enter into the kingdom? "I was hungry," He says, "and you gave me to eat."95 Learn the way now; have done with allegory and fulfill what is said. "I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to see me."96 If these words describe your conduct, you will reign with Him; if not, you will be condemned.
Therefore begin now to act thus; persevere in the faith; avoid being shut out like the foolish virgins, who delayed to buy oil. It is not enough that you have the lamp, you must keep
91 Matt. 24.32.
92 Phil. 2.10.
93 Matt. 25.32.
94 Cant. 5.3.
95 Matt. 25.35.
96 Ibid. 35, 36.
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it burning. Let the light of your good deeds shine before men; let not Christ be blasphemed because of you. Put on an incorruptible garment, bright with good works. Administer well any stewardship entrusted to you by God. Have you been granted riches? Then dispense them rightly. Has the task of teaching been committed to you? Carry it out zealously.
Many are the portals of good stewardship. Only let none of us be condemned and cast out, but rather may we with confidence meet Christ the eternal King, who reigns forever. For He reigns forever, who judges living and dead, having died for the living and the dead. As Paul says: "For to this end Christ died and rose again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living."97
(27) If you hear anyone say that the kingdom of Christ will have an end, abhor this assertion as heresy. It is another head of the dragon, which sprang up recently in Galatia.98
A certain reckless fellow maintained that after the end of the world Christ will reign no longer. He added that the Word, which issued from the Father, will be resolved again into the Father, and will exist no more-uttering such blasphemies to his own destruction. For he paid no heed to the Lord's words: "The Son abides forever."99 He did not hearken to Gabriel, who said: "He shall be king over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end."lOO Consider whether you would rather believe the Archangel Gabriel, who taught that our Savior will abide forever, or the heretics who teach the contrary.
Gabriel, of course. Listen to the apt testimony of Daniel: "As the visions during the night continued, I saw one like a son of man coming in the clouds of heaven; when he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, he received dominion, glory and kingship; nations and peoples of every
97 Rom. 14.9.
98 The reference is to Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra in Galatia.
99 John 8.35.
100 Luke 1.32, 33.
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language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed."101 Hold fast to these truths and believe them, and cast aside all heresy. For you have been given clear proof that the kingdom of Christ will never end.
(28) The stone hewn without hands from the mountainthis is Christ according to the flesh-carries a similar interpretation. "And his kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people."102 And David says: "Your throne, 0 God, stands forever and ever";103 and elsewhere: "Of old you established the earth," and subsequently: "They shall perish, but you remain," and then: "But you are the same and your years have no end";104 these words Paul has interpreted as referring to the Son.105
(29) Learn how they who teach heresy came to such madness. They read wrongly the words of the Apostle: "For he must reign, until he has put all his enemies under his feet";106 they say that when His enemies have been put under His feet He will reign no longer, a foolish and perverse assertion.
For surely He who is King before He has subdued His enemies will be King after He has overcome them.
(30), They have recklessly asserted also that the text, "When all things are made subject to him, then the Son himself will also be made subject to him who subjected all things to him,"107 signifies that the Son is to be absorbed into the Father. Tell me, you most impious men, will you, the creatures of Christ, endure, but Christ, through whom you and all things were made, perish? This would be downright blasphemy. Again, how will all things be subject to Him? By 101 Dan. 7.13,14 (Sept.).
102 Cf. Dan. 2.44.
103 Ps. 44.7.
104 Ps. 10l.26·28.
105 Cf. Reb. l.8·12.
106 I Cor. 15.25. In what follows Cyril explains the source of Marcellus' error, as he conceives it.
107 Ibid. 28.
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perishing or enduring? Or will all else that is subject to the Son abide, but the Son, subject to the Father, not abide? He will be subject, not as though beginning to obey the Father
(for from alI eternity "he does always the things that please him"108), but because then too He will tender not a forced obedience, but a self-chosen conformity. For He is not a servant subject to necessity, but a Son, obeying from choice and affection.
(31) Let us ask the heretics the meaning of "until," or "as far as." For with these words I shall engage them at close quarters and attempt to refute their error. They have dared to assert that the text, "Until he has put alI his enemies under his feet," signifies His end; they would limit His eternal kingdom and literally terminate his never-ending dominion. Let us further consider similar phrases in the Apostle. For example: "Yet death reigned from Adam until
Moses."109 Are we to believe that men up to Moses died, but none thereafter? or that after the Law there was death no longer among men? You see that the word "until" does not denote a limit of time; rather Paul has shown clearly that though Moses was a just and admirable man, nevertheless the sentence of death pronounced against Adam affected him also and those who came after him, even though they had not committed sins like Adam's disobedience in eating of the tree.
(32) Consider another similar text: "Down to this day, when Moses is read, the veil covers their hearts."llo Does "down to this day" mean until Paul only? Is it not until this present day and unto the end? If Paul can say to the Corinthians:
"Since we reached as far as you with the gospel of Christ, but we hope, as your faith increases, to preach the gospel in places that lie beyond you,"lll you see clearly that "as far as"
108 Cf. John 8.29.
109 Rom. 5.14.
110 Cf. 2 Cor. 3.14.
III 2 Cor. 10.14, 15.
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does not denote the end, but has something following it.
How then should you take the text, "Until he has put his enemies"? Just as Paul in another place says: "But exhort one another every day, while it is still Today,"112 that is, con· tinually. For just as one should not speak of the beginning of the days of Christ, so suffer no one at any time to speak of the end of His kingdom. For it is written: "His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom."113
(33) I have more testimonies from the Sacred Scriptures about the everlasting kingdom of Christ, but I shall be content with what I have advanced, since it is late. Worship
Christ only as King, my dear brethren, and shun all error of heresy. With God's grace you will get an explanation of the remaining articles of the faith in good time. May the God of all protect you all, ever mindful of the signs of the consummation, and unvanquished by the Antichrist. You have heard the signs of the impostor to come; you have received the proofs of the True Christ, who will come down openly from heaven. Therefore shun him who is false, and look for Him, who is the True. You have been taught the way, how in the judgment you may be found among those on the right hand. Guard what has been committeed to you concerning
Christ, and be conspicuous for good works; thus you will stand confidently before your Judge and inherit the kingdom of heaven: through whom and with whom be glory to God with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
112 Reb. 3.13.
113 Dan. 3.100.