SUPPLEMENT TO VOLUME I OF THE PARIS EDITION OF THE YEAR MDCXXXVIII. FRAGMENTS FROM THE COMMENTARIES OF SAINT CYRIL ON THE BOOKS OF KINGS, FROM THE VENETIAN CODEX
BOOK I
VII, 9. *And Samuel took a sucking lamb.* A Of Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria. Do you see how he made [Samuel] both a mediator and a dispenser of salvation, [pointing to] Christ? And how, by opposing the mystery of this [lamb], as an invincible armor, to the incursion of the foreigners, he saved Israel? For he sacrificed a sucking lamb as a type of Christ, who long ago cried out through the voice of the prophets: "I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter, and I knew it not." Observe, moreover, how the power of the sacrifice rendered the Father more ready to bring aid to those in distress. For He thundered against the enemy with a great and terrible noise, and to those who had brought the victim, He granted salvation in place of a reward; and this was the type of the mystery consummated in Christ.
VIII, 5. *And now set a king over us.* B Of Cyril. Israel refused to be governed any longer by God through the prophets, and demanded a human king. From this it came about that they also departed from the Law later on: for
A Solomon was the first to worship the Baalim; after him Jeroboam set up the heifers to be worshipped.
And the Lord said to Samuel: Hear the voice of them, etc.
Cyril. When matters proceeded well for them, and they were enjoying a most excellent state of public affairs, the wretched men devised bitter things against themselves. For, shaking off as it were the yoke of the kingdom under God, they approached the blessed Samuel, B saying: “Set up a king over us to judge us,” and the rest. Then, although the blessed Samuel explained to them the rights of a king, and filled them with many great fears, and very urgently turned them away from such rotten and impious designs, they nonetheless persisted, saying: “Nay, but the kingdom shall be over us.”
And Saul said to the servant, etc. And what shall we bring? etc.
Cyril, from the Commentary on Matthew (1). It is a property of nature that those who have enjoyed some benefit—that is, have received some very pleasant thing from anyone—wish to return gratitude to the best of their ability, and to favor him who has done them good with equal or even greater gifts; and those who C are endowed with good and noble ways are especially moved with prompt zeal toward this demonstration of a virtuous mind.
And there was one of the servants of Saul there, whose name was Doeg (2).
Cyril. There was a certain man, an Idumean by race, whose name was Doeg. He had been removed from the company of the blessed David's guards, and he was a master of cattle, but a bitter and barbaric man, having nothing of genuine goodness in him. He would approach Saul in secret and report all his thoughts and designs to him; he had even promised that at a suitable time he would hand David over to him. Now, when he had seen the blessed man enter the house of God, at the time when he ate the loaves of presence, and had conversed with D the priest Ahimelech, he reported to Saul that he was accompanied by only a few in total, and that he could easily be taken and brought into his power if someone were to come upon him. Thus, therefore, Doeg betrayed David to Saul, revealing that he had met with Ahimelech in the house of God; but the Lord of all saved the prophet, and rendered the attempt of his wickedness vain.
A
BOOK II
V, 6. *And it was said to David: Thou shalt not enter here, because the blind and the lame have resisted.* Cyril. To the blessed David, therefore, all those from Jerusalem, that is, from Jebus, who were blind and lame, resisted; and having done this, they miserably perished, for he took the city. In the same way, at the time of His advent, the inhabitants of Jerusalem who were lame and blind resisted the Savior of all, Christ; for they did not know how to walk uprightly, nor did they receive the divine light into their minds, as they did not accept the faith, especially the Scribes and Pharisees.
XI, 4. *And David sent messengers, and took her, and he went in to her.* Cyril. Do not be readily troubled, if ever holy men fall into errors; for it is true that even the most valiant of soldiers, admired for the strength of their bodies and their martial skill, are sometimes wounded in battle, yet they do not utterly succumb. Besides what was said by us before, we ought also to add this consideration: namely, that the prerogative belongs to the benevolent Savior Christ alone, not to suffer sin, because, being God by nature, He became flesh. For this reason He Himself said of Himself: *The prince of this world is coming, and he will find nothing in Me.* And a little later: And I say these things regarding the sin of David, at the time when he went in to Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. For the narrative of this history concerns everyone. For even if he faltered as a man, and suffered something unexpected, yet he demonstrated that the fall of the saints obtains a swift restoration. B
XII, 13. *And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord.* Cyril. From the commentary on the fiftieth Psalm. Here marvel with me at the blessed David..., he has lamented over his sin.
Vers. 14. *And indeed the son that is born to thee shall surely die.* Cyril. From the commentary on the Psalter, upon that which is said: *O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy wrath.* Having heard these things from the prophet..., he did not lose his vigor: and after the hymn of thanksgiving was finished, ... rather than to be pardoned. C
XII, 20. *And he took the crown of Molchom their king.* Cyril. He was waging war against the Ammonites and the Syrians who were aiding their madness, whom he conquered and subdued by force; and having gained possession of the crown of Molchom, and finding there a very large and precious gem, he fixed it into his own diadem. D
XV, 30. *And David went up weeping, and his head covered.* Cyril. Because it happened that before the war with Absalom, the blessed...
David’s sin had occurred—I mean that against Uriah—the rumor of it was, so to speak, in every region of the Jews; and some held not unreasonable suspicions about him, for they supposed that he was paying the penalty for the transgressions against Uriah, and that because of his offense against God he would now easily be delivered to his enemies and be reduced to consternation of soul. A
*Vers. 31. Dissipa consilium Achitophelis.*
Cyril. Dissipate, he says, the counsel of Achitophel, O Lord my God. For Achitophel was a man of deep counsel, sharp, very prudent, and suitable for expediting affairs, and moreover, most knowledgeable in military matters. David therefore feared Achitophel above the rest, because of the bitterness of his opinions and his skill in waging war.
*Vers. 32. Ecce autem occurrit ei Chusi.*
Cyril. David persuades Chusi, one of his own friends, to feign a defection from him and to pretend he wishes to join the party of Absalom, in order that he might secretly oppose the counsels of Achitophel; which indeed came to pass.
*XVI, 7. Atque ita dicebat Semei, cum ei malediceret.*
Cyril. When Semei had reviled him and flung so many bitter voices at him, he departed at that time let go by David unhurt, though he afterwards paid the bitter and due penalties for it; but David, although many were inciting him, held his silence at that time with great and admirable prudence. B For he reasoned that because he had offended God, he was now exposed to scourges, and he judged that the insults, taunts, and mockery of certain people were a portion of that affliction. For where there is an aversion and abandonment by God, even though it be moderate in one's regard, there, without doubt, many and bitter things in the way of grief are wont to be created.
*Vers. 10. Quia Dominus mandavit illi ut malediceret Davidi.*
Cyril. He makes mention of this in the thirty-eighth Psalm, saying: "Thou gavest me for a mockery to the foolish."
*XVII, 1. Dixitque Achitophel Abessalomo, etc.*
Cyril. Absalom indeed desired to pursue his fleeing father, and Achitophel advised him that this should be done vigorously. C Chusi, on the contrary, cunningly dissuaded him, that he should consider the severity of his father and not rush into this rashly, but rather prepare suitable forces and gather a multitude of soldiers, for the reason that the blessed David was very strong and skilled in warfare and most pugnacious.
*Vers. 19. Et mulier sumptum velamen expandit, etc.*
Cyril. Therefore, even if some benefit happens to us from men, we must be careful not to value them more D
than God, who through them has granted us these pleasant things.
*Vers. 23. And Achitophel saw that his counsel was not followed.* A Cyril. The opinion of Chusi had prevailed; and Achitophel, being extremely grieved at this, ended his life with a noose, passing a just judgment upon himself.
*XVIII, 33. And he wept, and thus he said, etc.* B Cyril. Absalom brought war against the blessed David, and the young man unexpectedly stirred up the weapons of enmity against his own begetter; but he was caught and perished. Yet the father did not rejoice at his death, but mourned for him as a son.
BOOK III
*I, 1. And king David was old and advanced in days.* B Cyril. Having gone through most grievous contests, and having been the conqueror of enemies, he became invincible against those who plotted against him. For he had prevailed not only over foreigners, nor had he routed only the phalanxes of bloodthirsty barbarians, but also those who from time to time rose up against him, and those who shielded themselves with his rebels.
*III, 9. And you shall give to your servant a docile heart, to judge your people rightly.* C Cyril. For those who desire to serve God must be wise and knowledgeable about useful things, and mentally alert toward those they deal with, and must desire to escape the tempest of this present life. For just as ships, when they have rudders, are carried straight toward the mark and escape the assault of the waves, even if the sea eventually rages against them; but when they lack rudders, they are easily cast this way and that, and wander about in aimless error, and are dashed against reefs and rocks and shattered: so too the soul of man, if it is steered by a good mind, will easily escape the tempestuous Satan; and it will likewise render ineffective the evils of those who plot against it. But a heart lacking wisdom suffers a dire shipwreck.
*Vers. 10. And it pleased the Lord, etc.* D Cyril. It pleased, he says, the Lord that Solomon had asked for this thing; he was praised not moderately, and was deemed worthy of the gift. For the Lord of all, being bountiful, consented to him; for God willingly grants those who ask rightly. For wisdom and understanding are truly a gift of exceptional value from God; with such precious gifts even the nature of the angels is adorned, and the blessed multitude of the spirits above and in the heavens. For what other possession could there be for the soul besides this? Gold and silver? But these have nothing to do with us, because they are temporal and fleeting and altogether transient, and they have no power to benefit the soul of man. But truly precious and truly desirable is the [soul's...]
possession of man: wisdom and knowledge—that is to say, concerning God.
*Vers. 13. I have given thee also that which thou hast not asked, even riches, etc.*
Cyril. He teaches us what things we ought to ask for, and what we should receive as by way of addition; for to him who sought wisdom rightly, after this was given, He added all other things. For He himself says in the Gospels, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
*VIII, 29. That thine eyes may be open toward this house.*
Cyrill. Let, says He, thine eyes and thine ears be open. Now when the holy Scripture speaks to us about God, making mention of parts or members, we must know that it speaks from the standard of those things which naturally exist in us; for we could not otherwise perceive the things of God. The reason, therefore, and the cause why the God-inspired Scripture speaks to us about God in a bodily way, is the poverty of our mind and tongue; for the things of God are entirely ineffable. Nor could we, who are occupied with tangible and gross bodies, understand anything of the things that are supremely necessary, unless it employed our own members to serve as examples; for even then, we are hardly raised up to the subtler understandings concerning God.
*X, 1. But the queen of Sheba, etc.*
Cyrill, from the commentary on Luke. A woman who was a foreigner, separated by a long distance, overcame her sloth—not that she might gather wealth, but that she might hear the wisdom of Solomon, as he spoke proverbs and riddles, and depicted the beauties and faults of human character.
*XI, 7. Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh the idol of Moab.*
Cyrill. And what could be more grievous among such absurd transgressions, than to bestow the dignity of the honor and love which is due by nature to the one God upon the hosts of demons, or rather, to fashion them for stones and wood, and to build temples to them?
*XI, 9. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, etc.*
Cyrill. But what was the commandment given to him and to all who lived under the Law, not to contract affinities with foreigners? For He said, "Thy daughter thou shalt not give to his son, nor shalt thou take his daughter for thy son. For she will turn thy son away from me, and he will go and serve other gods." Remembering not, therefore, such a commandment, he was joined to the daughters of foreigners. "Since, therefore," He says, "you have made the commandment given to you of no account, and having slipped into apostasy, you have worshipped the gods of the foreigners, and have considered my creation, that which is—
A your own and only most fitting portion, and the honor and glory that are yours, I too will rend your kingdom and give it to your servant, that, by what you have done, you may learn from the very occurrence. For because Solomon, though he was exceedingly wise, was overcome by desires for women, and—so far as one might speak of the power of his endeavors—he rent the kingdom of God, attributing to idols the honor and glory most fitting to Him alone; for this reason, God very justly threatened to rend his kingdom, afflicting him with like things, as it is written in the prophet Ezekiel: “As you have done, so shall it be to you; your retribution shall return upon your own head.”
B XII, 28. *And having taken counsel, the king went and made two calves.*
Cyril. The cause of ruin for the Israelites was Jeroboam, showing them a preference for the rule of men, and a departure from the kingdom of God administered through the prophets. “Behold,” says God, “Jeroboam has provoked me, the Master, with the new structure of the calves, and the worship offered to them.” And again: “Jeroboam devised the calves in the beginning, and commanded that the customary rites be performed upon them, the wretch attributing to his own inventions the glory befitting God, so that he might have his kingdom securely, and as it were despoiling God of His own.”
C Vat. XX, 1; Vulg. XXI, 1. *And there was one vineyard of Naboth.*
Cyril. That we should understand the vineyard as Israel, Isaiah (ch. v) suggests to us. But the rulers of the people, of whom Ahab serves as a type, desired to get possession of it; yet they did not persuade the owner to hand over to them the chosen vineyard of his fathers, so that they might convert it into a vegetable garden, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men, and watering it with a muddy subversion. Then what did the God-hated Jezebel do, that is, the Synagogue of the Jews, having followed the animosities of their leaders? By deceit she encompasses the righteous Naboth, which is translated as *coming*. For Emmanuel was destroyed through false accusations.
Vat. XXI, 23; Vulg. XX, 23. *God of the mountains is God of Israel.*
Cyril. For they thought that the Israelites had departed as victors, D because God was able to bring salvation only in the mountains or in the hills: “We have been defeated, therefore,” they said, “because the God of the mountains is the God of Israel; but if it should happen that we join battle in the open plains, we shall surely prevail, as God of Israel loses His strength in the valleys.” These are charges of ethnic insanity, and the grave intemperance of the tongue of those who were ignorant of the true and natural God. Therefore the God of the universe was indignant, and very justly so, because also
those who were conquering, as I have said, Israel, were offering thanks to their own gods, foolishly supposing that they had conquered God Himself.
And he finds another man, and said: Strike me.
Cyrill. Do you hear how he who refused to strike the prophet perished miserably, falling into a savage beast? Yet how is it not true to say that it was a fruit of piety, if one did not dare to strike a holy man and a prophet? But at the word of the Lord, disobedience became an unavoidable offense. Thus it is an unavoidable offense to do anything contrary to what seems good to God, or not do without delay the things commanded by Him. Therefore, it is necessary that what pleases God be performed by us without laziness or hesitation. But to do something else contrary to this, or to judge that it ought to be done, brings the charge of pride; for such men almost seem to argue that God Himself has not judged rightly.
BOOK IV
V, 26. And now thou hast received the money, etc.
Cyrill. This also Christ says in the holy Gospels: "Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way." For one must proceed to the work with a straight course, and not even return a blessing to one who blesses; for it is a loss of diligence if we look to others, and waste time due to preaching on unnecessary matters, nor should we indulge useless leisure for the sake of friendships.
XVII, 24. And they possessed the land of Samaria.
Cyrill. These men, therefore, who had obtained by lot the land of the Samaritans, perhaps also became fathers of children; and they turned to the customs of the Jews, having been terrified by the onsets of the lions. From their number were Sarasar and Arbeseser, who is also named king, because he was the leader at that time of those who returned to Samaria from the region of the Persians.
XVIII, 1. Ezechias the son of Achaz king of Juda reigned.
Cyrill. He had advanced in such glory and power at the same time, that he subdued the nations that were living around Judea, and indeed exacted many tributes from them. And after a little: Then he suffered something of human nature: for indeed, overcome by excessive luxury and the sublimity of his glory, he began somewhat to think high things, and having been attacked by the disease of pride, he rose up against the law of God itself. For he thought he ought to adorn himself also with the insignia of the holy priesthood. Therefore he dared to enter the divine temple, and with his own hand offer incense to God, and perform the legal rites. On account of this thing he was immediately struck with leprosy, and
he was held in the greatest dishonor; for he who is seized by the disease of leprosy is unclean according to the Law. A
Vers. 34. Where is the God of Hamath? etc. Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Cyrill. Perhaps the barbarian, being of such a mind and tongue, imagined that the one who is the Lord and Creator of heaven and earth and of all things was but one of the gods falsely so called—the Lord and Creator of all. For it is the custom of those who do not know God to mock the hope of the holy ones, and to boldly deny that they would be rescued by God. And yet he was not ignorant that the gods falsely so called were made by the hands of men; B whereas the One who is truly and naturally God was created by no one, but rather He Himself brought into existence things that had never before existed. Therefore Samaria was captured, God withdrawing His assistance. And, as I have said before, even if none of the gods named among the heathens had preserved their own region, this meant nothing for God, who is truly and naturally the great God. And while they have only a visible form obtained from human art, He rules over the universe of things, and is the Lord of the powers.
XIX, 1. He rent his garments. C Cyrill. Do you see how, forgetful of his own affairs, he grieves for the sake of God, and seeks vengeance? "He rent," he says, "his garments, and put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord." And what was the reason for the rending of the garments? It was the custom of the Jews, if ever they heard blasphemies against God, to do this; which is also recorded in the Gospels to have been done by Caiaphas.
Vers. 23. I have cut down the size of its cedar. Cyrill. Of what, indeed? Of Lebanon, that is to say, of Judea. And by the height of the cedar he signifies the kingdom that was among them. For the glory of the kingdom of Hezekiah was about to be raised to a great height. D
Vers. 28. I will put, he says, my hook in your nostrils, and my bridle in your lips. Cyrill. Namely, so that he may no longer dare to speak such things. Yet even if he did not perish with the rest of the multitude for the aforementioned reason, on account of which Pharaoh was also spared as a spectator of the others among the Egyptians who were being punished, nevertheless he found his own sons to be his murderers, as soon as he had returned to his own land.
A Vers. 34. I will defend this city for my own sake. Cyril. For this befits God. Therefore I will do this for my own sake, not because they are worthy of help. Vers. 35. And the angel of the Lord went out and struck in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000. Cyril. The war is dissolved and the threats have departed along with the dangers, so that thereafter the inhabitants of Jerusalem, greatly rejoicing in the aid of God, might say: “You have turned my mourning into joy for me.” Observe the conversion of events; consider carefully what he says: “You have turned my mourning into joy for me.” Great was the mourning because of the multitude of the enemies; equally great was the joy afterward because of the number of the fallen.
ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA ARCHBISHOP EXPOSITION ON THE PSALMS
ON THE PREFACE WHICH NICETAS, FIRST OF SERRHAE, THEN ARCHBISHOP OF HERACLEA, PREFIXED TO HIS CATENA ON THE PSALMS
Before the unpublished explanation of Saint Cyril on the Psalms, which I have taken care to collect and arrange to the best of my ability from twelve Vatican codices and one also from Verona, it pleases me to set in the entryway the preface of Nicetas, metropolitan of Heraclea, who in the eleventh century of Christ acquired great praise for himself and equal utility for his readers by weaving together chains for almost all the books of the Holy Scriptures, in which, as in a treasury, so many relics of the ancient Fathers lie, often not to be found elsewhere. This preface of Nicetas is edited by me from the Vatican codex A, containing a chain on the Psalms from the first up to the seventy-sixth, from which same codex I have also extracted, as I have said, the better and more copious unpublished parts of S. Cyril. Furthermore, in this very preface, Nicetas does not depart from his undertaking; for, having spoken a few things himself, he piles up all the rest from the writings of various Fathers, as is evident. Although Nicetas has very many unpublished passages of the Fathers in his chain, in this prologue, however, he pillages well-known writings, even if for the most part not precisely or word for word, but by a free style of excerpting and by interposing his own words: wherefore a new Latin translation had to be made by us everywhere. Let there be compared, therefore, Philo, *On Moses*, book II; Justin, *Apology* I, 31; Chrysostom, *On the Psalms*, ed. Montf. V, p. 549, and elsewhere; Athanasius, at the beginning of his commentary on the Psalms and in the *Synopsis*; Basil, *Homily on the First Psalm*; Epiphanius, *On Weights and Measures*, ch. 5. Moreover, he provides the greatest part from Nyssen’s twin treatise *On the Inscriptions of the Psalms*; which work, alas, is very imperfect in the codices and editions, since it does not so much stop as break off at Psalm LVIII.