But the value of the Commentary does not arise simply from the uncertainty attaching to what Mai has gathered, but also from the superior form in which it gives what really is Cyril's own. As a general rule, the Catenists give conclusions without premisses, striking statements separated from the context which defines their meaning, results as true generally which are only true particularly, or which at least are greatly modified by the occasion which led to them. As it is moreover the manner of the Catenists often to introduce extracts by a summary of what precedes them, or where their length precluded their admission to give an abstract of them in briefer words, it often happens that a passage really Cyril's is followed in Mai by an abstract of itself taken from some smaller Catena and thus an amount of confusion and repetition is occasioned which contrasts unfavourably with the simplicity of arrangement and easiness of comprehension which prevail throughout the Commentary itself.

Nevertheless Mai probably took the best course in confining himself to the simple collection of materials: and at all events his works are carefully edited, punctuated intelligibly, and translated with very considerable correctness. No one, in using his very voluminous works, however much he may be inclined to regret his want of critical ability, will accuse him of an inefficient treatment of the materials before him. The very reverse is the case with the other Catena which I have used, and which was edited by Dr. Cramer.

In itself it is of considerable intrinsic value, but is

entirely untranslateable, except by one who will take the trouble of restoring the text, and entirely altering Dr. Cramer's punctuation.

In conclusion, I have to return my thanks to the Delegates of the University Press for undertaking both the publication of the Syriac Version of S. Cyril's Commentary, and also of the present English translation.

Oxford, Jan. 1859.

i

1

COMMENTARY OF S. CYRIL,

PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA,

UPON

THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE.

CHAP. I.

Who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers

IN

of the Word.

Ver. 2.

saying that the Apostles were eyewitnesses of the substan- From Mai. tial and living Word, the Evangelist agrees with John, who says,

46

ς. ἐθεασά

that "the Word was made flesh, and tabernacled in us, and John i. 14. His glory was seen, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the p "Father." For the Word became capable of being seen by uela. reason of the flesh, which is visible and tangible and solid: whereas in Himself He is invisible. And John again in his Epistle says, "That which was from the beginning, That 1 John i. 1. "which we have heard, That which we have seen with our

he speaks of the Life as capable of being handled? This he does that thou mayest understand that the Son became man, and was visible in respect of the flesh, but invisible as regards His divinity.a

a There can be little doubt that this passage does not belong to the Commentary, but as I have hitherto been unable to find it in S. Cyril's Collected Works, I have thought it best to retain it. Mai's next extract

on v. 32. is from the tenth Book
against Julian, Op. VI. 331.; the
following on v. 37. is the thirteenth
chapter against the Anthropomor-
phites, VI. 380.; and the third ex-
tract on v. 42. is the Commentary

B

I

V. 51. He hath shewed strength with His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.

The arm enigmatically signifies the Word that was born of her and by the proud, Mary means the wicked demons who with their prince fell through pride: and the Greek sages, who refused to receive the folly, as it seemed, of what was preached and the Jews who would not believe, and were scattered for their unworthy imaginations about the Word of God. And by the mighty she means the Scribes and Pharisees, who sought the chief seats. It is nearer the sense, however, to refer it to the wicked demons: for these, when openly claiming mastery over the world, the Lord by His coming scattered,

upon Issachar's name, signifying
"a reward," in the Glaphyra, I. 227.
(Ed. Aub.) All these I have omitted.
The remaining extracts, forming a
continuous Commentary upon the
hymns of the blessed Virgin and
Zacharias, I have retained, since it
is scarcely probable that S. Cyril en-
tirely passed them over; and, though
the homilies, as proved by the Sy-
riac, commenced with the first verse
of chap. ii., yet possibly he may
have prefaced them by an Exposi-
tion of these hymns. Cramer's
Catena, nevertheless, contains por-
tions of several of these extracts
anonymously. The proof from the
Syriac that the homilies began with
the second chapter is decisive. Of
the nine MSS. in which more or
less of this Commentary is preserved,
eight constantly mention the num-
ber of the homily, which they quote
either in part or entire: in one of
these, No. 12, 154., a MS. probably
of the eighth century, a series of
extracts occurs occupying forty
pages, beginning with the first
and ending with the hundred
and eighteenth homily; and the
numbering of this Codex is
identical with that of the rest,
wherever two or more of them
contain the same passage. The

Syriac numbering apparently is also identical with that of the Greek. For in my earliest authority, Cod. 12, 158, transcribed, as the Copyist states, in the year of our Lord 588., the numbering of the quotations from S. Cyril is still identical with that of the other Codices. This MS. contains a translation of two treatises of Severus of Antioch against Julian, and is probably at least a century anterior to the Syriac version of S. Cyril; so that its agreement with it, both in this and more material points, is of considerable importance. Evidently S. Cyril's Commentary upon the beginning of the Gospel was much more brief than it became subsequently for whereas the twenty-first homily carries us down to the end of the fifth chapter, those that follow average ten homilies each. In like manner the concluding chapters of St. Luke were passed over by him very rapidly. Finally, as the Syriac, from time to time, does not recognise some of the passages collected by Mai from the Catenæ, it is worth notice, that of his four first extracts, not less than three have been discovered in the published works of S. Cyril, incomplete as Aubert's edition is.

and transferred those whom they had made captive unto His own dominion. For these things all came to pass according to her prophecy, that

He hath put down rulers from their thrones, and exalted the humble.

Great used to be the haughtiness of these demons whom He scattered, and of the devil, and of the Greek sages, as I said, and of the Pharisees and Scribes. But He put them down, and

exalted those who had humbled themselves under their mighty

V. 52.

hand, having given them authority to tread upon serpents Luke x. 19. "and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy:" and made the plots against us of these haughty-minded beings of none effect. The Jews, moreover, once gloried in their empire, but were stripped of it for their unbelief; whereas the Gentiles, who were obscure and of no note, were for their faith's sake exalted.

He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He V. 53. hath sent empty away.

By the hungry, she means the human race: for, excepting the Jews only, they were pining with famine. The Jews, however, were enriched by the giving of the law, and by the teaching of the holy prophets. For "to them belonged the Rom. ix. 4"giving of the law, the adoption of sons, the worship, the pro"mises." But they became wanton with high feeding, and too elate at their dignity; and having refused to draw near humbly to the Incarnate One, they were sent empty away, carrying nothing with them, neither faith nor knowledge, nor the hope of blessings. For verily they became both outcasts from the earthly Jerusalem, and aliens from the glorious life that is to be revealed, because they received not the Prince of Life, but even crucified the Lord of Glory, and abandoned the fountain of living water, and set at nought the bread that came down from heaven. And for this reason there came upon them a famine severer than any other, and a thirst more bitter than every thirst for it was not a famine of the material bread, nor a thirst of water, "but a famine of hearing the Amos viii. "Word of the Lord." But the heathen, who were hungering

TI.