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Translated by P.E. Pusey
St Cyril of Alexandria Resources Online and in Print
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31 Pages
Page 12
14. Proofs of Divine Scripture, that the Word of God even when made Man remained God.
God says somewhere to the hierophant Moses, And thou shalt make a mercy seat, by inlaying of pure gold: two cubits: and a half the length thereof and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, of beaten work, and shalt put them on either side, one cherub on this end the other cherub on that end of the mercy seat, and, thou shalt make the two cherubim on the two ends thereof. The cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings and, their faces one to another, looking to the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. A most sure image will this be that God the Word even in the human nature remained God and in His own Glory and Majesty even though for the economy's sake made like unto us; for a propitiation through faith was Emmanuel made unto us. And this the most wise John proved saying to us, My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not; and if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and He is the Propitiation for our sins; so too Paul says, Whom God set forth a propitiation through faith in His Blood.
But see the Cherubim standing round about the Mercy seat and overshadowing it with their wings, but turned toward the Mercy seat and all but fixing their eye on their Lord's beck. For to the will of God alone looketh the whole multitude of the heavenly spirits, and is never sated with the sight of God. So doth the Prophet Isaiah say that he saw the Son on a throne high and lifted up, the Seraphin standing around and waiting on Him as God.
The Divine Moses was of old appointed to free Israel from the violence of the Egyptians. But since it was needful that they who were under the yoke of an unwonted servitude, should first learn that God was now reconciled to them, He bade him work miracles: for a miracle oft-time brings us to belief. Moses therefore says to God Almighty, But if they shall not believe me nor hearken to my voice, saying, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee, what shall I say to them? the Lord then said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod: and He said to him, Cast it on the ground: and he cast it on the ground [14][ ]and it became a serpent and Moses fled from before it: and the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail; and he put forth his hand and took it by the tail and it became a rod in his hand. And He said to him, That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob hath appeared unto thee. Observe herein [15] the Son of God by Nature and in truth, as a Rod of the Father (but the Rod is the ensign of Kingdom), for in the Son hath He power over all. Whence Divine David also saith, Thy Throne, O God is for ever and ever, a Rod of Equity the Rod of Thy Kingdom. But He cast it on the ground, i. e., surrounded it with an earthly Body, or through the human nature sent it upon the earth, for then, then was it made in likeness of the wicked, men that is, for of wickedness is the serpent a token.
And that this is true, thou wilt hence know. For our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in image and figure of the economy wrought with flesh is taken for the brazen serpent which Moses reared to cure the serpents' bites. For He says, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For as the serpent made of brass was an occasion of salvation to those in peril (for looking on it they were saved), so our Lord Jesus Christ too to those who see Him in the likeness of bad men in that He was made Man, yet are not ignorant that He is God Who quickens, will be the Bestower of Life and the power of escaping bitter and venomous beasts, I mean the powers that oppose us.
It will be a figure too of this that Moses' Rod devoured the other rods, which the Magi had cast on the ground. The Rod therefore was indeed cast on the earth, yet did not abide a serpent, but taken again it was what it had been; for although the Father's Rod, i.e., the Son, through Whom He hath power over all was made (as I said before) in our likeness: yet when the economy was fulfilled He hastened back into Heaven and was again as in the Father's Hand a Rod of Righteousness and of Rule; for He sitteth at the Right Hand of His Father in His own Majesty, possessing the Supreme Throne even with Flesh.
14. [n] The words and he cast it on the ground, omitted in the Latin, are given in the Syriac version.
15. ° See a most interesting chapter on the two miracles mentioned in this and the next section, in S. Cyril's Glaphyra pp. 298 sqq. In the Glaphyra, S. Cyril goes on to speak of the third miracle, the water turned into blood, see below § 30 p. 225. In his second Paschal homily (A.D. 415) S. Cyril speaks of the rod become a serpent, but there likens God's own people to a rod springing up from the earth, but becoming a serpent when it fell away from its lawgiver, and again becoming fair and good (p. 28 fin.).
Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/cyril-alexandria/incarnation-only-begotten.asp?pg=12
