The incense altar, the lampstand and the table
Cyril: …came into the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7) and into the measure of humanity.
Palladius: How subtle and deep your argument is.
Cyril: And yet it does not stray from the point.
Palladius: I agree.
Cyril: With the ark set in this way, Scripture says, ‘And you shall set the golden altar for burning incense opposite the ark’ (Exodus 40:5). I think we have already said enough to show that Christ is the golden altar. Yet it was set opposite the ark, over which hung the veil, with the seraphim around it and God above, as though God were receiving the incomparable fragrance of Emmanuel. For he committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, as it is written (1 Peter 2:22). That is why he himself said, ‘The Father loves the Son’ (John 3:35; John 5:20). And we ourselves are also acceptable to God when we are fragrant with the ointment of Christ. Paul too will confirm this when he writes, ‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us makes known the fragrance of the knowledge of him; for we are the fragrance of Christ to God’ (2 Corinthians 2:14–15).
Palladius: You are right.
Cyril: Let us consider carefully, then, with our eyes fixed on what is written, that the ark was placed on the side of the holy tent that faces southwest and west, and opposite it the golden altar, in the place that faces the rising sun. For east and west are filled with Christ, and north and south as well. So too the lampstand’s place was the south side of the tent, and the table’s the side toward the north (Exodus 26:35). We have already shown at length that Christ is signified by both: the lampstand shows that Christ is light, and the table with what lay on it shows that he is life and the living bread (John 6:51). But consider this, and look closely at the mystery. The land of the Jews lies farthest to the south, while the land of the Gentiles lies further to the north. So from where the two stood, I mean the lampstand and the table, those who wish to understand well will surely gather that Christ shone as light on the Jews and proclaimed among them, ‘I am the light’ (John 8:12). For he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), and ‘theirs are the promises’, as the Scriptures say (Romans 9:4). But since they did not accept the light of the truth, he became for the Gentiles life and bread from heaven (John 6:33). Nor are the Gentiles without light; you may learn this too from the way the light of the lampstand reached the north side of the tent as well. And since the holy tent was very narrow, it is not unlikely that the lampstand seemed almost to stand beside the table, even though it held the southern place. The figure also shows us in another way that, when the divine light shines out, the worthy may be able to share in Christ as the living and true bread. The Gentiles have become members of one body with Christ and sharers in him (Ephesians 3:6). And again the inspired Paul writes: the Gentiles have become members of one body and sharers…
Greek
ἧκεν εἰς δούλου μορφὴν, καὶ εἰς ἀνθρωπότητος μέτρον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὡς λεπτὸς ὁ λόγος καὶ βαθύς.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἔρχεται δὲ ὅμως οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σύμφημι.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐχούσης δὲ ὧδε τῆς κιβωτοῦ, «Καὶ θήσεις, φησὶ, τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ χρυσοῦν εἰς τὸ θυμιᾷν ἐναντίον τῆς κιβωτοῦ.» Καὶ Χριστὸς μὲν ὅτι τὸ θυσιαστήριόν ἐστι τὸ χρυσοῦν, διαρκῶς ἡμῖν εἰρῆσθαι δοκῶ. Τέθειταί γε μὴν ἀπέναντι τῆς κιβωτοῦ, ἐφ' ᾗ τὸ καταπέτασμα, καὶ κύκλῳ τὰ Σεραφὶμ, καὶ ἀνωτέρω Θεὸς, οἱονεὶ δεχόμενος τὴν ἀπαράβλητον εὐωδίαν τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ. Οὐ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἁμαρτίαν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, καθὰ γέγραπται· τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν αὐτὸς, «Ὁ Πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Υἱόν.» Δεκτοὶ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ, τὸ Χριστοῦ μύρον εὐωδιάζοντες. Πιστώσεται δὲ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφων· «Τῷ δὲ Θεῷ χάρις τῷ πάντοτε θριαμβεύοντι ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ φανεροῦντι δι' ἡμᾶς, ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ Θεῷ.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐννοῶμεν δὴ οὖν ἀκριβῶς, τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐνιέντες τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν, ἱδρύσθαι μὲν τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐν τῷ πρὸς λίβα καὶ δυσμὰς κλίτει τῆς ἁγίας σκηνῆς· ἀπέναντι δὲ αὐτῆς τὸ χρυσοῦν θυσιαστήριον, ἐν τῷ πρὸς ἀκτῖνα τόπῳ. Ἠὼς γὰρ καὶ δύσις μεμέστωται τοῦ Χριστοῦ, βοῤῥᾶς τε καὶ νότος. Καὶ γοῦν τόπος μὲν τῇ λυχνίᾳ, τὰ νότια τῆς σκηνῆς. τῇ δὲ τραπέζῃ, τὰ πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν. Καὶ ὅτι δι' ἀμφοῖν ὁ Χριστὸς σημαίνεται, πολὺς ἡμῖν ἤδη προαπέδειξε λόγος· ὅτι μὲν γὰρ φῶς ὁ Χριστὸς, ἡ λυχνία δηλοῖ· ὅτι δὲ ζωὴ καὶ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν, ἡ τράπεζα μὲν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ. Πλὴν ἐκεῖνο διανοοῦ, καὶ ἄθρει τὸ μυστήριον· Νοτιωτάτη μὲν γὰρ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ χώρα, βορειοτέρα δὲ πάλιν ἡ τῶν ἐθνῶν. Οὐκοῦν ἀπό γε τῆς θέσεως τῆς ἀμφοῖν, τῆς τε λυχνίας καὶ τῆς τραπέζης, φημὶ, περιέσται δήπου τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν εὖ μάλα νοεῖν, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν Ἰουδαίοις φῶς ἐπέλαμψεν ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐκήρυττεν, «Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς.» Ἀπέσταλται γὰρ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ, «Αὐτῶν εἰσιν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι,» κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐ προσήκαντο τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς, γέγονε τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ζωὴ καὶ ἄρτος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ οὐ δίχα φωτὸς τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ τοῦτο δ' ἂν μάθοις, διήκοντος τοῦ φωτὸς τῆς λυχνίας καὶ εἰς τὰ βόρεια τῆς σκηνῆς. Στενοτάτης δὲ οὔσης τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἁγίας, τὸ ἀπεικὸς οὐδὲν, μονονουχὶ καὶ παρατεθεῖσθαι δοκεῖν τῇ τραπέζῃ τὴν λυχνίαν, κἂν εἰ τὸν νότιον ἔχῃ τόπον. Ἐμφανίζει δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ ἑτέρως ὁ τύπος, ὡς θείου φωτὸς ἐκλάμποντος γένοιτ' ἂν τοῖς ἀξίοις τὸ μεταλαχεῖν δύνασθαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἄρτου ζῶντος καὶ ἀληθινοῦ. Σύσσωμα δὲ καὶ συμμέτοχα γέγονε τὰ ἔθνη Χριστοῦ. Γράφει δὲ πάλιν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος· Σύσσωμα δὲ καὶ συμμέτοχα γέ