Fire from the Lord, and Aaron's blessing
Cyril: …but in good cheer and gladness that we ought to hold fast to the life in Christ. For this, I think, is the meaning of ‘Come, let us rejoice in the Lord’ (Psalm 95:1). For so the glory of Christ will shine out purely and clearly, welcoming most gladly the fruits the saints bring, just as then, too, God came down visibly in the form of fire and consumed the sacrifices (Leviticus 9:24). He all but counts the approved life of those sanctified in faith as his food and delight. The passage also hints at a mystery. For then God sent the blaze of fire down upon the divided pieces, as though in some way touching what lay before him, for the Godhead always takes on the guise of fire. But now, when the spiritual sacrifice is set before him, he touches what lies before him in a spiritual way, not in the form of fire but in the Holy Spirit, and makes it life-giving for those who desire to partake of it; and we have received this by faith as true.
Palladius: You are right.
Cyril: Aaron lifted up his hands and blessed the people (Leviticus 9:22). And see again: here, through Aaron, is as it were the first laying on of hands upon the people. For the true Aaron blesses everyone, priests and people, the small together with the great, as it is written (Psalm 115:13), all but laying his hands on them as well; and the laying on of the hand would be a clear sign of the all-holy Spirit coming down upon us. Before Aaron's priestly service there was no laying on of hands. ‘For the Spirit was not yet,’ as John says, ‘because Jesus was not yet glorified’ (John 7:39).
Palladius: That is convincing.
Cyril: He also sets in order the form of the priests' prayer in this way, making its words very aptly foretell something of what would come to us through Christ. For he said: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel, saying to them. And they shall put my name upon the sons of Israel, and I the Lord will bless them. May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make his face shine upon you, and give you peace, and have mercy on you’ (Numbers 6:23–27). So he commands those crowned with the priesthood to bless the people, but he usefully keeps them from rash thinking by showing that it is not a human hand that blesses, but he himself, as Lord. For ‘every good gift and every good present and every blessing is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,’ as it is written (James 1:17). And Christ is the way of the blessing; he is the one who distributes the heavenly goods to us, and in him and through him all things come from the Father. Indeed the inspired Paul says, ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 1:7). So we are blessed in the name of God; and, aptly indicating how this too might come about, he said that the priest who prays over the people must pronounce: ‘May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make…’ (Numbers 6:24–25)
Greek
ἀλλ' εὐθύμους καὶ ἱλαροὺς τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πολιτείας ἐξῆφθαι πρέπει. Τοῦτο γὰρ, οἶμαι, ἔστι τὸ, «Δεῦτε ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ.» Ἐπιλάμψει γὰρ οὕτω καθαρῶς τε καὶ ἐναργῶς ἡ δόξα Χριστοῦ, ἀσμενέστατα προσιεμένη τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καρποφορίας, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τότε Θεὸς ἐν εἴδει πυρὸς καταπεφοίτηκεν ἐναργῶς, καὶ κατέφαγε τὰ θύματα. Μόνον δὲ οὐχὶ τροφὴν ἡγεῖται καὶ τρυφὴν τῶν ἡγιασμένων ἐν πίστει τὴν εὐδοκίμησιν. Ὑπεμφαίνει δέ τι καὶ μυστικὸν ὁ λόγος· τότε μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τὰ διχοτομήματα τὴν πυρὸς ἀκμὴν καθίει Θεὸς, οἱονεί πως τῶν προκειμένων ἁπτόμενος· ὑποπλάττεται γὰρ τὴν πυρὸς φύσιν ἀεὶ τὸ Θεῖον. Νυνὶ δὲ τῆς νοητῆς προτιθεμένης αὐτῷ θυσίας, οὐκ ἐν εἴδει πυρὸς, ἀλλ' ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, τῶν προκειμένων νοητῶς ἐφαπτόμενος, ζωοποιὸν ἀποφαίνει τοῖς ἐφιεμένοις μεταλαχεῖν, καὶ ἀληθὲς ἐν πίστει τὸ χρῆμα δεδέγμεθα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐξάρας δὲ Ἀαρὼν τὰς χεῖρας ηὐλόγησε τὸν λαόν. Καὶ θέα δὴ πάλιν ὡς ἐν πρώτῃ χειρῶν ἐπιθέσει ἐπὶ λαοῖς διὰ τοῦ Ἀαρών· εὐλογεῖ γὰρ ἅπαντας ὁ ἀληθὴς Ἀαρὼν, ἱερέας καὶ λαοὺς, τοὺς μικροὺς μετὰ τῶν μεγάλων, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, μονονουχὶ καὶ χεῖρας ἐπιθεὶς, καὶ σημεῖον ἂν γένοιτο σαφὲς ἡ χειρὸς ἐπίθεσις τῆς τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος εἰς ἡμᾶς καταβολῆς. Πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἱερουργίας τῆς Ἀαρὼν ἡ χειρῶν ἐπίθεσις οὐκ ἦν. «Οὔπω γὰρ ἦν Πνεῦμα,» κατὰ τὴν Ἰωάννου φωνὴν, ὅτι «Ἰησοῦς οὐδέπω ἐδοξάσθη.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Πιθανὸς ὁ λόγος.
{ΚΥΡ.} Καὶ τόνδε τῆς ἱερέων εὐχῆς καταῤῥυθμίζει τρόπον, προαναγορεύσεις τινὰς τῶν διὰ Χριστοῦ παθημάτων εὖ μάλα τιθεὶς τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ λόγους. Ἔφη γὰρ, ὅτι «Λάλησον Ἀαρὼν καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ λέγων· Οὕτως εὐλογήσετε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ, λέγοντες αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἐπιθήσουσι τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐγὼ Κύριος εὐλογήσω αὐτοὺς, Εὐλογήσαι σε Κύριος καὶ φυλάξαι σε, ἐπιφάναι Κύριος τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δώῃ σοι εἰρήνην, καὶ ἐλεησάτω σε.» Προστάττει μὲν οὖν εὐλογεῖν τὸν λαὸν τοὺς ἐν ἱερωσύνῃ κατεστεμμένους, ἀφίστησι δὲ χρησίμως εἰκαιότητος λογισμῶν, οὐκ ἀνθρώπου χεῖρα τὴν εὐλογοῦσαν δεικνὺς, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ὡς Κύριον. «Πᾶσα γὰρ δόσις ἀγαθὴ, καὶ πᾶν δώρημα ἀγαθὸν, καὶ πᾶσα εὐλογία ἄνωθέν ἐστι καταβαίνουσα ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν φώτων,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. Χριστὸς δὲ τῆς εὐλογίας ἡ ὁδὸς, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡμῖν τῶν οὐρανίων ἀγαθῶν ὁ διανομεὺς, ἐν αὐτῷ τε καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντα παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός. Καὶ γοῦν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, «Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη, φησὶν, ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Εὐλογούμεθα δὴ οὖν ἐν ὀνόματι Θεοῦ, πῶς δ' ἂν γένοιτο τυχὸν καὶ ὁ τοῦδε τρόπος, κατασημαίνων ἀστείως, ἐπιφθέγγεσθαι δεῖν ἔφη τὸν ἐπευχόμενον ἱερέα· «Εὐλογήσαι σε Κύριος καὶ φυλάξαι σε, ἐπι