Peace through the exalted Son; the cleansing of the Levites
Cyril: …in whom and through whom we have been shown to be sharers in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), since Christ binds us together into unity. For he said somewhere to the Father: ‘I desire that, just as you and I are one, so they too may be one in us’ (John 17:21–22). For, as Scripture says, ‘we are all one body in Christ’ (Romans 12:5), and ‘whoever is joined to the Lord is one spirit’ (1 Corinthians 6:17). And that we have been enriched with peace toward him when God the Father, as it were, lifted up his own face, that is, glorified the Son, he himself will make plain when he says: ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself’ (John 12:32).
Palladius: You think rightly. ‘For he is our peace’ (Ephesians 2:14), ‘and through him we have gained access in the Spirit to the Father’ (Ephesians 2:18).
Cyril: This, then, is what the law tells us about the priests and how they were appointed. It also says that the Levites must be thoroughly sanctified, and only then, once purified beforehand in the proper ways, take up the ministry assigned to them. In Numbers it says this: ‘Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and purify them. And this is how you shall perform their purification: you shall sprinkle them with water of purification, and a razor shall pass over their whole body, and they shall wash their garments, and they shall be clean. And they shall take one young bull from the herd, and with it its sacrifice of fine flour mixed with oil; and you shall take one young bull a year old from the herd for a sin offering. And you shall bring the Levites inside the tabernacle of testimony. And you shall gather the whole congregation of the children of Israel, and you shall bring the Levites forward, and Aaron shall set the Levites apart as an offering before the Lord from the children of Israel, so that they may do the works of the Lord. And the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering, to make atonement for them. And you shall set the Levites before the Lord, and before Aaron, and before his sons, and you shall give them over as an offering before the Lord. And you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and they shall be mine. And after this the Levites shall go in to do the works of the tabernacle of testimony’ (Numbers 8:6–15).
Palladius: Explain clearly, then, how we should understand the manner of purification applied to the Levites.
Cyril: It is a mystical one, Palladius, and once again it is in Christ. For he is our cleansing, the washing away of every stain, and the giver of sanctification. ‘For you shall sprinkle them,’ it says, ‘with water of purification’ (Numbers 8:7). This is just what the wise Paul made plain when he wrote: ‘For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who have been defiled, sanctify for the purity of the flesh, how much more the blood of Christ’ (Hebrews 9:13–14). And the saying is true. For if there is benefit in the types, and the shadow brings salvation, how could the truth, that is, the blood of Christ, not do so far more? So the water of purification, mixed with the ashes of the heifer (Numbers 19:9, 17), was a clear symbol of what is called the dying of Christ…
Greek
τεῖν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ δι' οὗ θείας φύσεως ἀναδεδείγμεθα κοινωνοὶ, συνείροντος ἡμᾶς εἰς ἑνότητα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἔφη γάρ που πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα· «Θέλω ἵνα ὥσπερ ἐγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ἒν ὦσιν.» –»Ἒν γὰρ δὴ σῶμα οἱ πάντες ἐσμὲν ἐν Χριστῷ,» καί· «Ὁ κολλώμενος τῷ Κυρίῳ ἓν πνεῦμά ἐστι,» κατὰ τὴν Γραφήν. Ὅτι, δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς τὸ ἴδιον ὥσπερ ἐπαίροντος πρόσωπον, τοῦτ' ἔστι, δοξάζοντος τὸν Υἱὸν, τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρήνην πεπλουτήκαμεν, σαφηνιεῖ λέγων αὐτός· «Ὅταν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς διανοῇ. «Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν προσαγωγὴν ἐσχήκαμεν ἐν πνεύματι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα.»
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἱερέων μὲν οὖν πέρι καὶ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἀναδείξεως ταυτὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ νόμος. Ἁγιάζεσθαι δὲ δεῖν εὖ μάλα φησὶ τὸ Λευιτικὸν, καὶ τοῖς καθήκουσι τρόποις προηγνισμένον, τῆς ἐκνεμηθείσης αὐτοῖς λειτουργίας μεταποιεῖσθαι τότε. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς· «Λάβε τοὺς Λευίτας ἐκ μέσου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἀφαγνιεῖς αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὕτως ποιήσεις τὸν ἀφαγνισμὸν αὐτῶν· περιῤῥανεῖς αὐτοὺς ὕδωρ ἁγνισμοῦ, καὶ ἐπελεύσεται ξυρὸν ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν, καὶ πλυνοῦσι τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ καθαροὶ ἔσονται, καὶ λήψονται μόσχον ἕνα ἐκ βοῶν, καὶ τούτου θυσίαν σεμίδαλιν ἀναπεποιημένην ἐν ἐλαίῳ, καὶ μόσχον ἕνα ἐνιαύσιον ἐκ βοῶν λήψῃ περὶ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ προσάξεις τοὺς Λευίτας ἔνδοσθεν τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου. Καὶ συνάξεις πᾶσαν συναγωγὴν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ προσάξεις τοὺς Λευίτας, καὶ ἀφορίσει Ἀαρὼν τοὺς Λευίτας, ἀπόδομα ἔναντι Κυρίου παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἔσονται ὥστε ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου. Οἱ δὲ Λευῖται ἐπιθήσουσι τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν μόσχων, καὶ ποιήσεις τὸν ἕνα περὶ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τὸν ἕνα εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα, καὶ ἐξιλάσασθαι περὶ αὐτῶν. Καὶ στήσεις τοὺς Λευίτας ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ ἐναντίον. Ἀαρὼν, καὶ ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀποδώσεις αὐτοὺς, ἀπόδομα ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ διαστελεῖς τοὺς Λευίτας ἐκ μέσου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἔσονται ἐμοὶ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰσελεύσονται οἱ Λευῖται ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Διασάφει δὴ οὖν εὖ μάλα, τίς ἂν νοοῖτο πρὸς ἡμῶν ὁ τοῦ ἁγνισμοῦ τρόπος, τοῦ τοῖς Λευίταις ἐπενηνεγμένου.
{ΚΥΡ.} Μυστικὸς μὲν οὖν, ὦ Παλλάδιε, καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ δὴ πάλιν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἡ ἀποκάθαρσις, καὶ ῥύπου παντὸς ἡ ἀπόνιψις, καὶ ἁγιασμοῦ δοτήρ. Περιῤῥανεῖς γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὕδωρ ἁγνισμοῦ, φησί. Τοῦτό τοι καὶ ὁ σοφὸς κατεδήλου Παῦλος, ὡδὶ γεγραφώς· «Εἰ γὰρ τὸ αἷμα τράγων καὶ ταύρων, καὶ σποδὸς δαμάλεως ῥαντίζουσα τοὺς κεκοινωμένους ἁγιάζει πρὸς τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς καθαρότητα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ αἷμα Χριστοῦ·» καὶ ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος. Εἰ γὰρ ἔνεστι τοῖς τύποις τὸ ὠφελοῦν, καὶ ἡ σκιὰ σωτήριος, πῶς ἂν οὐχὶ μᾶλλον τὸ ἀληθὲς, τουτέστι, τὸ αἷμα Χριστοῦ· Ὕδωρ δὴ οὖν ἁγνισμοῦ τὸ ἀναμὶξ τῇ σποδῷ τῆς δαμάλεως τῆς λεγομένης νεκρώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ σύμ