Covering the holy things, and the years of service
Cyril: …shall be on it. And they shall put a scarlet cloth over it, cover it with a covering of blue skin, and put its carrying poles through it. They shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that gives light, with its lamps, its tongs, its pouring vessels, and all the oil jars they use in their service. They shall put the lampstand and all its utensils into a covering of blue skin and set it on carrying poles. Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, cover it with a covering of blue skin, and put its carrying poles through it. They shall take all the vessels of service that they use in the holy place, put them into a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of blue skin, and set them on carrying poles. They shall put the cover on the altar and spread a cloth of pure purple over it, and on it they shall place all the vessels they use in serving at it: the firepans, the meat forks, the bowls, the cover, and all the vessels of the altar. They shall spread a covering of blue skin over it and put its carrying poles through it. They shall take a purple cloth and wrap the laver and its base, put it into a covering of blue skin, and set it on carrying poles. And Aaron and his sons shall finish covering the holy things and all the holy vessels when the camp sets out. After this the sons of Kohath shall come in to carry them, and they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die.’ (Numbers 4:7–15) So the enrollment from one month old (Numbers 3:15) teaches that even the innocence of the saints is pleasing and acceptable to God. But that only the age fixed by the law, from twenty-five to fifty years (Numbers 4:3), was assigned to the sacred tasks shows, I think, that all who are sensible and strong, both those who are already so and those who are still so, render to God a service that is choice and beyond reproach. For the man who has reached twenty-five years is already among them, and the man who has gone on as far as fifty is still among them. For a man who has passed beyond his fiftieth year has in some way already begun to decline toward the end of his strength. He is no longer in the flawless prime of life, but is creeping, as it were, toward the ailments of old age. No one unwise, and no one feeble, could serve God without fault, if it is true to say that whatever looks toward virtue is the work of strength and of an excellent mind; and it has fallen to these to receive from the Lawgiver the praise that is their due.
Palladius: I say so too.
Cyril: To those of the clan of Kohath belongs the service of the most holy things, while the priests go in ahead of them and cover these things (Numbers 4:4–5). For everywhere what ranks first in order is held in greater honor, and all that is with God is in good order; nothing at all is without order. The Levitical order serves in the assisting tasks, placed beneath the sacred ministries of those set above it. The holy ark and the golden altar of incense, the lampstand and the vessels of service, are wrapped in skins and cloths of blue…
Greek
ται, καὶ ἐπιβαλοῦσιν ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἱμάτιον κόκκινον, καὶ καλύψουσιν αὐτὴν καλύμματι δερματίνῳ ὑακινθίνῳ, καὶ διεμβαλοῦσι δι' αὐτῆς τοὺς ἀναφορεῖς. Καὶ λήψονται ἱμάτιον ὑακίνθινον, καὶ καλύψουσι τὴν λυχνίαν τὴν φωτίζουσαν, καὶ τοὺς λύχνους αὐτῆς, καὶ τὰς λαβίδας αὐτῆς, καὶ τὰς ἐπαρυστρίδας αὐτῆς, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀγγεῖα τοῦ ἐλαίου, οἷς λειτουργοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἐμβαλοῦσιν αὐτὴν, καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη αὐτῆς, εἰς κάλυμμα δερμάτινον ὑακίνθινον, καὶ ἐπιθήσουσιν αὐτὴν ἐπ' ἀναφορέων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ χρυσοῦν ἐπικαλύψουσιν ἱμάτιον ὑακίνθινον, καὶ καλύψουσιν αὐτὸ καλύμματι δερματίνῳ ὑακινθίνῳ, καὶ διεμβαλοῦσι τοὺς ἀναφορεῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ λήψονται πάντα τὰ σκεύη τὰ λειτουργικὰ ὅσα λειτουργοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ ἐμβαλοῦσιν εἰς ἱμάτιον ὑακίνθινον, καὶ καλύψουσιν αὐτὰ καλύμματι δερματίνῳ ὑακινθίνῳ, καὶ ἐπιθήσουσιν ἐπὶ ἀναφορεῖς, καὶ τὸν καλυπτῆρα ἐπιθήσουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἐπικαλύψουσιν ἐπ' αὐτὸ ἱμάτιον ὁλοπόρφυρον, καὶ ἐπιθήσουσιν ἐπ' αὐτὸ πάντα τὰ σκεύη ὅσοις λειτουργοῦσιν ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὰ πυρεῖα, καὶ τὰς κρεάγρας, καὶ τὰς φιάλας, καὶ τὸν καλυπτῆρα, καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ἐπιβαλοῦσιν ἐπ' αὐτὸ κάλυμμα δερμάτινον ὑακίνθινον, καὶ διεμβαλοῦσι τοὺς ἀναφορεῖς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ λήψονται ἱμάτιον πορφυροῦν, καὶ συγκαλύψουσι τὸν λουτῆρα καὶ τὴν βάσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐμβαλοῦσιν αὐτὸ εἰς κάλυμμα δερμάτινον ὑακίνθινον, καὶ ἐπιθήσουσιν ἐπὶ ἀναφορεῖς, καὶ συντελέσουσιν Ἀαρὼν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καλύπτοντες τὰ ἅγια, καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἅγια, ἐν τῷ ἐξαίρειν τὴν παρεμβολὴν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰσελεύσονται υἱοὶ Καὰθ αἴρειν, καὶ οὐχ ἅψονται τῶν ἁγίων, ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνωσι.» Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐκ μηνιαίων ἀπογραφὴ, καὶ αὐτὴν τῶν ἁγίων τὴν ἀκακίαν ἁνδάνουσάν τε καὶ εὐπαράδεκτον εἶναι διδάσκει Θεῷ. Τόγε μὴν ἔργοις τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐκνενεμῆσθαι, μόνην τὴν τῷ νόμῳ διωρισμένην ἡλικίαν, τὴν ἀπὸ πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι, καὶ μέχρι πεντήκοντα ἐτῶν, ἐκεῖνο οἶμαι δηλοῦν, ὅτι Θεῷ λειτουργίαν ἀποπεραίνει τὴν ἐξαίρετον καὶ ἀδιαβλήτως ἔχουσαν, πᾶν ὅσον ἐστὶν ἔμφρον τε καὶ εὐσθενὲς ἤδη τε καὶ ἔτι. Ἤδη μὲν γὰρ ἐν τούτοις, ὁ ἐν εἴκοσι καὶ πέντε γεγονὼς ἐνιαυτοῖς, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὁ μέχρι πεντήκοντα προελθών. Διανένευκεν γὰρ ἤδη πως πρὸς κατάληξιν ἰσχύος, ἀνὴρ ἐξελάσας ἐπέκεινα τοῦ πεντηκοστοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἀκμαῖς ἔτι ταῖς ἀμωμήτοις ἐστὶν, διέρπει δὲ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τὰ ἐκ γήρως πάθη. Ἄσοφος δὲ οὐδεὶς, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἄναλκις, λειτουργήσειεν ἂν ἀμωμήτως Θεῷ, εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἰσχύος ἔργα καὶ φρενὸς ἂν γένοιτο παγκάλου τὰ ὅσαπερ ἂν βλέποι πρὸς ἀρετήν· καὶ τὸ ἐπαινεῖσθαι δεῖν πρὸς τοῦ νομοθέτου διεκληρώσατο.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οὕτω φημί.
{ΚΥΡ.} Λειτουργία δὲ τοῖς ἐκ δήμου Καὰθ, τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, προειστρεχόντων τῶν ἱερέων καὶ πυκαζόντων αὐτά. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ τιμιώτερον τὸ προὖχον ἐν τάξει, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐν κόσμῳ παρὰ Θεῷ, ἄτακτον δὲ παντελῶς οὐδέν. Ἐν ὑπουργίαις δὲ τὸ Λευϊτικὸν, καὶ ταῖς τῶν ὑπερκειμένων ἱερουργίαις ὑπεστρωμένον. Καταπυκάζονται δὲ δέρμασί τε καὶ ἱματίοις ὑακινθίνοις, ἥ τε ἁγία κιβωτὸς, καὶ τὸ χρυ