The lampstand all of gold; seven lamps shining toward the front
Cyril: …in him, even if in the dignities that befit God he may somehow be thought of as not simple. For he is understood as light and life, and power and incorruption. It was because he wished to teach that nothing in him is acquired from outside, I think, that he added, ‘Let the knobs and the branches be of one piece with it; all of it finely wrought of pure gold’ (Exodus 25:36). That is, he is wholly and entirely God. He was not made holy in the way created things are, nor is he like, say, the angels, who are understood to exist in a nature of their own but are made splendid by his grace and glory, and are overlaid with the gift of the Spirit as if with pure gold. Rather, he is by nature the very thing itself: God, the purest and highest nature. There are seven lamps, because the enlightening that comes from Christ takes many forms: ‘To one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge,’ and ‘the discerning of spirits,’ and the rest (1 Corinthians 12:8–10). The number seven, again, is a sign of perfection. Emmanuel is wholly perfect, both in his own nature, as God, and in the distribution of his gifts, for he is present in full in those worthy to receive them. For, in John’s words, ‘He does not give the Spirit by measure’ (John 3:34), but ‘from the fullness we have all received’ (John 1:16). Then he says, ‘And you shall set up the lamps, and they shall shine from the one front’ (Exodus 25:37). What this placing might be, he showed clearly in Numbers, saying: ‘And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you set up the lamps on one side, facing the front of the lampstand, the seven lamps shall give light. And Aaron did so: on the one side, facing the front of the lampstand, he lit its lamps, as the Lord had commanded Moses’ (Numbers 8:1–3). Notice, then, that the seven lamps, turned to face the front of the lampstand, sent their light to those who looked on. For the divine and spiritual light does not shine on those who stand behind and lie, as it were, under God’s turning away, but on those who have been brought into his sight through sanctification and now stand face to face with him through boldness in faith and the noble dignity of an upright life. For everything that dwells in wickedness and disobedience is loathsome and hateful, but what is obedient and willing to be guided is precious and under God’s care. For to the Jews, who chose to abuse him without restraint, he also says through the voice of Isaiah, ‘When you stretch out your hands to me, I will turn my eyes away from you’ (Isaiah 1:15). But ‘the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous’ (Psalm 34:15), as is sung in the Psalms.
Palladius: True.
Cyril: The inspired Zechariah also clearly mentions this holy lampstand, for he said (Zechariah 4:1–3): ‘And the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me, as a man is woken from his sleep, and he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I have looked, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, and its bowl, and seven lamps on it, and two olive trees above it, one on the right of its bowl, and one…
Greek
ἐν αὐτῷ, κἂν εἰ νοοῖτό πως τοῖς θεοπρεπέσιν ἀξιώμασιν οὐχ ἁπλοῦς. Φῶς γὰρ καὶ ζωὴ, καὶ δύναμις καὶ ἀφθαρσία νοεῖται. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲν εἰσποιητὸν ἐν αὐτῷ διδάξαι βεβουλημένος, προσεπήνεγκεν, οἶμαί που, τὸ, «Οἱ σφαιρωτῆρες καὶ οἱ καλαμίσκοι ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔστωσαν· ὅλη τορνευτὴ ἐκ χρυσίου καθαροῦ,» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ὅλος διόλου Θεὸς, οὐκ ἐν ἴσῳ τοῖς γενητοῖς ἡγιασμένος, οὐδὲ ὥσπερ ἄγγελοι τυχὸν ἐν ἰδίᾳ νοούμενοι φύσει, κατηγλαϊσμένοι δὲ ἐκείνου χάριτί τε καὶ δόξῃ, καὶ οἷάπερ χρυσίῳ καθαρῷ, τῇ τοῦ πνεύματος δόσει κατακεχρισμένοι, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τῇ φύσει τὸ χρῆμα, Θεὸς, ἡ καθαρωτάτη τε καὶ ὑπερτάτη φύσις. Ἑπτὰ δὲ οἱ λύχνοι· κατὰ πολλοὺς γὰρ τρόπους ὁ παρὰ Χριστοῦ φωτισμός. Καὶ, «Ὧ μὲν δέδοται λόγος σοφίας, ἑτέρῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως, διάκρισίς τε πνευμάτων,» καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Τελειότητος δὲ σημεῖον, ὁ ἑπτὰ πάλιν ἐστὶν ἀριθμός. Παντέλειος δὲ καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἰδίαν ὁ Ἐμμανουὴλ, ὡς Θεὸς, καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ χαρισμάτων ἐν διανομῇ, τελείως ἔγκειται τοῖς ἑλεῖν ἀξίοις. Οὐ γὰρ «Ἐκ μέτρου δίδωσι τὸ πνεῦμα,» κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰωάννου φωνὴν, ἀλλ' «ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν.» Εἶτά φησι· «Καὶ ἐπιθήσεις τοὺς λύχνους, καὶ φανοῦσιν ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς προσώπου.» Ἀλλὰ τίς ἂν γένοιτο τυχὸν ἡ τοιάδε θέσις, ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς ἐδήλου σαφῶς, οὕτω λέγων· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν λέγων· Λάλησον Ἀαρὼν, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτόν· Ὅταν ἐπιθῇς τοὺς λύχνους ἐκ μέρους κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς λυχνίας, φωτιοῦσιν οἱ ἑπτὰ λύχνοι· καὶ ἐποίησεν οὕτως Ἀαρὼν ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς μέρους κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς λυχνίας, καὶ ἐξῆψε τοὺς λύχνους αὐτῆς, καθὰ συνέταξε Κύριος τῷ Μωσῇ» Σύνες δὴ οὖν, ὅτι κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς λυχνίας, οἱ ἑπτὰ τετραμμένοι λύχνοι, τὸ φῶς τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἐνίεσαν. Οὐ γὰρ τοῖς κατόπιν καὶ οἱονεί πως ἐν ἀποστροφῇ κειμένοις τῇ παρὰ Θεῷ, τὸ θεῖόν τε καὶ νοητὸν ἐπιλάμπει φῶς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς εἰς ὄψιν ἠγμένοις δι' ἁγιασμοῦ, καὶ ἀντιπροσώποις ἤδη γεγονόσι διὰ τῆς ἐν πίστει παῤῥησίας, καὶ τῆς ἔν γε τῷ βιοῦν ὀρθῶς παγκάλου σεμνότητος. Βδελυρὸν μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀπηχθημένον πᾶν ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐν φαυλότητί τε καὶ ἀπειθίᾳ. Τίμιον δὲ καὶ ἐν ἐπισκέψει Θεοῦ, τὸ εὐπειθὲς καὶ εὐήνιον. Ἰουδαίοις μὲν γὰρ ἐμπαροινεῖν ἑλομένοις ἀκαθέκτως αὐτῷ, καὶ διὰ φωνῆς Ἡσαΐου φησίν· «Ὅταν τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνητε πρὸς μὲ, ἀποστρέψω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἀφ' ὑμῶν.» «Ὀφθαλμοὶ δὲ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους,» κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ὑμνούμενον.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Τῆς ἁγίας ταυτησὶ λυχνίας μέμνηται σαφῶς καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ζαχαρίας· ἔφη γὰρ, ὅτι «Καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ἐξήγειρέ με, ὃν τρόπον ἐξηγέρθη ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἷπε πρὸς μὲ, Τί σὺ βλέπεις; Καὶ εἶπα, Ἑώρακα, καὶ ἰδοὺ λυχνία χρυσῆ ὅλη, καὶ τὸ λαμπάδιον αὐτῆς, καὶ ἑπτὰ λύχνοι ἐπάνω αὐτῆς, καὶ δύο ἐλαῖαι ἐπάνω αὐτῆς· μία ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ λαμπαδίου αὐτῆς, καὶ μία