Holy things kept from unbelievers; the incense no one may copy
Cyril: …‘call no one on earth your father; for you have one Father, who is in heaven, and you are all brothers’ (Matthew 23:9, 8). And the penalty for those who give any of the oil to a foreigner is destruction (Exodus 30:33). For he says, ‘Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine’ (Matthew 7:6). For to bring the hidden things, the things fit only for the holy, carelessly before those who are still unbelievers is full of danger. For what is sanctified is not what is still profane and grievously sick with uncleanness, but what has already been cleansed through holy baptism.
Palladius: True.
Cyril: In the same way and on the same principle he laid down how the incense was to be prepared, saying: ‘And you, take for yourself sweet spices, stacte and onycha, fragrant galbanum and clear frankincense, an equal weight of each, and they shall make of it a perfumed incense, the work of a perfumer, blended, pure, a holy work. And you shall beat some of it very fine and put it before the testimony in the tent of witness, where I will make myself known to you. The incense shall be most holy to you. You shall not make any for yourselves according to this composition; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, shall perish from his people’ (Exodus 30:34–38). Here again the passage hints to us that the things specially reserved belong to the nature that is beyond all natures. None of the things that have been made has a share in them by essence, and creation has nothing whatever in common with its Maker and Master where rank and the preeminence of honors are concerned. We will recall, too, that we called both the golden altar and the compounded fine incense itself Christ, and said that Emmanuel himself is signified to us by both. Since, then, the incense points to Christ (for its fragrance is beyond compare), we will not make for ourselves incense like it. For we will accept no other at all besides him, as the wretched Jews indeed will: they will accept the son of lawlessness (John 5:43; 2 Thessalonians 2:3). For such people will be caught compounding for themselves an incense after the pattern of that fragrant and truly unique incense of God the Father, who has made manifest to us in the Son the fragrance of the knowledge of him (2 Corinthians 2:14). Through the Son we too give off a sweet fragrance (2 Corinthians 2:15), not because we have compounded the fine incense for ourselves, but because we share in the incense, have been anointed with the grace of the Spirit, and strive to win approval by the life we live in Christ.
Palladius: So it seems that through everything made in the holy tent the mystery of the Savior is given shape for us.
Cyril: And besides this you would be amazed to learn that even the craftsmen of the holy tent portray Christ, at least in their own persons.
Palladius: In what way do you mean? I cannot work it out.
Cyril: For it is written again: ‘And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe…’ (Exodus 31:1–2)
Greek
«μὴ καλέσητε ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν, ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, πάντες δὲ ὑμεῖς ἀδελφοί ἐστε.» Ὄλεθρος δὲ ἡ δίκη τοῖς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ παρέχουσιν ἀλλογενεῖ· «Μὴ δῶτε γὰρ,» φησὶ, «τὰ ἅγια τοῖς κυσὶ, μηδὲ βάλητε τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων.» Τὸ γάρ τοι προσάγειν ἀτημελῶς τοῖς ἀπίστοις ἔτι τὰ κεκρυμμένα, καὶ τὰ μόνοις ἁγίοις πρέποντα, κινδύνου μεστόν· ἁγιάζεται γὰρ οὐ τὸ βέβηλον ἔτι καὶ νοσοῦν ἐκτόπως τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἤδη κεκαθαρμένον διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἀληθές.
{ΚΥΡ.} Κατὰ τὸν ἴσον τουτονὶ τρόπον καὶ λόγον, τὴν τοῦ θυμιάματος ποιεῖσθαι κατασκευὴν διετύπου, λέγων· «Καὶ σὺ λάβε σεαυτῷ ἡδύσματα, στακτὴν καὶ ὄνυχα, καὶ χαλβάνην ἡδυσμοῦ, καὶ λίβανον διαφανῆ, ἴσον ἴσῳ ἐστὶν, καὶ ποιήσουσιν αὐτῷ θυμίαμα μυρεψικόν· ἔργον μυρεψοῦ μεμιγμένον, καθαρὸν, ἔργον ἅγιον. Καὶ συγκόψεις ἐκ τούτων λεπτῶς, καὶ θήσεις ἀπέναντι τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, ὅθεν γνωσθήσομαί σοι ἐκεῖθεν. Ἅγιον τῶν ἁγίων ἔσται ὑμῖν θυμίαμα. Κατὰ τὴν σύνθεσιν ταύτην οὐ ποιηθήσεται ὑμῖν ἑαυτοῖς. Ἁγίασμα ἔσται ὑμῖν Κυρίῳ. Ὃς ἂν ποιήσῃ ὡσαύτως, ὥστε ὀσφραίνεσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀπολεῖται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ.» Ὑποφαίνει δὲ πάλιν ἡμῖν ὁ ἐπὶ τῷδε λόγος, ὅτι τὰ ἰδικῶς ἐξαίρετα τῆς ἁπασῶν ἐπέκεινα φύσεως. Μέτεστι μὲν τῶν πεποιημένων οὐδενὶ οὐσιωδῶς, κοινὸν δὲ τῇ κτίσει παντελῶς οὐδὲν, πρὸς τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ δεσπότην, τόγε ἧκον εἰς ἀξίας λόγον καὶ γερῶν ὑπεροχήν. Μεμνησόμεθα δὲ καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ χρυσοῦν, καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ σύνθετον καὶ λεπτὸν θυμίαμα Χριστὸν εἰρηκότες, καὶ αὐτὸν ἡμῖν τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ δι' ἀμφοῖν σημαίνεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν εἰς Χριστὸν ἀναφερομένου τοῦ θυμιάματος (εὐῶδες γὰρ ἀσυγκρίτως), οὐ ποιήσομεν ἑαυτοῖς κατ' αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ θυμίαμα. Ἕτερον γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτῷ παντελῶς οὐδένα παραδεξόμεθα, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ οἱ τάλανες Ἰουδαῖοι, τὸν τῆς ἀνομίας υἱόν. Ἑαυτοῖς γὰρ οἱ τοιοίδε συνθέντες ἁλώσονται, καὶ κατ' ἐκεῖνο δὴ τὸ εὐῶδες καὶ ἐξαίρετον ἀληθῶς θυμίαμα, τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, τοῦ τὴν μὲν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ πεφανερωκότος ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ, δι' οὗ καὶ ἡμεῖς εὐωδιάζομεν, οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς συνθέντες τὸ θυμίαμα τὸ λεπτὸν, ἀλλ' ὡς μέτοχοι τοῦ θυμιάματος, καὶ τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτι κατακεχρισμένοι, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πολιτείας εὐδοκιμεῖν σπουδάζοντες.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Διὰ παντὸς οὖν, ὡς ἔοικεν, τοῦ γεγονότος ἐν, τῇ ἁγίᾳ σκηνῇ, τὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῖν διαμορφοῦται μυστήριον.
{ΚΥΡ.} Καὶ πρός γε δὴ τούτῳ καταθαυμάσειας ἂν, εἰ μάθοις ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς ἁγίας σκηνῆς οἱ τεχνουργοὶ Χριστὸν διαπλάττουσιν, ὡς ἔν γε σφίσιν αὐτοῖς.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τίνα φὴς τρόπον; ἐννοεῖν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχω.
{ΚΥΡ.} Γέγραπται γὰρ αὖ· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων· Ἰδοὺ ἀνακέκλημαι ἐξ ὀνόματος τὸν Βεσελεὴλ τὸν τοῦ Οὐρίου υἱὸν, υἱοῦ Ὢρ τῆς φυ