The uncut stones, and the first gifts for the sanctuary
Cyril: …In Christ, then, lies all our offering of fruit and every approach; for he himself says, ‘Apart from me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5). For just as through him we have obtained access (Romans 5:2), so too through him every sacrifice of those who have received the faith is acceptable. And to those who set up the altar of earth he promises his coming and a blessing: ‘For I will come to you,’ he says, ‘and bless you’ (Exodus 20:24). For when we had received through the all-wise Moses the types of the truth, the truth itself also shone forth in its due season, that is, Christ, through whom and in whom we have been enriched with the blessing that comes from above and from the Father (Ephesians 1:3), sealed for adoption as sons in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). And this too, again, is fulfilled in Christ: ‘And if you make me an altar of stones,’ he says, ‘you shall not build them of hewn stones’ (Exodus 20:25). He does not allow the stones dedicated to God to be wounded with iron. For Christ was the chosen stone, the precious cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6): unwounded by sins, and knowing nothing of suffering the blows that come from the devil; not divided between God and the world, even though he became flesh, but holy through and through; not divided into God separately and man separately after the ineffable union, that is, his coming together with flesh, but being one and the same, God and also man. For he is in no way divided, as the wise Paul also writes (1 Corinthians 1:13).
Palladius: So the altar of earth, and the uncut stones as well, signify Christ, in the ways already described?
Cyril: So I say; for the law is spiritual, as the Scriptures say (Romans 7:14). And once he had outlined in riddles the mystery of Christ and our approach through him, then, at that very point, God planned to show beforehand the form of the Church as well. So he called Moses, and Joshua with him, up onto Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:12–13). And understand from this that even to the holy prophets themselves the Father is approachable through the Son; for Moses and Joshua go up together. For it is written: ‘And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the sons of Israel, and take firstfruits for me from all whose heart moves them; you shall take my firstfruits. And these are the firstfruits that you shall take from them: gold and silver, bronze and blue, purple and double scarlet, and twisted fine linen, and goats’ hair, and rams’ skins dyed red, and skins dyed blue, and wood that does not decay, and sardius stones, and stones for engraving, for the ephod and for the robe that reaches to the feet. And you shall make me a sanctuary, and I will be seen among you. And you shall make it for me according to all that I show you on the mountain, the pattern of the tent and the pattern of all its furnishings; so you shall make it’ (Exodus 25:1–9). Do you see how he urges the peoples to bring as offering what is profitable and most needful for the building up of the Church, bringing gladly what matches their means and their will? For he did not ask only for gold…
Greek
φύσις. Ἐν Χριστῷ δὴ οὖν ἡ πᾶσα καρποφορία καὶ πᾶσα προσαγωγή· φησὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς, «Χωρὶς ἐμοῦ, οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν.» Ὥσπερ γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν προσαγωγὴν ἐσχήκαμεν, οὕτω καὶ πᾶσα θυσία δεκτὴ δι' αὐτοῦ, τῶν τὴν πίστιν εἰσδεδεγμένων. Ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ τοῖς τὸ ἐκ γῆς ἱστᾶσι θυσιαστήριον, ἄφιξίν τε καὶ εὐλογίαν. «Ἥξω γὰρ,» φησὶ, «πρὸς σὲ, καὶ εὐλογήσω σε.» Παραδεξαμένοις γὰρ ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ πανσόφου Μωσέως τῆς ἀληθείας τοὺς τύπους, καὶ αὕτη κατὰ καιροὺς ἐπέλαμψεν ἡ ἀλήθεια, τοῦτ' ἔστι Χριστὸς, δι' οὗ καὶ ἐν ᾧ τὴν ἄνωθεν εὐλογίαν καὶ παρὰ Πατρὸς πεπλουτήκαμεν, κατεσφραγισμένοι πρὸς υἱοθεσίαν ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, ἐν Χριστῷ δὲ δὴ πάλιν καὶ τοῦτο διαπεραίνεται. «Ἐὰν δὲ θυσιαστήριον ἐκ λίθων ποιῇς μοι,» φησὶν, «οὐκ οἰκοδομήσεις αὐτοὺς τμητούς.» Οὐκ ἐᾷ σιδήρῳ κατατιτρώσκεσθαι τοὺς ἀφιερωμένους τῷ Θεῷ λίθους. Λίθος γὰρ ἦν ἐκλεκτὸς, ἀκρογωνιαῖος, ἔντιμος, ὁ Χριστὸς, ἄτρωτος μὲν ἁμαρτίαις, τὰς δὲ ἐκ διαβόλου πληγὰς παθεῖν οὐκ εἰδὼς, οὐ μεμερισμένος Θεῷ τε καὶ κόσμῳ, καὶ εἰ γέγονε σὰρξ, ἀλλ' ὅλος ὢν ἅγιος, οὐ διαιρούμενος εἰς Θεὸν ἰδίᾳ, καὶ εἰς ἄνθρωπον ἰδικῶς μετὰ τὴν ἄῤῥητον ἕνωσιν, ἤτοι τὴν πρὸς σάρκα σύνοδον, ἀλλ' εἷς ὑπάρχων Θεὸς, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὁ αὐτός. Μεμέρισται γὰρ οὐδαμῶς, καθὰ καὶ ὁ σοφὸς γράφει Παῦλος.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τὸ ἐκ γῆς οὖν ἄρα θυσιαστήριον, καὶ μὴν καὶ οἱ ἀπλῆγες λίθοι, σημαίνουσι Χριστὸν, κατὰ τοὺς ἤδη προειρημένους τρόπους;
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὕτω φημί· πνευματικὸς γὰρ ὁ νόμος, κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον, καὶ τὴν δι' αὐτοῦ πρόσοδον αἰνιγματωδῶς ὑπετύπου, τότε δὴ, τότε καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προαναδεῖξαι τὸ σχῆμα Θεὸς ἐσκέπτετο. Μωσέα μὲν οὖν ἐκάλει καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινᾶ. Καὶ σύνες ἐντεῦθεν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἁγίοις προφήταις δι' Υἱοῦ προσιτὸς ὁ Πατήρ· ἀναθρώσκουσι γὰρ ἀλλήλοις Μωσῆς τε καὶ Ἰησοῦς. Γέγραπται γὰρ, «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν λέγων· Εἶπον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ λάβετέ μοι ἀπαρχὰς παρὰ πάντων, οἷς ἂν δόξῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ, λήψεσθε τὰς ἀπαρχάς μου, καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπαρχὴ, ἣν λήψεσθε παρ' αὐτῶν, χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον, χαλκὸν καὶ ὑακίνθινον, πορφύραν καὶ κόκκινον διπλοῦν, καὶ βυσσὸν κεκλωσμένην, καὶ τρίχας αἰγείας, καὶ δέρματα κριῶν ἠρυθροδανωμένα, καὶ δέρματα ὑακίνθινα, καὶ ξύλα ἄσηπτα, καὶ λίθους σαρδίου, καὶ λίθους εἰς τὴν γλυφὴν, εἰς τὴν ἐπωμίδα, καὶ εἰς τὸν ποδήρη, καὶ ποιήσεις μοι ἁγίασμα, καὶ ὀφθήσομαι ἐν ὑμῖν. Καὶ ποιήσεις μοι κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἄν σοι δείξω ἐν τῷ ὄρει τὸ παράδειγμα τῆς σκηνῆς, καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα πάντων τῶν σκευῶν αὐτῆς, οὕτως ποιήσεις.» Ὁρᾷς ὅπως ἐπὶ τὸ χρῆναι καρποφορεῖν τὸ λυσιτελές τε καὶ χρειωδέστατον, εἰς Ἐκκλησίας σύστασιν προτρέπει λαοὺς, προσκομίζοντας ἱλαρῶς τὰ κατ' ἰσχύν τε καὶ γνώμην; Οὐ γάρ τοι χρυσὸν ἐζήτει μόνον