The golden poles and rings; Christ the mercy seat
Cyril: …time will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father’ (Matthew 13:43), what then will the glory of Christ himself be? And how can his radiance not pass beyond all thought and speech? The poles that carry the ark are gold, the rings are gold too, and so is everything on it; for those around him share in his glory, since they are, as it were, fastened to him in love and sanctification, and are of use. Such, too, were the blessed disciples, who received from him the power that befits God, grew rich, by participation, in the brightness of the supreme excellence that comes from above, and for this reason worked divine signs.
Palladius: You are right.
Cyril: ‘And besides the ark,’ he says, ‘you shall make a mercy seat, a cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. And you shall make two cherubim of wrought gold, and set them at the two ends of the mercy seat. One cherub shall be made at this end, and one cherub at the other end of the mercy seat; and you shall make the two cherubim at the two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall be toward one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. And you shall set the mercy seat on the top, above, and into the ark you shall put the testimonies that I will give you. And I will make myself known to you from there, and I will speak to you from above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, about everything that I command you for the sons of Israel’ (Exodus 25:17–22).
Palladius: Then what do you say the mercy seat is?
Cyril: As far as the letter and the shadow go, it was made of pure gold, and was in some way fitted on, lying upon the ark; that is why it is called a cover. And those adorned with the honors of the priesthood, when they turned toward it and looked at it, were held to be turning toward God and looking at him. But we say that the mercy seat, if it is understood spiritually, is he who became man for our sake, ‘whom God put forward as a mercy seat through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness’ (Romans 3:25). For so Paul says. And John, the wisest disciple, also writes to us: ‘Little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world’ (1 John 2:1–2). For through him come propitiation, every prayer, and the asking of good things. For ‘until now,’ he says, ‘you have asked nothing in my name (John 16:24); ask, and it will be given to you’ (Matthew 7:7). So he himself is the mercy seat. For through him the Father is gracious to us; in him every prayer reaches its end; and through him we draw near, since in no other way are we acceptable. That is why he says, ‘I am the way’ (John 14:6); and, ‘I am the door’ (John 10:9); and, ‘No one comes to the…
Greek
καιροὺς ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῶν,» τίς ἔσται λοιπὸν ἡ αὐτοῦ δόξα Χριστοῦ; Πῶς δὲ οὐ νοῦ καὶ λόγου πέρα παντὸς ἡ ἔκλαμψις; Χρυσοῖ δὲ τὴν κιβωτὸν ἔχοντες ἀναφορεῖς, χρυσοῖ καὶ οἱ κρίκοι, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ· μέτοχοι γὰρ τῆς δόξης οἱ ἀμφ' αὐτὸν, καὶ ὡς ἐν ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ προσερηρεισμένοι καὶ χρήσιμοι. Τοιοῦτοί τινες ἦσαν καὶ οἱ μακάριοι μαθηταὶ, δύναμιν τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν θεοπρεπῆ δεχόμενοι, καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν ὑπεροχῆς τὴν λαμπρότητα μεθεκτῶς ἐκπεπλουτηκότες, καὶ πληροῦντες διὰ τοῦτο τὰς θεοσημίας.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης.
{ΚΥΡ.} «Καὶ πρός γε τῇ κιβωτῷ, ποιήσεις,» φησὶν, «ἱλαστήριον, ἐπίθεμα χρυσίου καθαροῦ δύο πήχεων καὶ ἡμίσους τὸ μῆκος, καὶ πήχεως καὶ ἡμίσους τὸ πλάτος. Καὶ ποιήσεις δύο Χερουβὶμ χρυσᾶ τορνευτά· καὶ ἐπιθήσεις αὐτὰ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν κλιτῶν τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου. Ποιηθήσονται Χερουβὶμ εἷς ἐκ τοῦ κλίτους τούτου, καὶ Χερουβὶμ εἷς ἐκ τοῦ κλίτους τοῦ δευτέρου τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου. Καὶ ποιήσεις τοὺς δύο Χερουβὶμ ἐπὶ τὰ δύο κλίτη. Ἔσονται οἱ Χερουβὶμ ἐκτείνοντες τὰς πτέρυγας ἐπάνωθεν συσκιάζοντες ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν εἰσάλληλα, εἰς τὸ ἱλαστήριον ἔσονται τὰ πρόσωπα τῶν Χερουβίμ. Καὶ ἐπιθήσεις τὸ ἱλαστήριον ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἄνωθεν, καὶ εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐμβαλεῖς τὰ μαρτύρια ἃ ἂν δῶ σοι. Καὶ γνωσθήσομαί σοι ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ λαλήσω σοι ἄνωθεν τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν δύο Χερουβὶμ τῶν ὄντων ἐπὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἐντείλωμαί σοι πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εἶτα τί τὸ ἱλαστήριον εἶναι φής;
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὅσον μὲν ἧκεν εἴς τε γράμμα καὶ σκιὰν, ἐκ χρυσοῦ ἐπεποίητο καθαροῦ, καὶ ἐπήρτητό πως ἐπικειμένη τῇ κιβωτῷ· εἴρηται γὰρ ἐπίθεμα διὰ τοῦτο. Τετραμμένοι δὲ εἰς αὐτὸ καὶ βλέποντες, οἱ τοῖς τῆς ἱερωσύνης αὐχήμασι κατηγλαϊσμένοι, πρὸς Θεὸν ἐδόκουν τετράφθαι καὶ βλέπειν. Φαμὲν δὲ εἶναι τὸ ἱλαστήριον, εἰ νοοῖτο πνευματικῶς, τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον, «ὃν προέθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι, εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ.» Παῦλος γὰρ ὧδέ φησιν. Ἐπιστέλλει δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ σοφώτατος μαθητής· «Τεκνία, ταῦτα γράφω ὑμῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἁμάρτητε, καὶ ἐάν τις δὲ ἁμάρτῃ, παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν δίκαιον, καὶ αὐτὸς ἱλασμός ἐστι περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, οὐ περὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων δὲ μόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου.» Δι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἱλασμὸς, εὐχή τε πᾶσα, καὶ αἴτησις ἀγαθῶν. «Ἕως γὰρ ἄρτι,» φησὶν, «οὐκ ᾐτήσατε οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου· αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν.» Αὐτὸς οὖν ἄρα τὸ ἱλαστήριον. Δι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἵλεως ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν καταλήγει πᾶν πέρας εὐχῆς, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ πρόσιμεν, οὐχ ἑτέρως ὄντες δεκτοί. Τοιγάρτοι φησὶν, «Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός·» καὶ, «Ἐγώ εἰμι θύρα,» καὶ, «Οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν