THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril explains that God, not allowing us to lead complacent lives, skillfully guides us to be unwavering in our faith and devotion. At times, through proper reflection and instruction, He urges us to abandon or, rather, to entirely reject idol worship and sacrifices, which lead to ruin, demonstrating that such spiritual maladies are steeped in profound guilt and the utmost impiety. Other times, He instills a fear of punishment, acting as a vigilant protector that redirects us towards what is pleasing to Him. As the blessed Moses articulates in Deuteronomy, "These are the ordinances and laws which you shall endeavour to fulfil in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you to possess, all the days that you shall dwell in that land.
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You shall destroy all the places where the peoples whom you shall possess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills, and under every branching tree; and you shall destroy their altars, and crush their pillars, and burn their groves with fire, and smash the statues of their gods, and destroy their name from that place" (Deuteronomy 12:1-3).
Philosophers of old, particularly poets, referred to certain entities as nymphs or spirits, designating some as Oriads and Amadriads. In their efforts to honor their deities, some constructed altars atop mountains, devoted themselves to sacrifices, and surrounded beautiful trees with statues and images of these spirits. It was necessary, then, for the faithful to the true and living God, undeterred by fear, to demolish these idols and turn away from the practices of the misguided. Hence it is stated, "When the Lord thy God shall destroy from thy face the nations to which thou goest to take possession of them, and thou, having taken them, shalt dwell in their land; then beware lest thou fall into the net, following them, after their destruction from thy face, and seek their gods, saying: 'As these nations have served their gods, so will I do'; thou shalt not do so to the Lord thy God: for all that the Lord abhorreth, that He hates, they do to their gods: they also burn their sons and their daughters with fire to their gods" (Deut. 12:29-31).
Thus, the Lawgiver rightly prohibits imitation of the deluded and sternly commands the forsaking of the merciless sacrifice of children, denouncing these bloodthirsty and false deities as destroyers of humanity who willfully violate the divine laws of love. "He created all things for being, and everything in the world is salvific and . there is no kingdom of hell on earth. ...by the envy of the devil death has entered into the world" (Prem. 1:14:2:24). While the Divine will shatters death, abolishes decay, and detests non-existence, affirming that He "created all things for being," those entrapped by the deceit of demons present to Satan their offerings—the very destruction of what was meant for life, and the death of what was created "for being." In this way, He brilliantly illustrates that the actions of the Gentiles are laden with severe guilt, that their intrinsic nature is sullied, and that the sacred bonds of love for children are disregarded. Consequently, He draws to Himself those ministers who possess noble hearts and loathe evil, encouraging them to honor and diligently accept His will and teachings. Such a law was established in ancient times to eradicate wickedness among them.