THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Palladius. The Sabbath, it appears, offers us only idleness from sinfulness, if we are to speak truthfully, a concept that the ancients portrayed primarily in figurative forms, mere shadows of deeper realities. Cyril. Indeed, that is correct. Viewed from a different perspective, it can vividly illustrate the sacrament of Christ. Palladius. What do you mean? Cyril. The law states: “If your brother, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, but in the seventh year you shall let him go free. And when you let him go free, do not send him away empty-handed, but supply him generously from your flock and from your threshing floor; contribute to him from what the Lord your God has blessed you” (Deuteronomy 15:12-14).
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This indicates that prior to the arrival of our Savior, Israel was bound by the spirit of slavery, constrained under the punishing law; yet when Immanuel appeared in the latter days, which the Sabbath represents, the spirit of bondage was removed from them. They brought nothing as a ransom, but through His loving grace, they were called to freedom and the glory of sonship: for it is those who believe that are justified not by the works of the law as stated in Scripture, but by faith (Romans 3:28). This, I assert, signifies their release. Yet, when it is said, “when you let him go free, don’t send him away empty-handed, but provide for him from your flocks, your threshing floor, and your granary,” can you see how the power of Christ’s command is evident here? We have been redeemed and liberated by our Savior, freely and graciously. As it is written, "not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His great mercy" (Titus 3:5), we have come to partake of such wonderful grace. He has freed us from our sins and clothed us with the grace of sonship, presenting Himself to us as a pure sacrifice, described as “like a sheep He was led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7; cf. Acts 8:32), allowing us to share in the life-giving blessing of His holy Flesh and Blood. This is, I believe, indicated by the fact that those welcomed into liberty by the Lord’s grace during the seventh time—what we might call the spiritual Sabbath—shall receive sheep, wheat, and wine. This is the mandate of the law. However, when the Jews, having fallen into negligence, chose not to uphold these statutes, God began to rebuke those who sought to adhere to them. For it is written, “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I made a covenant with your forefathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and said: At the end of the seventh year, let every Hebrew servant go free; let him serve you for six years, and then let him go free; but your ancestors did not obey Me or listen to Me. Now you have turned around and done what is right in My sight, proclaiming liberty to one another, and have made a covenant before Me in the house that is called by My name; yet you have turned back and profaned My name, and have returned each man to his servant and each man to his maidservant, whom you had set free to follow their own desires, and you have compelled them to be your servants again” (Jeremiah 34:12-16). Do you see how He does not allow the shadows to be dismissed or the truth itself to be disrespected? “For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable,” as it is written (Romans 11:29). But those Jews who returned their freed servants to bondage did not recognize their wrong and thus violated the essence of the sacrament, by rejecting and failing to honor it, albeit while it was still represented in images. Palladius. You have spoken rightly.