THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
The Almighty God liberated the people of Israel from their bondage and oppression, akin to freeing them from a furnace of iron. This was achieved not only through His might, as recorded in Scripture, ‘with a strong arm and a high muscle’ (Psalm 135:12), but also by thwarting the schemes of their oppressors with miraculous wonders. He displayed signs and glorious acts, parting the sea to allow His people to cross on dry ground, and as the psalmist affirms, He sustained them in the wilderness by providing ‘the bread of heaven. The bread of angels man ate; ...and streams flowed’ (Ps. 77:24-25, 20). Did He not also perform many other awe-inspiring deeds?
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Thus, the holy Moses writes of His care: ‘as an eagle calls up his nest ..., takes them and carries them on his feathers’ (Deuteronomy 32:11). However, the people fell into profound folly and wickedness, disobeying the Redeemer who walked among them in human form. The gravity of their transgression cannot be overstated; they reached an appalling level of depravity by condemning Him to death with brutal cruelty. Consequently, Jerusalem, the city that persecuted the Lord, faced divine rejection, leading to its separation from God and a descent into all manner of evil, receiving the deserved consequences of its actions. The Lord Himself lamented: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who beat the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is left to you desolate’ (Matthew 23:37-38). The Jewish synagogue was warned of the dire and unbearable punishment awaiting it for its rejection of Christ, a truth revealed in the Law: ‘When thou goest out to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God delivereth them into thy hands, and thou takest them captive, and thou seest a woman among the captives, beautiful in appearance, and thou lovest her, and wilt take her to be thy wife, then thou shalt bring her into thy house, and let her shave her head, and cut her nails, and take off her captive garments, and dwell in thy house, and mourn for her father and her mother a month; And after that thou mayest go in unto her, and become her husband, and she shall be thy wife: but if after that she be not pleasing to thee, let her go wherever she will, but thou shalt not sell her for silver, nor make her a slave: for thou hast humbled her’ (Deut. 21:10-14). It seems unwise to delve too deeply into this narrative and to seek to clarify the shadows contained within, as the meaning is quite straightforward and easily understood. Therefore, let us consider the spiritual implications of this command. Who is this woman, fair in appearance, and why is it ordained that her hair should be shaved, her nails cut, and her captivity garments removed? The Jewish synagogue, as previously mentioned, was held captive in Egypt. The ancestors of the Israelites had initially migrated there due to famine. However, when they grew strong, courageous, and numerous over time, the Egyptians feared they might rise against them and overthrow their former rulers. Consequently, the Israelites were burdened with the grueling task of brick-making. Yet God had compassion on them, declaring war on the Egyptians, conquering them, and freeing His people from their intolerable oppression.