THEOSISGregory of Nyssa
Moses instructed the Levites to confront their fellow Israelites, and they moved through the camp from one end to the other, striking down everyone they encountered. The decision of who would be killed lay solely with their swords, as they put to death all they met without distinction—be it enemy or ally, stranger or companion, relative or foreigner. Their hand was directed with uniformity towards every person they faced. The narrative offers a significant lesson: since the entire community conspired to commit a wrongdoing, the entire group bore the consequences as if they were one.
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Just as those who administer punishment on the body understand that pain experienced in one part affects the entire being, so too was the body determined to sin and thus, all its members received equal punishment. The scourge which fell upon the individual parts inflicted a collective suffering. Thus, when equal sin is evident among many, and God's wrath does not strike all but only some, it should be perceived that God, in His mercy, corrects wrongdoings, ensuring that even though not everyone feels the blows directly, all are restored and guided away from sin through individual trials.
However, this understanding pertains only to the historical context of the text; its deeper meaning can instruct us as follows: the lawgiver proclaims to the gathering, "Whosoever is the Lord's, come unto me" (Ex. 32:26); this represents the law's call to everyone, inviting those who desire friendship with God to embrace the law itself, for to be close to the law is indeed to be close to God. To those who respond to this call, he commands the use of the sword against brother, friend, and neighbor. This review reveals that each individual who contemplates God and the law must purge themselves of the evil that they recognize within. In Scripture, the terms brother, friend, and neighbor are not always clear-cut; they can also refer to the brother and adversary, friend and foe, neighbor and enemy. These names reflect our inner thoughts, which determine our spiritual existence; life's goodness brings forth death, and vice versa.
This concept aligns with the earlier discussion regarding Aaron, who, in aiding Moses, is depicted as a protector, showcasing divine signs to intimidate the Egyptians. He is rightly called elder because the spiritual and incorporeal nature existed before humanity, and brother for his kinship to our nature, given the imagined connection with the angelic. An objection arises: how can we believe that Aaron’s role as a minister during the idol's creation serves a higher purpose? It has been clarified that terms do not consistently carry the same meaning; one name can represent different things in various contexts. The brother who defeats the Egyptian oppressor and the brother who creates an idol for the Israelites bear the same label, yet signify opposing actions. Moses raised his sword against such brothers, for he enforced the very principles he commanded others to follow. The elimination of such a brother symbolizes the eradication of sin. Whoever has vanquished the evil that originated from external adversaries has also extinguished that evil within themselves.
Let us hold this understanding as we contemplate history further. It is stated that at Aaron’s command, the Israelites were instructed to remove their earrings (Ex. 32:2), which were then used to fashion the idol. Thus, we might deduce that Moses adorned Israel's ears with the law, but the false brother stripped away the divine ornament, creating an idol instead. At the inception of sin, there was indeed a stripping away of the earrings—a counsel to defy God's commandments. Can one consider the serpent's advice to stray from God's law as beneficial and righteous? This embodies the act of removing the 'earrings' of the commandments. Therefore, he who slays such brothers, friends, and neighbors will hear from the law these words, which Moses relayed to those guilty of such actions: "Today commit your hands unto the Lord, every one in his son and brother, that He may send you a blessing today" (Ex. 32:29).