THEOSISIgnatij (Briantchaninow)
As the prophetic legacy draws to a close, the words of Jacob shift dramatically: they no longer resonate with ecstasy, reverence, or celestial majesty. It is as though a lifeless form has been left bereft of spirit. The Divine, once communicating through the voice of the elder, has withdrawn from His secret proclamations; the once-inspired prophet now falls silent. The frail old man speaks in weariness: "I make my request," were Jacob's final words, "to my family; lay me to rest in the cave located in the field of Ephron the Hittite. There lie Abraham and Sarah; there rest Isaac and Rebekah; and there I have interred Leah."