THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Behold verses 4 and 5, 6. Let us extend peace to Him; let us offer our goodwill, O coming child of Jacob. Israel may ebb and flow, yet all creation shall be enriched by His bounty. Since the Jewish people turned away from love and faith in Christ, the Savior for all, and since the Beloved turned His attention to the Gentiles, Christ, through the holy apostles, has embraced all those who dwell in the heavenly realms. The blessed prophet, in foresight, serves as wise counsel for all nations, declaring that Israel has forsaken the firstborn, denied its faith, and acted wickedly towards the Redeemer. Yet we, who approach—those who will one day come—shall transition from darkness to light, from the ignorance of the Hellenistic world to the knowledge of the one true God, from sin to truth.
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We shall establish peace with Him; having eradicated ancient enmity, we will be reconciled with God. By eliminating sin and vanquishing Satan, and encountering no one who would obstruct us from Christ, we will align our lives with His commands, adhere to His desires and words, and humbly surrender to the gospel teachings, thereby achieving reconciliation with Him. The Apostle Paul similarly addresses those called from the Gentiles, stating, “For we who have been justified by faith have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Consequently, having urged those who come, of whom the blessed David proclaimed, “The coming generation shall declare to the Lord” (Psalm 21:31), he turned his discourse toward the holy apostles, discerning by the Holy Spirit that they would bring the entirety of creation to the Lord. With great joy, he exclaims that the children of Jacob shall fade, while Israel shall prosper, and all of creation shall be filled with the fruits of this. For the divine disciples are indeed the heirs of Jacob, who was renamed Israel. Yet, it was from the east to the west (Psalm 112:3), and their message reached every corner of the earth, their words resonating to the farthest reaches of the world (Psalm 18:5). Consequently, many nations were called to the knowledge of the truth, and, as the prophetic utterance confirms, all creation was filled with His bounty. Whom does this refer to? Clearly, it pertains to Israel, or the descendants of Israel; for those who embraced the faith were the fruits of the apostles’ abundant endeavors. The divine Paul referred to them as his joy and crown; indeed, the praise and glory of the holy ministers of the mystery are found in those who have been redeemed through their efforts.