THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril asserts that the moment of our Savior's Resurrection elevates those who are sanctified by the Spirit and justified through faith, enabling them to produce the fruits of a new and pure life. This truth is illustrated in the law, which states: “And then you shall bring a new grain offering to the Lord: From your dwellings you shall bring two loaves of libation, which shall consist of two tenths of an ephah of wheat flour, and shall be baked sour, as the firstfruits unto the Lord; and with the loaves you shall present seven lambs without blemish, of one year old, and of cattle one calf and two rams…; let these be a burnt offering to the Lord, and the grain offering and the libation to them, a sacrifice, a sweet savour to the Lord.
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Prepare also out of the flock of goats one goat for a sin offering, and two yearling lambs for a peace-offering… And the priest shall bring it, shaking it before the Lord, together with the first-fruits loaves and the two lambs, and it shall be a holy thing unto the Lord: to the priest that bringeth it shall belong: and ye shall call the people this day, a holy convocation shall ye have, ye shall work no work: this is an everlasting ordinance in all your dwellings throughout your generations” (Leviticus 23:16-21). The beginning, or rather, the firstfruits of creation being restored for the renewal of creation is Immanuel; He is viewed among us as the first bread and the new mixture. In His likeness, we too are regarded as a new mixture as we embark on this shared path. The offering of bread made from new fruits signifies this clearly; however, the law stipulates that not just one loaf should be presented, but two, representing the two nations that become united through Christ, our Intercessor. It is stated that only the leavened bread shall be baked. What can we deduce from this enigmatic phrase after delving into the depth of the law? Should we interpret this leaven as the wickedness and unrighteousness it can embody? That would be folly. How then could we perceive those who have embraced the renewal of gospel life as free from wickedness? How would this relate to renewal? Additionally, how could a person be deemed a new mixture if any taint of such leaven remains within them, preventing complete purity? Therefore, we must conclude that a different type of leaven is implied, one that is not to be condemned but is instead regarded with awe in the divinely inspired Scriptures. The Savior compares the glorious and beneficial influence of Divine evangelical teaching to leaven, stating: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all was leavened” (Matthew 13:33). This leaven, which enters the mind and heart, brings life and transforms the soul, body, and spirit into its own essence. Thus, this is the leaven with which the nations, symbolically represented as loaves, ought to be understood as being infused. Each of them, being "of two tithes," also subtly indicates a dual form of instruction.