THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
The discourse revisits the poignant forewarnings and concludes with a narrative of the astounding and glorious deeds of Christ. It appears to connect to the earlier remarks, highlighting what would occur as a result of divine indignation. He stated: ‘And thou, thou pillar of the flock of the moment, O ye women of Zion, unto thee shall come, and the first power shall come in, the kingdom out of Babylon the daughter of Jerusalem’ (Micah 4:8). Subsequently, he foretells the demise of their cavalry, along with the magnificence of their chariots; their cities shall be laid waste, leaving them bereft of their very fortifications.
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The Babylonians would utterly consume their cities along with the populace, leading to the obliteration of the fruits of their labor—sorcery and false prophecies, as well as the very sanctuaries and idols—would be entirely annihilated, and the groves reduced to ashes. What shall ensue from this? This glorious judgment and form of discipline will not be concealed from the neighboring nations. They will perceive that they endured these tribulations due to their failure to heed God’s word, namely, as a consequence of their unfaithfulness. Wisdom also addresses those with unrestrained minds: ‘Forasmuch as... For I also will laugh at your destruction, but I will rejoice when destruction comes to you, and when rebellion comes... rebellion shall come at once, and destruction shall come like a storm’ (Proverbs 1:24, 26-27); for the outcomes of straying from God are wrath, anger, fury, grief, and suffering. Thus, we ought to promptly and willingly follow God, who beckons us towards righteousness, and pursue what is pleasing in His sight, for hesitation and sluggishness in performing good deeds will bring us great harm and subject us to harsh trials. Consider how God transforms even the penalties for sin into a blessing for humanity: He liberates Israel from abhorrent idolatry, altars, shrines, sacrifices, and the veneration of created things. Therefore, it is not in vain to be under His discipline if it is ‘in judgment, and not in wrath,’ as the prophet indicates (Jeremiah 10:24). If one were to assert that this was true for the Jews, who arrogantly opposed Christ, they would not be mistaken. There is no doubt that their cities were ravaged, and that the entire generation capable of warfare was annihilated at the hands of the Romans. It is likely they bore the consequences of ancient idol worship, even though at that time they still had those among them who sought to worship created beings and were enthralled by sorcery, for they are perpetually inclined to follow those drawn to idolatry, believing nothing to be more absurd than that which they deride.