THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
God instructed that the four categories of signs should be recognized, and that the formations oriented to the east, west, north, and south should be prepared and established accordingly. This, I believe, symbolizes the four Gospel accounts through which all nations are directed to the understanding of doctrine and ethics. However, upon deeper contemplation, if we are to consider the pursuit of beneficial things more precious than sleep and turmoil, we will uncover four distinct forms of our preaching that can guide the entire world toward an admirable and truly righteous existence. The first form directs us towards the understanding of truth and the acceptance of Divine illumination, calling out to those who worship creation rather than the Creator (Rom.
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1:25), as they foolishly declare to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth,’ as the prophet has proclaimed (Jer. 2:27). The remaining three forms of preaching appropriately address those who already hold faith. The Savior spoke of three different ways of living and behaving in His parable, illustrating how the seeds sown on fertile ground yielded fruit: ‘one a hundredfold, another sixtyfold, and another thirtyfold’ (Matt. 13:8). Hence, there exists a specific message intended for each group. It would not be prudent to deliver a single teaching that is applicable to both those who lawfully share their devotion between God and worldly matters and those who have opted for a more sublime and ascetic lifestyle, or that which pertains to the priesthood. To the former, we advise: ‘Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you unmarried? Do not seek a wife’ (1 Cor. 7:27) along with other appropriate considerations for those in marriage; for the ascetics and those cultivated in endurance: “Put to death your earthly members: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire” (Col. 3:5), and also remind them: “The present troubles are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). For those called to serve as priests, ‘The priest's lips should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth’ (Malachi 2:7), alongside the teachings that the wise Paul imparts in his letters to Timothy. Do these scriptural references stray from righteousness and lead to wrongdoing? Absolutely not.