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Moses and the Mystery of Christ in Cyril of Alexandria's Exegesis, Part II

McGuckin, John A.

MOSES AND THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST IN ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA’S EXEGESIS* PART II

Having set out his unrepentant Alexandrian hermeneutical principles generically in this way, Cyril advances into the precise exegesis of the nativity of Moses ( Exodus ch. 5 ) working from consistently Christocentric bases. The story of the birth is prefixed in the biblical text by the desperate state of Israel, forced to work like slaves under harsh overlords. This, for Cyril 32 , signifies the state of humanity at the time of Christ, when all the nations of the earth were labouring under the worst dominion of demons. The children of Israel, are a type of humanity under the tyranny of sin. The Pharaoh is the evil Prince of this world (Satan), whose overseers (localised demons) keep the people enslaved, and at a time when misery could hardly increase, the evil king devises a plan for the blotting out of male Israelite children.