Aaron’s rod sprouts almonds; Emmanuel high priest; rod of Jesse blooms = resurrection

Cyril: …give. And you will set them in the tent of the testimony, opposite the testimony, in which I will be known to you there. And it will be, the human whom I should choose, his rod will sprout. And I will remove from me the murmuring of sons of Israel, which they themselves murmur upon you. And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their rulers gave him a rod, to the one ruler a rod according to ruler, according to houses of their families, twelve rods. And Aaron’s rod in midst of their rods, and Moses set away the rods opposite Lord in the tent of the testimony. And it came to be on the morrow, and Moses and Aaron entered in the tent of the testimony. And behold Aaron’s rod sprouted unto house of Levi, and brought forth a sprout, and blossomed flowers, and sprouted almonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from face of Lord toward all sons of Israel. And they saw, and each took his rod. And Lord said toward Moses: Set away Aaron’s rod before the testimonies unto keeping, a sign for the sons of the disobedient. And let their murmuring cease from me, and they will not die.’ So then a sign not unclear of Aaron the divine having been taken out brightly and distinctly unto priest-work, as from Levi’s blood, is the blossoming of the rod. And when it is turned again unto spiritual contemplation, as still in thickest types, the mystery of Christ will shine up again.

Palladius: In what manner?

Cyril: For Emmanuel has been voted lawgiver together and high priest upon us by God and Father, bringing himself forward for us the sacrifice. For as blessed Paul said, ‘The law through Moses sets humans as high priests having weakness; but the word of the oath-taking after the law, a Son perfected unto the age.’ (Numbers 17:4–10) So then the Word has come down from heaven, and has come to be according to us, liturgist of the holy things and of the true tent which the Lord pitched, and not a human. But those from Israel’s blood did not seem to think upright things; and as setting out their own will against him they were striking in many ways with the arrows from envy, no longer sparing tongue, nor boldness, nor outlandish attempts, and destroying themselves the wretched ones, and finally they crucified. Yet the rod from Jesse’s root was blooming again; for Christ has grown up and lived again, having loosed the pangs of death, according as has been written; for being life according to nature, as God, how was it likely to be held by death, and not rather to wrestle down corruption? And just as the growing-up of the rod, and the unexpected sprouting-again of the already flowerless wood, was a sufficient sign for the more ancient ones that Aaron has been voted high priest through the vote from above; so we say that a bright and clear and very sufficient proof that Emmanuel is also God according to nature is the trampling of death, and living again in a God-fitting way. And indeed Christ himself, though (Hebrews 7:28) (Hebrews 8:2) (Isaiah 11:1) (Acts 2:24) (Numbers 17:8)