Hyacinth/purple/scarlet types; Gershon/Merari wagons; Kohath shoulders

Cyril: …den censer, and lampstand again and the liturgical vessels, the hyacinth signaling for us the from-above and from heaven. For such-colored is the from-above and unto depth aether. And that the sacred vessels are types of Christ the from-above and from heaven has already been shown-forth for us through long words beforehand. And the table has also a whole-purple garment toward the hyacinth wraps; and at least the altar of the fruitings, a scarlet garment, and indeed also the laver, a whole-purple garment upon the hyacinth packings. And the table, having the setting-forward of the breads, signals the bloodless sacrifice, through which we are blessed eating the bread from heaven, that is Christ, who also has become according to us, but was and is even thus God coming from-above and from Father, and above all as king and Lord of the wholes. And a riddle of the kingdom of Christ would be, as at least it appears to me, the purple garment having been stretched upon the table, or the purple wrap. And this altar of the fruitings was clothed with a scarlet garment; and we will accept the scarlet-dyed garment as a type of blood. For Christ has been sacrificed through us and over us, and as some lamb has gone up upon the divine altar, unto a smell of fragrance to God and Father. And toward the hyacinths, a whole-purple garment the curtain for the laver. And the laver writes upon itself the type of the holy baptism, washing us with holy waters unto putting-away of sin, and carrying off unto the kingdom of the heavens. And from-above and from heaven is the holy baptism; and a riddle of this, the hyacinth color. Or do I not seem to you to say these things best, as at least in such hard-to-grasp of contemplations?

Palladius: And very much.

Cyril: So then such a liturgy for those from Kohath; and Gershonites again and indeed also Merarites, according to the equal manner, were being enrolled from twenty and five years and until fifty, by name according to houses and patriaries; and liturgy for the people of Gershon, the skins of the tent, the coverings, the hangings of the doors, and the sails of the court and the leftovers; and it has been written thus. And at least that from Merari (and this also a Levitical people), the pillars of the tent, the bases, the capitals, both pegs and bars, and the veil of the tent the outer, and some other things beside these. And those from Gershon and Merari were carrying through everywhere the things entrusted to themselves with the under-services through wagons. And Kohathites at least were going having the Holy of holies upon shoulders. For it has been written thus in Numbers: ‘And the rulers of Israel brought twelve rulers of houses of their patriarchies; these the rulers of tribes, these the ones having stood upon the oversight, and they brought their gifts before Lord, six covered wagons and twelve oxen. A wagon from two rulers, (Numbers 4:24–33) (Numbers 7:2–3) (John 6:32–35) (Ephesians 5:2)