91. Further, God indicated the strength of the mystery
They said, "We admitted this."
"Then," I said, "you should mark the consequence.
Moses first indicated this thing which appeared to be a curse by the signs which he did."
"What signs do you mean?" he said.
"When the people were fighting against Amalek," I said, "and the Son of Nun, who was called by the name of Jesus
(Joshua), was beginning the battle, Moses himself was praying to God, holding out his hands on each side of him.
Hur and Aaron held them up the whole day long to prevent them falling down as he grew tired.
If he modified this position which reproduces the cross, as it is written in the writing of Moses, the people were defeated; but if he continued in this posture Amalek was thus far conquered!, and as long as he was strong he was strong by the cross.
The people did not prevail because Moses was praying so much, but because, as the name of Jesus was in the beginning of the battle, Moses was making the sign of the cross.
Which of you does not know that a prayer accompanied by grief and tears most of all propitiates God, and the prayer of one who is in a prone position and who kneels on his knees?
But neither Moses himself nor anybody else after him prayed in this particular posture, seated on a stone.
And indeed the stone has a symbolic meaning, referring to Christ, as I have said.
91.
Further, God indicated the strength of the mystery of the cross in another passage.
He spoke through Moses in the blessing with which he blessed Joseph:
[There follows a quotation from Deut. 33:13-17.] Nobody could either say or show that the horns of the unicorn imply any other subject or pattern than the sign which indicates the cross.
For there is one piece of wood which stands upright and the upper part of it stretches up
1Exod. 17:10-12.
into a horn when the cross-piece is fitted to it, and the ends appear on each side like horns joined to the original horn.
And the piece of wood fitted into the middle, on which those who are crucified are seated, itself sticks out like a horn, and is itself fitted in and fixed with the other horns.
And the text, With them shall he butt nations together even at the end of the earth' is prophetic of the events now taking place among all nations.
Butted, that is to say pricked to the heart, men from all nations have been by means of this mystery converted to piety from futile idols and demons.
And the same symbol acts in destruction and condemnation to the unbelievers, in the same way as, when the people left Egypt, by means of Moses stretching out his hands and the son of Nun being called by the name of Jesus (Joshua)
Amalek was defeated and Israel victorious.
Again, the public display made by the type and sign in the incident of the serpents biting Israel appears to have taken place for the salvation of those who believed that death was then predicted as destined to befall the serpent through him who was going to be crucified.
Salvation was for those who had been bitten by the serpent and was for those who took refuge with him who sent his crucified Son into the world.
The prophetic Spirit was not teaching us through Moses to believe in the serpent, since it indicates at the very beginning that he was cursed by God, and it indicates in Isaiah that he was due to be executed by the great sword... .2
943.
Tell me, was it not God who ordained through Moses that neither image nor likeness either of the things in heaven above nor of the things on earth should ever be made', and yet he caused the brazen serpent to be made in the desert
Peut. 33:17.
#Num. 21:9; Gen. 3:14; Isa. 27:1.
'Caps. 92 and 93 are omitted.
4Exod. 20:4.