26. Jesus the Son of Nun, the successor of
Moses, was amazed; and came to him and said, “Hast thou heard
that Eldad and Modad are prophesying? They were called, and they
came not; my lord Moses, forbid them Num. xi. 28..” “I cannot forbid
them,” he says, “for this grace is from Heaven; nay, so far
am I from forbidding them, that I myself am thankful for it. I
think not, however, that thou hast said this in envy; art thou
jealous for my sake, because that they prophesy, and thou
prophesiest not yet? Wait for the proper season; and oh that
all the Lord’s people may be prophets, whenever the Lord shall
give His Spirit upon them Num. xi. 29.!” saying this
also prophetically, whenever the Lord shall give; “For as
yet then He has not given it; so thou hast it not yet.”—Had
not then Abraham this, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph? And they
of old, had they it not? Nay, but the words, “whenever
the Lord shall give” evidently mean “give it upon all;
as yet indeed the grace is partial, then it shall be given
lavishly.” And he secretly alluded to what was to happen
among us on the day of Pentecost; for He Himself came down among
us. He had however also come down upon many before. For it
is written, And Jesus the son of Nun was filled with a spirit of
wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him Deut. xxxiv. 9.. Thou seest the figure everywhere the
same in the Old and New Testament;—in the days of Moses, the
Spirit was given by laying on of hands; and by laying on of hands
Peter Acts viii. 18. On this passage of Cyril,
see the section on “Chrism” in the
Introduction. also gives the Spirit. And on thee
also, who art about to be baptized, shall His grace come; yet in what
manner I say not, for I will not anticipate the proper
season.