Seeing The Light

Ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει, εἶδε φῶς μέγα... Σκότος ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸ αἰσθητὸν καλεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν πλάνην καὶ τὴν ἀσέβειαν· διὸ καὶ ἐπὴγαγε· Τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου, φῶη ἔλαμψεν αὐτοῖς. Εἴτα δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ αὐτοὶ ζητήσαντες εὗριον, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῖς ἄνωθεν ἐφάνη, φησίν· Αὐτὸ τὸ φῶς ἀνέτειλε καὶ ἔλαμψεν. Οὐκ αὐτοὶ πρότερον τῷ φωτὶ προσέδραμον· καὶ γὰρ ἐν σκότει τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἧν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐβάδιζον ἐν σκότει, ἀλλ' ἐκάθηντο, ὅπερ συμεῖον ἧν τοῦ μὴ ἐλπίζειν αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον Εὐάγγελιον Source: Migne PG 72.372d-373a

A people sitting in darkness have seen a great light... 1 He does not speak of a material darkness here, but of error and wickedness, therefore he adds: 'On those sitting in a land and in the shadow of death a light has shone.' By which it is shown that they were not seekers who found it, but God on high revealed it, The light rose and shone forth, he says. Not that they hurried to the light before, for before the coming of Christ the things of men were in darkness, and they did not walk in darkness, but they sat, as a sign that they had no hope for a change for themselves. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Fragment 1 Mt 4.16