The Doves

Καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν, οἶμαι που, καὶ ὁ σοφὸς Ἰωάαννης γράφει· Ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξῆλθον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν· εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν, μεμενήσκαν ἂν μεθ' ἡμῶν. Λέγοντες δὲ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐναργῶς, ὅτι Ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς ἀποστήσονται τινες τῆς πίστεως, προσέχοντες πνεύμασι πλάνοις, ὅρα καὶ τοῦδε σαφῆ τύπον διὰ Νῶε γεγενημένον. Ἀπέστειλε μὲν γὰρ πρώτην τε και δευτέραν περιστερὰν κατασκεψομενός, ὥσπερ εἰ ἐν ὑφιζήσει γέγονεν ὁ κατακλυσμός. Αἱ δὲ ὑπενόστησαν ὡς εἰς καλιὰν εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν, καὶ τι κάρφος ἐχούσης μιᾶς ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῆς, καθὰ γέγραπται, θαλὸς δὲ τοῦτο ἐλαίας ἦν. Ἀποστέλλονται μὲν γὰρ οἱ ἅγιοι παρὰ Χριστοῦ κατασκεψόμενοι τε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ. Ὑμονοστοῦσι δὲ ὥσπερ λαλοῠντες εἰρήνην. Τουτὶ γὰρ οἶμαι πλαγίως ὑποδηλοῦν τὸ ἐν στόματι κεῖσθαι τῆς περιστερᾶς τὸν τῇς ἐλαίας θαλόν. Σύμβολον γὰρ εἰρήνης ἀεί πώς ἐστι τὸ φυτόν. Φιλόθεοι μὲν οὖν οἱ πίστει κεκαθαρμένοι, καὶ ὡς ἐν πραότητι πολιτείας εὐαγγελικῆς, ἀπόλεκτοι τῷ Θεῷ. Πλὴν, ὅτι καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποστήσονται τινες ἐν ἐσχάτοις καιροῖς, καθάπερ ἔφην ἀρτίως, ἐμφήνειεν ἂν ὁ τύπος. Τρίτη γὰρ καὶ τελευταία πέμπεται περιστερὰ, καὶ οὐκ ἐμελέτα τὴν ὑποστροφὴν. Ἀπομεμένηκε γὰρ, Ὑπολοφήσαντος δὲ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, κεκάθεκεν ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐπι τὰ ὅρη Ἀραρὰτ, ἂ διερμηνεύεται μαρτυρία καταβάσεως. Ὑψηλοὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ καὶ οἰονεί πως ἐν ὅρεσι διὰ τὸ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας ὑπεραναστηκὸς, οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ διὰ πίστεως, τὸν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβεβηκότα Θεὸν Λόγον, τοῖς ἀπανταχῇ κηρύτοντες, οἶς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπεφώνει Θεὸς διὰ προφήτου φωνῆς· Γίνεσθε μοι μάρυτες, καὶ ἑγὼ μάρτυς, λέηει Κύριος ὁ Θεός· καὶ ὁ παῖς ὄν ἐξελεξάμην. Ἀνωτέρω δὴ οὖν τῆς ἐν κόσμῳ χθαμαλότητος τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ τὰ αὐχήματα. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Γλαφυρών Ἐις Την Γένεσιν, Λόγος Δεύτερος Source: Migne PG 69.71a-c

And concerning these, I think that the wise John writes somewhere, 'They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if there were of us, they would have remained with us.' 1 And speaking openly through the Spirit, 'In the last times some will fall away from the faith, attending to deceitful spirits.' 2 And see here the manifest type made through Noah. For he sends out the first and second doves to see whether the flood has subsided and these return to the ark as to a dovecote, and one of them has in its mouth, as it is written, an olive branch. 3 So the holy are sent from Christ to scrutinise the world and those in it. And they return speaking peace. I think this is what is obscurely signified here by the olive branch in the mouth of the dove, for the olive is always a symbol of peace. Therefore they are the pious, who are cleansed by faith, and are the delight of God in the meekness of the evangelical life. Besides which they are some who in the last times, as said, shall fall away, which this type declares, for the third and last dove sent out does not care to return. For it has been mentioned that 'with the flood subsiding, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat,' 4 which is interpreted 'witness descending.' For the exalted are like those set upon the mountains because of the sublimity of the evangelical life, those who through faith in Christ are on high, and from heaven the Word of God has come down, which they preach everywhere, concerning which God Himself cries out through the voice of the prophet 'You be my witnesses, even as I am a witness, says the Lord, and the boy whom I have chosen.' 5 Thus more sublime than anything set low in the world is their glory in Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra On Genesis, Book 2 1 1 Jn 2.19 2 1 Tim 4.1 3 Gen 8.8-11 4 Gen 8.4 5 Isaiah 43.10