"And how exactly would he come to know this 1250 odd years after the fact? Is it present in the Scriptures? Was it revealed to him by Heaven?"
His is merely an explanation that makes sense of the analogy of faith. We believe what we pray. The Spirit guides us in worship, and it remains for theologians later to define the exact formulas of our faith. Christology worked the same way. We worshipped Jesus as God before we formulated the dogmatic creed put together at Nicea in 325. That doesn't mean that we just figured out in 325 that Jesus was God. The same with any development of dogma.
"You know, the funny thing is that it is Jesus to whom the ark point and whom it symbolizes."
Actually, the ark ITSELF does not point to Jesus as much as the CONTENTS of the Ark pointing to Jesus. The Mercy Seat points to WHO sat in it! The Ark points to the PRESENCE of God that filled the Mercy Seat. The book of Hebrews tells us what was in the Ark. The Bread of Life, the manna (Jesus in the NT). The Staff of Aaron, the High Priest's Staff (Jesus in the NT). The Ten Commandments, the Law (Jesus in the NT). The "container", being pure, is fitting, considered what it carried. Jesus in the NT was carried by Mary, most pure. In the OT, God instructed how the Ark would be built. In the NT, God did it Himself, forming this "container" out of the greatest visible creation - Mary - a vessel most immaculate. As some have striven to post, we see the Church has regarded Mary as such for quite some time. It is fitting that such a creation contain within her God incarnate for 9 months.
Regards
***His is merely an explanation that makes sense of the analogy of faith.***
And this explanation is now obligatory belief?
***That doesn't mean that we just figured out in 325 that Jesus was God. The same with any development of dogma. ***
Slight difference in that from the beginning the Scriptures have been clear that Jesus is God.
***The Mercy Seat points to WHO sat in it! ***
Not to be course here, but Jesus doesn't sit on Mary when he renders judgement.
***As some have striven to post, we see the Church has regarded Mary as such for quite some time.***
They Church was also extremely dogmatic about Aristotelian cosmology for quite some time - even to the point of punishing dissenters as heretics. What of that?