Wis 14:7

“If the bones of the righteous are impure, how is it that the bones of Jacob and Joseph were carried out of Egypt with every honor? Or how is it that a dead man was raised after coming in contact with the bones of Elisha? If God works miracles through bones, it is clear that he can also do so through images, stones and many other things. This also happened with Elisha, who gave his staff to his servant and ordered him to go and raise the son of the Shunammite woman with it. Moses too, with a staff, not only punished Pharaoh but also divided the sea, sweetened waters and opened the rock and made water flow out. Solomon says, "Blessed is the wood from which salvation comes." Elisha made a piece of iron float after throwing a stick in the Jordan, and it is also written that "the tree of life" and "the plant of Sabek" lead to forgiveness. Moses lifted up the serpent on a stick, saving the lives of the people, and confirmed the priesthood in the tent with a blooming branch.”

“This comparison of the two trees is different, because one deserves blessing, while the other deserves a curse. For blessed is the wood of the cross, on which, through the blood of Christ, the world was restored, and the redemption of the human race was perfected. On the contrary, the idol is cursed, that is, the image and worship of false gods, whose destruction is certain, and eternal torment awaits its maker. For the Devil will rightly be punished for having persuaded and agreed to have divine honor offered to himself; and men who worshipped him as God will deservedly suffer torments, because they tried to venerate falsehood instead of truth, and the creature instead of the Creator. But since we often find in the Holy Scriptures that wood is set for man, according to the rule of figurative speech, blessed is the man who speaks words of truth and does works of righteousness. But the heretic who worships the inventions of his own error is cursed, and assigned to eternal destruction, he himself, indeed, and his work, that is, his doctrine, which he presumed to teach falsely as truth.”

“For blessed is the wood, namely of Noah's ark, through which justice is wrought, namely the deliverance of the just, while the wicked were drowned, which was just. Concerning this wood, above in chapter 10: "When water destroyed the earth, wisdom healed it again, governing the just man by a contemptible piece of wood." Now this wood allegorically can be called the wood of the cross, of which it is said in First Peter, chapter two: "He bore our sins in His own body upon the tree." Through that wood justice was accomplished, because "to each was rendered what was his own." For through that wood sin was destroyed, according to that which the Church sings: "Death then died, when life died upon the wood"; Hosea, chapter thirteen: "O death, I will be your death," etc. Likewise, through it the devil was conquered, according to that saying of Gregory: "He who conquered through wood would also be conquered through wood." Likewise, through it man was reconciled; Colossians, chapter two: "Blotting out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, nailing it to the cross"; likewise Colossians, chapter one: "Making peace through the blood of the cross." Likewise, hell was despoiled; Colossians, chapter two: "Despoiling principalities and powers," etc. Likewise, heaven was opened: whence it was said to the thief: "Today you shall be with Me in paradise," Luke, chapter twenty-three; Isaiah, chapter twenty-two: "I will give the key of the house of David." Likewise, Christ was exalted: whence Philippians, chapter two: "Wherefore God also exalted Him," etc. This was the scepter of Ahasuerus shown or extended to man as a sign of clemency, Esther, chapter fifteen.”