THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Moses, the revered sage and holy seer, instructs us in Deuteronomy: “Take heed not to offer your burnt offerings in every place you may see; instead, offer them only in the place which the Lord your God will choose... in one of your tribes, present your burnt offerings and follow all that I command you... You may kill and consume the meat that the Lord your God gives you in all your settlements, as long as you do so with His blessing; both the clean and the unclean may eat it like the gazelle and the deer. However, you must not consume the blood; pour it out on the ground like water” (Deuteronomy 12:13-16).
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Therefore, the blame and condemnation of a sinful individual lies in the audacity to offer sacrifices in any place other than the house of God, where the sacrament of Christ is administered.
Palladius responded, “Well put; but please clarify this: the law rightly prohibits the consumption of blood, yet what is the interpretation of this commandment?” Cyril replied, “If you wish, let us also examine what is stated about it in Leviticus, where it reads: ‘If any member of the house of Israel or any foreigner living among you eats blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut them off from their people; for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you for the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Therefore, I said to the Israelites, None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood. Any Israelite or foreigner living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth; because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I said to the Israelites, You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood. Anyone who eats it must be cut off’” (Lev. 17:10-14). Notice how clearly blood is represented as a symbol of the soul.
Palladius acknowledged, “I see it now.” Cyril continued, “Thus, the law distances and separates blood from the bodies being consumed, teaching the true doctrine which we accept by faith and honor in our churches, that the rational soul of humanity is to be regarded as immortal and not subjected to decay along with earthly bodies unto death. Instead, it is released, liberated, and freed from suffering by the Creator, allowing it to partake in life: ‘for in the beginning man was created to be a living soul,’ as God breathed into him ‘the breath of life,’ as it is written (Gen. 2:7). If we were to claim that what gives life ceases with mortal bodies, we would cast blame on the very life that animates all. Conversely, we would adorn ourselves with a splendid crown of wisdom by affirming the soul's immortality, as it is pleasing to the Creator of all through whom ‘we ... live and move and exist’ (Acts 17:28). This, I believe, encapsulates the essence of the law concerning it.