Ezekiel 44:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Instead, we should heed the warning of Isaiah: ‘Woe to those who draw in sin as with cords and iniquity as with cart ropes’ (Isaiah 5:18). Their fundamental sin lay in welcoming foreigners and uncircumcised souls, both in heart and flesh, into God's sanctuary and thereby contaminating the house of God. A small amount of leaven corrupts the whole batch (1 Cor. 5:6), and it is stated in Proverbs, ‘Do not introduce the wicked into the dwelling of the righteous.’

Concerning this matter, Jews and Ebionites, who uphold physical circumcision, raise objections: how can we interpret the distinction between uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh in a spiritual context? Yet, Paul asserts, ‘If you are circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing’ (Galatians 5:2-3), coupled with the words of Jeremiah: ‘Behold, your ears are uncircumcised; they do not desire to hear’ (Jeremiah 6:10). In Exodus, Moses speaks before the Lord: ‘The children of Israel have not heeded my words; how will Pharaoh believe me? I am slow of speech’ (Ex. 6:12). The LXX translates as, ‘Yet I am speechless,’ while the Hebrew suggests, ‘I am uncircumcised of lips.’ Therefore, let us challenge them, or rather compel them to circumcise their ears and silence their lips to align with the Scriptures. If they define ear circumcision as refraining from hearing anything disgraceful and lip circumcision as not speaking ill, we must assert the same understanding regarding the heart and flesh. Our hearts are circumcised by God’s blade when wicked thoughts are expelled from within, avoiding the indictment that ‘the hearts of these people are dull, and their ears heavy’ (Is. 6:10; Acts 28:27). Likewise, the flesh is circumcised when we refrain from indulgent earthly actions prompted by bodily needs like eating, drinking, sleeping, and dressing. We engage in these acts not for pleasure or excess but out of necessity for maintaining our bodies.

Those who drink a small amount of wine for health reasons (1 Tim. 5) and detest drunkenness circumcise their flesh. One who sleeps only as nature demands will resonate with Solomon’s words: ‘If you sit, you will be untroubled; if you sleep, you will rest well, without the fear of adversity that troubles the wicked’ (Proverbs 3:24-25). Anyone who flees from immorality and fulfills their responsibilities towards their spouse, aiming to avoid temptation from Satan (1 Cor. 7), will hear, ‘This day I will remove the reproach of Egypt from you’ (Num. 5:9). Such individuals will wear garments that shield against the cold instead of those which unnecessarily expose their bodies. A body disciplined through fasting and abstaining will evade the reproach associated with the indulgent Egyptians and can claim, ‘My soul is weary in a dry and parched land; thus I seek You in the sanctuary’ (Ps. 62:2-3).

If we are to bring foreigners into God’s temple, we must circumcise their ears, lips, hearts, and all their senses, that we may act in reverence toward God and with clarity of understanding. Let the bishops, presbyters, and all members of the church receive this message, ensuring they do not introduce uncircumcised children, in heart and flesh, into the sanctuary of God, for such actions would defile His house. Failure to heed this warning results in the continuation of our iniquities, as we offer the sacred bread of offerings, which unites us in one body, alongside the blood shed through Christ’s suffering. This must be understood as a warning: When you allow the uncircumcised into My sanctuary, defiling My house through the offerings of bread, fat, and blood, you transgress My covenant through your sins and fail to uphold the sacred practices of My sanctuary. The admonition is directed to those who ignore the apostle’s counsel, ‘Do not be hasty in laying hands on anyone, nor share in another’s sins’ (1 Tim. 5:22).

Alternatively, one may interpret it thus: You have broken My covenant through your iniquities, failing to uphold the sacred practices of My sanctuary, while daring to appoint unworthy and foreign guards to minister in My sanctuary—not for My glory, but for your own comfort, thereby defiling My holy place.

Subsequent to these revelations, the Prophet once more glimpsed the glory of God at the northern gate. He was directed to address the people, whether they were angry, curious, or obstinate—terms which various interpreters have used—admonishing them to relinquish their previous transgressions, as he had repeatedly done by permitting the uncircumcised and foreign individuals to enter the temple of God. Their principal error extended beyond mere physical uncircumcision; their minds were uncircumcised as well. Hence, it is clear that true circumcision of the heart holds greater significance than the physical act, with the latter serving merely as a sign and seal of the former.

Therefore, the Almighty commands that those who remain uncircumcised in spirit and are regarded as outsiders by their physical nature must keep their distance from the sanctuary of God. The Levites, who have shared in the people’s iniquities and embraced idol worship, are to be stripped of their office and barred from the temple gates. They did not present the burnt offerings or sin offerings, nor did they approach the sacrificial rites; instead, they garnered disgrace from the fruits of their wrongdoing. In contrast, a lineage of the Zadokites, who maintained their ancestral integrity, continued to serve and protect the temple and fulfill all their other duties.

The Prophet records that they shall not don woolen garments; rather, they shall wear linen during their priestly duties. Each priest shall cover his head with a turban and fasten a girdle around his waist. The people are to go out to the larger assembly and remove their priestly attire, changing into other clothing before exiting through the gates, as it is forbidden for anyone outside the priesthood to approach the garments of the priests.