THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril. The Lord instructed that the leper be removed from the camp, yet He also mandated a thorough examination of the individual and their affliction, stating: “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying: When a man shall have a tumour, or a molt, or a spot, or a blotch on the skin of his body, and a plague of leprosy appears on the skin of his body, he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons the priests; the priest shall examine the plague on the skin of his body, and if the hair of the plague be changed to white, and the plague be deepened in the skin of his body, it is a plague of leprosy; and the priest, having examined him, shall declare him unclean.
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And if there be a white spot on the skin of his body, but it be not deepened into the skin, and the hair thereof be not changed into white, then the priest shall confine him that hath the ulcer seven days; On the seventh day the priest shall examine him, and if the ulcer remains in its form, and the ulcer has not spread over the skin, the priest shall confine him for another seven days; on the seventh day again the priest shall examine him, and if the ulcer is less conspicuous, and the ulcer has not spread over the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is lichen, and let him wash his garments, and he shall be clean. But if the lichen shall spread upon the skin, after he has been to the priest for cleansing, he shall come to the priest a second time; the priest, when he sees that the lichen spread upon the skin, shall declare him unclean: it is leprosy” (Leviticus 13:1-8). The nuances contained within these statements, Palladius, are subtle and can be difficult to grasp; thus, I find it essential to distill their essence into simpler terms to convey the law's intent. For now, I will elaborate on the specific nature of this affliction. Leprosy represents the most severe ailment afflicting the human body, difficult to heal and all-consuming, associated with the corruption of the flesh: it manifests quickly as a deep sore, leading to the destruction of the skin as the rot burrows increasingly beneath the surface. As I may describe, the hair in the afflicted areas dries up and turns white, similar to how a plant withers as it decays in the earth beneath it. Such is the nature of leprosy. The condition known as white rash resembles leprosy closely; however, it does not penetrate deeply or invoke the same sense of illness internally. Instead, it appears superficially, manifesting as a faint surface condition, where the hair does not turn white, and the rash does not proliferate uncontrollably. With minor medical intervention, the rash can often resolve, restoring the flesh to health. Hence, leprosy is an undeniable sign of death, whereas the white rash, which may superficially resemble it, is not genuinely leprosy and should not be equated with the deadness it represents.