THEOSISMaximus the Confessor
Why is a person with partial leprosy considered unclean by the Law, while one with complete leprosy is deemed clean? A person bearing leprosy in any part is spiritually dead, as the vital essence is absent, and a void forms; when the priest touches the leprosy-inflicted area and it reveals a cavity, he pronounces that individual unclean. Similarly, someone who carries leprosy in any aspect of their soul becomes unclean, as the soul has developed a void, signifying it has been diminished by the loss of the life-affirming force of virtue. The person with leprosy throughout their entirety only has the disease externally evident on the skin, meaning they are unaffected internally, and the life-giving essence flows across the surface of their whole being.
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This illustrates that an individual who has encountered the utmost depths of evil, and subsequently repents, restores the life-affirming power of virtue, with only their conscience still marked by prior anticipations, as they are acutely aware of their past actions, even if they have now changed. Therefore, the Law regards such a person as clean.