THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Palladius. You have articulated that well; however, could you clarify this: the command prohibits the consumption of blood, which is reasonable; but what is the interpretation of this command? Cyril. If you wish, let us also refer to the law outlined in the book of Leviticus, which states: ‘If any man of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that dwelleth among you, shall eat any blood, I will turn my face upon the soul of him that eateth blood, and I will destroy her out of her people: for the soul of the body is in blood, and I have appointed it unto you for an altar to purify your souls: for this blood purifieth the soul: wherefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that dwelleth among you eat blood.
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If any of the children of Israel, and of the stranger that dwell among you, catch a beast or a bird to eat, he shall let its blood run out, and cover it with earth: for the soul of every body is its blood, it is its soul: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not eat blood of any body: for the soul of every body is its blood: whosoever shall eat thereof shall be destroyed’ (Lev. 17:10-14). Observe how the connection between blood and the soul is made clear. Palladius. I comprehend this. Cyril. Therefore, the law distinguishes and separates blood from the living beings it is quenched from, teaching the profound truth, embraced by us in faith and honored in our churches, that the rational soul of humanity is to be understood as immortal. This soul does not succumb to decay with physical bodies at death; rather, it is severed, liberated, and set free from suffering by the Creator, making it a participant in eternal life: ‘for in the beginning man was created 'unto a living soul,’ since God breathed into him ‘the breath of life,’ as it is written (Gen. 2:7). We would be remiss in our understanding of the life that animates all if we claimed that what it has generated for existence ceases along with earthly bodies. On the contrary, we would adorn ourselves with a beautiful crown of wisdom by affirming the immortality of the soul, as it satisfies the will of the Creator of all, by whom ‘we ... live and move and exist’ (Acts 17:28). This, I believe, encapsulates the essence of the law concerning it.