Leviticus 21:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

a widow, or a rejected woman, or a defiled woman, or a harlot he shall not take; but a maiden of his people he shall take as a wife; he shall not defile his offspring among his people: for I am the Lord... who sanctifies him" (Lev. 21:10-15). Therefore, even in images, we perceive Immanuel and Christ as they are symbolized in Aaron: for He is anointed with the Spirit, as the Scriptures affirm (Isaiah 11:2, 42, etc.), being the perfect Priest. Consequently, He possesses the inherent glory of the priesthood: "let him not," it is stated, "uncover his head," meaning he should not remove his priestly garments; for it is declared concerning the Savior and Redeemer: "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Psalms 109:4). "Moreover, those priests were many, because death did not allow one to remain alone; but this One, because He remains forever, has an unending priesthood, thus He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him," as the divine Paul wrote (Hebrews 7:23-25). Therefore, the command against removing the kiddar from his head signifies the permanence of the priesthood. If we also assert, "Let him not remove the mitre from his head," it becomes evident that it symbolizes the fidelity and stability of his kingdom: the mitre, adorned with a golden plaque at the front, signifies authority and kingship. However, "let it not be stripped," it is advised. Some may practice this in mourning for the dead; yet this action is wholly uncharacteristic of Christ, as life cannot be affected by death. For the dead hold no significance to it; rather, it embodies both the cessation of death and the overthrow of corruption. Likewise, the Savior reproached those who sought to grieve for the ruler’s daughter, saying: "Depart, and weep not: for the maiden is not dead, but asleep" (Matthew 9:24). It was foolish to shed tears over the maiden, treating her as deceased, in the presence of Him who is the Source of all life. While He wept over Lazarus (John 11:35), it is understood to stem from love, and His compassion for us emanated from Divine goodness: the pain felt due to death elicited His compassion, leading to tears as a response to suffering. Palladius. It seems to be so. Cyril. Furthermore, that nothing in Christ is profane is implied by the admonition that the bishop must remain separate from the dead, avoiding all contact with death, not even to venerate his father, mother, or brethren. Observe the wisdom of the law and the significance it places on the inner beauty of sacred things: regarding other priests, it accommodates natural feelings, permitting the consecrated to perform customary acts toward very close and blood relatives who have died; it does not overly concern itself with imperfections in such instances, since our transgressions are portrayed in images referring to individuals for whom, if defilement occurred, there was nothing extraordinary about it: "for we all stumble in many ways" (James 3:2), and our nature is fragile, prone to sin. But in the great Hierarch, Christ, honor remains untainted even within the images, pure within the very shadows, so that the beauty of truth may remain undisturbed, because Christ is without sin and knows no defilement; rather, He partakes of divine light and mental purity, existing in complete sanctity, and this manifestation is eternal, grounded in natural laws, maintaining its position consistently. This is encapsulated in the proclamation, "And from the sanctuary he shall not depart, nor dishonor the sanctuary of his God" (Leviticus 21:12). The Scriptures then clearly specify that the wife intended for marriage must be a virgin, thereby excluding those who have been rejected from this union. This reflects the image of the Jewish synagogue, as it has been cast away from fellowship; concerning her, it is spoken through the prophet, "For she is not my wife, nor am I her husband" (Hos. 2:2). Paul, too, refers to "the church among the Gentiles as a pure virgin," who is "without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless" (cf. 2 Cor. 11:2 with Eph. 5:27). Thus, the connection to the church of the Gentiles and the mother of the Jews, the synagogue, holds true, and the imagery is beautiful. Yet if anyone seeks to extend these thoughts to all individuals, we affirm that Christ does not engage with the souls of the unrighteous and the unholy; rather, He unites spiritually with the holy and pure, likened to virgins, making them fruitful and claiming them as His own: "For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven," He declares, "the same is My brother, and sister, and mother" (Matt. 12:50).

To avoid any misconception that I misinterpret Scripture or prioritize my love for Christ over historical truth, I will address matters concerning the body in relation to the head and will discuss the servants in light of what has been fulfilled in the Lord, recognizing that the glory of the Lord also reflects the glory of His servants. I will seize any opportunity to speak about the true Light, which Christ has bestowed upon His followers, enabling them to shine.

The high priest described in Moses' teachings does not take as a wife a widow, a wayward person, or a prostitute. A widow is someone whose spouse has passed away, while a wayward person has been rejected by a living companion, and a prostitute is susceptible to the desires of many. The determination is clear: he must choose a maiden from his own tribe, not an outsider, to ensure that the noble lineage does not take root elsewhere; not a prostitute, due to her being desired by many; not a priestess, since she proved unworthy even in her initial union; and not a widow, to avoid rekindling memories of past delights. Instead, he must seek a soul without blemish or defect, reborn with Christ and continually renewed, as the apostle states: "I have betrothed you to one husband, a pure virgin, to present to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2). I desire that the disciple of the high priest embodies nothing of the old self. If we have risen with Christ, let us set our minds on the things above (Col. 3:1). Let us forget what lies behind and strive for what is ahead. Poor Simon (Acts 8)! He found himself unfit to share in Peter's inheritance because, after his baptism, he clung to his former ways and did not embrace the purity of a renewed life.