THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril emphasizes the directive that if a priest's daughter weds a non-Israelite, she is prohibited from consuming the sacred offerings (Leviticus 22:12). The head of the household receives honor by being permitted to partake of these holy items as a relative. However, it is crucial for those connected to the priest to exercise caution in aligning themselves with individuals who share her faith and way of life, as they may lack the virtue associated with true kinship. This principle is evident to those who closely scrutinize the teachings within Scripture.
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Just as the law deemed a leper unclean, categorizing not only the afflicted but also those in proximity to them as complicit in their impurity, so too does it assert that a priest's daughter, despite her holy lineage, cannot gain any advantage if she chooses to unite with a foreigner devoid of any relationship to her or to Israel's heritage.
This underscores the historical interpretation of the text. Translating this principle into a spiritual framework, we can liken a soul, born of water and the Spirit through the might of Christ, and called to holiness through faith, to a priest's daughter. However, this soul can become unmoored from the holy if it strays towards those lacking true sanctity and spiritual connection to God. While physical proximity pertains to the body, spiritual connections are established through the spirit.
Palladius inquires about those who might be identified in this manner. Cyril responds by pointing to individuals who, despite receiving wise counsel, fail to heed it, quoting, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent; if they say, ‘Come with us, we shall lay wait for blood...’” (Proverbs 1:10-11). We should also consider those who, in their ignorance, veer away from sound doctrine, indulging the flesh, rejecting the teachings of the Holy Spirit, and yielding to deceptive spirits, as warned about through the insincerity of false teachers (1 Tim. 4:1-2). Such individuals, by eschewing their relationship with Christ, pursue connections with those outside the faith, allowing the seeds of evil to take root within them, ultimately producing fruits of misdeeds and destruction. Thus, a soul that was once pure can become forsaken, having succumbed to disgraceful contamination: anything that becomes tarnished through association with wicked and ungodly persons loses its sacred status.