THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril. The offering represents a purification achieved through Christ's death; our commitment and gift consist of dedicating ourselves to God in righteousness and a life led in holiness. It is essential that the law anticipates and explicitly affirms that those who are without fault are accepted in this offering. Among the various sacrifices, some symbolize Christ, the Sacrificial Lamb for our sake, while others depict us presenting our lives to God. Thus, it is stated that those offerings shall be without blemish and shall not suffer any harm. For Christ is without sin: He 'committed no sin' (1 Pet. 2:22). Likewise, God will not accept those who remain tainted and afflicted by sin's corruption.
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As it is noted in Leviticus: 'And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel, and say to them: When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. You shall not offer any animal that has a defect, for it will not be accepted for you. And when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it from the herd or from the flock. If you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it without blemish, that it may be accepted. There shall be no defect in it; any animal that is blind or injured or maimed or has a discharge or is scabby or has a skin disease, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar of the Lord. An ox or a sheep that is too long or too short you may offer as a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. You shall not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised or crushed or torn or cut; neither shall you offer such an animal in your land, nor shall you accept any such animals from a foreigner offered as a gift to your God, for they are corrupt and have blemish upon them; they shall not gain you favor' (Lev. 22:17-25). Observe how distinctly the law instructs the Israelites, as well as those who join them, to be vigilant in ensuring that no defects exist in the offerings; for we are instructed to present what is male and unblemished—that is, strong and free from passions. The indulgence and weakness of spirit, along with internal afflictions and mental deterioration, are completely unacceptable to God. Do you not recognize as unsanctified that which possesses such attributes? Palladius. How could it be otherwise? Cyril. Thus, the weak and seemingly ineffectual are spurned; however, the strong, represented by masculinity but accompanied by purity, is pleasing. For Immanuel is masculine and pure, embodying the true strength of God, and He knew no sin. In another sense, He is also a spouse: for the male is inherently superior and more excellent than the female and possesses greater power. The Son surpasses all in excellence and is sovereign over all creation, even as He became like us, taking on the role of a shepherd and being counted among the sheep for our sake.