THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Paul, knowledgeable in the law and deeply respectful of Moses’ commandments, addresses the Hebrew people with wisdom, referencing the law regarding profound and ineffable matters. His comments are not extensive but serve as reminders of their existing knowledge. If it pleases me, I will provide the legal framework for those who are curious and seek clarity in understanding the subjects at hand. The Lord communicated to Moses, instructing him to tell the children of Israel that if anyone sins unknowingly against any of the Lord’s commandments and commits an act that should not be done; if the anointed priest also errs and brings guilt upon the people, he must offer an unblemished bullock to the Lord as a sin offering for his transgression.
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The bullock is to be brought to the entrance of the tabernacle, where the priest will lay his hands upon its head and then slay it before the Lord. The priest will then take the bullock's blood into the tabernacle and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary. He will place some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of incense within the tabernacle and pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offerings at the tabernacle's entrance. The priest shall remove all the fat from the sin offering as prescribed and burn it upon the altar. The entire bullock, including its skin, flesh, head, feet, entrails, and all impurities, shall be taken outside the camp to a clean place where the ashes are disposed of, and it shall be consumed by fire on the wood, precisely where the ashes are poured out. This is the mandate of the law regarding the high priest faced with the sins of ignorance. There is also a provision for the people’s unintentional sins, requiring another bullock to be slain at the entrance of the tabernacle, where the elders of the congregation will lay their hands upon it, and its blood will be brought into the Most Holy Place, following the same procedure as for Aaron’s offering. The purification of both priests and the people is found in Christ, in whom we are justified and cleansed from the stain of sin. This truth can be clearly understood. I will address each element of the scripture individually to progressively unveil the hidden truths. Palladius. You articulate this well. Cyril. Thus, the bullock is to be taken, pure and without blemish, embodying Christ, who is indeed without sin and untouched by the burden of iniquity: ‘For he goes,’ He says, ‘the prince of this world, and has nothing in Me’ (John 14:30). As the Scriptures state, He ‘committed no sin’ (1 Pet. 2:22).
Cyril. Indeed it is so. However, I believe that after clearly delineating the various types of sacrifices, we must also refer to the Sacred Scriptures to understand how those burdened by sin can find relief and eradicate the consequences of their wrongdoings. In Leviticus, it states: ‘And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel: If any soul shall sin by mistake against any of the commandments of the Lord, and shall do any thing which he ought not to do; if the anointed priest shall sin, and shall make the people guilty, let him present a bullock of cattle, without
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blemish, unto the Lord as a sin-offering for his sin, and let him bring the bullock to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, and let him lay his hands upon the head of the bullock, and let him slay the bullock before the Lord; and the anointed priest shall take it... And the priest shall take the blood of the bullock, and bring it into the tabernacle of the congregation: and the priest shall wet his finger in the blood, and shall sprinkle the blood seven times before the Lord before the veil of the sanctuary: and the priest shall lay the blood of the bullock before the Lord upon the horns of the altar of incense, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation: and the rest of the blood of the bullock shall be poured out at the foot of the altar of burnt-offerings, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; And he shall take out of the calf for sin all the fat of the calf, the fat that covereth the entrails, and all the fat that is upon the entrails, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, that is upon the stalks, and the omentum upon the liver: and he shall separate it out of the kidneys, as it is separated out of the calf of a peace-offering; And the priest shall burn them upon the altar of burnt offering: and the skin of the bullock, and all the flesh thereof, with the head and with the feet thereof, and the entrails thereof, and the uncleanness thereof, the whole bullock, let him carry it out of the camp into a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and let him burn it with fire upon the wood: where the ashes are poured out, there let it be burned’ (Lev. 4:1-12). This, then, outlines what the law states regarding a leader who leads his people into transgression alongside him. Furthermore, He added the command: ‘But if the whole congregation of Israel shall sin by mistake, and the matter shall be hid from the eyes of the congregation, and shall do any thing against the commandments of the Lord, which they ought not to do, and shall be guilty, then, when the sin whereby they have sinned shall be known, let them present a bullock from among the whole congregation as a sin-offering’ (Lev. 4:13-14). It then describes in detail how the offering should be made in a manner similar to the first. Palladius. What does this passage signify? Cyril. It is clear, Palladius, and can be easily understood by those with discerning minds: for in Christ lies the purification for both priests and the people, whether great or small, and indeed for each individual, even if we stumble in sin, whether out of ignorance of divine law or perhaps being drawn against our will to what is displeasing to God, the Sovereign above all. Thus, the divinely inspired David proclaimed, ‘Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my offences’ (Psalm 24:7). And the blessed Job draws attention to the goodness, kindness, and mercy inherent in God, who understands the frailties of our nature, questioning His delay and reluctance in forgiving certain sins. He asks, ‘And why should not my sin be forgiven me, and my iniquity taken away from me?’ (Job 7:21).