THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
You will come to understand clearly how the priestly function can be both righteous and beyond reproach. As it is stated in Leviticus, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Command Aaron and his sons, This is the law of the burnt offering: Let the burnt-offering remain on the altar throughout the night until morning, and let the fire of the altar burn upon it, and let the priest wear his linen garments, and put on linen underclothes, and let him remove the ashes of the burnt-offering which the fire has consumed, and place them beside the altar; and let him take off his garments and wear other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
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And let the priest kindle wood upon it every morning, and let him lay the burnt-offering upon it, and let him burn the fat of the peace-offering upon it; let the fire burn continually on the altar; it must not go out” (Leviticus 6:8-13). The fire of the altar is perpetual and unfailing; it is not from an outside source but comes inherently from the altar, that is, from above, from heaven. What does this signify? It means our sacred altar is filled with the presence of God. The divine and indescribable essence is embodied in the form of fire. However, these statements also point to something enigmatic. Palladius asks, What are you referring to? Cyril replies, Have we not mentioned that the divine altar serves as a representation of Immanuel, through whom we approach God the Father, serving with understanding and almost incensing the aroma of virtue and the sanctification of an evangelical life? It is written, ‘present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service’ (Rom. 12:1). Palladius notes, It has been said: remember this. Cyril continues, Thus, He does not allow the heavenly fire from the altar to cease; He does not permit the extinguished fire to be rekindled by others, but commands that it remain continually and without interruption. John the Baptist bore witness of Christ, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water told me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:32-33). Accordingly, the Holy Spirit's descending and abiding upon Christ, appearing in shadows and in the guise of fire, was foretold since the fire on the altar is eternal. The blessed Baptizer confirms that the Spirit resembles fire when he tells the Jewish people, ‘I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. He is the One who comes after me, but was before me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal’ (John 1:26-27). He added, ‘He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire’ (Matt. 3:11; cf. John 1:33); for we are not adorned with physical fire but by the Holy Spirit, who, like fire, purges our souls of impurities. Therefore, it is proclaimed concerning Christ: ‘He is like a refining fire, and a fuller’s soap, and He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver … as gold’ (Malachi 3:2-3). Thus, the fire of the altar remains unquenchable, as the Holy Spirit dwells in Christ, who is inherently God. The law also states that the fire on the altar belongs to God; for even though the Only-Begotten became man and is rightfully called a partaker of the Spirit, that Spirit is genuinely His and dwells within Him. If anyone wishes to interpret this meaning as applicable to those sanctified by faith in Christ, representing each of them as a divine altar, such an understanding is valuable; for those who are holy and have devoted their lives to Christ should be fervently filled with the Spirit, continually avoiding the coldness of worldly distractions, and rather igniting their souls with a desire for the Divine and the longing for virtue. This guidance forms the essence of the ministry of the word. The altar symbolizes this significance. Moreover, a command is added, emphasizing that the ashes must not be removed by anyone not consecrated or not of the proper lineage; thus the law mandates that nothing pertaining to the Divine service should be deemed trivial or unworthy of priestly engagement, nor entrusted to someone unholy, for sacred things are inaccessible to the impure. Indeed, the Divine altar itself remains untouchable. To ensure that those chosen for priestly duties comprehend the sanctity of the Divine altar, God honors the sacred vestments themselves, decreeing that they should not appear outside the tabernacle while wearing holy garments, lest the consecrated become contaminated through contact with the unclean, thereby dishonoring the sanctified tabernacle. Even though He permits the sacred ashes to be carried by those adorned in holiness, He instructs them to change their clothing once they leave the holy places to avoid contamination. He communicated to me, ‘This room facing south and that one facing north, which are separated by distance, are the barriers of the sanctuary, where the sons of Zadok, who approach the Lord, partake of these offerings, in the holy of holies, where they will deposit the sacred offerings, including the sin and trespass offerings; for the place is holy. No one shall enter there except for the priests. None shall leave the court of the sanctuary into the outer court, so that the sacrificial offerings may remain holy, and let not their garments be defiled, as they serve in them, for they are holy; let them wear other garments when interacting with the people’ (Ezekiel 40:45-46:44:19-29). Thus, the priests' garments are sacred and inviolable among the people. Day and night, the burnt offering is kept burning; for the fragrance of Christ is everlasting. Likewise, the lives of the saints, when considered in the manner of a burnt offering, exude an unwavering fragrance; they are infused with Christ's incense, offering God the praises born of an evangelical life. Palladius responds, This is a true statement.