Leviticus 6:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

And let the priest kindle wood thereon every morning, and let him spread the burnt-offering thereon, and let him burn thereon the fat of the peace-offering; let the fire burn continually upon the altar, and let it not be quenched" (Leviticus 6:8-13). The fire that burns on the altar is perpetual and relentless; it does not come from outside but is drawn from the altar itself, from above, from heaven. What does this signify? It indicates that our sacred altar is filled with God's glory. The Divine and ineffable nature is manifest in the form of fire. Yet, these words also hint at something profound. Palladius inquires, What is this that you are speaking of? Cyril responds, Have we not mentioned that the Divine altar, in its essence, is Immanuel, through whom we come to God the Father, serving with understanding, and offering the fragrant incense of virtuous and sanctified living? For it is stated, "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, for your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). Palladius observes, It has been said: remember. Cyril continues, Notice that He does not allow the altar fire, which came down from heaven, to be extinguished, nor commands a rekindling of any fire that has gone out; rather, He mandates that it must burn continually and remain unbroken in its existence. John the Baptist testified of Christ, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and abiding on Him. I," he declared, "did not know Him; but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘On whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’" (John 1:32-33). Thus, the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ and continually dwells with Him, as if still in shadows, symbolized by fire, for the fire of the altar abides without ceasing. The blessed Baptist affirms that the Spirit is likened to the nature of fire, stating to the Jewish people, "I baptize in water, but there stands among you One whom you do not know. He is the One who comes after me, but who has surpassed me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal" (John 1:26-27). He further said, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matthew 3:11; cf. John 1:33); for we are not immersed in physical fire but in the Holy Spirit, who like fire purifies the impurities within our souls. Therefore, it is written of Christ: "He is like a melting fire, and like a refining lye, and sits as a refiner and purifies silver and gold" (Malachi 3:2-3). Thus, the fire of the altar is unquenchable because the Holy Spirit dwells in Christ, being naturally present within Him as He is indeed God. The law proclaims that the fire of the altar is divine; for though the only-begotten Son took on humanity and is termed a partaker of the Spirit in accordance with our nature, the Spirit is truly His Spirit, residing in Him, and belonging to Him. If one wishes to apply this meaning to those sanctified by faith in Christ, perceiving each of them as a divine altar, such an interpretation is beneficial. It is fitting for those who are holy and have devoted their lives to Christ to be ablaze and fervent with the Spirit continually, not swayed by worldly pleasures into indifference, but rather stirred in sanctification towards divine love and the pursuit of virtue. This embodies the ministry of the word. This is the significance of the altar. Additionally, He provides a directive that bears relevance in a literal sense, stating that the ashes must not be removed by any outsider or from another tribe but rather by those set apart for this purpose. Note how the law forbids anything associated with the divine office from being deemed trivial or unworthy of the priestly role, ensuring it is not entrusted to someone unholy; for the sacred matters are off-limits to the impure. Indeed, the Divine altar itself is sacred. To emphasize the sanctity of the Divine altar in purification, He confers honor upon the sacred garments themselves: He carefully restricts them from appearing outside the tabernacle while clad in sacred attire, lest the sanctified become tainted by mingling with the unclean, thus dishonoring the sacred tabernacle. Consequently, while He permits those in holy vestments to carry the ashes, when they exit the tabernacle and depart from the sacred spaces, He commands them to change their garments. "And he said unto me, ‘This room which faces south, and that which faces north, which are at certain distances, are the barriers of the sanctuary, in which the children of Zadok, who draw nigh unto the Lord, partake of these things,’ in the holy of holies, there they shall place the holy sacrifices, that of the sin-offering and the trespass-offering; for the place is holy. ‘Let no man enter’ there except the priests. And let them not ‘go out’ from the court of the sanctuary ‘into the outer court,’ so that the sacrificers may always remain holy, and let not their ‘garments’ be sullied, ‘but they serve in them’ because they are holy, and let them ‘put on other garments’ when they come into contact with the people" (Ezekiel 40:45-46; 44:19-29). Thus, the very garments of the priests are holy and inviolable in relation to the people. Through night and day, the burnt offering continuously burns; for the aroma of Christ is everlasting. The life of the saints, understood through the lens of the burnt-offering, emits a perpetual fragrance, for they are infused with the incense of Christ, offering praises to God through the virtues of their evangelical living. Palladius concludes, This is indeed a true word.