THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
You will come to understand clearly how he made the act of priesthood entirely lawful and without reproach; for it is recorded 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 all night until morning, and let the fire of the altar burn on it. Let the priest wear his linen garments, and put linen underclothing on his body. And he shall take the ashes of the burnt-offering, which the fire has consumed, and place them beside the altar. Then let him remove his garments and put on other garments, and take the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
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And let the priest kindle wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and burn the fat of the peace-offering on it; the fire shall always be burning on the altar, it shall never go out'” (Leviticus 6:8-13). Thus, the fire on the altar is perpetual and unceasing, not something external but derived directly from the altar itself, which comes from above, from heaven. What does this signify? It indicates that our holy altar is filled with the glory of God. The essence of fire symbolizes the Divine and indescribable nature. Yet these words also seem to allude to something profound. Palladius asks, What do you mean? Cyril responds, Have we not established that the Divine altar symbolizes Immanuel, through whom we approach God the Father, serving with understanding and nearly incensing the aroma of virtue and the holiness of the life prescribed in the Gospel? For it is stated, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Palladius inquires if this has been affirmed. Cyril replies, Indeed, the fire from the heavenly altar is commanded to never extinguish or to rekindle a fire that has gone out; rather, it must burn continually and remain uninterrupted. John the Baptist testified about Christ, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'On whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining, He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:32-33). Therefore, the Holy Spirit descending and abiding in Christ, symbolized by fire, was prefigured; the altar's fire is indeed perpetual. The blessed Baptist also affirms this connection between the Spirit and the nature of fire when he tells the Jewish onlookers, “I baptize with water, but there stands among you One whom you do not know. He is the One who comes after me, but He is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:26-27). He proclaimed, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11; cf. John 1:33); for we are not immersed in a physical fire but in the Holy Spirit, which, like fire, purifies the impurities in our souls. Consequently, it is said of Christ, “He is like a refiner's fire,” preparing and purifying as He works with silver and gold” (Malachi 3:2-3). The fire of the altar remains unquenchable because the Holy Spirit dwells within Christ, who is divine by nature. The law articulates that the altar's fire belongs to God; if the Only-Begotten assumed our human nature and is rightfully acknowledged as sharing in the Spirit, then the Spirit is truly His and indwells Him. If we were to extend this understanding to those sanctified by faith in Christ, each could be seen as a divine altar as well; this interpretation is helpful because it behoves those who are holy and have surrendered their lives to Christ to remain fervent and ablaze with the Spirit at all times, resisting the pull of worldly distractions that draw them toward coldness, while instead igniting their hearts for sanctification, love for the Divine, and a yearning for virtue. This reflects the essence of ministry within the Word. This is the meaning of the altar. Furthermore, there is a directive of practical significance, indicating that the ashes must not be removed by anyone who is not consecrated or from another tribe. Take note that the law prohibits anything associated with the Divine office from being considered trivial or beneath dignity, such that it could be given to someone unholy; for the sacred is not accessible to the impure. Indeed, the Divine altar itself is sacred. In order for those chosen for priestly duties to grasp the sanctity of the Divine altar, He commands respect for the sacred vestments: He forbids them from appearing outside the tabernacle wearing their holy garments, so that the consecrated do not mingle among the unclean and thus risk dishonoring the holy tabernacle. Therefore, while those adorned with sacred vestments may carry ashes, it is mandated that they change their garments when leaving the tabernacle and entering the confines of the people. As it is declared to me, “This chamber which faces south, and that which faces north, which are at specific distances, are the barriers of the sanctuary, where the sons of Zadok who approach the Lord consume these things within the holy of holies; there, they shall place the holy of holies and the sin-offering and the trespass-offering, for that space is holy. No person should enter there except the priests. They must not exit the court of the sanctuary into the outer court, so that those bringing sacrifices remain holy; their garments must not be contaminated, but they serve in them as they are holy; let them wear other garments when interacting with the people” (Ezekiel 40:45-46:44:19:29). Thus, the priests' very garments are holy, untouchable by the people. The burnt offering burns continually, by day and by night; for the sweetness of Christ's fragrance is perpetual. The lives of the saints, understood in the light of the burnt offering, have an everlasting scent, being fragrant with the incense of Christ as they render praises to God through the works of the Gospel life. Palladius agrees, This is indeed a true word.