THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril. Furthermore, it prescribes how the sin-offering, a sacred sacrifice, should be properly presented, detailing which parts are permissible for the servants to consume and which portions should be reserved for a pleasing aroma. It is stated: "But every sin-offering of which the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to be cleansed in the sanctuary, shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire.
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This is the law of the sacrifice of obedience: It is a great holy thing; the sacrifice of duty shall be slain in the place where the burnt-offering is slain, and its blood shall be sprinkled upon the altar on all sides; the offerer shall present out of it all the fat, the curd, and the fat that covers the viscera, and both kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, that is upon the stalks, and the omentum that is upon the liver; with the kidneys let him separate these things; and the priest shall burn these things upon the altar as an offering to the Lord: it shall be a sacrifice of oblation. All the male descendants of the priestly line may partake of it; it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is a great holy thing. The law concerning both the sin-offering and the sacrifice of obligation remains the same: it belongs to the priest who cleanses through it" (Lev. 6:30-7:1-7). The consumption of the entrails (womb) of the sacrificial animals is forbidden. They are consecrated to God alone, and offered to Him; this signifies the instruction to "let them be burned with fire,” indicating that they are set apart for devotion to the One Divine and perfect nature, of which fire serves as a symbol. When the ram of guilt is sacrificed, its blood is poured at the base of the altar; for the death of Christ is both holy and sacred as well as fragrant. The entrails, the fat, the kidneys, and the lobes of the liver are gathered. This, as I have previously mentioned, represents a manifestation of virtue, not merely one virtue but a multitude of them, for there exists a vast array of virtues. We are thus justified in Christ, who endured death on our behalf, and offered Himself "to God, to God, to the Father, in a savor pleasing" (Eph. 5:2).