Commentary on Leviticus 2.9

Verses 1–4. "And when the eighth day had come, Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, and said to Aaron: Take a calf for sin and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. And to the sons of Israel you shall speak: Take a he-goat for sin, and a calf and a lamb of a year old and without blemish, for a burnt offering; an ox and a ram for peace offerings; and sacrifice them before the Lord in the sacrifice of each, offering fine flour sprinkled with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you."

As sometimes the image of some animal, or perhaps of a shrub, is painted, or drawn, or struck in bronze, and at the beginning of the work the drawing or the stamping in bronze is not clear, but in the progress of the work it is completed by partial additions, so too whatever the lawgiver now sets out in figure becomes clearer and plainer by the addition of the things he ordains part by part. Since, then, we have shown that the day of completion, or consecration, must be understood as Pentecost, and that until that day preaching was restrained by the Lord's command, for this reason he commanded the sons of Aaron not to go out of the door of the tabernacle of witness. We must consider what kind of things the law commanded to be completed on this day too.

He calls Pentecost the eighth day because the day of Pentecost falls on the day on which the Saviour rose, which is believed to be the eighth: for it bears the figure of the first fruits of the future, and also of the completion of the present age, which revolves in seven days. And the cycle of Pentecost is under the said number; therefore it rightly falls in the present age. The day of Pentecost signifies the completion and at the same time the resurrection: for it was fitting that on the same day on which Christ rose the Spirit too should come.

Then, therefore, he says that Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel were called, building the church in a way through the calling of those mentioned. For then first was the spectacle of the church called together, in which Aaron perceived by the mind, that is, Christ, is believed to be the priest; and his sons are those who are of a lofty way of life, and therefore ministers and fellow workers of the priesthood; and the elders of Israel are the order of presbyters; for of these the body of the church is composed.

And Aaron there took a calf for sin and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offered them before the Lord. For then Christ began to make his sacrifice known, when the Spirit, coming, gathered the Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the first fruits of all nations, to the upper room of the apostles. And the order of the elders of Israel, which we said is that of the presbyters, also took [offerings], as itself bearing the lot and figure of the teachers, and as useful for teaching us and able to perfect the life of those who come together in the church. And what are these things which it took? "A he-goat for sin," namely the sacrifice for repentance. "And a calf and a lamb of a year old for a burnt offering, without blemish," namely the perfect and complete life, or way of life, which is signified by the victims, that is, by the burnt offerings. "And an ox and a ram for peace offerings," but for the sacrifice of salvation: the middling way of life, which yet can save those who offer it, as we said above. And he commanded everything to be done before the Lord: for every work of virtue must be performed as in God's sight, and not be corrupted or vitiated when we mix our own will with it. "A sacrifice of fine flour sprinkled with oil": theology with almsgiving; for these said sacrifices, discussed carefully by us earlier, have made this known.

And what did he now add to these things? "For today the Lord will appear to you." This is the conclusion and proof that all the things mentioned were said of Pentecost: for on it the Lord appeared to them, namely the Spirit, of whom Paul said, "Now the Lord is the Spirit." And how he would appear among them Luke said: "There appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and they sat upon each of them."

Verse 5. "So they brought all things which Moses had commanded to the door of the tabernacle, while the whole multitude stood there."

Here he has plainly set out the church. "To the door of the tabernacle," or, as the Seventy have it, "before the tabernacle of witness," namely of heaven. For if the church is the assembly of the firstborn angels who are enrolled in heaven before the tabernacle of witness, that is, before the face of heaven (for so Aquila too rendered "before the face"), what was said according to the Seventy, "before the Lord," [is to be understood]. If, then, it is so, since it is fitted to that way of life, it is rightly understood as "before the tabernacle." And here the whole multitude, or the whole synagogue, comes near, that is, the congregation which is from all and from everywhere: for every contrite soul, and every sinner, everyone who needs mercy, everyone who turns from error, is gathered in this church; for he commanded to be called not only those from the streets and lanes but also those from the roads and hedges, so that they might enter and fill the royal supper.

Verse 6. "Moses said: This is the word which the Lord has commanded; do it, and his glory will appear to you."

That the glory of the Lord is the Spirit is shown plainly by what Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "We all, with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Spirit of the Lord." So that the glory of the Lord might be seen, then, that is, so that the coming of the Spirit might be celebrated, "this is the word," he says, "which the Lord has commanded: do it," namely the mystical [word] of which the Lord had commanded: "Do this in remembrance of me." And the lawgiver by his custom calls it a "word," because the dispensation of this mystery subsists more than by word, above all since the Lord's word changes the things that appear into something else greater and perceived by the mind. Hence when he presented the manna as the image of the bread of life which came down from heaven, he said: "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat; this is the word which the Lord has appointed." What, then, does the lawgiver signify by what has been said, except that without doubt the Spirit came while they were performing the holy mystery and celebrating the Lord's supper? And even if we do not have this set out more plainly (for divine Scripture has passed over many things for the sake of brevity, which it is right to gather from other things), it was the day which is called the Lord's day, on which the apostles were bound in every way to perform the mystical and sacred rites. For we too, following their tradition, set apart the Lord's day for the divine assemblies. And we find that Christ likewise, after his resurrection from the dead, was made known through the mystical supper and the breaking of bread; this Luke hands down plainly, but John the evangelist more fully.

Verse 7. "He said to Aaron: Approach the altar and sacrifice for your sin, offering the burnt offering, and pray for yourself and for the people; and when you have slain the victim of the people, pray for it, as the Lord has commanded."

Where our translation has more plainly "for yourself and for the people," the Seventy rendered "for yourself and for your house." Who are the house of the priest perceived by the mind, learn from Paul's words; for he says: "But Christ as a son over his house; whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the glory of our hope firm to the end." So those who have advanced and are more perfect are rightly called his house; for them he intercedes, and for all the people, as one who has become our propitiation. But why also for himself, since he needs no propitiation, but rather grants propitiation? But as one who takes up our sin, he intercedes also for himself: for plainly this belongs to man and to God, that is, as man receiving propitiation, and as God granting it to himself. For another man cannot grant propitiation to himself.

Verses 8–14. "And at once Aaron, approaching the altar, slew the calf for his sin, whose blood his sons brought to him; dipping his finger in it, he touched the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest at its base. And the fat and the kidneys and the net of the liver, which are for sin, he burned on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. But the flesh and its skin he burned with fire outside the camp. He slew also the victim of the burnt offering, and his sons brought him its blood, which he poured out round about the altar. They brought also the victim itself cut in pieces, with the head and each of the limbs; all of which he burned with fire on the altar, having first washed the entrails and the feet with water."

And for what reason these sacrifices are performed in this place too, we said above. There is no need, then, to state again one by one the force of the things that are performed in this sacrifice, since we have discussed them earlier in order and have shown, leaving nothing out, what they bear the comparison of. And just as in the Lord's sacrifice, which, though it is one, not only grants us the forgiveness of sins but also brings about a life perfect and complete in philosophy, it must necessarily be reckoned both in the calf which is for sin and in this ram which is sacrificed as a burnt offering (hence we see both offered in the person of the priest), let us now go on to what follows.

Verses 15–21. "And offering for the sin of the people, he slew the he-goat; and having made atonement for the altar, he made the burnt offering, adding in the sacrifice the drink offerings that are offered with it, and burning them on the altar, besides the ceremonies of the morning burnt offering. He sacrificed also the ox and the ram, the peace offerings of the people; and his sons brought him the blood, which he poured out on the altar round about. And the fat of the ox, and the tail of the ram, and the kidneys with their fat, and the net of the liver, they put upon the breasts. And when the fat had been burned on the altar, Aaron separated their breasts and right shoulders, lifting them up before the Lord, as Moses had commanded him."

What the things said bear the figure of, and how the he-goat for sin signifies the sacrifice of repentance, the burnt offerings the crucified way of life, the fine flour theology, and the sacrifice of salvation, or of peace offerings, the life that can save even those who are wise in a middling way: the earlier discussion of the sacrifices [and] the anointing of the priest shows. So one who does not know the explanation of this ordinance, searching it out there with exactness, will know these things too one by one. But this we now necessarily add: considering that the descent of the Holy Spirit came about at Pentecost, when the apostles were gathered together, the lawgiver took care to signify everything that they were doing according to the law of the church; he commanded the sacrifices of the priest to go first rightly, and then those of the people to follow. For the teaching of the church must begin from the sacrifice of the Only-begotten, so that those who teach may be brought in [to show] what the Lord's passion has profited or conferred on us; and so the word of repentance is to follow, which all of us, as men, certainly need. Hence the Lord too preaches one teaching, that is, repentance, and [commands] the perfect ways of life to follow wholly, and theology to be mixed with them; and he adds also those things by which, correcting ourselves, or anointed, we can be saved, even if we do not live loftily. For in these the church must be gathered and receive the manifestation of God's glory.

Without doubt the Lord's disciples were doing these things above all in the days of Pentecost, for which reason they were then gathered together, as Luke shows, saying: "And when the days of Pentecost were completed, they were all together with one accord." And what had they been gathered to do, if not in every way the things that have been said? For even if they did not preach openly, and for this reason were within, sitting in the upper room, not yet spreading the word or speaking openly, because they had been commanded not to go out of the door of the tabernacle of witness until they were clothed from on high with the power of the Spirit, yet it is plain that they were doing these things among themselves, and did not cease to meditate on whatever befits the church, so that they might have in themselves Christ himself, who is the head of the church. Hence also, when Peter had addressed the assembly and set forth the explanation and testimonies of divine Scripture, they set apart Matthias by lot for the apostleship. And whether to address the assembly, that is, to exhort the people, or to interpret the prophets, or to join clergy to their number, belonged to the church's dispensation and order. It is plain, then, that they were gathered in those days as in churches; and the lawgiver, taking care to signify this in every way, accordingly added also what follows.

Verse 22. "And stretching out his hand towards the people, he blessed them. And so, having completed the victims for sin, and the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he came down."

Notice that he wants to set out plainly for us the whole figure of the church. For after he said "he came down," after he had made [the offerings] for sin and the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he shows that by the completion of the sacrifices he understood their explanation; and for this reason he said "he came down," designating by the coming down the teacher's seat, from which, after the explanation, the priests, to whom the figure of Aaron perceived by the mind has been entrusted, come down, and through prayer lift up their hands to heaven. For Paul too understood the lifting up of hands as prayer; he speaks thus: "I want the men to pray in every place, lifting up pure hands." Stretching out, then, or lifting up his hands, he blessed them: because through the lifting up of hands, namely through prayer, priests bless the people. But from where they give the blessing, what follows shows.

Verse 23. "And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of witness, and then came out and blessed the people."

Why do they first go into the tabernacle of witness and afterwards give the blessing? Only so that we may not be ignorant that the priests bring forth the blessing from the tabernacle perceived by the mind, namely from heaven, saying with Paul: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." For the Lord himself too handed this down to us when, blessing the five loaves and again the seven, he looked up to heaven. And why do not Aaron alone but also Moses bless the synagogue, or the people? Only that we may learn that priests do not give the blessing by their own power, but, because they bear the figure of Christ, they can give the fullness of blessing on account of him who is in them. Hence Moses too, as one to whom the image of the Lord has been entrusted, is rightly included in the blessing. And the law signifies this too by what has been said: that not only one who has been allotted the priesthood, but also every righteous man who has Christ in himself, and who is, like Moses, the figure of his Lord by a good way of life, is fit to give a blessing. While the Lord's disciples, then, were doing these things, the Spirit came; for this reason let us hear what follows.

Verse 24. "And the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole multitude. And behold, fire came out from the Lord and devoured the burnt offering and the fat that was on the altar. When the crowds saw this, they praised the Lord, falling on their faces."

Do you think that the present words of the lawgiver need any interpretation? For they agree with the words written about the coming of the Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles. "For the glory of the Lord," he says, "appeared to the whole multitude." How, someone may perhaps say? Certainly such as Ezekiel described above the cherubim, or such as Micaiah or Isaiah [saw], of whom one saw the seraphim round about and the other the heavenly host. But it was by no means one glory that appeared to all and everywhere to spiritual men; rather it gave different visions to those who saw, as being incomprehensible. Yet the present one was like that one, because a fire perceived by the mind came out from the Lord on the day of Pentecost; for this reason he says: "The glory of the Lord appeared, and fire came out from God." So it appeared in the form of fire, as Luke too sets out: "And there came a sound from heaven of a mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, and there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire." The lawgiver also mentions the whole people, which Luke too sets out in this way: "And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and was confused in mind." And that it not only came together but was frightened, he himself shows, saying: "For they were amazed and marvelled"; and they also fell on their faces, if not visibly, yet in a way perceived by the mind they suffered it: for they did not understand what had happened, but one said to another, "These men are full of new wine," which is the mark of those who cast the face of the mind down to the earth.

And what did the fire that came out do? It devoured all the burnt offerings that were on the altar, and the fat which had been offered from the peace offerings and for sin and laid on the altar. The word hands down to us, then, that the said sacrifices and their explanations must necessarily be laid on the altar perceived by the mind, the body of Christ, so that our imitation may hasten to it; and then they become food for the fire perceived by the mind, that is, the Spirit, of whom it was said: "The Lord our God is a consuming fire." Hence here too, for "devour," Symmachus rendered "consume."