Christ the high priest enters once for all with His own blood
Cyril: ‘…the priests continually go into the first tent, performing the services; but into the second the high priest goes alone, once a year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of ignorance of the people. By this the Holy Spirit makes clear that the way into the holy places has not yet been disclosed while the first tent still has its standing. This is a figure for the present time, in which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshiper as to the conscience; they deal only with foods and drinks and various washings, ordinances of the flesh imposed until a time of reformation. But Christ, having come as high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, and not through the blood of goats and calves but through his own blood, entered once for all into the Holy of Holies, having obtained eternal redemption’ (Hebrews 9:6–12).
You understand, then, that the priests performed the services in the first tent but had no way of entry into the Holy of Holies. For such, in a way, is the worship under the law: it has its standing in shadows. And these things are of no use for cleansing and washing away sin. For you heard Paul just now cry out that they cannot perfect the worshiper as to the conscience (Hebrews 9:9). Rather, it was kept until the time of reformation (Hebrews 9:10), which plainly means the time when the Only-begotten became man, when what was unlovely in the types passed over into the truth. ‘Once a year the high priest alone used to enter the Holy of Holies, and not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins of ignorance of the people’ (Hebrews 9:7). The most wise Paul will make this plain to us again, speaking of Christ in these words: ‘When he said above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and offerings for sin you did not desire, nor did you take pleasure in them” (these are offered according to the law), “then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. And every high priest stands day after day ministering and offering again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but he, having offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down for ever at the right hand of God, waiting from then on until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for ever those who are being sanctified’ (Hebrews 10:8–14). For having died once, he dies no more, as it is written (Romans 6:9–10); and having borne the sins of many (Hebrews 9:28), he entered into the Holy of Holies, that is, into heaven, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24).
Palladius: Your explanation is clear. So you may leave off your labor on that point. But tell me, since I ask: what blood, again, was the one who presides over the sacred rites accustomed to bring for himself and for the sins of ignorance of the people?
Greek
εἰς μὲν τὴν πρώτην σκηνὴν, διὰ παντὸς εἰσίασιν οἱ ἱερεῖς τὰς λατρείας ἐπιτελοῦντες. Εἰς δὲ τὴν δευτέραν, ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ μόνος ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς οὐ χωρὶς αἵματος, ὃ προσφέρει ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων, τοῦτο δηλοῦντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, μήπω πεφανερῶσθαι τὴν τῶν ἁγίων ὁδὸν, ἔτι τῆς πρώτης σκηνῆς ἐχούσης στάσιν. Ἥτις παραβολὴ εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τὸν ἐνεστηκότα, καθ' ὃν δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίαι προσφέρονται, μὴ δυνάμεναι κατὰ συνείδησιν τελειῶσαι τὸν λατρεύοντα, μόνον ἐπὶ βρώμασι καὶ πόμασι καὶ διαφόροις βαπτισμοῖς δικαιώματα σαρκὸς μέχρι καιροῦ διορθώσεως ἐπικείμενα. Χριστὸς δὲ παραγενόμενος ἀρχιερεὺς τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν διὰ τῆς μείζονος καὶ τελειοτέρας σκηνῆς οὐ χειροποιήτου, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οὐ ταύτης τῆς κτίσεως, οὐδὲ δι' αἵματος τράγων καὶ μόσχων, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος εἰσῆλθεν ἐφάπαξ εἰς Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑράμενος.» Συνίης οὖν ὅτι τὰς μὲν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ σκηνῇ λατρείας ἐπετέλουν οἱ ἱερεῖς, τὴν εἰς Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσδρομὴν οὐκ ἔχοντες. Τοιάδε γάρ πώς ἐστιν ἡ κατὰ νόμον λατρεία, στάσιν ἔχουσα τὴν ἐν σκιαῖς. Εἰκαῖα δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς κάθαρσιν καὶ ἀπόπλυσιν ἁμαρτίας. Διεπύθου γὰρ ἀρτίως βοῶντος τοῦ Παύλου, ὡς ἀνικάνως ἔχουσι κατὰ συνείδησιν, τελειῶσαι τὸν λατρεύοντα. Διετηρεῖτο δὲ μᾶλλον μέχρι καιροῦ διορθώσεως, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, ὅτε τῶν τύπων τὸ ἀκαλλὲς μετακεχώρηκεν εἰς ἀλήθειαν. «Ἅπαξ δὲ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ καὶ μόνος ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσέθει. Καὶ οὐ χωρὶς αἵματος, ὃ προσῆγεν ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων.» Σαφηνιεῖ δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ὁ σοφώτατος Παῦλος ὡδὶ λέγων περὶ Χριστοῦ, «Ἀνώτερον λέγων, ὅτι θυσίας καὶ προσφορὰς καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ἠθέλησας, οὔτε ηὐδόκησας, αἵτινες κατὰ νόμον προσφέρονται. Τότε εἶπον, Ἰδοὺ ἥκω τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου·» ἀναιρεῖ τὸ πρῶτον ἵνα τὸ δεύτερον στήσῃ· «Ἐν ᾧ θελήματι ἡγιασμένοι ἐσμὲν, διὰ τῆς προσφορᾶς τοῦ σώματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ πᾶς μὲν ἀρχιερεὺς ἕστηκε καθ' ἡμέραν λειτουργῶν, καὶ τὰς αὐτὰς πολλάκις προσφέρων θυσίας αἵτινες οὐδέποτε δύνανται περιελεῖν ἁμαρτίας, οὐδεμίαν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν προσενέγκας θυσίαν, εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὸ λοιπὸν ἐκδεχόμενος ἕως τεθῶσιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, μιᾷ γὰρ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους.» Ἅπαξ γὰρ ἀποθανὼν, οὐκέτι ἀποθνήσκει, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· πολλῶν δὲ ἀνενεγκὼν ἁμαρτίας, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, νῦν ἐμφανισθῆναι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Σαφὴς ὁ λόγος· ἱδρῶτα δὴ οὖν τὸν ἐπὶ τῷδε μέθες, αἷμα δὲ ποῖον ἂν εἴη πάλιν ὃ καὶ προσκομίζειν ἔθος, τὸν τῶν ἱερῶν ἡγούμενον ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων, ἐρομένῳ φράσον.