A priesthood and kingship never laid aside; the Life does not mourn the dead
Cyril: …‘I am the Lord God, who sanctifies them.’ (Leviticus 21:15) You see plainly how Emmanuel, the Christ, is named here, still in types, in the person of Aaron. For he who is himself the priest perfect in every way was anointed with the Spirit, according to the Scriptures (Acts 10:38). So the glory of his priesthood is one he can never lose. For ‘he shall not take the turban,’ it says, ‘from his head’ (Leviticus 21:10); that is, he will not lay aside the dress that befits a priest. For it was said to the Savior and Redeemer of all: ‘You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.’ (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:17) ‘The former priests were many in number, because death prevented them from continuing; but he, because he remains for ever, holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore he is also able to save completely those who draw near to God through him.’ (Hebrews 7:23–25) This is what the inspired Paul wrote. So the fact that the turban is never taken from his head would hint that his priesthood can never be lost. And if the reading were ‘He shall not take the mitre from his head,’ you will readily understand that his kingship is perpetual and cannot be shaken; for the mitre, with the golden band across the front of the brow, would be a symbol of rule and kingship. ‘Nor shall he tear his garments,’ it says (Leviticus 21:10). Some people are in the habit of doing this over the dead, but such a thing is wholly foreign to Christ. For the Life would be the last to suffer grief at a death. The Life has nothing at all to do with what is dead; rather, it is itself the undoing of death and the overthrow of corruption. So the Savior once rebuked those who wanted to wail over the little daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, saying: ‘Go away, and do not weep, for the girl is not dead but asleep.’ (Matthew 9:24; Luke 8:52) For it was truly out of place for them to shed tears as over a dead girl when the Life of all, that is, Christ, was present. And if he wept over Lazarus (John 11:35), we say that this was the fruit of his tender love, and the compassion that divine gentleness has toward us. For our nature, under the tyranny of death, was being pitied, and his tear was its release from that suffering.
Palladius: So it seems.
Cyril: That there is nothing profane in Christ in any way is hinted at indirectly when the law says that the high priest must keep away from what is dead, going near no dead person at all, even though this means setting aside the honor owed to father, mother and brothers. See how wise the law is, and how seriously it takes the good order that befits what it signifies. In the case of the other priests it made allowance for nature, and for the dead who were very close and of their own blood it allowed the consecrated to carry out the customary rites without blame (Leviticus 21:1–3). It was not greatly concerned there about a fault against the shadow. For in that case the charges were written with us in view, and the type pointed to human beings; and if some defilement should attach to them, there is nothing strange in that. ‘For we all stumble in many ways’ (James 3:2), and in us our nature has fallen sick with wrongdoing. But in the case of the great high priest, that is, Christ,…
Greek
Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ἁγιάζων αὐτούς.» Ὁρᾷς ἐναργῶς ὡς ἐν τύποις ἔτι τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ καὶ Χριστὸν, ὠνομασμένον ὡς ἐν Ἀαρών. Ἐχρίσθη γὰρ Πνεύματι, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, αὐτὸς ὑπάρχων ὁ παντέλειος ἱερεύς. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἀναπόβλητον ἔχει τῆς ἱερωσύνης τὴν δόξαν. «Οὐ γὰρ ἀποκιδαρώσει,» φησὶ, «τὴν κεφαλὴν,» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οὐκ ἀποβαλεῖ τὸ σχῆμα τὸ ἱεροπρεπές. Εἴρηται γὰρ πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων Σωτῆρα καὶ Λυτρωτήν· «Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. –Καὶ οἱ μὲν πλείονές εἰσιν ἱερεῖς γεγονότες, διὰ τὸ θανάτῳ κωλύεσθαι παραμένειν· οὗτος δὲ διὰ τὸ μένειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀπαράβατον ἔχει τὴν ἱερωσύνην. Ὅθεν καὶ εἰς τὸ παντελὲς δύναται σώζειν τοὺς προσιόντας τῷ Θεῷ δι' αὐτοῦ·» γέγραφε γὰρ ὧδε καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος. Οὐκοῦν τὸ μὴ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τῆς κεφαλῆς τὴν κίδαριν, τῆς ἱερωσύνης τὸ ἀναπόβλητον ὑπεμφήνειεν ἄν. Εἰ δὲ δὴ λέγοιτο, «Τὴν κεφαλὴν οὐκ ἀπομιτρώσει,» συνήσεις εὖ μάλα τὸ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ διηνεκές τε καὶ ἀκατάσειστον· μίτρα γὰρ ἡ ἐπὶ μετώποις ἄκροις τὸ χρυσοῦν ἔχουσα ψέλλιον, ἀρχῆς ἂν εἴη καὶ βασιλείας σύμβολον. Ἀλλ', «Οὐδὲ τὰ ἱμάτια διαῤῥήξει,» φησί. Τοῦτό τοί τισι δρᾷν ἔθος ἐπὶ νεκροῖς· Χριστοῦ δὲ τὸ χρῆμα παντελῶς ἀλλότριον. Πάθοι γὰρ ἂν ἥκιστά γε τὸν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ πόνον, ἡ ζωή. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὅλως αὐτῇ τὸ νεκρὸν, ἀλλ' ἔστιν αὕτη καὶ θανάτου λύσις, καὶ φθορᾶς ἀνατροπή. Καὶ γοῦν καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐπετίμα ποτὲ τοῖς κατοιμώζειν ἐθέλουσι τὸ τοῦ ἀρχισυναγώγου κόριον, «Ἀποχωρεῖτε,» λέγων, «καὶ μὴ κλαίετε οὐ γὰρ ἀπέθανε τὸ κοράσιον, ἀλλὰ καθεύδει.» Ἔκτοπον γὰρ ἀληθῶς τὸ δακρυῤῥοεῖν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐπὶ τεθνεώσῃ τῇ κόρῃ, τῆς τῶν ὅλων παρούσης ζωῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστι, Χριστοῦ. Εἰ δὲ δεδάκρυκεν ἐπὶ Λαζάρῳ, φιλοστοργίας εἶναί φαμεν τὸ χρῆμα καρπὸν, καὶ τῆς θείας ἡμερότητος τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν συμπαθές· ἠλέητο γὰρ ἡ φύσις, θανάτῳ τυραννουμένη, καὶ λύσις αὐτῇ τοῦ πάθους τὸ δάκρυον ἦν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἔοικεν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὅτι δὲ κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον τὸ βέβηλον ἐν Χριστῷ, πλαγίως ὑποσημαίνεται διά γε τοῦ νεκρότητος ἀπανίστασθαι δεῖν τὸν ἀρχιερέα λέγειν, οὐδενὶ τὸ σύμπαν ἐπιφοιτῶντα νεκρῷ, ἠμελημένης ἐν τούτῳ καὶ τῆς εἰς πατέρα τιμῆς καὶ εἰς μητέρα καὶ ἀδελφούς. Θέα γὰρ ὅπως νουνεχὴς ὁ νόμος, καὶ τὴν τοῖς νοήμασι πρέπουσαν εὐκοσμίαν οὐκ ἐν μικρῷ τιθεὶς λόγῳ. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἱερέων ἐδυσωπεῖτο τὴν φύσιν, καὶ τοῖς ἄγαν ἀγχοῦ καὶ ἐξ αἵματος νεκροῖς, τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις ἐδίδου τὸ ἀνεγκλήτως ἐξεῖναι δρᾷν τὰ νενομισμένα. Πεφρόντικε δὲ οὐ σφόδρα τῆς εἰς τὴν σκιὰν ἁμαρτίας. Γεγράφατο γὰρ ἐφ' ἡμῶν τὰ ἐγκλήματα, καὶ εἰς ἀνθρώπους ὁ τύπος, οἷς εἰ καί τι παρέποιτο μολυσμοῦ, τὸ ἀπεικὸς οὐδέν. «Πολλὰ γὰρ πταίομεν ἅπαντες·» καὶ ἠῤῥώστηκεν ἐν ἡμῖν τὸ πλημμελεῖν ἡ φύσις. Ἐπὶ δέ γε τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τοῦ μεγάλου, τοῦτ' ἔστι, Χριστοῦ,