The priest’s whole offering, and Christ as the sin offering
Cyril: …the good record of those who went before them, and show themselves imitators of the fathers' glory, following in the footsteps of their worship and bringing to God the fragrance dearest to him, not in part but wholly. For this, I think, is what is meant by ‘Every sacrifice of a priest shall be wholly burnt’ (Leviticus 6:23).
Palladius: Then we shall offer ourselves and be dedicated to God as a fragrant aroma, following in the footsteps of the saints’ life and keeping to their sacred rites, the spiritual ones, plainly.
Cyril: Certainly, Palladius. But to wipe away defilement and escape from sin could not come about or be found in anyone in any other way than through Christ alone, in whom and through whom is all cleansing, who endured the saving slaughter for us. One may learn this without going far, from the decree that stands next to it and is joined to it. It runs thus: ‘And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying: This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where they slaughter the whole burnt offering, they shall slaughter the sin offerings before the Lord; they are most holy. The priest who offers it shall eat it; it shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of witness. Everyone who touches its flesh shall be made holy; and if any of its blood is sprinkled on a garment, whatever it is sprinkled on shall be washed in a holy place. And an earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken; but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, he shall scour it and rinse it with water. Every male among the priests shall eat them; they are most holy to the Lord’ (Leviticus 6:24–29).
The victim for sin, then, could be none other than Emmanuel, who is the true Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). And he is slaughtered in the place of the whole burnt offering. For Christ is not holy in part, as we are, for he committed no sin (1 Peter 2:22); he is wholly fragrant and sacred, and the giver of holiness to all others. For even if he was reckoned among the lawless (Isaiah 53:12) and, in the divine plan, was counted among the condemned, the Father knows the death of the Son to be holy and sacred. That is why he says: ‘In the place where they slaughter the whole burnt offering, they shall slaughter the sin offering also; it is most holy’ (Leviticus 6:25). For just as the Son is God of gods, so also is he Holy of holies, himself making the whole creation holy by his own Spirit, since he is by nature from the Father and is truly God.
The priest who brings the sacrifice, he says, shall eat it. For each one, I think, who has been brought into the sacred ministry will gather the fruit of his own labors and reap the reward of his own service. And what remains of the sacrifice is eaten in holy places and in the court of the holy tent (Leviticus 6:26). For the mysteries are offered in churches, and in them the chosen race is counted worthy of the holy table of Christ. And wherever a lawful priest serves, the place will be holy. And the sacrifice makes holy the one who touches it, and so does the sprinkling of the blood (Leviticus 6:27). For we draw near…
Greek
των εὐδοκιμήσεσι, καὶ μιμητὰς ἀναφαίνεσθαι τῆς τῶν πατέρων εὐκλείας, κατ' ἴχνος ἰόντας τῆς ἐκείνων λατρείας, καὶ τὴν φιλαιτάτην τῷ Θεῷ προσκομίζοντας εὐωδίαν, οὐ μεμερισμένως, ἀλλ' ὁλοτελῶς. Τοῦτο γὰρ, οἶμαι, ἐστὶ τὸ, «Πᾶσα θυσία ἱερέως ὁλόκαυτος ἔσται.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ἑαυτοὺς οὖν ἄρα προσοίσομεν, καὶ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας ἀνακεισόμεθα τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν τῶν ἁγίων ἰχνηλατοῦντες ζωὴν, καὶ ταῖς ἐκείνων ἱερουργίαις ἑπόμενοι, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι ταῖς πνευματικαῖς.
{ΚΥΡ.} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν, ὦ Παλλάδιε. Πλὴν ὅτι τὸ ἀποτρίψασθαι μολυσμὸν, καὶ διαδράναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, οὐχ ἑτέρως ἂν γένοιτο καὶ ἐνυπάρξαι τισὶν, ἢ ὅτι διὰ μόνου Χριστοῦ, ἐν ᾧ καὶ δι' οὗ πᾶσα κάθαρσις, τὴν σωτήριον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὑπομείναντος σφαγὴν, ἀναμάθοι τις ἂν, καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν, διά τε τοῦ γείτονος καὶ συνεζευγμένου θεσπίσματος· ἔχει γὰρ ὧδε· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων· Λάλησον τῷ Ἀαρὼν καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ, λέγων· Οὗτος ὁ νόμος τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ἐν τόπῳ οὗ σφάξουσι τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμα, σφάξουσι τὰ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἔναντι Κυρίου· Ἅγια ἁγίων ἐστίν. Ὁ ἱερεὺς ἀναφέρων αὐτὴν, ἔδεται αὐτήν· ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ βρωθήσεται, ἐν αὐλῇ τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου. Πᾶς ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῶν κρεῶν αὐτῆς, ἁγιασθήσεται· καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν ἐπιῤῥαντισθῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον, ὃς ἐὰν ῥαντισθῇ ἐπ' αὐτὸ, πλυθήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ· καὶ σκεῦος ὀστράκινον οὗ ἐὰν ἑψηθῇ ἐν αὐτῷ, συντριβήσεται· ἐὰν δὲ ἐν σκεύει χαλκῷ ἑψηθῇ, ἐκτρίψει αὐτὸ, καὶ ἐκκλύσει ὕδατι. Πᾶς ἄρσην ἐν τοῖς ἱερεῦσι φάγεται αὐτά· Ἅγια ἁγίων ἐστὶ Κυρίῳ.» Ἱερεῖον μὲν οὖν τὸ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἴη ἂν ἕτερον οὐδὲν παρὰ τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ, ὅς ἐστιν ἀμνὸς ὁ ἀληθινὸς ὁ αἴρων τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ κόσμου. Σφάζεται δὲ ἐν τόπῳ τοῦ ὁλοκαυτώματος· οὐ γάρ τοι μερικῶς τε καὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἅγιος ὁ Χριστὸς (οὐ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἁμαρτίαν), εὐώδης δὲ ὅλος καὶ ἱερὸς, καὶ ἁγιασμοῦ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι χορηγός. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνόμοις ἐλογίσθη καὶ τοῖς κατακεκριμένοις ἐναρίθμιος γέγονεν οἰκονομικῶς· ἀλλ' οἶδεν ἅγιον ὄντα καὶ ἱερὸν τὸν τοῦ Υἱοῦ θάνατον ὁ Πατήρ. Ταύτῃτοί φησιν· «Ἐν τόπῳ οὗ σφάξουσι τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμα, σφάξουσι καὶ τὸ περὶ ἁμαρτίας· Ἅγια ἁγίων ἐστίν.» Ὥσπερ γὰρ Θεὸς θεῶν ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς, οὕτω καὶ ἁγίων Ἅγιος, ὅλην αὐτὸς ἁγιάζων τὴν κτίσιν τῷ ἰδίῳ πνεύματι, καθὸ πέφυκεν ἐκ Πατρὸς, καὶ ἔστι Θεὸς ἀληθῶς. Ἔδεται δὲ τὴν θυσίαν, φησὶν, ὁ προσκομίζων αὐτὴν ἱερεύς. Ἕκαστος γὰρ, οἶμαι, τῶν εἰς λειτουργίαν τὴν ἱερὰν ἠγμένων, τοὺς καρποὺς τῶν ἰδίων ἀποτρυγήσει πόνων, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ λειτουργίας ἐκθεριεῖ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. Ἐσθίεται δὲ τῆς θυσίας τὸ λείψανον ἐν ἁγίοις τόποις, καὶ ἐν αὐλῇ τῆς ἁγίας σκηνῆς. Προσάγεται γὰρ ἐν ἐκκλησίαις τὰ μυστικὰ, καὶ τῆς ἁγίας τραπέζης Χριστοῦ τὸ ἀπόλεκτον ἐν αὐταῖς ἀξιοῦται γένος. Ἔνθα δ' ἂν ἱερατεύει νόμιμος ἱερεὺς, ἅγιος ἔσται τόπος. Ἁγιάζει δὲ τὸν ἁπτόμενον ἡ θυσία, καὶ ὁ τοῦ αἵματος ῥαντισμός. Προσ