Offerings that grow with the size of the victim
Cyril: …and no less, as I said, the law given through Moses will itself show us this. For it says again in Numbers: ‘And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: When you enter the land where you are to dwell, which I am giving you, and you make burnt offerings to the Lord, a whole offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, or at your feasts, to make a fragrant aroma for the Lord, whether from the herd or from the flock, then the one who offers shall bring his gift to the Lord: an offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil; and you shall prepare a quarter of a hin of wine for a drink offering with the burnt offering or with the sacrifice. For each lamb you shall do this much, an offering by fire, a fragrant aroma for the Lord. And for a ram, when you prepare it as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice, you shall prepare an offering of two tenths of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil; and you shall bring a third of a hin of wine for a drink offering, as a fragrant aroma for the Lord. And if you prepare one from the herd as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as a peace offering to the Lord, then with the calf one shall bring an offering of three tenths of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil, and half a hin of wine for a drink offering, an offering by fire as a fragrant aroma for the Lord. So you shall do for each calf, or for each ram, or for each lamb from the sheep or from the goats. According to the number that you prepare, so you shall do for each one, according to their number. Every native-born person shall do so when he brings such offerings by fire as a fragrant aroma for the Lord. And if a proselyte joins you in your land, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and he makes an offering by fire as a fragrant aroma for the Lord, as you do, so shall the congregation do for the Lord. There shall be one law for you and for the proselytes who have joined you, a perpetual law throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the proselyte be before the Lord. There shall be one law and one ordinance for you and for the proselyte who has joined you.’ (Numbers 15:1–16)
Palladius: Then where in all this are we to see, as you put it, a share equal and proportionate to whatever a person does?
Cyril: Why, my friend, do you not hear the law saying plainly that if someone chooses to fulfill vows and burnt offerings, and he sacrifices a lamb, he is to add to what is burned a tenth of an ephah of fine flour and a quarter of a hin of wine and of oil? (These, I believe, are Hebrew measures.) But if it is a ram, it says, the accompanying portions come in greater amount, that is, a third; for the measure of a quarter is less than a third. And when a calf is offered, the fine flour and the rest go beyond the third once more, and come at last to a half.
Palladius: I have learned that. What, then, does it mean?
Cyril: You surely know that fine wheat flour is a type of life, and the oil a type of cheerfulness; for it is written,
Greek
σις· οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον ἡμῖν, ὅπερ ἔφην, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ διὰ Μωσέως ὑποδείξει νόμος. Ἔφη γὰρ πάλιν ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς· «Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων· Λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὅταν εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς κατοικήσεως ὑμῶν, ἣν ἐγὼ δίδωμι ὑμῖν, καὶ ποιήσετε ὁλοκαυτώματα Κυρίῳ, ὁλοκάρπωμα ἢ θυσίαν, μεγαλύναι εὐχὴν ἢ καθ' ἑκούσιον, ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς ὑμῶν ποιῆσαι ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας τῷ Κυρίῳ, εἰ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν βοῶν ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων· καὶ προσοίσει ὁ προσφέρων τὸ δῶρον αὐτοῦ Κυρίῳ θυσίαν σεμιδάλεως δέκατον τοῦ οἰφὶ ἀναπεποιημένης ἐν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τετάρτῳ τοῦ ἲν, καὶ οἶνον εἰς σπονδὴν τὸ τέταρτον τοῦ ἲν ποιήσετε ἐπὶ τῆς ὁλοκαυτώσεως, ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς θυσίας· τῷ ἀμνῷ τῷ ἑνὶ ποιήσεις τοσοῦτον, κάρπωμα, ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ τῷ κριῷ, ὅταν ποιῆτε αὐτὸν εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα ἢ εἰς θυσίαν, ποιήσεις θυσίαν σεμιδάλεως δύο δέκατα ἀναπεποιημένης ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὸ τρίτον τοῦ ἴν· καὶ οἶνον εἰς σπονδὴν τὸ τρίτον τοῦ ἲν προσοίσετε εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας Κυρίῳ. Ἐὰν δὲ ποιῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν βοῶν εἰς ὁλοκαύτωσιν ἢ εἰς θυσίαν μεγαλύναι εὐχὴν ἢ εἰς σωτήριον Κυρίῳ, καὶ προσοίσει ἐπὶ τοῦ μόσχου θυσίαν σεμιδάλεως τρία δέκατα ἀναπεποιημένης ἐν ἐλαίῳ ἥμισυ τοῦ ἲν, καὶ οἶνον εἰς σπονδὴν τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ ἲν, κάρπωμα εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας Κυρίῳ. Οὕτω ποιήσεις τῷ μόσχῳ τῷ ἑνὶ, ἢ τῷ κριῷ τῷ ἑνὶ, ἢ τῷ ἀμνῷ τῷ ἑνὶ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων ἢ ἐκ τῶν αἰγῶν, κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν, ὧν ἐὰν ποιήσητε, οὕτως ποιήσετε τῷ ἑνὶ, κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν, πᾶς ὁ αὐτόχθων ποιήσει οὕτως τοιαῦτα προσενέγκας καρπώματα εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας Κυρίῳ. Ἐὰν δὲ προσήλυτος ἐν ὑμῖν προσγένηται ἐν τῇ γῇ ὑμῶν, ἢ ὃς ἂν γένηται ἐν ὑμῖν, ἐν ταῖς γενεαῖς ὑμῶν, καὶ ποιήσει κάρπωμα, ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας Κυρίῳ, ὃν τρόπον ποιεῖτε ὑμεῖς, οὕτω ποιήσει ἡ συναγωγὴ Κυρίῳ. Νόμος εἷς ἔσται ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς προσηλύτοις τοῖς προσκειμένοις ἐν ὑμῖν· νόμος αἰώνιος εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν, ὡς ὑμεῖς, καὶ ὁ προσήλυτος ἔσται ἔναντι Κυρίου, νόμος εἷς ἔσται, καὶ δικαίωμα ἓν ἔσται ὑμῖν καὶ τῷ προσηλύτῳ τῷ προσκειμένῳ ἐν ὑμῖν.»
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Εἶτα ὅποι ποτὲ ἰσομοιροῦν καὶ ἀνάλογον, ὡς φὴς, ὃ ἂν ἐργάσαιτό τις, καταθρήσαιμεν;
{ΚΥΡ.} Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαΐεις, ὦ τᾶν, τοῦ νόμου λέγοντος ἐναργῶς, ὡς εἴπερ τις ἕλοιτο πληροῦν εὐχὰς καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματα, εἰ μὲν ἀμνὸν καταθύοι, δέκατον μὲν τοῦ οἰφὶ σεμιδάλεως, οἴνου δὲ καὶ ἐλαίου τὸ τέταρτον τοῦ ἲν (μέτρα δὲ οἶμαι ταυτὶ κατὰ γλῶτταν Ἑβραίαν) προσεπαγέτω τῷ θυμιάματι· εἰ δὲ κριὸς εἴη, φησὶν, ἐν πλεονασμῷ τὰ ἑπόμενα, τουτέστι, τὸ τρίτον· τρίτου γὰρ ἐν μείοσι, τὸ ὡς ἐν τετάρτῳ μέτρον. Μόσχου δὲ ἀναφερομένου, σεμίδαλίς τε καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τοῦ τρίτου πάλιν ἐπέκεινα, καὶ ἐν ἡμίσει λοιπόν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἐπυθόμην· τί οὖν τοῦτό γε;
{ΚΥΡ.} Οἶσθα δέ που πάντως, ὅτι ζωῆς μὲν τύπος, ἡ ἐκ πυρῶν σεμίδαλις, ἱλαρότητος δὲ τὸ ἔλαιον· γέ