ORIGEN'S SELECTIONS ON LEVITICUS
A "And He called Moses." It is named "Leviticus," since the matters concerning the priesthood, the sacrifices, and everything of that sort that God commanded, are contained in this Leviticus. Indeed, Exodus also contains God's legislation; but how the priests were consecrated, and how the tabernacle was constructed and took on a harmonious structure, and many other things, is recounted by Leviticus. And if it also contains other things, that is not to be wondered at, for the label "Leviticus" is indicative of the most important matter within it.
Of the same. Those who do not rightly look into the discourse concerning sacrifices either despise it as a trivial piece of legislation, containing nothing worthy of the Creator, or piously charge the Creator himself with legislating trivialities. But he who has understood the words of David and the Apostle—the former saying, "Open my eyes, and I will understand the wonders from your law," and the latter crying out, "The law is spiritual"—is able to see clearly that lessons worthy of God are hidden within these teachings.
"A man of you—if he presents gifts to the Lord." We have noted that in many places of the Scriptures B gifts from living things are called offerings, while sacrifices are from lifeless things, according to what is said in Genesis: "And God looked upon Abel and upon his gifts, but upon Cain and his sacrifices He did not look." Furthermore, it must be said that where it is a matter of living things: "A man," he says, "of you, if he presents gifts"; but for the lifeless ones, "if a soul." The lifeless thing is left to the rational soul alone, and what is lifeless, being overcome by fire, leaves behind only the living thing.
They pour out the blood upon the altar. The altar of whole burnt offerings is called the altar upon which sacrifices are offered, but the altar of incense is the inner altar.
Of the same. Since the Jews delighted in sacrifices in Egypt, having presented them there, as the calf in the desert bears witness, God permitted them to offer these, by this means drawing tight the bridle on the disordered impulses of polytheism and preventing them from sacrificing to demons.
A And he makes mention of other things, the blessed Paul saying: "For the law has a shadow of the good things to come."
*Of the same.* "If a soul shall sin unwillingly," he says, "and shall not do any of the commandments of the Lord," it is in accordance with nature. For there are perhaps certain commandments of the Lord which ought not to be done, according to that: "I gave them commandments that were not good." A soul, therefore, sins unwillingly when, under the pretext of piety, it keeps what it ought not. And it requires a sacrifice for forgiveness; the one who acts deliberately does not require a sacrifice, like him who became a Jew in order to gain the Jews, and circumcised Timothy.
B "That soul which shall touch any unclean thing or dead carcass." By dead carcass, he means a man dead to God, with whom one should not even eat; for he who touches him is unclean. And this is also unclean, that which has been hunted by our adversary the devil. Unclean cattle would be those who, though they have approached the Word, are brutish, and having sinned unto death, have not become worthy of being saved even with the cattle, according to the saying: "You shall save both man and beast, O Lord." "Whoever touches them shall be sanctified." C Some, in explaining "shall be sanctified," say it means "shall be defiled"—not, I think, on account of the sacrifice, but on account of the boldness of touching it. For Haggai says: "If one touches it, he shall be defiled."
*Of the same.* We say that the sacrifices were rather a means of sustenance for the priests and a shadow of piety. A twofold profit arises from the sacrifices: first, that God is honored thereby; second, that because what someone immolates is such that he would not easily worship it, nor would he think it to be God.
"And you shall not die." The Word seems to threaten death to the priests who drink wine and strong drink when they enter the tabernacle. For it is necessary that the bishops who pray for the people should refrain not only from the drunkenness that arises from wine, but also from that which proceeds from human affairs and reasoning. D And it is not absurd for it to forbid this, but because it knew the weakness of the Israelites, that when they were drunk, they would lose the precision of their souls, and the keen memory of God.
"Why did you not eat that which was for sin in the holy place?" He shows that for those who do not eat, the sacrifice is imperfect, and the sin remains. For it was necessary that it be brought in as blood, and that they themselves should eat it.
"If they had offered today what was for their sin." Since it happened, he says, that those with Nadab and Abiud stumbled against God and died, when it was the time...
A for them to eat what was for the sin of the people, that their sins might be remitted, how we today are convicted in our sins by eating it, so that we might obtain remission? For the priest must first be reconciled in his own regard toward God.
These are the beasts which you shall eat. Beasts, then, are by no means pure; for all are unclean according to the one who declared the law: "Everything that goes on its hands, in all the beasts, shall be unclean to you." And he might speak generally of all beasts as the most savage of men, of whom the Prophet says: "When the wicked draw near upon me to eat my flesh," and so forth.
Every beast that divides the hoof. The one who divides the hoof is the one who lives piously in this life and strives toward the future by reason of it, and who, dividing the hoof and refining the hooves, seeks to cast off what is superfluous and dead from his hands—that is, from his works—and from his feet—that is, from his walk. In addition to these, he does not only lay aside the spiritual food, chewing the cud, but also remembers and constantly meditates upon it. B
This is the law concerning beasts and birds and every soul. He speaks at length concerning the pure and the unclean; he teaches first that the soul must be holy. For if that which is natural, just as it has been made by the command of God, were unclean, how much more so is that which has come from an evil choice, and not from the command of God? If one should think that what God is Creator of is unclean, how much more so that which holds itself contrary to the will of God, and does what He has forbidden? C
"If any man has in the skin of his flesh a scar." These things are referred to certain blemishes of the soul. And just as with wounds of the body, after healing, a mark of the suffering sometimes remains in the places in what is called a scar; in the same way, the soul that has received the wound of sin, even if it happens to be healed, sometimes has a scar left behind. And one must also fully understand the manner of its cleansing or non-cleansing.
"To a man or woman to whom there shall be a touch of leprosy." One must observe regarding whom it is said: "To a man," or "To a man or woman, to whom there shall be a touch of leprosy," and regarding whom it is said: "Flesh, if there shall be in his skin an ulcer," or "Flesh, if there shall be in his skin a burning of fire." These are wounds. D
A and to be clothed with the garment, is to be no longer clean and partaker of the holy assembly.
And they shall slay one bird in an earthen vessel. The bird is slaughtered in an earthen vessel into which living water is poured, so that purification may be made by water and blood, which flowed from the side of the Savior. He says the cedar wood is the wood of our salvation. The twisted scarlet is a type of the precious blood by which the whole world is cleansed. I think that the hyssop signifies the warmth through the Spirit, and the scarlet thread signifies the union of the Word with flesh. B
He shall have his head and beard shaved. He is shaved on the head according to the more principal and governing doctrines; and according to the beard, which is a symbol of a man, he is laying aside the sins of a man; and according to the eyebrows, he is laying aside all conceit, and, if I may so call it, "brow-beating" [arrogance]. He says that these things which have grown and blossomed on the soul are a symbol, which are called hairs of deadness.
He shall take two unblemished yearling lambs. The account divides the things offered into three: one for the remission of sins committed; another, that the whole may be offered to God; and a third, for that which is offered regarding the very person who is being cleansed, for the things done by him. Perhaps also the three tenths of fine flour are taken so that one of the tenths may be joined to the lamb being slaughtered, the second to the other, and the third to the sheep. C Now, the fifth purification does not have flour, but fine flour, which is a symbol of pure bread, and this mingled with oil, which is taken not as nourishment for light, but as that which ministers to light, not for fire. And for the mixing of the fine flour, oil is taken; D there is another detail, that it must be brought by the priest in a measure of half a hin. And it seems to me that the priest is needed for that: "The priest who cleanses the man shall place him who is being cleansed, and these things before the Lord."
And he shall come to whom the house belongs, and shall report to the priest. And we do not say that the lawgiver commands that anyone should come to the priest accusing his own house, but rather just as one who seeks a remedy for an evil from a physician. We say, therefore, that the synagogue of the Jews is the chorus of the holy prophets, who report to the high priest the desolation of the Jews before his indignation, not out of hatred, nor out of ill will, but out of reverence for the Benefactor, confessing their sins yet, nonetheless, pleading that they be shown mercy.