Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
God commands that Moses consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests with this rite: first, that he wash them; second, that he clothe them with the priestly vestments; third, that he offer a bull-calf for sin and two rams, one as a holocaust, the other as a peace offering with unleavened bread; fourth, that for seven days he daily anoint both them and the altar, verse 35. All of which you may rightly expound mystically and apply to the consecrations and first fruits of the priests of the New Testament. Finally, in verse 38, He prescribes the sacrifice of a lamb to be immolated daily, both morning and evening.
Vulgate Text: Exodus 29:1-46
1. But also this you shall do, that they may be consecrated to Me in the priesthood: Take a calf from the herd, and two unblemished rams, 2. and unleavened bread, and a cake without leaven, sprinkled with oil, and also unleavened wafers anointed with oil: you shall make all these of wheaten flour. 3. And you shall place them in a basket and offer them: and the calf also and the two rams. 4. And you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of the testimony. And when you have washed the father with his sons in water, 5. you shall clothe Aaron with his vestments, that is, the linen garment and the tunic, and the ephod, and the breastplate, which you shall fasten with the girdle. 6. And you shall put the mitre upon his head, and the holy plate upon the mitre, 7. and you shall pour the oil of anointing upon his head; and by this rite he shall be consecrated. 8. You shall also bring his sons, and clothe them with linen tunics, and gird them with a belt, 9. Aaron, namely, and his sons, and you shall put mitres on them, and they shall be My priests by a perpetual ordinance. After you have consecrated their hands, 10. you shall also bring the calf before the tabernacle of the testimony. And Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head, 11. and you shall slaughter it in the sight of the Lord, beside the door of the tabernacle of the testimony. 12. And taking some of the blood of the calf, you shall put it upon the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out beside its base. 13. And you shall take all the fat that covers the intestines, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and you shall burn them as incense upon the altar; 14. but the flesh of the calf, and the hide, and the dung you shall burn outside, beyond the camp, because it is a sin offering. 15. You shall also take one ram, upon whose head Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands. 16. And when you have slaughtered it, you shall take of its blood, and pour it round about the altar. 17. And you shall cut the ram itself into pieces, and having washed its entrails and feet, you shall put them upon the cut pieces, and upon its head. 18. And you shall offer the whole ram as a burnt offering upon the altar: it is an offering to the Lord, a most sweet odor of a victim to the Lord. 19. You shall also take the other ram, upon whose head Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands. 20. And when you have immolated it, you shall take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and of his sons, and upon the thumbs of their right hand and foot, and you shall pour the blood upon the altar round about. 21. And when you have taken of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the oil of anointing, you shall sprinkle Aaron and his garments, his sons and their vestments. And when they and their vestments have been consecrated, 22. you shall take the fat of the ram, and the tail, and the suet that covers the vitals, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder, because it is the ram of consecration: 23. and one loaf of bread, a cake sprinkled with oil, a wafer from the basket of unleavened bread, which is placed in the sight of the Lord: 24. and you shall put all things upon the hands of Aaron and of his sons, and you shall sanctify them, elevating them before the Lord. 25. And you shall take all things from their hands; and you shall burn them upon the altar as a holocaust, a most sweet odor in the sight of the Lord, because it is His offering. 26. You shall also take the breast of the ram, by which Aaron was consecrated, and you shall sanctify it, elevated before the Lord, and it shall fall to your share. 27. And you shall sanctify the consecrated breast, and the shoulder which you separated from the ram, 28. by which Aaron was consecrated and his sons, and they shall fall to the share of Aaron and his sons by perpetual right from the children of Israel: because they are the first-fruits and the beginnings of their peace offerings which they offer to the Lord. 29. And the holy vestment which Aaron uses, his sons shall have after him, that they may be anointed in it, and their hands consecrated. 30. For seven days he shall use it who shall be appointed high priest in his place from among his sons, and who shall enter the tabernacle of the testimony to minister in the Sanctuary. 31. And you shall take the ram of consecration, and you shall boil its flesh in a holy place, 32. and Aaron and his sons shall eat of it. And the bread also that is in the basket they shall eat in the vestibule of the tabernacle of the testimony, 33. that it may be a propitiatory sacrifice, and that the hands of the offerers may be sanctified. A stranger shall not eat of them, because they are holy. 34. And if there remain of the consecrated flesh, or of the bread until the morning, you shall burn the remnants with fire: they shall not be eaten, because they are sanctified. 35. All things that I have commanded you, you shall do for Aaron and his sons. For seven days you shall consecrate their hands, 36. and you shall offer a calf for sin every day for expiation. And you shall cleanse the altar when you have immolated the victim of expiation, and you shall anoint it for sanctification. 37. For seven days you shall make expiation for the altar and sanctify it, and it shall be the Holy of Holies. Everyone who touches it shall be sanctified. 38. This is what you shall offer on the altar: Two lambs of a year old every day continually, 39. one lamb in the morning, and the other in the evening, 40. a tenth part of flour mingled with beaten oil, which shall have the measure of the fourth part of a hin, and wine for a libation of the same measure with one lamb. 41. And the other lamb you shall offer in the evening according to the rite of the morning oblation, and according to what we have said, for an odor of sweetness. 42. It is a sacrifice to the Lord, a perpetual offering throughout your generations, at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony before the Lord, where I will appoint to speak to you. 43. And there I will command the children of Israel, and the altar shall be sanctified by My glory. 44. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the testimony with the altar, and Aaron with his sons, that they may minister to Me in the priesthood. 45. And I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel, and I will be their God, 46. and they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might abide among them, I the Lord their God.
Verse 2: A Cake Without Leaven Sprinkled with Oil
2. A CAKE — a round cake, a small loaf, or a flat cake; for this is the Hebrew challot. WHICH IS SPRINKLED WITH OIL — In Hebrew, which is mixed with oil, that is, when the flour was being kneaded, it was worked with oil, and this to signify the anointing of Aaron; for this is what the Greek word pephyramenous means in the Septuagint.
WAFERS ALSO ANOINTED WITH OIL — "Wafers" are thin cakes; for this is what the Hebrew rekike signifies. These wafers were mixed with water when they were being kneaded; but when they were offered, they were fried in oil: for this is what the Hebrew meschiche schemen signifies, that is, anointed or smeared with oil, namely, so that they might be fried in it. So Abulensis and Oleaster.
Verse 3: The Calf and Two Rams
3. AND THE CALF AND TWO RAMS — namely, you shall offer, that is, you shall present and bring them to the tabernacle, so that afterward, at verse 10, they may be immolated. In the calf or bull, says Lipomanus, the stiff neck of pride is signified; in the ram, the leadership of the flock is indicated. The priests, therefore, who are to be rulers of the people, are commanded to immolate a bull and a ram, so that by this symbol they may be admonished to kill whatever swelling of proud leadership they had savored; and to be sanctified for seven days, that they may be admonished to persevere in holiness throughout their whole life.
Verse 5: You Shall Clothe Aaron
5. YOU SHALL CLOTHE AARON, ETC. With the linen garment (which in Hebrew is called ketonet) and the tunic — namely the hyacinth-colored one.
No mention is made here of breeches, because Aaron and his sons had already put them on, so that they might be washed decently. So Bede.
WHICH YOU SHALL FASTEN WITH THE GIRDLE — In Hebrew, you shall bind it with the skillful weaving of the ephod itself. Note here: The girdle is called the weaving, or the skillful work of the ephod itself, because this girdle bound the ephod tight, and was of the same material as the ephod. So Vatablus.
Verse 6: The Holy Plate
6. AND THE HOLY PLATE — In Hebrew, the crown of holiness. Thus is called the golden plate, on which was inscribed "Holy to the Lord"; for this encircled and adorned the forehead like a crown.
Verse 7: The Oil of Anointing
7. AND THE OIL OF ANOINTING (oil by which one is anointed — it is a pleonasm) YOU SHALL POUR UPON HIS HEAD — This oil, says Cyprian, in the treatise On the Anointing of Chrism, signified first, that a spiritual richness is present in the sacred mysteries. Second, that just as oil floats above all other liquids, so the excellence of the priestly dignity surpasses all states and ranks, and obtains the governance and protection of both the active and the contemplative life. Third, this oil of the consecration of priests was a type of the sacrament of Holy Orders, in which the richness of the Spirit is given to the ordained.
Verse 9: After You Have Consecrated Their Hands
9. AFTER YOU HAVE CONSECRATED (in Hebrew, after you have filled with oil, that is, anointed, and by anointing consecrated) THEIR HANDS — By "hands" is signified the power of consecrating other things, which by this anointing of the hands the newly ordained priests receive here. So St. Augustine, Question CXXV. For with their hands they were to handle victims and other things, to offer them to God and to consecrate them. Hence, morally, let the priest know that he must have holy hands, that is, chaste and pure, both from lust, and from blood, and from avarice. Hear Philo, in the book On Victims: "God demands," he says, "from the one who sacrifices, first a good mind, holy and exercised in piety. Then a life adorned with good deeds (especially almsgiving), so that when he lays on hands, he may be able to say with a free conscience: These hands are not corrupted by women, nor polluted with innocent blood; they have inflicted harm, injury, wound, violence on no one; they have lent their service to no base thing, but to honest and useful things, which are approved by just, honorable, and wise men."
Therefore the hands of all priests were anointed; but it was peculiar to the high priest that his head also was anointed, at verse 7, to signify that from him, as from a head, the power of offering and consecrating was derived to others; and this mystically prefigured the pontifical office of the new law. So St. Thomas, I-II, Question CII, article 5, reply to 8. Hence it is said in Psalm CXXXII, verse 2: "Like ointment on the head, which ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron."
The Hebrews note that God especially requires for His sacrifice those animals and members which are subject to the passions: He requires the kidneys, which are the first workshop of desire; He wants the liver, which strengthens lust; and the fat, which makes desire unbridled, according to that saying: "Israel grew fat and kicked." All these things the Lord wants in His sacrifice, not because kidneys delight Him, but because these things signify that our members upon earth must be mortified, and this must be done by everyone, but especially by priests, prelates, and rulers, concerning which see again verse 22.
Alfonso, King of Aragon, used to say that "nothing is more unfitting than if someone commands others who cannot command his own passions;" for how will he restrain the faults of others, who is conquered by his own and indulges them? Demosthenes said it is the part of a wise man never to be indulgent in spirit, nor to indulge the passions in any way too freely, lest they abandon the rule of unbridled reason. Thales, when asked "who is happy?" replied, "He who is healthy in body and chaste in mind." For lust and concupiscence are diseases of the soul. Cato, as Plutarch attests, used to say that the best commander is he who can command his own passions. Cicero, in the oration for Sulla: "It is royal," he says, "so to live that you serve not only no man, but not even any desire: to despise all lusts; to need neither gold, nor silver, nor anything else; to consult the people's welfare rather than their pleasure; to yield to no one, to resist many."
Verse 10: They Shall Lay Their Hands upon Its Head
10. AND AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL LAY THEIR HANDS UPON ITS HEAD — So that by this rite they may acknowledge themselves sinners, and lay their sins upon the calf, and offer it as a victim for their own sins, so that being thus cleansed they may be rendered worthy to intercede and sacrifice for the sins of others. I shall say more about this rite in Leviticus, chapter 1, verse 4.
Verse 11: You Shall Slaughter It in the Sight of the Lord
11. AND YOU SHALL SLAUGHTER IT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD — "You shall slaughter," you, namely, O Moses. Moses therefore here discharged the priestly office, and so he consecrated the priests, and the high priest himself, as a hierarch. Whence Nazianzen, oration 22, calls Moses the priest of priests; so also St. Augustine, Question XX on Leviticus: whence in Psalm XCVIII, verse 6 it is said: "Moses and Aaron among His priests." See Leviticus, chapter VIII. Moses therefore was the first of the people to be both high priest, and leader and prince. But after Moses consigned the priesthood to Aaron and his descendants, henceforth Moses' descendants were numbered not among the priests, but among the Levites, as is clear from I Chronicles, chapter XXIII, verse 14.
Verse 13: The Fat and the Two Kidneys
13. AND YOU SHALL TAKE THE FAT, AND THE TWO KIDNEYS, ETC. AND YOU SHALL OFFER THEM AS INCENSE UPON THE ALTAR — that is to say, all these things you shall set on fire and burn like incense, so that they may evaporate into smoke and be burned in honor of God: the fat and kidneys therefore are here called "incense," that is, a burnt victim, as is clear from the Hebrew.
Verse 14: The Flesh You Shall Burn Outside the Camp
14. BUT THE FLESH OF THE CALF, AND THE HIDE, AND THE DUNG YOU SHALL BURN OUTSIDE, BEYOND THE CAMP, BECAUSE IT IS A SIN OFFERING — "Beyond the camp," to signify the greatness of the sin of priests (inasmuch as they ought to be most holy, and ought to sanctify others by word, example, and sacrifices); in detestation of it, therefore, the flesh of their victim was burned outside the camp. Similarly, for the sins of priests alone, a bull-calf was immolated; but for the sins of rulers and common people, smaller animals were immolated, such as goats, rams, or birds. Third, for the same reason the dung of the bull-calf was burned; but in other victims, even for sin, this was not done, except for the red heifer, which was offered for all the sins of the whole people, Numbers chapter XIX. See more on these matters in Leviticus chapters IV and V, and following. Hence Christ suffered outside the camp, that is, outside Jerusalem. See the comments on Hebrews chapter XIII, verse 11.
Verse 16: You Shall Pour the Blood Round about the Altar
16. AND WHEN YOU HAVE SLAUGHTERED IT, YOU SHALL TAKE OF ITS BLOOD, AND POUR IT ROUND ABOUT THE ALTAR — to signify that God, who is represented by the altar, accepts this blood of the animal for the sin of man, and is appeased by it.
Verse 18: It Is an Offering to the Lord
18. IT IS AN OFFERING TO THE LORD — In Hebrew ola, that is, it is a holocaust to the Lord; the holocaust is called ola, that is, "ascent," because in it the whole victim ascends to God through fire and smoke.
A MOST SWEET ODOR OF A VICTIM TO THE LORD — In Hebrew it is, an odor of rest, in which namely the sense of smell most sweetly and pleasantly comes to rest; which is attributed to God here metaphorically, because this sacrifice rendered God appeased (whence the Chaldean translates it, that it may be accepted with good pleasure), and it expiated sins through faith in Christ; whose sacrifice they foreshadowed by this sacrifice of theirs, with its victims, namely the calf and the ram. This sacrifice of theirs was therefore pleasing and agreeable to God, not by the work performed (ex opere operato), as is the sacrifice of the new law, but by the work of the one performing it (ex opere operantis); for it was an act of worship and obedience.
OF A VICTIM TO THE LORD — In Hebrew, an ignition, that is, a fire-offering, is to the Lord, that is, it is a holocaust, in which all things are burned and consumed.
Note: In this consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, every kind of sacrifice was offered, namely a holocaust, a peace offering, and a sin offering: for they were being ordained and consecrated to offer these very sacrifices. For one ram was primarily offered as a holocaust, although it was also offered concomitantly for sins; the other ram was offered as a peace victim; and finally the calf was offered for sin. For a similar reason in the new law, in the ordination and consecration of priests and bishops, the sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated and offered, as the act and oblation for which priests are ordained.
Allegorically, Radulphus on Leviticus chapter IX says: Moses signifies the law, the calf signifies Christ, Aaron and his sons signify the Evangelical doctors and preachers. Moses, therefore, that is, the law, slaughters the calf for sin before Aaron and his sons, when it informs the knowledge of the doctors about Christ's passion. He offers secondly a ram as a holocaust, because it teaches them to offer themselves as a holocaust of perfect conduct, so that they may be guides of faith and good works for others. He offers thirdly a ram as a peace victim, because it teaches them to propose the life of Christ everywhere to the faithful for imitation.
Verse 19: The Other Ram
19. YOU SHALL ALSO TAKE THE OTHER RAM — This is the third victim in order. For the first was for sin, namely the calf. The second was as a holocaust, namely the ram. The third here is the other ram, which is offered as a peace victim, so that the newly ordained priests might undertake the priesthood prosperously, and that it might be peaceful for them and for the people, that is, auspicious and fortunate.
Verse 20: The Tip of the Right Ear of Aaron
20. AND WHEN YOU HAVE IMMOLATED IT — when you have sacrificed it to God by slaughtering. For afterward this ram had to be burned for the full consummation of the sacrifice.
AND YOU SHALL PUT (the blood of the ram) UPON THE TIP OF THE RIGHT EAR OF AARON AND HIS SONS, AND UPON THE THUMBS OF THEIR RIGHT HAND AND FOOT — Just as the mouth of Isaiah, about to prophesy in chapter VI, was cleansed by the touch of a burning coal through an angel, as though he were about to speak most purely and most holily with the Holy Spirit assisting: so here the ears, hands, and feet of the priests are stained with blood, to indicate that these must be most pure and most well-ordered in them, and that they must seek this from God who calls them by His grace, and obtain it through prayers and sacrifices.
Moreover, the tip of the right ear is stained with blood, so that they may have tender ears and a most ready obedience for hearing and fulfilling the law and doctrine (both the old and the new and Evangelical, which offers us the blood of Christ as a lustral purification). Again, to signify that this obedience must be perpetual and must extend to the very end. For this is what "the tip" signifies, says St. Cyril, book XI On Worship in Spirit and Truth, folio 229.
And the thumb of the right hand (for only that one in each case was sprinkled with blood) is stained with blood for the firm execution of obedience to the law; likewise the great toe of the right foot, for swift movement in carrying it out and walking in it, says Radulphus on chapter VIII of Leviticus.
Moreover, the right ear and thumb are anointed, not the left: both because the right is more excellent than the left; and so that by this symbol it may be tacitly prayed that this anointing, and all things, may be right, auspicious, and happy for them.
AND YOU SHALL POUR THE BLOOD UPON THE ALTAR ROUND ABOUT — that is, upon the walls of the altar on all sides, from all four of its sides; the blood was not therefore poured upon the horns of the altar from above, because this was not done in any peace offerings, as is clear from Leviticus chapter III; nor upon the pavement beside the altar; but upon its four walls: for this was peculiar to this peace offering, to signify that by this sacrifice it was being prayed that contact with the altar would be prosperous and beneficial for these newly ordained priests.
Verse 21: The Oil of Anointing
21. OF THE OIL OF ANOINTING (the composition of which will be described in chapter XXX, verse 23) YOU SHALL SPRINKLE AARON AND HIS GARMENTS — Therefore with blood and oil, either each one separately, or, what is more likely, mixed together, both the priests and their garments were purified, and thus were, as it were, consecrated, so that they would be suited to their functions and to the expiation of sins; just as now also priestly vestments are blessed by the Bishop. This oil mixed with blood was therefore sprinkled on the garments, and thus a slight stain was sprinkled on the garments, to signify that the priest clothed in these vestments would cleanse and purge away the stains and sins of the people. The same anointing had to be applied when other new priestly garments were later made, after these old ones had been worn out.
Verse 22: The Fat of the Ram and the Tail
22. YOU SHALL TAKE THE FAT OF THE RAM AND THE TAIL — For these are the fatter and more delicate parts of the animal. God therefore here wants all the fatty parts, and whatever covers the vitals, as the worthiest and best parts, to be burned to Himself.
Tropologically, St. Gregory, book I of the Morals, chapter XL: "The tail," he says, "is commanded to be burned to God, so that every good thing we begin, we may also complete with the end of perseverance." Again, the fat signifies gluttony, the kidneys signify lust, the fiber of the liver signifies bile and the irascible power, which is joined to the liver in the body. All these things must die, and be consecrated to God through mortification by the priest. So Theodoret and St. Basil, in the book On True Virginity.
To this end, frequent meditation on death is most helpful. "When the flesh is desired," says St. Gregory, chapter XVIII of the Morals, "let one consider what it is when lifeless, and one will understand what one loves. For nothing is so effective for taming the appetite of carnal desires as for each person to consider what that which he loves when alive is like when dead." So in the Lives of the Fathers, book V, chapter 1, number 7. Abbot John says: "In the morning think about every virtue, and about every vice to be mortified, enclosing yourself in a tomb as though already dead, so that death may seem near to you every day." In the same place, chapter X, number 63, Abbot Moses, when asked, "what kind of man mortifies himself?" said: "Unless a man has put it in his heart that he has been three years in the grave, he does not attain to this word."
BECAUSE IT IS THE RAM OF CONSECRATION — that is, offered in the consecration of priests, for their prosperity. That is to say: In peace offerings, the right shoulder, as well as the breast, falls to the priest. But so that this victim of the consecration of priests may have something special beyond others, I will that besides the tail, the shoulder also be burned to Me, and only the breast fall to you, O Moses, as the priest and consecrator, for you to eat with your family; but the rest of the meat shall fall to Aaron the offerer, as is usually done in the offering of a peace victim. So Hugo.
Verse 23: Placed in the Sight of the Lord
23. WHICH IS PLACED IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD — that is, before the altar of holocausts.
Verse 24: You Shall Sanctify Them Elevating before the Lord
24. AND YOU SHALL PUT ALL THINGS UPON THE HANDS OF AARON AND HIS SONS, AND YOU SHALL SANCTIFY THEM, ELEVATING THEM BEFORE THE LORD — This sanctification of the priests was therefore nothing other than the elevation of their hands with the gifts, performed by Moses: by which elevation or offering it was signified that those gifts belong to God, and that henceforth similar gifts must be sanctified and offered to God through the hands of priests. For when Moses here offered the hands of the priests to God, he consequently also offered to God those things which they held in their hands. Hence again the priest was considered more holy, and as belonging to the family and possession of God, who is holiness itself, as one dedicated and offered to Him.
Note: "To sanctify" here is everywhere the same as "to offer," on which see again verse 27. In Hebrew it is, you shall put all things upon the hands of Aaron and his sons, and you shall elevate them with an elevation before the Lord. For the Hebrew nuph means to elevate, or to wave; whence tenupha is called an elevation; and from this the offering itself, from this rite of elevating, is called tenupha. R. Solomon and the Hebrews relate that there was a definite ceremony and rite of this elevation and offering called tenupha, namely that Moses placed his hands under the hands of the newly ordained priests, and raised them upward, and then lowered them downward; then from East to West, and finally from South to North he moved them in the same way; and thus he traced the form of the cross, as if to indicate that God to whom he was sacrificing is Lord of heaven and of the whole earth (hence also noph, from which tenupha descends, signifies the regions and climates of the world), and at the same time to prefigure the sacrifice of the cross of Christ.
That the same ceremony of tenupha, and the rite of elevating the offering, was also employed in the sacrifice of jealousy is clear from Numbers chapter V, verse 25, and in the sacrifice of the Nazarite, Numbers chapter VI, verse 20, and in any other peace offering, Leviticus chapter VII, verse 30, where our Translator renders it, when both things offered to God have been consecrated; in Hebrew it is, when both have been elevated to God; indeed the Hebrews call the offering itself teruma, or tenupha, concerning which see verse 27. Finally St. Jerome, in his letter to Fabiola, refers tenupha, that is elevation, also to the thing sacrificed, as if to say: You shall offer to God a thing elevated, eminent, excellent, first and foremost, which therefore deserves to be elevated and offered to God with solemn rite.
Verse 26: By Which Aaron Was Consecrated
26. BY WHICH AARON WAS CONSECRATED — that is to say, which ram namely was immolated for the happy consecration of Aaron. The Hebrew and the Septuagint have, which is Aaron's, as if to say: Which henceforth in sacrificing shall pass into the right of Aaron.
Verse 27: You Shall Sanctify the Breast
27. AND YOU SHALL SANCTIFY THE BREAST — That is, you shall offer the breast to God. For all things that are offered to God are holy, not physically, but morally, and are sanctified by being offered, because they are dedicated to God and entirely devoted to Him.
AND YOU SHALL SANCTIFY THE CONSECRATED BREAST, AND THE SHOULDER WHICH YOU SEPARATED FROM THE RAM — Here a general law is established concerning the peace sacrifice, not the one that is offered here for the consecration of priests, but concerning every one that the children of Israel would offer in the future: namely that from it they give the breast and the shoulder to the priests, just as the priests themselves in this sacrifice of theirs gave both to God. "You shall sanctify," therefore means you shall separate and dedicate to Me and to My ministers the breast of the victim, and therefore it shall be holy and sanctified by this offering made to the priests. In Hebrew it is, you shall sanctify, or consecrate to Me the breast as tenupha, and the shoulder as teruma, which was waved, and which was lifted up on high for Aaron and his sons.
Here note: The oblation or victim called tenupha is that which was elevated before God by a certain rite with a waving of the hands toward all the quarters of the world, as I said the Hebrews handed down at verse 24. But the oblation called terumah is distinguished by some from tenupha, so that terumah is an oblation descending from above to below and waved; while tenupha is an oblation waved toward the four quarters of the world. But St. Jerome does not distinguish these two, and always translates terumah as "separation," by which the victim was separated from profane uses and offered to God. So also the Septuagint translates terumah as aphairema, and the Chaldean as aphrashuta, that is, separation, from the root parash, that is, he separated, although literally terumah is the same as elevation, from the root rum, that is, he elevated; for thence it is called terumah, as if you were to say an oblation, or something to be lifted, which is lifted, taken up, and offered to God. The meaning therefore is: the breast of elevation, and the shoulder of elevation, which you elevated and offered to Me by a solemn rite, the same (not in number, but in kind) you shall receive from the children of Israel, when they by themselves offer their peace offerings to Me.
Tropologically, St. Gregory, Part II of the Pastoral Rule, chapter 4: The priest, he says, receives from the people the breast and the right shoulder, so that he may remember that he owes and ought to render to God his breast, so that he may think only what is right; and the shoulder, that is the right arm, so that most bravely despising all prosperity and adversity, he may generously carry out the things that are God's, so that in him the saying of Julius Caesar in Sallust's Catiline may be true: "In the greatest fortune, there is the least license."
So did, among others, St. Charles Borromeo, who spared no labor, no austerity, no danger, for promoting the glory of God and the salvation of his people; and he so desired to die in such labors, counting such a death as gain. Whence to the Archbishop of Valencia, who warned him to spare himself and not to shorten his life by excessive labors and penances, he replied thus: "Even if, while service is rendered to the Church, for which Christ endured the most bitter death, there should be a loss of strength which must be weakened, and of life which must perish, this is indeed to be counted as the greatest gain and advantage. It is the mark of too delicate a man, to say nothing of a Bishop, to be held back from the administration and care of his office, than which none is greater, none more excellent, either by concern for health or by fear of death." The witness is the author of his Life, book VIII, chapter 21.
St. Silverius, Pope and Martyr, cast out by the Empress Eutychiana through Belisarius onto the island of Pontia, wrote thus to Bishop Amator: "I am sustained by the bread of tribulation and the water of distress, yet I have not given up, nor do I give up my office." Whence, having convened a Council there, he condemned Eutyches, and, worn out by hardships, he died a martyr.
St. John Chrysostom, driven into exile for his freedom in rebuking vices, when he endured the hardships of nocturnal journeys, the raids of the Isaurians, a severe fever, vomiting, headaches, loss of appetite, and other most terrible things, wrote thus, epistle 130: "Neither by siege, nor by the attacks of robbers, nor by the solitude of the place, nor by the throng of six hundred adverse events am I cast down or troubled, but I enjoy great security and leisure."
Again, a layperson ought to offer to the priest, an inferior to his superior, the breast, that is, a will full of humility and obedience; and the shoulder, or arm, most ready to carry the burdens imposed by him. By obedience, therefore, both the breast and the shoulder are owed, nor does one suffice without the other, because not the will alone, nor the execution of the task enjoined alone, but both must be offered, namely a ready will running and leaping toward the commanded work.
Verse 28: The First-Fruits of the Peace Offerings
28. AND THEY SHALL BE FOR THE PORTION OF AARON AND HIS SONS, BECAUSE THEY ARE THE FIRST-FRUITS AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE PEACE OFFERINGS WHICH THEY OFFER TO THE LORD. — That is to say: From the peace offering, the breast and the right shoulder shall go first to the priest, because these are the first parts, which at the beginning are separated from the peace offering for God, and in God's name are offered to the priest, and therefore these parts are most noble. For their greatest nobility and dignity consists in this, that they are first separated for God, and in God's stead offered to the priest; then, secondly, he who from the people offers the peace offering, receives from it the remaining portion.
Verse 29: The Holy Garment
29. AND THE HOLY GARMENT WHICH AARON SHALL USE, HIS SONS SHALL HAVE AFTER HIM, THAT THEY MAY BE ANOINTED IN IT, AND THEIR HANDS MAY BE CONSECRATED. — That is to say: The garments of the high priest designated for sacred uses, when the father who is high priest has died, the eldest son shall receive, who will succeed his father in the pontificate, so that clothed in them he may be anointed and consecrated as high priest, lest anyone think that the high priest, when he dies, should be buried in his pontifical vestments, and that new pontifical vestments must be made for the successor son. So with Aaron's garments, after his death, his son Eleazar was clothed, Numbers 20, verses 26 and 28.
Note: This anointing and consecration of the new high priest after the death of Moses was performed by one of the lesser priests; for there was no one greater who might consecrate him. So among us the Roman Pontiff is consecrated by the Bishop of Ostia. So Abulensis.
Verse 30: Seven Days Shall He Use It
30. SEVEN DAYS SHALL HE WHO HAS BEEN APPOINTED HIGH PRIEST IN HIS PLACE USE IT (THE SACRED VESTMENT). — By the number seven, as being a full number, the consecration of the priest was completed; for during those seven days daily anointings were performed, as well as oblations and expiations of the altar, as ceremonies of consecration, as is clear from verse 35 and following; nor could the priest being consecrated depart from the tabernacle during those seven days, Leviticus 8:33. All these things were done so that the authority and sanctity of the priesthood might be more illustrious.
Verses 31 and 32: The Ram of Consecration
31 AND 32. AND YOU SHALL TAKE THE RAM OF CONSECRATION, AND YOU SHALL COOK ITS FLESH IN A HOLY PLACE, ON WHICH AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL FEED. — That is to say: The remaining flesh of this peace offering, namely the ram offered in the consecration of priests (for its shoulder had been burned and consumed for God, and the breast God had ordered to be given to Moses as the consecrator), you shall cook in a holy place, not on the altar, but near it in the holy court, which was before the tabernacle, where the flesh of the peace offering was usually cooked with fire taken from the altar. So Cajetan.
32. THE LOAVES ALSO THAT ARE IN THE BASKET THEY SHALL EAT IN THE ENTRANCE OF THE TABERNACLE. — That is to say: The same newly ordained priests shall eat the loaves and the wafers that remain in the basket; for the cakes with the loaves and wafers that were placed on the hands of the priests had already been burned at verse 25. And so not all the loaves that were in the basket were placed on the hands of the priests, but a portion for the offerers remained in it, which is now ordered to be eaten by them.
Verse 33: A Propitiatory Sacrifice
33. THAT IT MAY BE A PROPITIATORY SACRIFICE. — In Hebrew: by which, namely the loaves, propitiation was made, that is, by which Aaron was expiated, and the divine will was appeased. Our translator looked to the end of the sacrifice, which is understood in the Hebrew: for the newly ordained priests, who are here the offerers, are commanded to eat the peace offerings, by which propitiation was made, so that it may be a propitiatory sacrifice, or so that God may show that He has been appeased by this sacrifice, inasmuch as He so kindly admits them as invited guests to His table, that is, to His offerings.
AND THE HANDS OF THE OFFERERS MAY BE SANCTIFIED. — Namely, so that from the contact with this holy food, and from this ceremony and holy banquet, their hands may be in a certain way more consecrated and sanctified.
A FOREIGNER (WHO IS NOT OF THE STOCK OF AARON, EVEN IF HE IS OF THE STOCK OF LEVI) SHALL NOT EAT OF THEM, BECAUSE THEY ARE HOLY. — Because, namely, these loaves were offered to God for the consecration not of the Levites, but of the priests.
Verse 34: You Shall Burn the Remains with Fire
34. BUT IF THERE REMAIN OF THE CONSECRATED FLESH, OR OF THE LOAVES UNTIL THE MORNING, YOU SHALL BURN THE REMAINS WITH FIRE; THEY SHALL NOT BE EATEN, BECAUSE THEY ARE SANCTIFIED. — God here gives the reason why by this ceremonial law He decrees that what has been sanctified, that is, offered to Him, should not be eaten on the following day, as if to say: Holy things, that they may differ from profane things, require a special ceremony; and in order to designate and define this distinction by some fitting observance, I will and ordain that the holy flesh and loaves be eaten on the same day they are offered to God by the priests, and by them alone; if anything remains on the second day, it shall not be eaten but burned: for it is not fitting that they be given to dogs or to profane persons; nor is it consistent with My dignity, or with the dignity of the holy flesh, if it should be served on the second day, now stale, to priests who used fresh portions the day before, with some disgust, or certainly with less reverence. It was otherwise ordained for the sacrifices of common people; for their flesh could be eaten on the second day, but not on the third, Leviticus 7:16. But because these priestly portions were held more sacred, and to commend the greater sanctity of the priests, God does not even permit them to eat on the second day. A similar thing was said about the paschal lamb, chapter 12, verse 10.
Anagogically, St. Cyril, book 11, On Adoration in Spirit, folio 230: From the sacrifices, he says, nothing is preserved for the second day, because in the future age we shall have a different way of offering and uniting ourselves to God than through sacrifices, when Christ shall be with us, and that which is in part shall be done away with; for then God shall be all in all.
Verse 35: Seven Days You Shall Consecrate Their Hands
35. FOR SEVEN DAYS YOU SHALL CONSECRATE THEIR HANDS, ETC. — It is here commanded that in the consecration of the priests over seven days, these four things be done daily: first, the hands of the priests shall be anointed; second, a bull shall be sacrificed; third, the altar shall be cleansed; fourth, the altar shall be anointed. God ordained these things both to complete the consecration of the priests, and also to inaugurate and, as it were, consecrate the new altar of holocausts.
Josephus adds that during these seven days there were repeated sprinklings of the priestly vestments, and likewise of the tabernacle and sacred vessels, with oil and with the blood of bulls and rams, which were slaughtered on alternate days. But this does not sufficiently agree with Scripture here, which commands that on each day only a bull, and not alternately a bull and a ram, be sacrificed.
Verse 36: You Shall Anoint It for Sanctification
36. YOU SHALL ANOINT IT FOR SANCTIFICATION. — You shall anoint it so that it may be holy and consecrated to God.
Verse 37: The Holy of Holies
37. AND IT SHALL BE THE HOLY OF HOLIES. — It shall be most holy. WHOEVER TOUCHES IT SHALL BE SANCTIFIED. — That is, he must be sanctified, lest a profane person touch such holy things. For what some say, that the altar sanctified whatever touched it, is universally false; indeed, a polluted thing, if it touched a holy thing, would pollute it; but not conversely — a holy thing touching a polluted thing did not by its contact sanctify it. See Numbers 19, verses 13, 14, and 22, where the water of lustration from the ashes of the red heifer is prescribed, with which the unclean had to purify and sanctify themselves before they touched or handled sacred things.
Verse 38: Two Lambs of a Year Old Every Day
38. THIS IS WHAT YOU SHALL DO ON THE ALTAR. — That is to say: I wish this altar of holocausts to be erected especially for this use, namely that on it you may perform, that is, sacrifice (for the Hebrew asa means this, as also the Latin facio sometimes) a perpetual and daily sacrifice, or holocaust, of two lambs each day, namely one in the morning and the other in the evening: whence from this more worthy and more frequent sacrifice, it was called the altar of holocausts, although on it other victims also, both peace offerings and sin offerings, were sacrificed.
Here, therefore, is described the sacrifice which daily the Hebrews sacrificed, namely a lamb in the morning and a lamb in the evening, concerning which see Numbers 28:3, so that both morning and evening they might worship God with this victim, and might offer Him both the first-fruits and the end of the day; and from this the sacrifice is called the morning and evening sacrifice, which the Psalmist and the Prophets frequently mention.
Note first: This lamb had to be like the paschal lamb, namely to be one year old and unblemished, as is clear from Numbers 28:3.
Secondly, with the lamb was offered a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, which oil had to be a fourth part of a hin measure: the same measure of wine, namely a fourth part of a hin, was to be poured out with the lamb, that is, was to be poured out in honor of God. For this sacrifice was like a daily banquet of God consisting of the flesh of a lamb, bread from fine flour, and wine; for in a banquet both drink and food are required.
Thirdly, this daily sacrifice was offered at public expense, says Josephus, book 3 of the Antiquities, chapter 10.
Fourthly, it was never omitted on any day, even if on that day some feast fell, such as the new moon, the sabbath, Passover, etc., on which, according to the nature of the feast, other victims had to be sacrificed, as is clear from Numbers chapter 28, verse 9.
Here note: Each day the morning daily sacrifice was offered first; after it, however, the others were sacrificed. But the evening daily sacrifice was offered last after all the others; whence it was burned on the altar all night long, as God ordains, Leviticus 6:9.
Allegorically, the daily sacrifice signified the daily sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharist, which is offered and will be offered on all days until the Antichrist, who will take it away, at least so that it may not be done publicly in the kingdoms subject to him, as is clear from Daniel 11:31.
First, then, Christ is this daily lamb, but One who takes away the sins of the world, which the daily and legal lamb could not do. Hence Christ is called a lamb by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other Prophets. "A lamb is chosen," says St. Augustine, "so that simplicity and innocence may be signified; a male is sought, so that strength may be proved; unblemished, so that He may be without fault."
Secondly, Christ is the lamb who in the morning of the world, that is, from the very origin of the world, was slain for the sins of the ancient fathers; and who in the evening, that is, from the coming of Christ until the end of the age, is sacrificed as a sacrifice for the children of the New Testament.
Thirdly, with the lamb, fine flour and wine were offered, because Christ not only willed to be slain for us, but also in the sacrifice itself left us the Sacrament of His body and blood under the species of bread and wine, by which our souls are wonderfully nourished, strengthened, and refreshed. This fine flour was mixed with oil, because Christ instituted this sacrament of the Eucharist out of most sweet charity and mercy; the measure of oil and wine was equal, because the mercy of Christ is as great as the power of His blood shed for us.
St. Bernard, sermons 2 and 4 On the Purification, by the morning lamb understands Christ as an infant presented and offered in the temple at the feast of the Purification; by the evening lamb he understands Christ now a man, sacrificed on the cross at the end of His life. So St. Cyprian, book 2, epistle 3 to Caecilius, teaches that the evening lamb prefigured not only the death of Christ on the cross, but also the time of His death; for Christ died toward evening.
Tropologically, the daily sacrifice is the morning and evening prayer, which every faithful person ought to offer to God daily: likewise the sacrifice of the Mass, which let those who can hear it daily, so that in it they may offer Christ, the true lamb, sacrificed to God the Father. So St. Clement, book 2 of the Apostolic Constitutions, chapter 36, admonishes Christians to go to church to pray both in the morning and in the evening. "Be not absent," he says, "from the church of Christ; rising, go to it in the morning, before you undertake any work, and again go to it in the evening, to give thanks to God for those things on account of which He has bestowed life upon you." This the more devout Christians still observe, who as soon as they have risen in the morning, before they undertake their work, go to church, and if they can, hear Mass. St. Monica did the same daily, as her Life drawn from St. Augustine relates.
Our Toledo briefly assigns five fruits of this practice, book 6 of the Summa, chapter 10: "The first," he says, "is the increase of grace; for he who is in grace, by hearing the sacred rite, obtains an increase of grace, both because he offers, and because the sacred rite is also offered for him. Secondly, he obtains remission of the temporal punishment due for sins. Thirdly, he more easily obtains what he asks: for he offers to God the Father a most acceptable offering, namely Christ. Fourthly, acts of virtue are exercised, and especially of three, which are of great merit, namely Faith, Charity, and Religion. Fifthly, a person appears in the presence of Christ; and in the way he can, namely by faith, he sees Christ present, and has and obtains what he would obtain if he saw Him, if he asks in the proper manner, as the blind man obtained." Our Suarez treats the same points more fully, volume 3, on Part III, disputation 79, section 8, paragraph 4, who moreover piously and probably opines that those assisting at Mass (whom he considers also to be offerers) obtain their own proper fruit ex opere operato, even if the priest by his intention applies no such fruit to them.
For these reasons St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, when on account of old age he could no longer celebrate Mass, was carried to the oratory and heard Mass daily, says Eadmer in his Life, book 2. St. Thomas Aquinas, even amid his greatest studies, celebrated Mass daily, and heard another, and often served at it. In the Chronicles of Spain, the captain Paschal Vivas is famous, who during the time of battle against the Moorish king of Cordoba, while he was hearing Mass in the church of St. Martin, was seen in the battle fighting bravely, killing the standard-bearer, and being the cause of the victory, although he had not been present at the battle, since an angel fought in his form. Our Pinellus has collected many who were freed from dangers, from death, from poverty, because they heard Mass daily, in his book On the Fruits of the Mass. What wonder! The angels themselves assist and minister at Mass. Whence in the Canon the priest prays: "Command these to be borne by the hands of Your holy angel." St. Chrysostom saw, as Blessed Nilus his disciple testifies, angels bringing help and strength to the priests distributing the Eucharist. Cyril writes in the Life of St. Euthymius that a terrible multitude of angels was often seen by him ministering together with him to God, and handling the sacred things. Whence St. Bonaventure says: "Gladly serve at Masses, because this is the office of angels; for they minister to their God most devoutly." And St. Ephrem: "The pure angels," he says, "minister with trembling, and covering their faces do not dare to look." St. Ambrose on Luke chapter 1: "Do not doubt," he says, "that an angel is present when Christ is sacrificed." St. Chrysostom, book 6, On the Priesthood, says that the altar is full of choirs of angels, who raise shouts while Christ is sacrificed.
Verse 40: Fine Flour Mixed with Beaten Oil
40. A TENTH PART (OF AN EPHAH, AS IS ADDED IN NUMBERS 28:5) OF FINE FLOUR MIXED WITH BEATEN OIL, HAVING THE MEASURE OF A FOURTH PART OF A HIN, AND WINE FOR A LIBATION OF THE SAME MEASURE WITH (THAT IS, TOGETHER WITH) EACH LAMB. — Repeat "you shall do," that is, you shall offer and sacrifice.
A tenth part of an ephah is an omer, as I said at chapter 16, last verse, which in Palestinian wheat was 8 pounds, but in flour about 4 pounds. Secondly, this fine flour had to be mixed, that is kneaded, with oil instead of water, or together with water, with which flour is usually kneaded. Thirdly, this oil had to be not pressed by the grinding of a mill, which is less pure, but well beaten with a pestle, or at least spontaneously flowing, which is purer and more limpid. Fourthly, the measure of a hin, says Josephus, contains two Attic choes; two choes make twelve sextarii. The Hebrews say that a fourth part of a hin is the measure of eighteen eggs, so that a hin contains seventy-two eggs, or twelve logim: for a log is the measure of six eggs, namely Palestinian eggs, which are larger than ours; therefore a fourth part of a hin was about three pounds of oil.
Verse 41: The Other Lamb in the Evening
41. AND THE OTHER LAMB YOU SHALL OFFER IN THE EVENING. — In Hebrew, between the two evenings, namely one of the setting sun, the other of the darkness and night after sunset, at which time the paschal lamb also had to be sacrificed, as I said at chapter 12:6.
Verse 42: At the Door of the Tabernacle
42. AT THE DOOR OF THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY. — That is, upon the altar of holocausts, which was before the door of the tabernacle, and near it, at its northern side. So Abulensis. BEFORE THE LORD. — On the altar of the Lord, or before the tabernacle of the Lord, where He seems to be, as it were, in the house of God. So Abulensis.
WHERE I SHALL APPOINT TO SPEAK TO YOU. — Hence it is clear that God not only responded from the propitiatory, which was in the Holy of Holies, but also at the door of the tabernacle, as if to say: It is fitting that where I show Myself present, and where I speak, there the daily sacrifice should be offered to Me, so that there, as it were, as the fruit of the sacrifice, I may assign My presence and conversation. So before the oracle and the Holy of Holies, God commanded daily incense to be burned, namely once in the morning and once in the evening, and that daily, because He seemed to be present in the Holy of Holies and to reside upon the ark, and from there He gave oracles. So Cajetan.
Verse 43: There I Shall Command the Children of Israel
43. AND THERE I SHALL COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. — Namely, through you, My messenger. For "I shall command," the Hebrew word is the same that our translator rendered just above as "I shall appoint," namely iaad, which means first, to meet and to appoint a place or time for meeting; secondly, to testify and to command. Hence it is clear that the tabernacle, which in Hebrew is called moed (from the root iaad), which our translator renders "of the testimony," alludes both to the meeting of God with men, and to the testification and law, which in the tabernacle, that is, in the public assembly of the people, was read and proposed. Therefore the tabernacle is called first, ohel edut, that is, of the testimony, because in it was the testimony, that is, the law and the tables of the law, as is clear from Exodus chapter 25:21. Secondly, moed, that is, of the assembly, to which the people came together at the appointed feasts and solemnities, as it were, to pray to God and celebrate, and to hear the law of God. Or moed, that is, of the testimony, that is, of the law, as I have already said. Again, of the testimony, because it was confirmed and established by the presence and oracles of God, as if by a testimony. For in the tabernacle, and especially in the Holy of Holies, or in the oracle, God showed and testified that He was present, the guardian and protector of His Church and His people, hearing and answering their prayers, protecting them, instructing them, both interiorly and exteriorly through the voice of the priests, and through His own voice from the oracle, etc. So Alcazar on Apocalypse 15:5. Where, however, he wrongly rejects the former exposition of "testimony" as meaning the law, and tries to establish only this latter one, whereas Scripture expressly teaches that in the tabernacle and the ark the testimony was placed, that is, the law, or the tables of the law; and thence the ark is called the ark of the testimony. Exodus 25:21 and 22, and chapter 31:18, calls the tables of the law the tables of the testimony. And it is clear that the ark of the covenant (as well as of the testimony) or of the alliance is so called not from the assembly of the people, but because it contained the tables of the law, which were the condition of the covenant made between God and the people.
AND THE ALTAR SHALL BE SANCTIFIED IN MY GLORY. — That is, the altar shall be declared holy, when My glory shall appear around it, and especially when I shall send fire from heaven upon it on the eighth day of the consecration of the priests, to consume My sacrifices, Leviticus 9:24. So "to cleanse" is taken for "to declare clean," and "to contaminate" or "to pollute" for "to judge contaminated and polluted," as is often the case in Leviticus, as Leviticus 13, verses 6, 11, 20, 25, 27, 34, 59.
Verse 44: I Will Sanctify the Tabernacle
44. I WILL SANCTIFY ALSO THE TABERNACLE. — I will declare it holy, and will guard it as holy from profane things, when by a miraculous eruption of fire I shall forbid alien fire to be brought into it, Leviticus 10:2. Then also I will sanctify "Aaron with his sons," namely Ithamar and Eleazar, by deputizing and designating them as My priests, and by preserving them from the conflagration by which I will consume Nadab and Abihu, their brothers and priests, but to be rejected by Me, because they will offer alien fire.
Verse 45: I Will Dwell in the Midst of the Children of Israel
45. AND I WILL DWELL IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. — Namely, I will dwell in My tabernacle, which is among the children of Israel, and in it, as in My house, I will abide, and there I will show Myself present, directing and protecting My people, whom I led out of Egypt. The Chaldean translates: I will place the presence of My divinity, namely in the tabernacle and the propitiatory; for he and the Hebrews call this the Shekinah, that is, rest, because in it, as in its seat, the majesty of God would rest and reside.