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* Footnotes
- A.M. 2514.
*H Speak to Aaron and to his sons, that they beware of those things that are consecrated of the children of Israel: and defile not the name of the things sanctified to me, which they offer. I am the Lord.
Ver. 2. Offer. He does not speak of such things as fell to the share of the priests; (M.) but orders them to behave with great reverence when they perform their sacred offices, lest others should take occasion to treat the name of God and holy things with disrespect. Heb. and Sept. "let them not profane my holy name, which they are bound to sanctify; or in what they consecrate to me." Such things must not be used for ordinary purposes. S. Bas. ser. de bapt. ii. 2. and 3.
*H Say to them and to their posterity: Every man of your race, that approacheth to those things that are consecrated, and which the children of Israel have offered to the Lord, in whom there is uncleanness, shall perish before the Lord. I am the Lord.
Ver. 3. Approacheth, &c. This is to give us to understand, with what purity of soul we are to approach to the blessed sacrament, of which these meats that had been offered in sacrifice were a figure. Ch. — Such as were unclean, either fasted till the evening, or ate unconsecrated meats till they were purified. — Perish. The Rabbins say, by the hands of the other priests. The judges could only condemn him to be whipped. If his crime were secret, the punishment was left to God. Seld. syn. ii. 1.
*H The man of the seed of Aaron, that is a leper, or that suffereth a running of the seed, shall not eat of those things that are sanctified to me, until he be healed. He that toucheth any thing unclean by occasion of the dead: and he whose seed goeth from him as in generation:
Ver. 4. And he, &c. Hence it is plain, even the Jewish priests were bound to observe continence during the time of their ministry. C. — For the same reason, the priests of the new law, who may be called at any time to perform their more sacred functions, engage voluntarily in the state of perpetual celibacy. H.
*H And he that toucheth a creeping thing, or any unclean thing, the touching of which is defiling:
Ver. 5. Or any. Heb. "or a man who may contaminate," as lepers, &c. M.
* Footnotes
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Exodus
22:31
You shall be holy men to me: the flesh that beasts have tasted of before, you shall not eat, but shall cast it to the dogs.
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Deuteronomy
14:21
But whatsoever is dead of itself, eat not thereof. Give it to the stranger, that is within thy gates, to eat, or sell it to him: because thou art the holy people of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of his dam.
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Ezechiel
44:13
And they shall not come near to me, to do the office of priest to me, neither shall they come near to any of my holy things that are by the holy of holies: but they shall bear their shame, and their wickednesses which they have committed.
*H That which dieth of itself, and that which was taken by a beast, they shall not eat, nor be defiled therewith. I am the Lord.
Ver. 8. That. See C. xvii. 15.
*H Let them keep my precepts, that they may not fall into sin, and die in the sanctuary, when they shall have defiled it. I am the Lord who sanctify them.
Ver. 9. In the sanctuary, is not found in Heb. which is difficult to explain. "They shall observe my precepts, (or "watches," entering upon the ministry at 17. Josep. M.) and not bear sin for it, and die in it, because they have profaned it;" which it, may be understood either of the consecrated food, (v. 7,) or of the sanctuary. C.
*H No stranger shall eat of the sanctified things: a sojourner of the priests, or a hired servant, shall not eat of them.
Ver. 10. Sojourner. "Guest," or friend. Syriac. None but priests could taste this meat, except they were going to remain in the family for ever. Hence servants and slaves of the Jewish nation, who would one day regain their liberty, are excluded.
*H But if she be a widow, or divorced, and having no children return to her father's house, she shall eat of her father's meats, as she was wont to do when she was a maid. No stranger hath leave to eat of them.
Ver. 13. Children. If she had any, she remained with them. Philo. Monar. 2.
*H He that eateth of the sanctified things through ignorance, shall add the fifth part with that which he ate, and shall give it to the priest into the sanctuary.
Ver. 14. He. A layman, who, through mistake, ate of any of the tithes, &c. was obliged to give the capital, and a fifth part besides, with a sacrifice, mentioned C. v. 15. — Sanctuary. Heb. and Sept. "He shall give to the priest the holy thing." But if he ate it on purpose, he was to be slain. Mum. xv. 30.
*H And they shall not profane the sanctified things of the children of Israel, which they offer to the Lord:
Ver. 15. They; the common people shall not profane, by touching them afterwards, or by retaining any part. C. — The priests shall answer for the profanation, if it be committed through their neglect. H.
*H Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: The man of the house of Israel, and of the strangers who dwell with you, that offereth his oblation, either paying his vows, or offering of his own accord, whatsoever it be which he presenteth for a holocaust of the Lord,
Ver. 18. Strangers: proselytes of justice, or converts of the Jewish religion. See v. 25.
*H To be offered by you: it shall be a male without blemish of the beeves, or of the sheep, or of the goats.
Ver. 19. Without blemish. To teach us to aim at perfection in all our offerings and performances.
* Footnotes
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Deuteronomy
15:21
But if it have a blemish, or be lame, or blind, or in any part disfigured or feeble, it shall not be sacrificed to the Lord thy God.
*H If it be blind, or broken, or have a scar or blisters, or a scab, or a dry scurf: you shall not offer them to the Lord, nor burn any thing of them upon the Lord's altar.
Ver. 22. Scar. Sept. "If its tongue be cut out, or slit." which was a blemish among the heathens. Servius in Æn. vi.; lectas de more bidentes. They also required the victims to be perfect. The Egyptians had officers called Sealers, who were directed by many books how to choose the proper victims. The Hebrew priests had to examine such as were offered to them, with the utmost nicety. See the Misna of Babylon. The idea of God's perfection, has taught all nations to present to Him nothing but what is perfect, particularly when they offer victims.
*H An ox or a sheep, that hath the ear and the tail cut off, thou mayst offer voluntarily: but a vow may not be paid with them.
Ver. 23. Ear...cut. Heb. saruang, which is translated a crooked nose. C. xxi. 18. The Sept. and Syriac agree here with the Vulg.: but the moderns generally adopt the interpretation of the Rabbins, who say the word is applied to those animals whose double members, feet, ears, &c. are disproportionately long; as kolut, means too short. Bochart. C. — Voluntarily, for the use of the priests, but not for any sacrifice, v. 21. D.
*H you shall not offer to the Lord any beast that hath the testicles bruised, or crushed, or cut and taken away: neither shall you do any such things in your land.
Ver. 24. Bruised. Heb. does not specify what part, no more than the Syr. or Arab. versions; but the Sept., Chal., Rabbins, and most commentators agree with us. — Do any, &c. (faciatis.) You shall not sacrifice (Syriac) any thing that is rendered unfit to propagate its kind: neither shall you reduce either man or beast to that condition. Josephus c. App. ii. Rabbins.
*H you shall not offer bread to your God, from the hand of a stranger, nor any other thing that he would give: because they are all corrupted, and defiled. You shall not receive them.
Ver. 25. Bread, which always accompanies the sacrifices for sin. Holocausts might be offered by the Gentiles, 2 Mac. iii. 3. 1 Esd. vi. 9. Josep. Ant. xviii. 7. Seld. Jur. iii. 4. 7. — Them. To reconcile this with v. 18, we must understand because in the sense of in as much as; they are all corrupted, when contrary to these regulations. The strangers shall not be allowed to offer any blemished victim. Heb. "Neither from the hand of a stranger shall you offer the bread (or victims) of your God of any of these; because...blemishes are in them: they shall not be accepted (by God) for you (or them)." The Chal. and other versions explain it in the same sense. Presents of gold, &c. were accepted, and kept in the temple. The family of Augustus shewed their generosity in this respect. Philo Legat. C. — Strangers, or pagans, could not offer victims, but they might give money to purchase them. T.
*H When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, they shall be seven days under the udder of their dam: but the eighth day, and thenceforth, they may be offered to the Lord.
Ver. 27. Lord. In this and the following verses, we are taught a lesson of humanity. Tert. — The Romans did not offer sheep or goats till they were eight days old: though the Jews were at liberty to sacrifice them after that term, they generally waited till they were thirty days old. C.
* Summa
*S Part 4, Ques 70, Article 3
[III, Q. 70, Art. 3]
Whether the Rite of Circumcision Was Fitting?
Objection 1: It seems that the rite of circumcision was unfitting. For circumcision, as stated above (AA. 1, 2), was a profession of faith. But faith is in the apprehensive power, whose operations appear mostly in the head. Therefore the sign of circumcision should have been conferred on the head rather than on the virile member.
Obj. 2: Further, in the sacraments we make use of such things as are in more frequent use; for instance, water, which is used for washing, and bread, which we use for nourishment. But, in cutting, we use an iron knife more commonly than a stone knife. Therefore circumcision should not have been performed with a stone knife.
Obj. 3: Further, just as Baptism was instituted as a remedy against original sin, so also was circumcision, as Bede says (Hom. in Circum.). But now Baptism is not put off until the eighth day, lest children should be in danger of loss on account of original sin, if they should die before being baptized. On the other hand, sometimes Baptism is put off until after the eighth day. Therefore the eighth day should not have been fixed for circumcision, but this day should have been anticipated, just as sometimes it was deferred.
_On the contrary,_ The aforesaid rite of circumcision is fixed by a gloss on Rom. 4:11: "And he received the sign of circumcision."
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 2), circumcision was established, as a sign of faith, by God "of" Whose "wisdom there is no number" (Ps. 146:5). Now to determine suitable signs is a work of wisdom. Consequently, it must be allowed that the rite of circumcision was fitting.
Reply Obj. 1: It was fitting for circumcision to be performed on the virile member. First, because it was a sign of that faith whereby Abraham believed that Christ would be born of his seed. Secondly, because it was to be a remedy against original sin, which is contracted through the act of generation. Thirdly, because it was ordained as a remedy for carnal concupiscence, which thrives principally in those members, by reason of the abundance of venereal pleasure.
Reply Obj. 2: A stone knife was not essential to circumcision. Wherefore we do not find that an instrument of this description is required by any divine precept; nor did the Jews, as a rule, make use of such a knife for circumcision; indeed, neither do they now. Nevertheless, certain well-known circumcisions are related as having been performed with a stone knife, thus (Ex. 4:25) we read that "Sephora took a very sharp stone and circumcised the foreskin of her son," and (Joshua 5:2): "Make thee knives of stone, and circumcise the second time the children of Israel." Which signified that spiritual circumcision would be done by Christ, of Whom it is written (1 Cor. 10:4): "Now the rock was Christ."
Reply Obj. 3: The eighth day was fixed for circumcision: first, because of the mystery; since, Christ, by taking away from the elect, not only guilt but also all penalties, will perfect the spiritual circumcision, in the eighth age (which is the age of those that rise again), as it were, on the eighth day. Secondly, on account of the tenderness of the infant before the eighth day. Wherefore even in regard to other animals it is prescribed (Lev. 22:27): "When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, they shall be seven days under the udder of their dam: but the eighth day and thenceforth, they may be offered to the Lord."
Moreover, the eighth day was necessary for the fulfilment of the precept; so that, to wit, those who delayed beyond the eighth day, sinned, even though it were the sabbath, according to John 7:23: "(If) a man receives circumcision on the sabbath-day, that the Law of Moses may not be broken." But it was not necessary for the validity of the sacrament: because if anyone delayed beyond the eighth day, they could be circumcised afterwards.
Some also say that in imminent danger of death, it was allowable to anticipate the eighth day. But this cannot be proved either from the authority of Scripture or from the custom of the Jews. Wherefore it is better to say with Hugh of St. Victor (De Sacram. i) that the eighth day was never anticipated for any motive, however urgent. Hence on Prov. 4:3: "I was . . . an only son in the sight of my mother," a gloss says, that Bersabee's other baby boy did not count because through dying before the eighth day it received no name; and consequently neither was it circumcised. _______________________
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