ACC ~ Hebrews 9 v19 - 22

THE ASHES OF A HEIFER, THE SUFFERING OF HUMANITY. THEODORET OF CYR: Since the divine nature is immortal, through the blood of the victims he realized the type of death and confirmed the covenant. Since God the Word became man and took a mortal body, there was no longer need of brute beasts as offerings; instead, he confirmed the new covenant with his own blood, the type corresponding to the shadow and the reality to the body. The water was a type of baptism, the blood of brute beasts the saving blood, the heat of the hyssop the grace of the divine Spirit, the scarlet wool the new garment, the piece of cedar (being a wood that does not rot) the impassible divinity, the ashes of a heifer the suffering of humanity. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 9.

WHY IS THE BOOK OF THE TESTAMENT SPRINKLED? CHRYSOSTOM: “When every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.’” Tell me then, why is the book of the covenant sprinkled and also the people, except on account of the precious blood, figured from the first? Why “with hyssop”? It is close and retentive? And why the “water”? It shows forth also the cleansing by water. And why the “wool”? This also was used, that the blood might be retained. In this place blood and water show forth the same thing, for baptism is his passion. “And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Why the “almost”? Why did he qualify it? Because those ordinances were not a perfect purification or a perfect forgiveness of sins, but [they were] half-complete and in a very small degree. But in this case he says, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Where then is “the book”? He purified their minds. They themselves then were the books of the new covenant. But where are “the vessels used in worship”? They are themselves. And where is “the tabernacle”? Again, they are; for “I will live in them,” he says, “and move among them.” ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 16.3-4.

CLEANSED BY THE LORD’S BLOOD. PHILOXENUS OF MABBUG: Vice is a sickness of the soul, and delusion is a loss of truth. Most men who are sick with the disease of vice and delusion proclaim health and are lauded by men. Unless the soul is cured from vice and is found in her natural state of health (with which she was created) so that she can be reborn by health of spirit, it is impossible for a man to desire the supernatural things of the Spirit. For so long as the soul is sick with passions, her senses have no perception of what is spiritual, and she does not even know how to desire it, saving only from the hearing of the ears and from writings. … Those who desire perfection must keep all the commandments, since the working of the commandments heals the powers of the soul. The practice of the commandments is not accomplished simply and by chance, for it is written that, “There is no remission without the shedding of blood.” Our nature first received renewal through the incarnation of Christ, and it participated in His passion and death, and then, after the renewal of the shedding of blood, our nature was renewed and sanctified and became able to receive his new and perfect commandments. For if the new commandments had been given to men before the shedding of the Lord’s blood, before our nature was renewed and sanctified, then it is perhaps possible that even the new commandments, like those of old, would have merely cut off vice from the soul but would have been unable completely to pluck out the very root of vice from her. But now it is not so; now there is a secret labour that accompanies the new, spiritual commandments. When the soul keeps these through the circumspection of the fear of God, they renew her, sanctify her and secretly heal all her members. For it is obvious which passion is quietly cured in the soul by each commandment. The operation of the commandments is perceived only by the healer and the healed, after the likeness of the woman who had an issue of blood. LETTER TO ABBA SYMEON OF CAESAREA.

Heb