Commentaria in Leviticum
22, 23 and 24. AND WHEN THE GOAT SHALL HAVE CARRIED ALL THEIR INIQUITIES INTO AN UNINHABITED LAND, AARON SHALL RETURN INTO THE TABERNACLE (he who was sending out the goat was outside it: for he was at the door of the tabernacle), AND PUTTING OFF HIS VESTMENTS, HE SHALL WASH HIS FLESH (his whole body, that this washing may be a symbol of the cleanness obtained by the expiation now completed) IN THE HOLY PLACE (in the court of the tabernacle, namely at the brazen laver near the door of the tabernacle, whence he had to come out of the Holy Place; for in the Holy Place the High Priest undressed and dressed himself on this feast), AND PUT ON HIS OWN GARMENTS—the pontifical; for thereafter this solemnity was joyful, and with the expiation the signs of mourning had passed. Hence festal holocausts were to be sacrificed, and the High Priest had to minister here and to immolate them; but the High Priest could not minister except in pontifical vestments; he had to put on, therefore, first the common vestments of priests, which he had put off to wash himself, and over them put on his own, namely those proper to the High Priest.
Tropologically, Christ, after he has sent the damned into the eternal wildernesses of gehenna, will return into the tabernacle, that is, heaven; he will lay aside his garments, because he will not appear in the corruption of the flesh, but will wash it, that is, will show it clean from every wound and contagion of the Passion; and he will put on his own garments, that is, will show himself to the elect clothed with the robe of immortality due to him; he will offer a holocaust, that is, will ascribe to God the whole praise and glory of his redemption, and will offer all the elect to God, when in heaven nothing mortal shall remain in their flesh, nor anything blameworthy in their spirit, but all shall be occupied with divine praises; he will pray for himself and his own, that is, will make manifest the merit of his prayer, how much it has profited himself or his friends; he will burn the fat of the victim for sin, because then his voluntary death, in which he laid down his life for his chosen friends, will bring ineffable joy to himself, seeing so great fruit, so great a people, so great a glory of the elect. So Rudolph.
26. AND HE THAT HATH LET GO (the Plantin Bibles wrongly have “let down”) THE EMISSARY GOAT SHALL WASH HIS CLOTHES AND HIS BODY WITH WATER, AND SO COME INTO THE CAMP—to remove the legal uncleanness which he contracted from contact with the goat laden with so many sins, according to the imprecation of the High Priest and the estimation of the people.
27 and 28. BUT THE CALF AND THE GOAT THAT WERE SACRIFICED FOR SIN, AND WHOSE BLOOD WAS CARRIED INTO THE SANCTUARY, THEY SHALL CARRY FORTH WITHOUT THE CAMP, AND SHALL BURN WITH FIRE THEIR SKINS AND THEIR FLESH AND THEIR DUNG (for the reason given in chapter 4, verse 12); AND WHOSOEVER SHALL BURN THEM SHALL WASH HIS CLOTHES—one of the people; for it belonged to the priest only to immolate the calf and the goat, to pour out and sprinkle the blood: for these were priestly functions; when these were done, someone of the people carried the flesh, skin and dung of the calf and goat outside the camp, and burned them there to ashes.
Allegorically, the dung and skin of the calf are the ignominy of Christ’s cross; these are burned outside the camp, because Christ suffered outside the city, and extended the fruit and glory of his cross beyond Judea to the Gentiles: hence the goat for sin is also burned in the same place, to signify Christ glorified outside the Synagogue among the Gentiles, and by the penance and conversion of the Gentiles; whoever, then, shall burn them, that is, shall believe in him burnt and scorched on the cross, let him wash himself, that is, sanctify himself, that he may deserve entrance into the camp above, says Rudolph.
29. AND THIS SHALL BE TO YOU AN EVERLASTING ORDINANCE—as if to say: This law shall be perpetual to you and always to be observed.
29 and 30. IN THE SEVENTH MONTH, ON THE TENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, YOU SHALL AFFLICT YOUR SOULS. ON THIS DAY SHALL BE THE EXPIATION FOR YOU.—Hence, and from verse 32, it is plain that this feast of Expiation and its ceremonies were performed on the tenth day of the seventh month; when, namely, the Jews, the fruits being now gathered, had leisure to give themselves to God, to expiate themselves and to give God thanks. Hence nearly the whole seventh month was festal and sacred, as is plain from Leviticus 23.
Hence, allegorically, the seventh month is the time of grace, in which the seven spirits of God were sent into all the earth, Apocalypse 5; in which Christ entered the eternal sanctuary, drawing after him all the ages, says Rudolph.
Note: the feast of Expiation began on the evening of the ninth day and lasted until the evening of the tenth day of the seventh month, as is plain from Leviticus 23:32. For the Jews celebrated their feasts from evening to evening; and this expiation was made by the High Priest, who expiated not only the people, but also himself and the other priests, and even the temple and so the Holy of Holies, as is plain from verse 33.
29. YOU SHALL AFFLICT (the Hebrew teannu may also be rendered “you shall humble”) YOUR SOULS—both by fasting and by mortifying the flesh in other ways.
Josephus, book 3, chapter 10, relates that the Jews were wont on this day of expiation to fast until evening. Secondly, Abulensis on Leviticus 23, question 22, gathers from what is said here, “You shall afflict your souls,” that all delight was forbidden to the Jews on this day; whence thirdly, the Jews relate, and are said still to observe, that on the same day they must abstain from drink, from their wives, from baths, and further must cast off their shoes; indeed on this day each in particular confesses his sins, and for them inflicts on himself stripes and scourgings, as I have heard from them myself. For this was a day of penance, to merit expiation, as with us are Lent and Good Friday.
Hence, to embrace in sum all the mystical senses of this place: allegorically, this feast of Expiation signified the expiation made by the sacrifice of Christ’s cross. Tropologically, it signified the cleansing of souls, both the daily and particular, and the yearly common to all at Easter.
Hear Origen here, homily 33: “O wonderful festivity! the affliction of the soul is called a feast day. See, then, Christian, if you wish to keep a feast day: if you wish God to rejoice over you, afflict your soul and humble it; do not permit it to fulfil its desires, nor allow it to wander in wantonness; for when the soul has been afflicted and humbled in the sight of the Lord, then God is again propitious to it, and then there comes to it that one whom God set forth as propitiator, Christ Jesus, its Lord and Redeemer.” For compunction expiates and sanctifies the soul; and this is obtained by meditation on the last things and on the twofold lot, of which at verse 8.
So Abbot Ammon in the Lives of the Fathers, book 5, title On Compunction, being asked to speak a word of edification: “Think,” he said, “as a culprit in prison, and say to yourself: Woe to me, how shall I stand before the tribunal of Christ, and how shall I render an account of my deeds? If you always meditate thus, you will be able to be saved.”
And Abbot Elias: “I fear three things,” he said: “the first, when my soul is to go out of the body; the second, when I am to meet God; the third, when sentence is to be pronounced against me.”
Archbishop Theophilus, when about to die, said: “Blessed art thou, Abbot Arsenius, because thou hast always had this hour before thine eyes.”
Abbot Agathon, when about to die, remained three days motionless with his eyes open; the brethren touched him, saying: “Abbot, where art thou?” And he answered: “I am standing in the sight of the divine judgment. I have laboured with the virtue I could in keeping the commandments of God; but I am a man, and I know not whether my works have pleased the Lord.” The brethren said to him: “And dost thou not trust in thy works, that they are according to God?” And the old man said: “I do not presume, until I come before God; for the judgments of God are one thing, those of men another.” Ibid., chapter 11, On Judgment.
Abbot Evagrius said: “Be ever mindful of thy end, and forget not the eternal judgment, and there will be no sin in thy soul.” Ibid.
A certain eminent abbot, living strictly in the desert, being asked, “How do you bear this labour?” answered: “All the labour of my time which I bear here is not fit to be compared to one day of the torments that are prepared for sinners in the world to come.” Ibid., chapter 7, On Patience.
Another old man said: “In everything let a man rebuke his soul, saying to it: Remember that thou must meet God.” Ibid., book 7, chapter 21.
Anagogically, this feast signified the expiation of the whole world, and the separation of the elect from the reprobate to be made on the day of judgment.
31. FOR IT IS A SABBATH OF REST.—The Hebrew is, a sabbath of sabbath, or rest of rest, as if to say: The highest rest is to be kept and observed by you on this day; for the most celebrated feasts of the Jews were these two: first, the sabbath; secondly, this day of expiation. Hence on them it was not lawful even to prepare food, which on other feasts was permitted, as will appear in chapter 23.
32. THE PRIEST THAT IS ANOINTED—as if to say, he who has been consecrated High Priest by the anointing of the head and hands; for by this anointing he is initiated and consecrated.
34. THAT YOU PRAY.—You, O high priests, who shall come after; for only the high priests could expiate and pray solemnly on this day.
MOSES DID THEREFORE AS THE LORD HAD COMMANDED HIM.—“To Moses,” that is, to himself, is a Hebraism. Further, “he did,” not by celebrating the feast of Expiation, as Lyranus will have it: for this was to be celebrated in the seventh month; but these things were done in the first month, as I showed at the beginning of the chapter: “he did,” therefore, that is, Moses promulgated to the people this law of God about the feast of Expiation, to be kept in its own time, namely in the seventh month, in Chanaan; for this God had commanded him, verse 2.