Commentaria in Numeros
The second was that the Hebrews might render to God the firstfruits, both of time and of months, and of fruits: hence on the neomenia they offered in holocaust two calves, one ram, seven lambs, with their libations, as is said in this verse; likewise one buck goat for sin, as is said in verse 15.
The third was that from God, by sacrifices and prayers, they might at the very beginning of the month ask and obtain a prosperous and salutary course of the whole month.
The fourth was to hear the law of God, and what was to be done in that month, in the tabernacle. For this reason among the Romans also on the calends the people flocked into the city, that each might learn and understand what, in that month, was to be done in divine and human affairs; whence the pontiff having called (calata) the people, that is, summoned them to the Capitol, signified by repeating the cry “calo” how many days remained to the Nones; and thence the name calends was given, of which Macrobius treats at length, book I of the Saturnalia. And calendars (calendaria) were named from the calends, namely diaries, in which the calends of the several months were set down with the other days.
These things you may fittingly apply to the first Sunday of the month, on which more devout Christians are wont to renew the spirit, to confess, to communicate, to give thanks to God for the benefits received in the month past, and to offer to Him the beginning of the month entered upon and the whole month, and to ask all prosperity in it; to which end plenary Indulgences have been granted by the Supreme Pontiffs in our Churches; nor does it become Christians to yield to the Jews in this piety and gratitude.
13. AND THE TENTH OF A TENTH OF FLOUR OUT OF OIL.—A tenth of a tenth was one tenth. For as for a calf they offered three tenths, for a ram two, so for a lamb they offered one tenth of flour as a libation, as is plain from chapter xv, verse 5. That one tenth, then, here and in verse 21, is called a tenth of a tenth, that is, a tenth part of an ephi, which was the tenth part of a cor; for the cor contained 10 ephi; and the ephi contained 10 tenths or assarons. The assaron, therefore, or tenth, was the tenth part of the tenth, that is, of the ephi, but the hundredth part of the cor (for ten times ten are a hundred). For “a tenth of a tenth” the Hebrew is assaron assaron; which, with the Chaldee, could also be so rendered, and single tenths for single lambs: for the Hebrew reduplication is distributive, and has the same force as “for each.”
15. A BUCK GOAT ALSO SHALL BE OFFERED TO THE LORD FOR SINS, FOR A PERPETUAL HOLOCAUST, WITH ITS LIBATIONS.—Thus far he has described the holocausts to be sacrificed on the calends or neomenia; now he describes the victim for sin to be sacrificed on the calends: this was a buck goat.
The Talmudists fable that this goat was sacrificed on every calends for sin, not of the people, but of God, which He Himself, they say, committed when He diminished the light of the moon and made it wane, whereas before the moon had a light equal with the sun, and this because the moon had said to God that one king ought not to have two crowns: desiring that God should take away light from the sun, so that she herself might surpass the sun in splendour. But these things are as stupid and foolish as they are blasphemous.
I say, then, that this goat was offered for the sin of the whole people, indeterminately and in general committed throughout the year, but especially in the month just elapsed.
You will ask how this goat is called a perpetual holocaust? Again, what were its libations?
It might be answered that this goat is called a perpetual holocaust by catachresis, because, namely, at a stated time always, that is on the calends, the fat of the goat had to be burned to God; for the flesh fell to the priest, according to the law of Leviticus vi, 25. In like manner the fat of the peace offering is said to be burned in holocaust, chapter iii, 5.
Again, by “libations” salt might here be understood; for the mincha, that is, flour, wine and oil, were not offered as libations in the victims for sin, as was said in chapter xv, 3; nor was incense burned with them, as is plain from Leviticus v, 12.
But these seem strained and twisted. Whence others also think that the sense of this place is to be drawn from the Hebrew, which the Chaldee, the Septuagint, Vatablus and others render clearly and plainly thus: you shall offer a buck goat for sin, over and above the continual holocaust, with its libations, as if to say: On the calends you shall offer a buck goat for sin, over and after the continual sacrifice. For the continual holocaust could not be intermitted, either on the calends or at any other time, however many other victims were offered, and it had its libations of flour, oil and wine. That this is so appears secondly from this, that in quite the same way he said, verse 10, that on the sabbath two lambs are to be offered over and above the continual sacrifice, as is plain from the Hebrew; for there the words are the same as here. In like manner also, verse 23, he says that at the pasch the paschal victims are to be offered, “besides the morning holocaust,” as our Interpreter renders, and repeats the same on each of the other feasts, verse 38; there is no doubt, therefore, that he meant to say the same of the calends. Wherefore our version in this place is to be expounded, in like manner, according to the Hebrew, the Chaldee and the Septuagint, so that “in holocaust” is the same as “for the holocaust,” “with the holocaust,” “over and above the holocaust”; so we commonly say: The king gave golden garments to his daughter in dowry, that is, for dowry, besides, that is over and above the dowry, with the dowry; for garments are not wont to be given into the dowry itself, and the preposition “in” is often taken for “to,” “with,” etc. Perhaps also, instead of “in holocaust,” we ought to read “over and above the holocaust,” as Abulensis wishes, who judges the Latin text here to be corrupt or mutilated by the fault of copyists.
16. IT SHALL BE THE PHASE OF THE LORD,—it shall be the feast of the pasch.
19. AND YOU SHALL OFFER A BURNT OFFERING BY FIRE TO THE LORD.—For “burnt offering” the Hebrew is ignition, that is, a victim which is consumed by fire and made a holocaust. From this verse it is plain that on the feast of the pasch were offered in holocaust two calves, one ram, seven lambs with their libations, and one buck goat for sin.
22 and 23. THAT ATONEMENT MAY BE MADE FOR YOU, BESIDES THE MORNING HOLOCAUST.—Understand also the evening one, but it is not expressed, because there was no cause to doubt of it, as of the morning one; for this might seem able to be omitted, when so many other sacrifices were sacrificed on the same morning: whence God expressly commands that it be not omitted.
24. FOR THE FUEL OF THE FIRE.—In Hebrew, for the bread, or food, of the fire, that is, for the nourishment of the fire.
26. THE DAY ALSO OF THE FIRSTFRUITS (on which they offered the first ripe fruits, that is, loaves from the first fruits, namely the day of pentecost, which is celebrated when seven weeks are accomplished, counted from the second day of the unleavened bread) SHALL BE VENERABLE AND HOLY.
27. AND YOU SHALL OFFER A HOLOCAUST.—The same victims are here commanded to be offered on the feast of Pentecost which were commanded to be offered at the pasch, verse 19.
Note that these victims are other than those of which Leviticus xxiii, 18, as I said there.