|
|
|
“Hail daughter, young sacrificial priest,
whose purity is aimiable and whose vestments are incredibly beautiful, in
the eyes of him who says in the Canticles: ‘How beautiful are your feet in
your sandals,
o daughter’ of Amminadab. (Cant 7,1)” 2nd
Homily on the Nativity. PG 96, col. 693A |
Greek
thuêpolos means ‘sacrificial priest’.
Amminadab was
Aaron’s father-in-law. All Old Testament priests were descendants of
Aaron. In Canticles the phrase was: ‘daughter of the prince’.
Theodore purposefully lies the connection with Mary's priestly descent. |
|
|
|
|
“Hail, o [lid of] world-wide propitiation for mortals by whom
‘from the east to the west the name of God is glorified among all nations
and who in every place offers a sacrifice of incense to his name’ as the
holy Malachy (Mal 1,11) says.” Sermon on the Dormition. PG 99,
col. 725C. |
In a section
addressed to priests, Malachy 1,11 announced that ‘in every place among
the gentiles an offering of incense and a pure sacrifice would be offered in
His name’. This text was understood by the Fathers as foretelling the
sacrifice of the Eucharist. |
|
|
|
|
“Hail, prayerful incense, dispersed through the whole world
in front of the Lord, filled with the good odour of the Holy Spirit and about
whom one cries everywhere: ‘Who is this woman emerging from the desert as
a column of smoke exhalating incense!’ (Cant 3,6)” 2nd Homily
on the Nativity. PG 96, col. 693B |
In the early
Church the use of incense was one of the distinguishing marks of the divine
liturgy of the Eucharist. Incensing was done by the priests and deacons. |
|
“Hail ark [=of the covenant] from which God, showing himself
face to face, has spoken to human beings and through which eternal propitiation
spread throughout the world.
Hail, thurible, golden instrument, who brought
the divine burning charcoal into the interior and through whom the good odour
of the Spirit has been spread and through whom the putrid smell of the world
was removed.
Hail table and divinely made wine . . .” 2nd Homily
on the Nativity. PG 96, col. 689C. |
The lid of
propitiation and the use of incense refer to the annual rite of atonement
performed by the High Priest in the Holy of
Holies in Jerusalem. |
|
|
|
“Hail Blessed Virgin . . . . ointment with
which the royal priesthood has been anointed ,
. . . . royal seal,
imprinting on the universal King who takes his substance from her, a body
similar to that of his Mother,
. . . . incorruptible wood from which the
spiritual altar who is Christ, was made,
. . . . royal purple with which
was woven the robe of the King and the linen of his priestly vestments,
. .
. . through her was made the priestly breastplate of the High Priest, a
breastplate woven of purple and gold,
. . . . the purple flower from which
are made the corporal vestments of the divine liturgy.” 2nd Homily
on the Nativity. PG 96, col. 693C-D. |
The
‘breast plate’ [Hebrew=ephod] was a distinctive ornament of
the High Priest (Exodus 28, 15-30). It was covered with 12 precious gems and
contained in a pouch the stones (Urim and Thummim) of the sacred
oracle.
According to Greek legend, the ‘purple flower’
[Greek=huakinthos] had been coloured by the blood of the demi-god Aiax.
The Bible prescribed that all priestly vestments needed to have it as an
ingredient (Exodus 28, 5.6.8, 15.33). |
|
|
|
|
“Absent in body, she is with us in spirit . . . . mediating
for us with the Lord.” Sermon on the Dormition. PG 99, col.
721B.
“The Son of God becomes Son of Man employing the Blessed
Virgin as mediatrix.” Catechetical Sermon PG 99 col.
593A. |
Mediation is a priestly function. |
