Unredeemed clean firstborn; sin named sacrifice; salt covenant; household shares

Cyril: …of calves and firstborn of sheep, and firstborn of goats you will not ransom; holy they are; and their blood you will pour toward the altar, and the fat you will bring up a fruit unto a smell of fragrance to Lord. And the meats will be for you, just as also the breast of the putting-on; and according to the right shoulder, for you will be. Every taking-away of the holy things, as many as if the sons of Israel should take away to Lord, I have given to you and to your sons and to your daughters with you, eternal lawful; a covenant of eternal salt it is before Lord, for you and for your seed after you.’ So then you understand from here also, I somehow think, and very clearly, that every form of sacrifice and bringing-near he has clearly apportioned to the sacred and chosen race, and the things from every trespass, and from all the sins, that is, the victims over every trespass and sin. For a name for the victims over sin is sin. Therefore also wise Paul for us was setting the legal word upon Christ saying: ‘We beg over Christ, be reconciled to God; for the one not having known sin, he made sin over us.’ (Numbers 18:17–19) For the Son has been sacrificed over our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a harmless lamb. And that sin has been set as a name by the law for the victims over our sins, God will clarify saying through the prophet concerning the sacred-workers: ‘They will eat sins of my people;’ (Hosea 4:8) that is, the things over sins of my people will be food for the priests. So then he apportions to them leftover of every sacrifice, and orders them to be made edible, yet in a holy place, he says, and by every male. And what the word upon this is, has been said by us. And in the already gone-by, firstfruit of oil, and of grain and wine, and the ransomings of the firstborn, and indeed the dedications no longer edible for males alone, nor in the holy court, but thereafter in a priest’s house, and set for enjoyment also for the daughters themselves, and for every acquaintance and most household. And necessary unto observance is the distinction; for the leftovers of the sacrifices would be fitting for use of the sanctified alone, and will not be as common food; and a holy place, the one fitting them. And as many as remain, having been brought near in rank of gift-bearing, having received, somehow second, he says, have a word in themselves; and will lie upon every household for the sacred-workers, if only it should be clean, that is, unprofane; according at least to the law, if not uncircumcised, if not alien-born, if not leprous, if not having seed-flow; but according at least to the aim of the new Writing and church safety, if not both unholy and unfaithful, if pious and God-loving. For it would be most fitting for those led unto divine sacred-work to love to cling to whoever should be both good in habit, and having the mind full of God-love. And adding to these that ‘A covenant of eternal salt it is before Lord, for you and for your seed after you,’ (2 Corinthians 5:20–21) he ordered that to be kept wholly which also in others he said: ‘Salt of a covenant of Lord will not leave off from your sacrificings. Upon every gift of yours you will bring (Leviticus 2:13)