263. Rational Causes of Ceremonial Precepts and Sacrifices

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Question of Rational Causes for Ceremonial Precepts #

The fundamental question: Do the ceremonial precepts have any rational cause at all?

• The Problem: If ceremonial precepts had reason in themselves, they would not differ from moral precepts. Yet the new law’s reasonable decrees seem to “empty out” the old law’s meaningless observances.
• The Resolution: Divine wisdom necessarily orders all things. Therefore, all precepts from divine wisdom must have ordered reasons, taken from their proper ends.
• Key Principle: “It belongs to the wise man to order” (Aristotle, Metaphysics I). Wisdom is the highest perfection of reason, and reason’s proper work is to order.

Twofold Cause of Ceremonial Precepts #

Ceremonial precepts are ordered to TWO distinct ends:

1. Immediate Literal Cause (in the letter, in littera)

• Ordering worship to God for that time
• Ordering the human mind rightly toward God
• Excluding idolatry and false worship practices
• Signifying proper dispositions required in worshipping God
• Removing certain remembrances of false gods
• Insinuating divine excellence

2. Figurative/Mystical Cause

• Prefiguring Christ and His mystery of redemption
• Figuring the sacraments of the new law
• Pertaining to moral instruction of Christian people (moral sense)
• Prefiguring the state of future glory (anagogical sense)
• Relating to Christ and the Church (allegorical sense)

Important Clarification on “Literal Sense”: Berquist emphasizes translating sensus litteralis as “sense of the letter” rather than “literal sense” to avoid modern confusion. The sense of the letter includes metaphorical meaning—e.g., “The Lord is my rock” is metaphor (signifies a rock, which in turn signifies God’s protection) but belongs to the sense of the letter, not contrary to it.

The Nature and Purpose of Sacrifice #

Sacrifice serves to represent the proper ordering of the human mind to God:

• Man must recognize that everything he has comes from God as first beginning
• Man must recognize that all things are ordered to God as last end
• In offering sacrifice, man professes this twofold truth through external action
• This connects to the principle of looking “before and after”: looking to the first beginning and last end

Key Arguments #

Arguments Against Rational Causes (Objections) #

1. The new law’s reasonable decrees evacuate the old law’s ceremonial precepts, suggesting the latter lack reason
2. Natural law contained precepts with no reason except to test obedience
3. If ceremonial precepts had reason, they would not differ from moral precepts
4. Circumcision and the Passover have only figural causes as signs, not literal reasons
5. Effects must be proportioned to causes; since all ceremonials are figurative, they have only figural causes
6. Some particular determinations in ceremonies (number of animals, specific ways of killing) seem indifferent and lack any literal cause

Resolution Structure #

Against Objection 1: The observances of the old law can be called “without reason” insofar as they lack reason in their own nature (e.g., why this particular vestment?), yet they have reason from their order to something else—either through what they signify or through what they produce. The new law’s precepts (faith, love) are reasonable from their very nature, whereas ceremonial precepts are reasonable from their ordering to another thing.

Against Objection 2: The prohibition concerning the tree of knowledge was not made because the tree was naturally bad, but had reason from its order to something else—it figured future things. Similarly, ceremonial precepts have reason ordinate ad aliud (ordered to another).

Against Objection 3: Moral precepts have reasonable causes secundum suam naturam (according to their own nature); ceremonial precepts have reasonable causes ex ordinatione ad aliud (from ordering to another). This difference is real and significant.

Against Objection 6: Just as in human laws, universal provisions have reasons but particular conditions derive from the lawgiver’s judgment, so in Old Law ceremonies: universal aspects have literal causes, but particular determinations (which specific number, which specific way) may have only figurative causes.

Arguments Concerning Sacrifices #

The lecture addresses 14 objections regarding why particular types of sacrifices, animals, and procedures seem unsuitable:

1. God needs no sustenance: Why offer flesh and blood when God does not eat?
2. Limited animal types: Only certain animals offered (cattle, sheep, goats, turtledoves, doves), yet other animals are nobler
3. Exclusion of fish: Why are fish excluded when man has dominion over them as much as beasts?
4. Living vs. killed: Should living animals be offered rather than killed, especially given Paul’s language of “living sacrifice”?
5. Method of killing: Why is the manner of immolation strictly determined for birds?
6. Defective animals prohibited: Why exclude lame, blind, or injured animals?
7. Blood and fat restrictions: Why prohibit priests and offerers from consuming blood and certain fats?
8. Sexual differentiation: Why are female animals excluded from holocaust but permitted in peace and sin offerings?
9. Birds in peace offerings: Why are birds not permitted in peace offerings as they are in holocausts?
10. Temporal distinctions: Why different rules for consuming peace offerings on the first day vs. later?
11. One sin offering?: Should not all sins have one genus of sacrifice for reconciliation?
12. Diverse modes of offering: Why are animals killed, while other offerings are bread cooked in various ways?
13. Salt instead of honey: Why is salt (sharp) commanded but honey (sweet) prohibited, when the inward sacrifice of the heart is sweeter than honey?
14. Limited offerings: Why only bread, wine, oil, and salt offered as grain offerings, rather than all things used by man?

Important Definitions #

Sensus Litteralis / Sense of the Letter (sensus litterae): The fundamental meaning of words in Scripture, including metaphorical meaning. “The Lord is my rock” belongs to the sense of the letter because the words signify a rock, which in turn signifies God’s protection. This differs from the spiritual or figurative sense.

Causa Literalis (Literal Cause): The reason for a ceremonial precept taken from its immediate function and purpose—in this case, the proper ordering of human worship and the human mind toward God in that historical time.

Causa Figuralis / Causa Mystica (Figurative or Mystical Cause): The reason for a ceremonial precept taken from what it prefigures or signifies—particularly its prefiguration of Christ, the Church, Christian morality, or future glory.

Ordinata ad aliud (Ordered to another): A principle meaning that something may lack intrinsic reason but have reason from its ordering or relation to something else. A ceremonial precept may not make sense in itself but makes sense as ordered toward worship, signification, or prefiguration.

Primum Principium / Ultimus Finis (First Beginning / Last End): The proper object of worship and ordering of the soul. God is the first beginning (all things come from Him) and the last end (all things are ordered to Him). Sacrifice expresses recognition of both.

Examples & Illustrations #

The Passover and Circumcision: These major ceremonial precepts exemplify the twofold cause. Circumcision is a sign of the covenant with Abraham (literal cause in that time), AND it prefigures Christ’s circumcision and the spiritual circumcision of hearts (figurative cause). The Passover commemorates liberation from Egypt (literal cause), AND it prefigures Christ’s redemptive Passover (figurative cause).

The Question of Vestments: Why this particular vestment rather than another? In its own nature, there is no reason—but from its ordering to something else (what it signifies or produces), there is reason. Berquist uses this as a simple example of how something can lack intrinsic reason yet possess extrinsic reason.

The Indifferent Particular: The number of animals to be offered, the specific way of killing birds, etc.—these particular determinations may seem indifferent (it could be done thus or thus). Yet they have reason either from their ordering to the end of worship or from their figurative signification, even if the particular determination is not rationally necessary in itself.

Notable Quotes #

“It belongs to the wise man to order.” (Aristotle, Metaphysics I) — Foundational principle explaining why divine wisdom necessarily orders all things, including ceremonial precepts.

“The things which are from God are ordered.” (Romans 13:1, quae a deo sunt ordinata sunt) — Scriptural confirmation that divine wisdom necessarily produces order in all divine precepts.

“The precept of the law is lucid, enlightening the eyes.” (Psalm 18) — Establishes that if the ceremonials are precepts of God, they must be clear and have reasonable causes.

“Yours are all things; and what we have taken from your hand we give to you.” (1 Chronicles 29:14, David’s words) — Expresses the interior disposition represented in sacrifice: recognition that all gifts come from God.

Questions Addressed #

Primary Question: Do Ceremonial Precepts Have a Cause? #

Answer: Yes. They have a twofold cause:

• Literal cause: From their ordering to the worship of God as practiced in that time, which involves properly ordering the human mind to recognize God as first beginning and last end
• Figurative/Mystical cause: From their prefiguration of Christ, the sacraments, Christian life, and future glory

Because ceremonial precepts are ordered to these two ends, reasonable causes can be assigned to them.

Secondary Question: Literal Cause, Figurative Cause, or Both? #

Answer: Both, though in different respects. The observances can be said to lack reason in their own nature—but they have reason from their order to something else. They are reasonable precepts precisely because they are ordered to reasonable ends (worship and prefiguration).

Tertiary Question: Why These Particular Animals in Sacrifice? #

Answer: Multiple reasons operate together:

• Literal cause: Animals most useful for sustaining human life and most pure in nourishment
• Figurative cause: Each animal type figures something regarding Christ or the virtues needed in the human person approaching God
• Exclusion principle: Wild animals, fish, and other creatures were excluded because they were not domesticated, not useful to human life in that way, or associated with pagan idolatry

Quaternary Question: Why Are Blood and Fat Prohibited? #

Answer: Multiple reasons:

• Literal cause:
  1. Excluding idolatry (pagan idolaters drank blood and ate fat of sacrificial victims)
  2. Inculcating horror of shedding blood in the human mind
  3. Showing reverence for life itself (blood represents the principle of life; fat represents the abundance of nourishment)
• Figurative cause: These prefigure the pouring out of Christ’s blood and the fullness of His charity

Quinary Question: Why Are Defective Animals Prohibited? #

Answer:

• Such animals are held in contempt by men and are unsuitable to offer to God
• They also prefigure the requirement for perfection and integrity in offering oneself to God
• An animal that is lame, blind, or otherwise injured cannot adequately represent the proper ordering of a whole, undivided self to God