265. Ceremonial Precepts and Divine Reverence in the Old Law
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Main Topics #
The Two-Fold Cause of Ceremonial Precepts #
- Ceremonial precepts have literal causes (ordered to worship of God in present time) and figurative causes (ordered to prefigure Christ and mysteries of redemption)
- Both causes are valid and complementary, not contradictory
- This addresses the fundamental objection: why would arbitrary ceremonies have reasons?
The Wisdom of God in Ordering All Things #
- God’s wisdom necessarily orders all things (following Aristotle’s Metaphysics I: wisdom belongs to the wise man to order)
- Order requires two elements: (1) ordering to a suitable end, and (2) proportioning means to that end
- The reason for things ordered to an end is taken from the end itself
- Example: the saw’s purpose is taken from cutting, which is its end
The Three Purposes of Sacrifices #
God does not wish sacrifices for their material value, but for three reasons:
- Exclusion of idolatry - Gentiles offered these things to idols; the law restrains this
- Signification of proper human order to God - exterior sacrifice signifies interior devotion and ordering of the soul
- Figuration of redemption - all sacrifices prefigure Christ’s sacrifice
Order of Sacrifices and Reasons for Specific Animals #
Why certain animals?
- Cattle, sheep, goats: most useful for human sustenance; most pure in nourishment
- Birds (doves, turtledoves): abundant in promised land; provided for the poor
- Fish: excluded because they live in water, alien from man; die when removed from water; cannot be offered in temple
- Male animals in holocaust (whole burnt offering): females are imperfect animals; only the most perfect offered in holocaust
- Animals not offered to idols were chosen (exclusion principle)
Blood and Fat Prohibitions #
Four reasons why blood and fat were prohibited from human consumption:
- Exclusion of idolatry - Gentiles drank blood and ate fat of victims in sacrifices
- Informing human conscience - horror of shedding human blood; blood represents life itself
- Divine reverence - blood necessary for life (soul is in blood); fat demonstrates abundance; both reserved for God’s honor
- Figural reason - prefigures pouring out of Christ’s blood and fatness of His charity
Bread and Other Offerings: Provisions for the Poor #
- Those unable to offer four-footed animals could offer birds
- Those unable to offer birds could offer bread
- Those unable to offer bread could offer flour/grain
- Shows God’s merciful accessibility to all social classes
Figurative meanings:
- Bread: Christ as true bread come down from heaven (John 6); formed by Holy Spirit in virgin’s womb; cooked in fire (signifies Christ’s labors in world and on cross)
- Wine: blood of Christ by which we are redeemed
- Oil: grace of Christ
- Salt: knowledge; discretion of wisdom; preserves from corruption; sapientia derived from sapor (flavor/taste) - wisdom gives savor to knowledge
- Incense: prayer; devotion of mind necessary for those offering; odor of good fame; designates the virtue of religion, whose primary act is devotion
Why Honey Was Prohibited #
- Offered in sacrifices of idols
- Excludes carnal sweetness and pleasure from those intending to offer sacrifice to God
- Represents excessive sensual delight contrary to mortification of flesh
- Contrast with salt: salt preserves from corruption; honey represents indulgence
The Tabernacle and Temple: Unity and Structure #
Literal reasons for tabernacle (not temple) during desert wandering:
- People had no fixed dwelling, so portable tabernacle was suitable
- Temple built only after people had quiet status under David and Solomon
- Temple designated in place chosen by God (Jerusalem, where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac)
Figurative meanings:
- Tabernacle: signifies changeable status of present life
- Temple: signifies fixed, invariable status of future life
- The absence of sound of hammer or saw in temple construction (1 Kings 6:7) signifies absence of perturbation in future state
Why only one temple (not multiple)?
- Literal reason: Exclusion of idolatry (Gentiles had diverse temples for diverse gods); firm faith in unity of God
- Figurative reason: signifies unity of Church (militant or triumphant)
- Objection refuted: bodily worship was restrained as passing; spiritual worship of New Law permits multiplication of altars and churches
Structure and Symbolism of the Tabernacle #
Two main divisions:
- Sancta Sanctorum (Holy of Holies): to the west; entered only by high priest once yearly; signifies higher spiritual world of angels
- Sancta (Holy Place): to the east; entered daily by priests; signifies bodily world
- Atrium (Court): outside; accessible to people; signifies material world
The Veil (distinguished by four colors):
- Linen: arises from earth
- Purple: signifies water; comes from shells found in sea
- Hyacinth (blue): signifies fire
- Twice-dyed (scarlet): signifies air
- These four colors designate the four elements as impediment veiled for us in corporeal substances
Contents of the Holy of Holies #
The Ark of the Covenant:
- Constructed of pure wood, covered with gold (wisdom and charity)
- Contained three things:
- Golden urn with manna: represents life; divine goodness
- Rod of Aaron: represents power; priestly authority
- Tables of the Law: represent wisdom; divine commands
- These three things signify three attributes of God appropriated to Father (power), Son (wisdom), and Holy Spirit (goodness)
The Propitiatory (mercy seat):
- Carried by two cherubim facing each other
- Signifies God’s seat; seat of propitiation
- Cherubim represent concord of angels; their multitude
- Figurative: Christ as propitiation for sins; angels attending Christ
Contents of the Holy Place (Exterior Tabernacle) #
Three objects:
- Candelabra (seven-branched): on southern side; signifies wisdom; illuminates world like seven planets; represents divine illumination
- Table of Proposition: on northern side; twelve loaves for twelve tribes; signifies temporal nourishment; priests alone could eat
- Altar of Incense: before the ark; signifies priestly office; mediates between God and people; good odor represents sanctity of people acceptable to God
Positioning symbolism:
- Southern side (right): associated with right side of world; power; wisdom
- Northern side (left): associated with left side; temporal things; glory
- Middle position of altar: sacerdotal power mediates between temporal and spiritual wisdom
Orientation to East and West #
- Literal reason: Gentiles adored sun rising in east; to exclude this idolatry, tabernacle oriented with Holy of Holies to west
- Figurative reason: prefigures death of Christ (going down); Psalm 67: “Ascended upon the going down”
Key Arguments #
Against Ceremonial Precepts Having Reasonable Causes (Ten Objections) #
Objection 1: If ceremonial precepts had reason, they would not differ from moral precepts
- Moral precepts have reason in their own nature; ceremonial have reason from order to something else (signification or figuration)
Objection 2: Acts 17 - God does not dwell in handmade temples
- Tabernacle/temple ordered to worship of God but God doesn’t need buildings
Objection 3: Status of old law should not change except by Christ; why build a temple when tabernacle existed?
- Change from portable to fixed dwelling signifies progress toward Christ
Objection 4: Why not multiple temples/altars to show greater worship of God?
- Unity shows faith in God’s unity; excludes idolatry; bodily worship was restrained as temporary
Objection 5: God is simple and unified; why distinguish tabernacle with multiple veils (complicating things)?
- Distinctions represent our need to rise in reverence; they represent distinction of things subject to God, not division in God
Objection 6: First mover (God) appears in east; why tabernacle toward west?
- To exclude gentile sun-worship idolatry
Objection 7: Exodus 20 forbids sculpted statues/images; yet tabernacle had cherubim, ark, propitiatory, candelabra, table, altars
- These are not prohibited statues but necessary liturgical objects with figurative meaning
Objection 8: God commanded earth altar without steps (Exodus 20); later commands wooden altar with steps (Exodus 27); also gold and bronze decoration - contradictory
- Progression shows development and distinction for reverence
Objection 9: In God’s works nothing is superfluous (like in nature); yet tabernacle has many coverings (goats hair, red skins, hyacinth skins)
- Necessary for protection and signification; not superfluous
Objection 10: Exterior consecration signifies interior holiness (subject is soul); why consecrate inanimate tabernacle vessels?
- These serve to signify and promote interior holiness in those offering
Objection 11: Psalm 33 commands constant blessing of God; why establish specific solemnity days?
- Solemnities heighten devotion without excluding constant prayer
Thomas’s Central Response #
The Principle of Reverence: The whole outward worship of God is ordered that men might have God in reverence. Human affection has the quality that:
- Things which are common and not distinct from others are less revered
- Things which have discretion, difference of excellence from other things are more admired and revered
The Custom of Honoring Rulers:
- Kings and princes wear precious vestments to be revered by subjects
- They possess more ample and beautiful dwellings
- By analogy, special dwelling, special vases, special times, special ministers are necessary for worship of God
- Through this distinction, souls of men are brought to greater reverence for God
Important Definitions #
Ceremonial Precepts: Precepts of the Old Law ordered to divine worship, having both literal causes (related to present worship and excluding idolatry) and figurative causes (prefiguring Christ and redemption)
Holocausts (ὁλόκαυστα): Whole burnt offerings where entire animal is consumed; signifies complete offering of self to God; pertains to state of perfection
Propitiatory (ἱλαστήριον / propitiatorium): The mercy seat; God’s seat and place of propitiation for sins
Sancta Sanctorum: Holy of Holies; innermost sanctuary entered only by high priest once yearly
Virtue of Religion: The virtue by which we render to God the worship and reverence due to Him; primary act is devotion; prayer and sacrifice are secondary acts
Appropriation (in Trinity theology): Attributing certain divine attributes or operations to particular divine persons; not because they belong exclusively to that person but because of a certain connection between the attribute and the person’s proper mode (e.g., Power to Father as principle; Wisdom to Son; Goodness to Holy Spirit as proceeding by way of love)
Sapientia (Latin): Wisdom; derived from sapor (flavor/taste); wisdom is “savory knowledge” that gives savor to understanding
Examples & Illustrations #
Reverence Through Distinction and Beauty #
- Queen Elizabeth dressed in precious vestments when opening Parliament
- Military dress uniform draws admiration and notice at weddings
- Beautiful chalices made with precious stones inspire more reverence than plain ones
- A teacher of French/Spanish made beautiful chalices in Mexico to give to priests - he believed this enhanced reverence
- Young altar boys spontaneously arrive early (by the hour) to serve Mass when priest is pious and devoted
- A pastor’s first experience of priestly calling came at First Holy Communion when he felt God’s presence in the Eucharist
- Converts to Catholicism express deep attachment and anticipation for the Eucharist in interviews (EWTN’s “The Journey Home”)
Incense and Sensory Experience #
- Priest was so generous with incense that one person had to leave the chapel; some people complain it’s too much
- A tough priest joked he’d eat the incense if the altar boy put too much
- Benediction services (formerly weekly) became less frequent
- Young Berquist remembered incense from childhood experiences
Altar Boy Practices #
- Berquist and his friend Tom Jennings competed to arrive first at early Mass
- Their motives were mixed - not purely spiritual but seeking recognition
- These boys had priestly inclinations
Domestic Examples #
- Berquist’s mother would wait for “the Spirit to move her” before getting up from the dinner table to wash dishes
- Even as a young altar boy or child, seeing beautiful liturgical vessels inspired reverence
Natural Philosophy Examples #
- Humans have two eyes (needed for depth perception) and two legs/arms (needed for balance and function), but don’t need three eyes or three hands
- Cats have sweet teeth - they enjoy cream in milk, splashing it everywhere while eating
- Cats and other animals eat meat without salt and cook food
- Salt preserves meat (as people know from home experience)
Architectural References #
- Cistercians (in medieval times) built very simple churches, opposing grandiose structures
- Modern church design sometimes includes plain chalices (which Berquist dislikes) rather than beautiful gold-looking ones
Questions Addressed #
Why would God command ceremonies if they seem arbitrary or unnecessary?
- They have two-fold causes: literal (ordered to worship and excluding idolatry) and figurative (prefiguring Christ). Both are reasonable and necessary to God’s wise ordering.
Why these specific animals and not others?
- Three reasons: (1) exclusion of idolatry (these were not typically offered to idols), (2) signification of purity and virtue, (3) figuration of Christ’s attributes and human virtues
Why is blood and fat prohibited from human consumption?
- Four reasons: (1) exclusion of idolatry, (2) horror of shedding blood (informing conscience), (3) divine reverence (blood = life), (4) figuration of Christ’s blood and charity
Why one temple instead of many?
- To exclude idolatry, manifest faith in God’s unity, and show that bodily worship is restrained as temporary. The New Law permits multiplication of churches and altars because it is spiritual worship.
Why such elaborate tabernacle structure with veils and distinctions if God is simple?
- Distinctions do not represent division in God but rather represent our need to rise in reverence. They also prefigure Christ and the Church. God’s simplicity is not contradicted by distinctions in creation.
Why is honey prohibited in sacrifices but salt permitted?
- Honey represents carnal sweetness and indulgent pleasure contrary to mortification. Salt preserves from corruption and signifies wisdom (from sapor = flavor). Both function symbolically and practically.
Why not multiple temples if multiple altars show greater worship?
- Unity of temple shows faith in unity of God and excludes gentile idolatry (each god had own temple). The spiritual worship of the New Law accepts multiplication because it transcends material constraints.
Why the specific structure and contents of the tabernacle (Holy of Holies, Holy Place, Court)?
- They represent three worlds: spiritual (Holy of Holies to west), bodily (Holy Place to east), and material (Court outside). Contents signify God’s attributes and Christ’s redemptive work. The veil with four colors represents the four elements. Orientation away from east excludes sun worship.
Why progress from portable tabernacle to fixed temple?
- Literal: people needed fixed dwelling. Figurative: signifies change from changeable present life to fixed future life, and preparation for Christ who would establish the Church.