Exodus 30
ECFExodus 30:3
Augustine of Hippo: When speaking of the rings of the altar of incense, altar that should be gilded, not covered with bronze, it is said: You will make two rings of pure gold under its molded mold, at its sides. You will do them on both sides (Exodus 30,4) As the Greek says: eis tà dúo klíte poiésis in tois dusi pleurois, and klíte means sides and pleura also means sides, some Latin translators have translated: In two parts you will do them on both sides. But the Greek does not say mére, which means parts, but klíte, which means sides. This word appears in that psalm that says: Your wife as a fruitful vine on the sides of your house (Sal 127,3). And for that reason, it is only necessary to pay attention to the case, because first he put accusative and then ablative: you will do them on both sides (accusative); on its two sides (ablative). In any case, it is difficult to know what the meaning is. As the Scripture usually uses the ellipsis, omitting something that needs to be replaced, perhaps here too the word will have to be replaced, in which case the meaning would be: You will do them on both sides, they will be on both sides, that is, you will make the rings sideways, they will be on both sides. 132 (Exodus 30.4). And there will be arches for the poles, so that it is transported through them. To the objects that he used to call rings he now calls them arches. Naturally speaking of rings instead of round handles. And a ring or a circle, what is it but a closed arch everywhere? For that reason, some translators did not want to put bows, and translated that word for boxes, in which the poles would be inserted. And they gave this translation: And there will be boxes for the poles, as if the Greek could not have put that word (theca: box), when theca is also a Greek word. The text, on the other hand, has psalídes, which means arcs. 133 (Exodus 30.8). He will burn it on him as a continual incense in the presence of the Lord in his generations. He calls it continuous incense, because it had to be offered continuously, without any interruption. By prescribing what pertained to the altar of incense, to the altar in which only incense was put, not the burnt offering, the sacrifice, or the drink offering, the Lord had commanded that the same incense be offered daily. But now it says: And Aaron shall make the propitiation or make the prayer on the horns of the altar once a year with the blood of the purification of sins, of the propitiation. Depropitiationis (of the propitiation) comes from depropitiatio (propitiation), which corresponds to the Greek word exilasmós. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that what he commands to do once a year to have propitiation to God on the horns of the altar of incense, that is, so that with the blood of the purification of sins, with the blood of the victims they offer themselves for sins, once a year they touch the horns of the altar of incense, it does not belong to that action of putting the incense that they had commanded to do every day. For that act was done with aromas, not blood, and every day, not once a year. Therefore, it is not necessary to think that the priest used to enter once a year in the saint of the saints, but that he entered once a year with the blood, and, naturally, he used to enter every day without the blood to put the incense . But with the blood came only once a year. And this must be understood in this way, mainly, by what is said next: Once a year he will purify it; He is the saint of the saints for the Lord (Exodus 30,16). He will not put the incense there once a year, because God commanded to put it every day. But once a year he will purify it. And this ordered that he take control of the blood. And then he adds: He is the saint of the saints for the Lord. And so, if the saint of the saints was not outside, but inside the veil, surely the altar that is now mentioned, which he commanded to be placed before the veil, ordered that it also be placed inside. — QUESTIONS ON EXODUS, Q. 131 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)
Exodus 30:6
Bede: The ark of the covenant, which was inside the veil, … very suitably symbolizes the nature of [Christ’s] humanity. The urn [containing] manna symbolizes the fullness of his divinity. The staff of Aaron symbolizes the indestructible power of his priesthood, [and] the tablets of the covenant symbolize that it is he who gave the law and will also give his blessing to those who fulfill the law. — Homilies on the Gospels 2.25
Exodus 30:7
Augustine of Hippo: In the third book there is also a discussion of how the high priest begot sons, since he had the obligation to enter the Holy of Holies twice a day where the altar of incense was, to offer incense morning and evening. Into [this], as the law states, he could not enter while unclean, and the law says that a man is even made unclean as a result of conjugal coition, and indeed it orders him to be washed with water, but it states also that he, although washed, “is unclean until evening.” Hence I said, “It follows logically that he either be continent or that, on some days, the offering of incense be interrupted.” I did not realize that this is not a logical consequence. For what is written, “he will be unclean until evening,” can be understood to mean that he was no longer unclean during the evening itself but up to the evening, so that, cleansed, he could offer incense during the evening even though, after morning offering of incense, he had had conjugal relations with his wife for the procreation of children. — RECONSIDERATIONS 81.2
Exodus 30:10
Origen of Alexandria: Therefore, if I should consider how the true “high priest,” my Lord Jesus Christ, having indeed been placed in the flesh, was with the people all year, that year about which he himself says, “He sent me to proclaim good news to the poor and to announce the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of forgiveness,” I perceive how “once” in this “year” on the Day of Atonement he enters into “the Holy of Holies.” That is, when with his dispensation fulfilled “he penetrates the heavens” and goes to the Father to make atonement for the human race and prays for all those who believe in him. Knowing this atonement by which he propitiates the Father for humans, the apostle John says, “I say this, little children, that we may not sin. But if we should sin, we have an advocate before the Father, Jesus Christ the just; and he himself is the propitiation for our sins.” But Paul also in a similar way mentions this atonement when he says concerning Christ, “Whom God appointed as a propitiator by his blood through faith.” Therefore the Day of Atonement remains for us until the sun sets; that is, until the world comes to an end. — HOMILIES ON Leviticus 9:8-9
Exodus 30:12
Augustine of Hippo: What do the words mean: If you took the account of the children of Israel in their visit, but God commands that they will be visited and counted, that is, counted? Thus, we can think that God punished David for this action, since God had not ordered it to him (Cf 2R 24). — QUESTIONS ON EXODUS, Q. 134 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)
Exodus 30:18
Bede: In the first instance, we can understand this basin (or flanged bowl, as it is called further on) to be the water of baptism, in which all those who enter the doors of the church must bathe in order to be cleansed. It was put between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar of the holocaust, and the priests were commanded to wash themselves in it twice a day (that is, morning and evening) when they were going to the altar of incense to offer to the Lord. We, however, are not supposed to be washed in the water of baptism more than once; consequently the basin commends to us that washing of compunction and of tears which is required of us at all times, and especially when we draw near to minister at the heavenly mysteries. — On the Tabernacle 3.14, AT Exodus 3:18-20
Exodus 30:26
Augustine of Hippo: It is necessary to warn and to indicate how the Scripture commands to anoint with the oil of the anointing all the things, that is to say, the tabernacle and the things that were in it, and then it adds: They will be sancta sanctorum (Exodus 30,29). This means that all things, once anointed, will be “sancta sanctorum.” It is necessary to investigate more thoroughly the difference that could exist between those interior things, covered by the veil, and the others, if all of them, once anointed, become “sancta sanctorum”. This we thought it appropriate to point out. In this regard we will also remember: With reference to the sacrificial altar, which the author wanted to be called the saint’s saint after the anointing, immediately before it was said: Everyone who touches it will be sanctified (Exodus 29,37). When speaking after all those things that, once anointed with that anointing, receive the name of “sancta sanctorum”, the same affirmation continues: All who touch them will be sanctified (Exodus 30,29), which can be understood in two ways: Or be sanctified when touched, or sanctified so that it is lawful to touch them, if it was not lawful for the people to touch the tabernacle when it presented sacrifices or anything else the people contributed to offer it to God. And in keeping with this the text warns that it is not only to say to the priests or the Levites what God says to Moses: And you will speak to the children of Israel - the children of Israel were, of course, all that people - telling them: This oil, which will be used for the anointing, will be a saint for you in your generations. He will not anoint man’s flesh; and you shall not do anything similar to this composition for yourselves. It is holy and it will be sanctification for you. Whoever makes another like him and whoever gives part of him to a foreign nation, will be exterminated from his people. The Lord commands not only the priests, but all the people of Israel, not to make such an ointment for ordinary uses. For this is what it means: It will not anoint the flesh of man. It forbids, then, that something similar be done for ordinary uses and threatens death to whoever does something similar, that is, to whoever makes a similar ointment for ordinary uses or who gives it to a foreign nation. But for what is said next: It will be sanctification for you, since God commands that this be said to all the people of Israel, I do not see how it can be interpreted, unless it is admitted that it was lawful for the people to touch the tabernacle when each one came with his own offerings, and, when touched, they were sanctified by that oil with which they anointed all things. And that is why it is added: Everyone who touches it will be sanctified. But the people were not sanctified as the priests, who were also anointed with the oil to perform the priestly functions. — QUESTIONS ON EXODUS, Q. 135 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)
Exodus 30:34
Bede: “You shall not offer upon it incense of another composition.” Later in this book the spices from which this incense was to be composed are specified by name: stacte, and onycha, galbanum of pleasing fragrance, and the purest frankincense. It is obvious that all of these signify the eternal goods which we ought to seek from the Lord before anything else. Consequently upon the altar of gold they were not supposed to offer incense of any composition other than that which the Lord had decreed, because when we pray we ought to seek from the Lord nothing other than that which he himself has commanded and has promised to give us. And we ought to believe nothing concerning him other than that which he himself has taught. — On the Tabernacle 3.12, AT Exodus 30:9
Augustine of Hippo: What he orders concerning the aromas with which the timiama or incense should be made, and the mandate that it be made, according to the art of the perfumer, a perfumed ointment, is not to be interpreted in the sense of making an ointment, that is, something with which he anointed himself, but, as has been said, the timiama or incense to be placed on that altar of incense, where it was not lawful to offer sacrifices and was inside the saint of saints. — QUESTIONS ON EXODUS, Q. 136 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)
Exodus 30:36
Augustine of Hippo: You will cut from them a small part and put it in front of the testimonies, from where I will make myself known to you. This incense will be for you holy of holies. Here is how this incense is again called holy of holies, because it was placed inside, on the altar of incense, which was inside. The tabernacle of the testimony is properly called that innermost part where the ark was located; and a difference is clearly made by saying: From where I will make myself known to you. This he had already said before speaking of the mercy seat, which, certainly, was inside, behind the veil over the ark. 138 (Exodus 31.2-3). What does it mean that, when God orders that Besalel be used in the works of the construction of the tabernacle, it is said that it filled him with the divine spirit of wisdom and intelligence in all kinds of works to conceive and carry out projects, etc. ? Should we also attribute to the gifts of the Holy Spirit these works that seem to belong to the manual works? Or is this said with all intention so that they belong to the divine spirit of wisdom and intelligence and science what is indicated by these things? However, although it is also said here that this man was full of the divine spirit of wisdom and intelligence and science, the Holy Spirit is still not mentioned. — QUESTIONS ON EXODUS, Q. 137 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)