Returning again to the liturgical aspect of priesthood, in Epistle
67, Cyprian speaks of the requirement for purity among Christian clergy, saying
for the voice of heaven and the law of God long ago commanded (mandatur)
and ordered (praescribitur) who and what sort of men ought to serve the
altar and celebrate sacred sacrifices. For in Exodus God speaks to Moses and
warns him, saying, ‘Let the priests (sacerdotes) who approach the Lord
God be sanctified lest the Lord perhaps should forsake them’ [Exod. 19:22]. And
again: ‘And when they approach to minister at the altar (ministrare ad
altare) of the holy place (sancti), they shall not bring sin upon
themselves lest they should die’ [Exod. 30:20]. And likewise in Leviticus the
Lord commands and says: ‘The man in whom there has been any blemish or sin
shall not approach to offer gifts to God’ [Lev. 21:17]. (Ep. 67.1.2, CCSL
3C, 448)
Lest there be any question whether Cyprian thinks these commands
apply, he continues “Since these have been prescribed and commanded to us (nobis),
it is necessary that we subject our obedience to these divine commands.” (Ep.
67.1.2, CCSL 3C, 448) What was “commanded and ordered” for the Levites has
direct application for the Church.
In other words, Cyprian draws upon the commands to the Levitical
priesthood and applies them to Christian bishops because he assumes a strong
continuity between Israel and the Church. Commands to one can be appropriated
and applied as commands to the other. Again in De Lapsis 7 Cyprian
comments that “the prophets predicted constant oppression by the Gentiles,” (De
Lapsis 7, CCSL 3, 224) a subtle but important rhetorical assumption
that the Church (who are nearly all, by Cyprian’s time, gentiles) now equals
Israel and the “gentiles” who oppress “Israel” are the pagans and schismatics. (Brian
Alan Stewart, "'Priests
of My People': Levitical Paradigms for Christian Ministers in the Third and
Fourth Century Church" [PhD Dissertation; University of
Virginia, May 2006], 199)
