Annotations on Leviticus (fragments from Catenae)

Origenes. Origenis Opera Omnia, Volume 7 (Patrologia Graeca, Tomus 17). La Rue, Charles de, editor; La Rue, Charles Vincent de, editor. Paris: J. P. Migne, 1857.

Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This work is a collection of exegetical fragments that interpret various laws and regulations in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus from a Christian theological and typological perspective. The author begins by examining the regulations on sins committed through ignorance, leading to a theological explanation of why Christ is referred to as "sin." The commentary then interprets the purification laws concerning childbirth as a prophetic reference to Mary's virginal conception, and links the isolation of lepers to the Apostle Paul's moral admonitions in the New Testament. Furthermore, the author explores the symbolic meaning of festivals and evergreen branches like palm trees, finding in them the hope of eternal paradise in Christ. Finally, the work explains the practical regulations on redeeming consecrated property and the Year of Jubilee, demonstrating how the literal laws of the Old Testament ultimately point to the spiritual truths of Christian salvation.