Whether Christ Was Becomingly Presented in the Temple?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ was unbecomingly presented in
the Temple. For it is written (Ex. 13:2): "Sanctify unto Me every
first-born that openeth the womb among the children of Israel." But
Christ came forth from the closed womb of the Virgin; and thus He did
not open His Mother's womb. Therefore Christ was not bound by this
law to be presented in the Temple.
Obj. 2: Further, that which is always in one's presence cannot be
presented to one. But Christ's humanity was always in God's presence
in the highest degree, as being always united to Him in unity of
person. Therefore there was no need for Him to be presented to the
Lord.
Obj. 3: Further, Christ is the principal victim, to whom all the
victims of the old Law are referred, as the figure to the reality.
But a victim should not be offered up for a victim. Therefore it was
not fitting that another victim should be offered up for Christ.
Obj. 4: Further, among the legal victims the principal was the lamb,
which was a "continual sacrifice" [Vulg.: 'holocaust'], as is stated
Num. 28:6: for which reason Christ is also called "the Lamb--Behold
the Lamb of God" (John 1: 29). It was therefore more fitting that a
lamb should be offered for Christ than "a pair of turtle doves or two
young pigeons."
On the contrary is the authority of Scripture which relates this as
having taken place (Luke 2:22).
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 1), Christ wished to be "made
under the Law, that He might redeem them who were under the Law"
(Gal. 4:4, 5), and that the "justification of the Law might be"
spiritually "fulfilled" in His members. Now, the Law contained a
twofold precept touching the children born. One was a general precept
which affected all--namely, that "when the days of the mother's
purification were expired," a sacrifice was to be offered either "for
a son or for a daughter," as laid down Lev. 12:6. And this sacrifice
was for the expiation of the sin in which the child was conceived and
born; and also for a certain consecration of the child, because it
was then presented in the Temple for the first time. Wherefore one
offering was made as a holocaust and another for sin.
The other was a special precept in the law concerning the first-born
of "both man and beast": for the Lord claimed for Himself all the
first-born in Israel, because, in order to deliver the Israelites, He
"slew every first-born in the land of Egypt, both men and cattle"
(Ex. 12:12, 13, 29), the first-born of Israel being saved; which law
is set down Ex. 13. Here also was Christ foreshadowed, who is "the
First-born amongst many brethren" (Rom. 8:29).
Therefore, since Christ was born of a woman and was her first-born,
and since He wished to be "made under the Law," the Evangelist Luke
shows that both these precepts were fulfilled in His regard. First,
as to that which concerns the first-born, when he says (Luke 2:22,
23): "They carried Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord: as it
is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every male opening the womb shall
be called holy to the Lord.'" Secondly, as to the general precept
which concerned all, when he says (Luke 2:24): "And to offer a
sacrifice according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair
of turtle doves or two young pigeons."
Reply Obj. 1: As Gregory of Nyssa says (De Occursu Dom.): "It seems
that this precept of the Law was fulfilled in God incarnate alone in
a special manner exclusively proper to Him. For He alone, whose
conception was ineffable, and whose birth was incomprehensible,
opened the virginal womb which had been closed to sexual union, in
such a way that after birth the seal of chastity remained inviolate."
Consequently the words "opening the womb" imply that nothing hitherto
had entered or gone forth therefrom. Again, for a special reason is
it written "'a male,' because He contracted nothing of the woman's
sin": and in a singular way "is He called 'holy,' because He felt no
contagion of earthly corruption, whose birth was wondrously
immaculate" (Ambrose, on Luke 2:23).
Reply Obj. 2: As the Son of God "became man, and was circumcised in
the flesh, not for His own sake, but that He might make us to be
God's through grace, and that we might be circumcised in the spirit;
so, again, for our sake He was presented to the Lord, that we may
learn to offer ourselves to God" [*Athanasius, on Luke 2:23]. And
this was done after His circumcision, in order to show that "no one
who is not circumcised from vice is worthy of Divine regard" [*Bede,
on Luke 2:23].
Reply Obj. 3: For this very reason He wished the legal victims to be
offered for Him who was the true Victim, in order that the figure
might be united to and confirmed by the reality, against those who
denied that in the Gospel Christ preached the God of the Law. "For we
must not think," says Origen (Hom. xiv in Luc.) "that the good God
subjected His Son to the enemy's law, which He Himself had not given."
Reply Obj. 4: The law of Lev. 12:6, 8 "commanded those who could, to
offer, for a son or a daughter, a lamb and also a turtle dove or a
pigeon: but those who were unable to offer a lamb were commanded to
offer two turtle doves or two young pigeons" [*Bede, Hom. xv in
Purif.]. "And so the Lord, who, 'being rich, became poor for our
[Vulg.: 'your'] sakes, that through His poverty we [you] might be
rich," as is written 2 Cor. 8:9, "wished the poor man's victim to be
offered for Him" just as in His birth He was "wrapped in swaddling
clothes and laid in a manger" [*Bede on Luke 1]. Nevertheless, these
birds have a figurative sense. For the turtle dove, being a
loquacious bird, represents the preaching and confession of faith;
and because it is a chaste animal, it signifies chastity; and being a
solitary animal, it signifies contemplation. The pigeon is a gentle
and simple animal, and therefore signifies gentleness and simplicity.
It is also a gregarious animal; wherefore it signifies the active
life. Consequently this sacrifice signified the perfection of Christ
and His members. Again, "both these animals, by the plaintiveness of
their song, represented the mourning of the saints in this life: but
the turtle dove, being solitary, signifies the tears of prayer;
whereas the pigeon, being gregarious, signifies the public prayers of
the Church" [*Bede, Hom. xv in Purif.]. Lastly, two of each of these
animals are offered, to show that holiness should be not only in the
soul, but also in the body.
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