Whether, at the Time of the Law, the Ceremonies of the Old Law Had
Any Power of Justification?
Objection 1: It would seem that the ceremonies of the Old Law had the
power of justification at the time of the Law. Because expiation from
sin and consecration pertains to justification. But it is written
(Ex. 39:21) that the priests and their apparel were consecrated by
the sprinkling of blood and the anointing of oil; and (Lev. 16:16)
that, by sprinkling the blood of the calf, the priest expiated "the
sanctuary from the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and from
their transgressions and . . . their sins." Therefore the ceremonies
of the Old Law had the power of justification.
Obj. 2: Further, that by which man pleases God pertains to
justification, according to Ps. 10:8: "The Lord is just and hath
loved justice." But some pleased God by means of ceremonies,
according to Lev. 10:19: "How could I . . . please the Lord in the
ceremonies, having a sorrowful heart?" Therefore the ceremonies of
the Old Law had the power of justification.
Obj. 3: Further, things relating to the divine worship regard the
soul rather than the body, according to Ps. 18:8: "The Law of the
Lord is unspotted, converting souls." But the leper was cleansed by
means of the ceremonies of the Old Law, as stated in Lev. 14. Much
more therefore could the ceremonies of the Old Law cleanse the soul
by justifying it.
_On the contrary,_ The Apostle says (Gal. 2) [*The first words of the
quotation are from 3:21: St. Thomas probably quoting from memory,
substituted them for 2:21, which runs thus: 'If justice be by the
Law, then Christ died in vain.']: "If there had been a law given
which could justify [Vulg.: 'give life'], Christ died in vain," i.e.
without cause. But this is inadmissible. Therefore the ceremonies of
the Old Law did not confer justice.
_I answer that,_ As stated above (Q. 102, A. 5, ad 4), a twofold
uncleanness was distinguished in the Old Law. One was spiritual and
is the uncleanness of sin. The other was corporal, which rendered a
man unfit for divine worship; thus a leper, or anyone that touched
carrion, was said to be unclean: and thus uncleanness was nothing but
a kind of irregularity. From this uncleanness, then, the ceremonies
of the Old Law had the power to cleanse: because they were ordered by
the Law to be employed as remedies for the removal of the aforesaid
uncleannesses which were contracted in consequence of the
prescription of the Law. Hence the Apostle says (Heb. 9:13) that "the
blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of a heifer, being
sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the
flesh." And just as this uncleanness which was washed away by such
like ceremonies, affected the flesh rather than the soul, so also the
ceremonies themselves are called by the Apostle shortly before (Heb.
9:10) justices of the flesh: "justices of the flesh," says he, "being
laid on them until the time of correction."
On the other hand, they had no power of cleansing from uncleanness of
the soul, i.e. from the uncleanness of sin. The reason of this was
that at no time could there be expiation from sin, except through
Christ, "Who taketh away the sins [Vulg.: 'sin'] of the world" (John
1:29). And since the mystery of Christ's Incarnation and Passion had
not yet really taken place, those ceremonies of the Old Law could not
really contain in themselves a power flowing from Christ already
incarnate and crucified, such as the sacraments of the New Law
contain. Consequently they could not cleanse from sin: thus the
Apostle says (Heb. 10:4) that "it is impossible that with the blood
of oxen and goats sin should be taken away"; and for this reason he
calls them (Gal. 4:9) "weak and needy elements": weak indeed, because
they cannot take away sin; but this weakness results from their being
needy, i.e. from the fact that they do not contain grace within
themselves.
However, it was possible at the time of the Law, for the minds of the
faithful, to be united by faith to Christ incarnate and crucified; so
that they were justified by faith in Christ: of which faith the
observance of these ceremonies was a sort of profession, inasmuch as
they foreshadowed Christ. Hence in the Old Law certain sacrifices
were offered up for sins, not as though the sacrifices themselves
washed sins away, but because they were professions of faith which
cleansed from sin. In fact, the Law itself implies this in the terms
employed: for it is written (Lev. 4:26; 5:16) that in offering the
sacrifice for sin "the priest shall pray for him . . . and it shall
be forgiven him," as though the sin were forgiven, not in virtue of
the sacrifices, but through the faith and devotion of those who
offered them. It must be observed, however, that the very fact that
the ceremonies of the Old Law washed away uncleanness of the body,
was a figure of that expiation from sins which was effected by Christ.
It is therefore evident that under the state of the Old Law the
ceremonies had no power of justification.
Reply Obj. 1: That sanctification of priests and their sons, and of
their apparel or of anything else belonging to them, by sprinkling
them with blood, had no other effect but to appoint them to the
divine worship, and to remove impediments from them, "to the
cleansing of the flesh," as the Apostle states (Heb. 9:13) in token
of that sanctification whereby "Jesus" sanctified "the people by His
own blood" (Heb. 13:12). Moreover, the expiation must be understood
as referring to the removal of these bodily uncleannesses, not to the
forgiveness of sin. Hence even the sanctuary which could not be the
subject of sin is stated to be expiated.
Reply Obj. 2: The priests pleased God in the ceremonies by their
obedience and devotion, and by their faith in the reality
foreshadowed; not by reason of the things considered in themselves.
Reply Obj. 3: Those ceremonies which were prescribed in the cleansing
of a leper, were not ordained for the purpose of taking away the
defilement of leprosy. This is clear from the fact that these
ceremonies were not applied to a man until he was already healed:
hence it is written (Lev. 14:3, 4) that the priest, "going out of the
camp, when he shall find that the leprosy is cleansed, shall command
him that is to be purified to offer," etc.; whence it is evident that
the priest was appointed the judge of leprosy, not before, but after
cleansing. But these ceremonies were employed for the purpose of
taking away the uncleanness of irregularity. They do say, however,
that if a priest were to err in his judgment, the leper would be
cleansed miraculously by the power of God, but not in virtue of the
sacrifice. Thus also it was by miracle that the thigh of the
adulterous woman rotted, when she had drunk the water "on which" the
priest had "heaped curses," as stated in Num. 5:19-27.
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