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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.
Objection 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.
Objection 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.
Objection 4: Further, among the legal victims the principal was the
lamb, which was a "continual sacrifice", as is stated Num.
28:6: for which reason Christ is also called "the
Lamb---Behold the Lamb of God" (Jn. 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 (Lk. 2:22).
I answer that, As stated above (Article 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" (Rm.
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
(Lk. 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
(Lk. 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 to Objection 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
Lk. 2:23).
Reply to Objection 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 Lk. 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 Lk. 2:23].
Reply to Objection 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 to Objection 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 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 Lk. 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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