Cleansing A Leper

Τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἔσται παραλελυμένα. Διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεται μὴ δεῖν συγκρύπτειν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ σκεπάζειν αὐτὰ τὸν τὴν ψυχὴν λελεπρωμένον. Ὥσπερ τοῦ παραλελυμένου τὰ ἱμάτια οὖκ ἐσκέπασται ἡ ἀσχημοσύνη· οὕτως βούλεται πᾶσιν ἐκκεῖσθαι μὴ γενόμενον τάφον κεκονιαμένον. Τὸ δὲ γε περιβεβλῆσθαι τὸ στόμα, ἐστὶ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν παῥῥησίαν ἀνοίξαι τὸ στόμα· τὸ δὲ τῆς δὲ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐξηίχεσθαι, τὸ μηκέτι τοῖς τῶν ἁγίων αὐτὸν συναυλίζεσθαι χοροῖς. Καὶ σφάξουσι τὸ ὀρνίθιον τὸ ἓν εἰς ἀγγεῖον ὀστράκινον. Θύεται τὸ ὀρνίθιον εἰς ἀγγεῖον ὀστράκινον, προεμβληθέντος εἰς αὐτὸ ὕδατος ζῶντος, ἵνα γένηται ὁ καθαρισμὸς ὕδατι καὶ αἵματι, ἂπερ ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ Σωτῆρος. Ξύλον δὲ κέδρινόν φησι τὸ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ξύλον. Τὸ δὲ κεκλωσμένον κόκκινον τύπος ἧν τοῦ τιμίου αἵματος, δι' οὗ καθαίρεται ὁ κόσμος ὅλος. Οἴμαι δὲ τὸν ὕσσωτον, τὴν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος θερμότητα· τὸ δὲ σπαρτίον τὸ κόκκινον τὴν σάρκα σύμβασιν τοῦ Λόγου δηλοῦν. Τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν πώγωνα ξυρηθήσεται. Ξυρᾶται τὴν κεφαλὴν, κατὰ τὰ κεφαλαιωδέστερα καὶ ἀρχικώτερα τῶν δογμάτων· κατὰ δὲ τὸν πώγωνα, ὅπερ σύμβολόν ἐστι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἀποτιθέμενος τὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἁμαρτήματα· κατὰ δὲ τὰς ὀφρῦς. πᾶσαν οἴησιν, καὶ ἵν' οὕτως ὀνομάσω, ὀφρύωσιν ἀποτιθέμενος. Σύμβολον δέ φησι ταῦτα προσφύντα καὶ ἐξανθήσαντα τῇ ψυχῇ, νεκρότητος τρίχες ὀνομαζόμενα. Ὠριγένης, Εκλογαί Εἰς  ἐν τον Λευϊτικον Source: Migne PG 12.401d-404b

His garments shall be torn... 1 With this is indicated that sin should not be covered and that the leprous soul should not be hidden. As vestments torn do not cover ugliness, so he wishes leprosy to be revealed to all, that there not be a whitened tomb. And to have a cover around the mouth is not to have the freedom of opening the mouth. And to go out from the camp is not to be admitted to the gathering of the faithful. And one little bird shall be slain in an earthenware vase...2 The little bird is sacrificed in the earthenware pot in which has been poured living water, that there may be cleanliness by water and blood, which came out from the side of the Saviour. Then it names cedar wood as the wood of our salvation. And the twist of scarlet is a type of the precious blood by which the whole world is made clean. And I judge the hyssop to be the heat of the Spirit; but by the scarlet thread is signified the descent of the Word to the flesh His head and beard he shall shave...3 The shaved head concerns the principle teachings, the beard which is a symbol man, is removed with the sins of men, and the removal of the eyebrows is the casting down of arrogance. And so dead hair is the figure of these things which adhering to the soul bring forth evil. Origen, Fragment on Leviticus 1 Lev 13.43 2 Lev 14.5 3 Lev 14.9