In his contribution to Perspectives on Purity and Purification in the Bible , Roy Gane examines the anomaly of the concluding purification rite performed by a Nazirite at the completion of his vow. Why would purification be needed? Some have suggested that the purification ( hatt’at ) . . . . Continue Reading »
The animals used in the purification offering were ranked according to the religious and socio-economic status of the offerer. Priests offered bulls, leaders goats, the poor offered doves. Reflecting on this, James Jordan suggests that this gives us a clue to God’s way of building His . . . . Continue Reading »
John is told to measure the temple but not the court (Revelation 11:2). The verb can mean “except” but regularly connotes more than simple exclusion (cf. John 2:15; 9:34-35; 12:31). John is told to “cast out” ( ekbale exothen ) the court to be trampled by the nations. The . . . . Continue Reading »
When Hebrews 13:15 exhorts believers to offer a continuous sacrifice of praise to God, we naturally think of a continuous offering of verbal or sung praise. That is how the verse ends: “the fruit of lips that confess His name.” The sacrifice of praise is verbal, but I suspect that . . . . Continue Reading »
Aaron Cummings writes: “In response to your post on cherubic faces corresponding to temple furniture. One significant item missing is the golden altar. We know from Hebrews 9:3-4 that the golden altar was a part of the HOH even though it was placed in front of the veil. Thus the altar of . . . . Continue Reading »
Leviticus 19:35 interestingly links justice with proper measurements and balances. “You shall do no injustice in judgment” ( lo-ta’asu ‘avel bammishpat ), the verse begins. This repeats exactly the opening of 19:15. 19:15 goes on to warn about favoritism in court: “You . . . . Continue Reading »
By looking for the sources of biblical notions of kipper in texts dealing with bloodguilt for murder, Feder concludes that blood serves as a compensation for the damage done by sin. Sin is conceived as a debt, and the blood of sacrifice is payment for the debt. To explain the logic of the lex . . . . Continue Reading »
Feder summarizes the scholarly consensus on the use of blood in Mesopotamian ritual, which, he says, “has little in common with the expiatory use of blood in the Bible.” He elaborates: “In Mesopotamian rites, blood is usually associated with chthonic deities. In numerous cases, . . . . Continue Reading »
Greeks, like Jews, believed that corpses defiled. According to Robert Parker’s classic Miasma: Pollution and Purification in Early Greek Religion (Clarendon Paperbacks) , a dead body defiled not only the people present, but also the house, which had to be cleansed after the body was removed. . . . . Continue Reading »
The color “scarlet” is named most often in the Bible in connection with the tabernacle curtains and the garments of the High Priest. It’s also, of course, the color of the whore of Revelation. That means: Only a people already clothed in scarlet can become a prostitute clothed in . . . . Continue Reading »
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