X. SACRIFICIAL CEREMONIES AND THEIR MEANING. 1. PREPARATION. THE presentation of an offering was naturally, and therefore probably, preceded by suitable preparations in consonance with the nature of the sacred ceremony. Outward and inward purity the former the ritual prototype of the latter was the primary condition of man's approach to God; it was enjoined before great festivals, and when some special Divine manifestation was expected or hoped for; it was, no doubt, after the diffusion of the Levitical spirit and law, rigorously enforced; it was under the specific name of "sanctification" made an indispensable preliminary to public assemblies and fasts, national works and enterprises; and it was expressed by the removal and renunciation of every emblem of heathen superstition, by bathing, and washing or change of garments, and frequently by conjugal abstinence, extended on remarkable occasions to three and more days. When Samuel arrived at Bethlehem, he addressed the elders, "Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice: and he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called him to the sacrifice." The laws of purification were enlarged and intensified with respect to officiating priests. The Mishnah propounded the principle that no one, even if he were pure, was permitted to enter the Court and to take part in the service unless he had bathed beforehand. In the period of the second Temple, when, corresponding to the 24 orders of priests, the nation was divided into 24 sections 10 for the sake of representing the people, by weekly rotation, at the daily public sacrifices, 11 those who thus acted as national delegates had to fast during their week, except on Sabbath and the day that preceded and followed it: 12 the residents of Jerusalem and the neighbouring 3 Comp. Joel I. 14; II. 15, 16; IV.9; Mic. III. 5; Neh. III. 1; comp. Ps. XX. Comp. Genes. XXXV. 2—4; Exod. XIX. 10, 14, 15; XXXIII. 5, 6; Josh. III. 5; VII. 13; see Comm. on Gen. p. 585; on Exod. p. 334; comp. also Zeph. I. 7; Jer. XII. 3. 51 Sam. XVI. 5; comp. also Job I. 5. 6 Exod. XXX. 17-21; XL. 30-32; comp. Treatise on Priesthood, ch. I. 7 Mishn. Yom. III. 3, DJDJ DN IN comp. Tamid I. 2; see also Berach. IX. ;לעזרה לעבודה אפילו טהור עד שיטבול לא יכנס להר הבית במקלו ובמנעלו .5 see also ; ובפונדתו ובאבק שעל רגליו Lightfoot, Opp. I. 723–725. 8 6 towns were obliged to attend at the Temple, while the inhabitants of more distant places had to perform particular prayers' and devotions in the Synagogues of their districts. 2 6 5 Similar views pervaded all ancient creeds. The Hindoos were commanded to begin the sacrifice by a "bath of purification." The Egyptians inaugurated the great festival of Isis and its solemn sacrifice by a fast and matrimonial abstinence during nine days. For some time, varying from 7 to 42 days, previous to important religious observances, they were scrupulous in chastity and lustrations, avoided animal food and certain kinds of vegetables. Prior to killing any victim, the Persians addressed prayers to the fire, the pure element. 7 Those who came from whatever distance to worship in the temple of Hierapolis, were prescribed to abstain from any drink but water and from sleeping in a bed, till they had returned to their homes. The Chinese emperor prepares himself for the grand procession and sacrifice, which take place at the commencement of spring, by severe religious exercises during three preceding days." The Greeks, considering purity of body an indispensable requisite, appeared, with their offerings, not only in clean, generally white garments, but also, except in times of mourning, 10 festively decked with wreaths or the first lest the people pass suddenly from rest and pleasure to toil and fasting and die" (Mishn. 1. c.). 1 Reading especially the history of creation (Gen. I. 1-II. 3), divided into 7 portions for the days of the week, "to indicate that the world stands by the service in the Temple" (see Bartenur, in loc.). 2 See Mishn. Taan. IV. 2, 3; Bikkur. III. 3; Talm. Taan. 26 sqq.; Maimon. Kele Hammikd. VI. 3; Hilch. Bikkur. IV. 16; comp. Cunaeus, De Republ. Hebr. II. c. 10; Selden, De Synedr. III. xiii. 3; Othon. Lexic. Talm. pp.705-707; Lightfoot, Opp. I. 700, 701. This custom of fasting on the part of the "sacrificial assistants" (y), was by Theophrastus, in perhaps the oldest classical account of the Jews and their religious rites, erroneously extended to all the sacrifices of the Hebrews (Porph. De Abst.11.20, καὶ τοῦτο δρῶσι νηστεύοντες τὰς ἀνὰ μέσον τούτων ἡμέρας). By 11 and garlands, which were made of appropriate leaves and flowers, which, by placing the wearer under the protection of the deity, 12 rendered him inviolable: and before the sacrificial acts were begun, a direct exhortation warded off all "profane" or unclean persons, and admonished those present to reverential silence. 13 An ancient writer comprehensively stated the requirements in the following words: "The worshipper must approach the gods cleansed, purified, bright, sprinkled with water, washed, stainless, chaste, unspotted, hallowed, sanctified, with a pure mind, with fresh and washed garments." 14 The women who took part in the processions of the festival of the Thesmophoria in honour of Ceres, shunned conjugal embrace for nine days before. 15 Washing of hands, facilitated by basins with holy water kept at the entrance of temples, commenced the sacrifice; 16 "to be excluded from the holy water", 17 was equivalent to being debarred from sacred rites, especially sacrifices, on account of guilt of blood; while "to allow the holy water", is expressed admission to religious privileges. 19 Hector, requested by his mother Hecuba during a battle to offer a libation, deprecated it with the words, "I dread to pour out the sparkling wine to Zeus with unwashed hands." 20 "Never venture", writes Hesiod, "to offer a libation of dark wine to Jupiter or the other immortals with unwashed hands; for they do not listen, and spurn thy prayers."21 The Platonists, when intending to offer supplications to the gods, were 11 For instance of ivy at the sacrifices of Dionysos, while that plant was strictly avoided at those of the Olympian gods, of Juno at Athens, and of Venus at Thebes; comp. Plut. Quaest. Rom. 112. The Persians also usually sacrificed with a wreath round the turban, most commonly of myrtle (Herod. I. 132); while the Indians refrained from this practice (Strab. XV. i. 54, p. 710). 12 Aristoph. Plut. 21, 22. 13 Aeschin. Ctes. c. 23 (§ 77, oregaνωσάμενος καὶ λευκὴν ἐσθῆτα λαβὼν Bovovre); Plut. Nigrin. c. 14 (it was criminal to attend the festival of Athene in a coloured garment); Athen. XV. 16; Diog. Laert. II. x. 54 (comp., however, Apollod. III. xν. 7, χωρὶς αὐλῶν καὶ στεφάνων ἐν Πάρω - in Crete - θύουσι raïszág101); Lucian, De Sacrif. 12—14 (θύρας δ ̓ ἐπίθεσθε βέβηλοι); Hom. Il. IX. 171; Aristoph. Thesmoph. 295; Acharn. 237; Av. 958 (evoquia toto), εὐφημεῖτε). 14 Pollux, Onom. I. i. 24, tò dè лçоsείναι πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς κατηραμένον, καθαρεύσαντα, φαιδρυνάμενον, περιβ ανάμενον, ἀποῤῥυνάμενον, ἀπονιψά μενον, ἁγνισάμενον, ἀγνεύσαντα, ἡγνευ μένον, ὡοιωμένον, καθαρῷ νῷ, ὑπὸ νεουργῷ στολῇ, ὑπὸ νεοπλυνεῖ ἐσθῆτι; comp. also 28. 15 Ovid, Metam. X. 434, 435. 16 Hom. Il. I. 449; Dion. Hal. VII. 72. 17 Χερνίβων εἴργεσθαι; Demosth. Leptin. 158 (505. 13). 18 Xégvißos véμeir; Soph. Oed. Tyr. 240. 19 Comp. Eurip. Or. 1602 (ev yovv Diyos är xeorißon); Iphig. Aul.675; etc. 20 Hom. I. VI. 266; comp. XVI. 228-230; Od. IV.750; Porphyr. Abst. II. 46. 21 Hesiod. Op. 722-724; comp. vers. 735-739. 3 - 4 recommended to fast, or at least to abstain from meat. In certain cases, offering in a state of moral impurity was, by Plato's advice, to be punished with death.2 The Romans combined nearly all the introductory ceremonies they bathed in spring water, arrayed themselves in fresh, white garments, washed their hands, adorned their heads with wreaths, warded off unclean persons, and in some instances refrained from sexual intercommunion in the preceding night or nights. "Worshippers shall approach to the gods with purity", observes Cicero, "that is to say with purity of mind, which is everything; not that the law dispenses with purity of body; but this must be understood in as much as the mind is superior to the body"; terms almost identical with those employed by Philo on the same subject, "It is necessary for intending sacrificers to be cleansed as to their bodies, and as to their souls before their bodies; for the soul is the mistress and the queen, and superior in everything, being endowed with a more divine nature"; and both utterances are perhaps an echo of the beautiful admonitions attributed to the Pythian priestess: "Enter the pure god's temple sanctified "In soul, with virgin water purified: "One drop will cleanse the good; the ocean wave The broad rule was established, "Whoever wishes properly to perform a sacred act in honour of the gods, must first thoroughly purify himself"; and Virgil was praised for strictly conforming his narrative to that law. Inviting the peasants to the lustration-offering 8 1 Porph. De Abst. II. 44. 2 Comp. Plat. Legg. X. 16 (p. 910 Ε, ὡς οὐ καθαρὸς ὢν θύων θανάτῳ ζημιούσθω). 3 Tibull. El. II. i. 16. (vinctaque post olea candida turba comas). ▲ Virg. Aen. VI. 258 (procul o procul este profani); comp. Plin. H. N. XXVIII. 2 (3); Tibull. El. II. i. 1 (quisquis ades faveas); ii. 1, 2; Ovid, Trist. V. v. 5, 6 (lingua favens assit). 5 Cic. Legg. II. 10, caste jubet lex adire ad deos, animo videlicet in quo sunt omnia; nec tollit castimoniam corporis, etc.; see pp. 68, 69. 6 Philo, De Sacrif. c. 3, ávayxatov ... τό τε σῶμα φαιδρύνεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν πρὸ τοῦ σώματος; comp. also c. 1, βούλεται τὸν ἄγοντα τάς θυσίας ὁ νόμος καθαρὸν εἶναι σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ κτλ.; De Victim. c. 5, έπειτα δὲ ἀπονιψάμενος ὁ προςάγων κτλ. 1 Αγνὸς εἰς τέμενος καθαρού, ξένε, δαίμονος ἔρχου Ψυχὴν, νυμφαίου να ματος ἁψάμενος κτλ., Anth. Pal. XIV. 71; comp. the fine lines of a similar import, Ἱρὰ θεῶν ἀγαθοῖς ἀναπέπταται, οὐδὲ καθαρμῶν Χρειών τῆς ἀρετῆς ἥψατο οὐδὲν ἀγος. Ὅστις δουλοὸν ἦτορ, ἀπόστιχε· οὔποτε γὰρ σὴν ψυχὴν ἐκνίψει σῶμα διαινύμενον, ibid. 74; see Shakesp. Macb. V. i. 56 ("all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand"). 8 Quis diis superis rem sacram recte perficiat, prius eum rite purificari oportere; Macrob. Sat. III. 1. 9 Comp. Virg. Aen. II. 718-720; IV. 635, 636; VI. 229-231, 635, 636; etc. of the rural festival of the Ambarvalia, Tibullus demands, "You also I order to stand aloof - approach not the altar-you who the preceding night enjoyed the pleasures of Venus: chastity delights the gods; come in clean garments, and cleanse your hands with water from the spring." 10 And opponents of animal sacrifices pointed to the strange anomaly that, while the burning of flesh and fat, of skins and feathers, produced an intolerable stench, the worshippers were earnestly exhorted, "whenever they prepared to visit the temples, to preserve themselves pure from every stain, clean, and above all chaste."11 Numa ordained that previous to religious processions, heralds were to pass through the streets and order general cessation from labour. For, observes Plutarch, "as the Pythagoraeans were known not to suffer casual devotion or worship, but demanded that people should undertake it well prepared in mind from the beginning, thus Numa believed that his citizens ought neither to hear nor to see anything appertaining to divine service at random or carelessly, but putting aside everything else to direct their whole minds to the pious act as to their most important business; wherefore he wished, during the sacred ceremonies, the streets to be kept clear of all din and noise and turmoil inseparable from everyday work." Hence it remained a Roman custom up to the latest time, that before the beginning of public sacrifices a herald proclaimed with loud voice the words "hoc age", thereby inviting all present to absorbed attention and silent devotion. 12 2. THE TIME. The Law contains no enactments with respect to the time of the day when the offerings were to be presented; except that it orders the daily holocausts to be killed "in the morning", 13 and "between the two evenings", 1 that is, between the later part of the afternoon or about 3 o'clock and sunset, 15 which hours are also fixed for the killing of the 1a Tibull, El. II. i. 11-14, casta placent superis; pura cum veste venite, etc. 11 Arnob. Adv. Nat. VII. 16, quorum templa cum adire disponitis, ab omni vos labe puros, lautos castissimosque praestatis; Just. Mart. Apol. 2. 12 Plut. Num. 14; comp. Coriol. 25. When among the ancient Prussians, their priest (Waidelotte) intended to sacrifice to the god Potrimpos, he had to fast during three preceding days, and to sleep in that interval on the bare ground (Wachter, 1. c. p. 113). |