Forbidden Rituals
The Old Testament provided certain instructions with regards to death and burial rituals which would suggest the start of Israelite tradition. The Old Testament set out prompt burial as norm for Israel (Deut 21:22-23) unless a Sabbath or feast day was involved. Moreover, contact with the dead rendered a person ceremonially unclean and therefore a period of ritual cleansing was required immediately after the burial. The cultural practices of mourning, lamenting and tearing of clothes were forbidden for the high priest (Lev21:1-11) and those under the Nazarite vow (Num 6:7). Other cultural customs such as body lacerations, shaving or balding were prohibited for every Israelite (Lev 19:27-28; 21:5; Deut 14:1).
Activities …show more content…
The body was put on a bier and carried on the shoulders to the grave site (Luke 7:12-14). Jews located their burial tombs away from towns in Palestine.
2. After death was announced burial had to take place within twenty-four hours (Acts 5:5-10). This was necessary because there were no scientific methods to preserve the body. Quick burials also acted as a means to reduce excessive grief and to reduce the amount of time a dead body was kept in the house. Fear of defilement by coming in contact with a dead body was also a factor (Num …show more content…
That’s why a member of a priestly family was not to be in the presence of a corpse, and those who had been there were required to wash their hands before entering a home, whether or not they had touched the body (Lev 21:11 cf. Num 19:13-14). Mourning practices in Judaism were extensive, but they were not an expression of fear or distaste for death. Jewish practices relating to death and mourning have two purposes: “ to show respect for the dead, and to comfort the living, who will miss the deceased.” Most Jewish communities had a special group of volunteers, the holy society whose duty it was to care for the dead. They had the responsibility to wash the body and prepare it for burial according to Jewish custom. The Jewish people also had a practice of moving the bones from one part of the tomb to another. After a body had decomposed the bones could be piled in one area or put in a box, and then shelved. Jewish law required that tombstones be erected on graves so the dead would be remembered and to ensure that the grave was not desecrated. People who could not afford expensive rock-hewn tombs were placed in the ground. After the body was placed in the ground, earth filled the grave and a heap of stones was put on top to preserve the body from depredations of beasts or
The Old Testament provided certain instructions with regards to death and burial rituals which would suggest the start of Israelite tradition. The Old Testament set out prompt burial as norm for Israel (Deut 21:22-23) unless a Sabbath or feast day was involved. Moreover, contact with the dead rendered a person ceremonially unclean and therefore a period of ritual cleansing was required immediately after the burial. The cultural practices of mourning, lamenting and tearing of clothes were forbidden for the high priest (Lev21:1-11) and those under the Nazarite vow (Num 6:7). Other cultural customs such as body lacerations, shaving or balding were prohibited for every Israelite (Lev 19:27-28; 21:5; Deut 14:1).
Activities …show more content…
The body was put on a bier and carried on the shoulders to the grave site (Luke 7:12-14). Jews located their burial tombs away from towns in Palestine.
2. After death was announced burial had to take place within twenty-four hours (Acts 5:5-10). This was necessary because there were no scientific methods to preserve the body. Quick burials also acted as a means to reduce excessive grief and to reduce the amount of time a dead body was kept in the house. Fear of defilement by coming in contact with a dead body was also a factor (Num …show more content…
That’s why a member of a priestly family was not to be in the presence of a corpse, and those who had been there were required to wash their hands before entering a home, whether or not they had touched the body (Lev 21:11 cf. Num 19:13-14). Mourning practices in Judaism were extensive, but they were not an expression of fear or distaste for death. Jewish practices relating to death and mourning have two purposes: “ to show respect for the dead, and to comfort the living, who will miss the deceased.” Most Jewish communities had a special group of volunteers, the holy society whose duty it was to care for the dead. They had the responsibility to wash the body and prepare it for burial according to Jewish custom. The Jewish people also had a practice of moving the bones from one part of the tomb to another. After a body had decomposed the bones could be piled in one area or put in a box, and then shelved. Jewish law required that tombstones be erected on graves so the dead would be remembered and to ensure that the grave was not desecrated. People who could not afford expensive rock-hewn tombs were placed in the ground. After the body was placed in the ground, earth filled the grave and a heap of stones was put on top to preserve the body from depredations of beasts or