a THE JOURNEY TO BETHANY. 315 XXI a Ber. 57 b b Ber. R. 20 Lazarus with His proposed visit to Judæa, and, in their eagerness to CHAP. keep Him from the latter, interposed that there could be no need for going to Lazarus, since sleep was, according to Jewish notions, one of the six, or, according to others, five symptoms or crises in recovery from dangerous illness. And when the Lord then plainly stated it, 'Lazarus died,' adding, what should have aroused their attention, that for their sakes He was glad He had not been in Bethany before the event, because now that would come which would work faith in them, and proposed to go to the dead Lazarus-even then, their whole attention was so absorbed by the certainty of danger to their cherished Teacher, that Thomas had only one thought: since it was to be so, let them go and die with Jesus. So little had they understood the figurative language about the twelve hours on which God's sun shone to light us on our way; so much did they need the lesson of faith to be taught in the raising of Lazarus! 2 John xi. 20 d 28 a We already know the quiet happy home of Bethany. When Jesus reached it, 'He found '-probably from those who met Him by the way that Lazarus had been already four days in the grave. Comp. St. According to custom, he would be buried the same day that he had died. Supposing his death to have taken place when the message Moed K. for help was first delivered, while Jesus continued after that two whole days in the place where He was, this would leave about a day for His journey from Peræa to Bethany. We do not, indeed, know the exact place of His stay; but it must have been some well-known centre in Peræa, since the sisters of Bethany had no difficulty in sending their messenger. At the same time we infer that, at least at this period, some kind of intercourse must have been carried on between Christ and His more intimate disciples and friends-such as the family of Bethany-by which they were kept informed of the general plan of His Mission-journeys, and of any central station of His temporary sojourn. If Christ at that time occupied such a central station, we can the more readily understand how some of His Galilean disciples may, for a brief space, have been absent at their Galilean homes when the tidings about Lazarus arrived. Their absence may explain the prominent position which Thomas occupied; perhaps, also, in part, the omission of this narrative from the Synoptic Gospels. One more point may be of interest. Supposing the journey to Bethany to have occupied a day, we would suggest the following See chap. v. of this Book. In that case Christ's inquiry would afford another instance of His self-exina nition in His great Humiliation of 'be- BOOK IV a Baba B. 25 a computation. The messenger of the Sisters left Bethany on the Sunday (it could not have been on the Sabbath), and reached Jesus on the Monday. Christ continued in Peræa other two days, till Wednesday, and arrived at Bethany on Thursday. On Friday the meeting of the Sanhedrists against Christ took place, while He rested in Bethany on the Friday, and, of course, on the Sabbath, and returned to Peræa and Ephraim' on the Sunday. 6 This may be a convenient place for adding such particulars to the account already given,' in connection with the burying of the widow's son at Nain, of the Jewish observances and rites,2 as may further illustrate the present history. Referring to the previous description, we resume, in imagination, our attendance at the point where Christ met the bier and again gave life to the dead. But we remember that, as we are now in Judæa, the hired mourners-both mourning-men (for there were such) and mourning-women-would follow, not, as in Galilee, precede, the body. From the narrative we infer that the burial of Lazarus did not take place in a common burying-ground, which was never nearer a town than 50 cubits,* dry and rocky places being chosen in preference. Here the graves must be at least a foot and a half apart. It was deemed a dishonour to the dead to stand on, or walk over, the turf of a grave. Roses and other flowers seem to have been planted on graves. But cemeteries, or common burying-places, appear in earliest times to have been used only for the poor, or for strangers. In Jerusalem there Jer. xxvi. 23 were also two places where executed criminals were buried. All these, it is needless to say, were outside the City. But there is abundant evidence, that every place had not its own burying-ground; and that, not unfrequently, provision had to be made for the transport of bodies. Indeed, a burying-place is not mentioned among the ten requisites for every fully-organised Jewish community. The names given, both to the graves and to the burying-place, are of interest. As regards the former, we mention such as 'the house of silence;'* 'the house of stone;'f the hostelry,' or, literally, 'place where you spend the night;' 'the couch;' 'the resting-place;' 'the valley of the b 2 Kings xxiii. 6; e St. Matt. xxvii 7: Acts i. 19 d Sanh. vi. 5 e Targ. on Ps. cxv. 17 f Moed K. 96 b When relating the history of the raising of the widow's son at Nain, Book III. chap. xx. 2 An interesting account (to which I would acknowledge obligations) is given in a brochure by Dr. Perles, reprinted from Frankel's Monatsschrift. 3 Shabb. 153 a; comp. also as regards Jerusalem (where the Galilean custom prevailed), Semach. iii. 6. Comp. Perles, u. s. p. 25. Children under a month were buried without the ceremonial of mourning, These were a law court, provision for the poor, a synagogue, a public bath, a secessus, a doctor, a surgeon, a scribe, a butcher, and a schoolmaster. a THE TOMB OF LAZARUS. 317 CHAP. XXI Tohor. iii. 7 multitude,' or 'of the dead.' The cemetery was called 'the house of graves;' or 'the court of burying;' and 'the house of eternity.' By a euphemism, 'to die' was designated as 'going to rest;' 'being Erub. iii. 1; completed; being gathered to the world' or 'the home of light; 'being withdrawn,' or 'hidden.' Burial without coffin seems to have continued the practice for a considerable time, and rules are given how a pit, the size of the body, was to be dug, and surrounded by a wall of loose stones to prevent the falling in of earth. When afterwards earth-burials had to be vindicated against the Parsee idea of cremation, Jewish divines more fully discussed the question of burial, and described the committal of the body to the ground as a sort of expiation. It was a curious later practice, that children who had Sanh. 46 b died a few days after birth were circumcised on their graves. Children not a month old were buried without coffin or mourning, and, as some have thought, in a special place. In connection with a Cheth. 20 b recent controversy it is interesting to learn that, for the sake of peace, just as the poor and sick of the Gentiles might be fed and nursed along with those of the Jews, so the Gentile dead might be buried by the side of Israelites. On the other hand, a wicked per- Gitt. 61 a son should not be buried close to a sage. Suicides were not accorded all the honours of those who had died a natural death, and the bodies of executed criminals were laid in a special place, whence the relatives might after a time remove their bones. The burial terminated u. s. 46 a by casting earth on the grave. h e Sanh. 47 a 5 Ber. 8 a But, as already stated, Lazarus was, as became his station, not laid in a cemetery, but in his own private tomb in a cave-probably in a garden, the favourite place of interment. Though on terms of close friendship with Jesus, he was evidently not regarded as an apostate from the Synagogue. For, every indignity was shown at the burial of an apostate; people were even to array themselves in white festive garments to make demonstration of joy. Here, on the con- ↳ Semach. 2 trary, as we gather from the sequel, every mark of sympathy, respect, and sorrow had been shown by the people in the district and by friends in the neighbouring Jerusalem. In such case it would be regarded as a privilege to obey the Rabbinic direction of accompanying the dead, so as to show honour to the departed and kindness to the survivors. As the sisters of Bethany were disciples,' we may well believe that some of the more extravagant demonstrations of grief were, if not dispensed with, yet modified. We can scarcely believe, that the hired 'mourners' would alternate between extravagant praises of the dead and calls upon the attendants to lament; or that, as was i Semach.i.6 BOOK IV Moed K. 27 b bu. s. 28 b Jer. Moed K. i. 5 d Baba B. 100 b Meg. 28 a, b Shabb. 153 a Baba B. 100 b Ber. 53 a i Bez, 6 a their wont, they would strike on their breast, beat their hands, and dash about their feet, or break into wails and mourning songs, alone or in chorus. In all probability, however, the funeral oration would be delivered—as in the case of all distinguished persons —either in the house, or at one of the stations where the bearers changed, or at the burying-place; perhaps, if they passed it, in the Synagogue.* It has previously been noted, what extravagant value was, in later times, attached to these orations, as indicating both a man's life on earth and his place in heaven. The dead was supposed to be present, listening to the words of the speaker and watching the expres sion on the faces of the hearers. It would serve no good purpose to reproduce fragments from these orations. Their character is sufficiently indicated by the above remarks.' h When thinking of these tombs in gardens,2 we so naturally revert to that which for three days held the Lord of Life, that all details become deeply interesting. And it is, perhaps, better to give them here rather than afterwards to interrupt, by such inquiries, our solemn thoughts in presence of the Crucified Christ. Not only the rich, but even those moderately well-to-do, had tombs of their own, which probably were acquired and prepared long before they were needed, and treated and inherited as private and personal property. In such caves, or rock-hewn tombs, the bodies were laid, having been anointed with many spices, with myrtle, aloes, and, at a later period, also with hyssop, rose-oil, and rose-water. The body was dressed and, at a later period, wrapped, if possible, in the worn cloths in which originally a Roll of the Law had been held. The tombs' were either rock-hewn,' or natural caves,' m or else large walled $56; Baba Vaults, with niches along the sides. Such a cave' or 'vault' of 4 cubits' (6 feet) width, 6 cubits' (9 feet) length, and 4 cubits' (6 feet) height, contained niches' for eight bodies-three on each of the longitudinal sides, and two at the end opposite the entrance. Each 'niche' was 4 cubits (6 feet) long, and had a height of seven and a width of six handbreadths. As these burying 'niches' were hollowed out in the walls, they were called Chuchin (pronounce Koochin,' not 'Kokim,' as in the Reports of the Palestine Exploration Fund). The larger caves or vaults were 6 cubits (9 feet) wide, and 8 cubits (12 feet) long, and held thirteen bodies-four along each Meg. 26 b Mearta, Baba Mez. B. 58 a 1 I must here refer the learned reader for much curious and interesting information to the labours of Zunz. See here especially Zur Gesch, u. Liter. pp. 304 to 458. 2 Nicolai (De Sepulchr. Hebr., a book of no great value) gives a pictorial illustration at p. 170. 4 JEWISH SEPULCHRES. 6 6 b 8 319 CHAP. XXI Jer. Moed Semach. 12 K. i. 5; and 13 e Recovery of Jerusa side-wall, three opposite to, and one on either side of the entrance.a These figures apply, of course, only to what the Law required, when a vault had been contracted for. When a person constructed one Baba B. vi. for himself, the dimensions of the walls and the number of Chuchin might, of course, vary. At the entrance to the vault was a court' 6 cubits (9 feet) square, to hold the bier and its bearers. Sometimes two caves' opened on this court.' But it is difficult to decide whether the second cave,' spoken of, was intended as an ossary1 (ossarium). Certain it is, that after a time the bones were collected and put into a box or coffin, having first been anointed with wine and oil, and being held together by wrappings of cloths. This circumstance explains the existence of the mortuary chests, or osteophagi, so frequently found in the tombs of Palestine by late explorers, who have been unable to explain their meaning. This unclearness 3 is much to be regretted, when we read, for example, of such a 'chest' as found in a cave near Bethany. One of the explorers has discovered on them fragments of Hebrew inscriptions. lem, p. 494 It would be of great importance exactly to ascertain this, and the age of such tombs. For, at present, no Hebrew inscription is known to exist older than the year 1083 of our era. There are, indeed, many inscriptions found on Jewish tombs out of Palestine (in Rome, and other places), written in bad Greek or Latin, containing, perhaps, a Hebrew word, and generally ending with shalom, peace,' and adorned with Jewish symbols, such as the Seven-branched Candlestick, the Ark, the festive emblems of the Feast of Tabernacles, and others. On the other hand, the advice not to read such inscriptions,d Horaj. 13 b as it would affect the sight, seems to imply the existence of much older inscriptions in Hebrew. They appear to have been graven either on the lid of the mortuary chest, or on the Golel, or great stone 'rolled' at the entrance to the vault, or to the 'court' leading into it, or else on the inside walls of yet another erection, made over the vaults of the wealthy, and which was supposed to complete the burying-place, or Kebher. 5 in the third Quart. Stat. (1869), pp. 66, &c. 4 M. Clermont-Ganneau. 5 At Worms. The supposed ancient (pre-Christian, Israelitish) inscriptions in the Crimea are now generally ascribed to a much later date. See Schürer, Gemeinde Verf. d. Juden in Rom. Schürer has collected forty-five of the most interesting of these inscriptions. |