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The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
The Antiquities of the Jews
Written by Flavius Josephus
Translated by William Whiston
Book Three
Chapter 10
Concerning The Festivals; And How Each Day Of
Such Festival Is To Be Observed
1. The law requires, that out of the public expenses a lamb of
the first year be killed every day, at the beginning and at the
ending of the day; but on the seventh day, which is called the
Sabbath, they kill two, and sacrifice them in the same manner.
At the new moon, they both perform the daily sacrifices, and
slay two bulls, with seven lambs of the first year, and a kid of
the goats also, for the expiation of sins; that is, if they have
sinned through ignorance.
2. But on the seventh month, which the Macedonians call
Hyperberetaeus, they make an addition to those already
mentioned, and sacrifice a bull, a ram, and seven lambs, and a
kid of the goats, for sins.
3. On the tenth day of the same lunar month, they fast till the
evening; and this day they sacrifice a bull, and two rams, and
seven lambs, and a kid of the goats, for sins. And, besides
these, they bring two kids of the goats; the one of which is
sent alive out of the limits of the camp into the wilderness for
the scapegoat, and to be an expiation for the sins of the whole
multitude; but the other is brought into a place of great
cleanness, within the limits of the camp, and is there burnt,
with its skin, without any sort of cleansing. With this goat was
burnt a bull, not brought by the people, but by the high priest,
at his own charges; which, when it was slain, he brought of the
blood into the holy place, together with the blood of the kid of
the goats, and sprinkled the ceiling with his finger seven
times, as also its pavement, and again as often toward the most
holy place, and about the golden altar: he also at last brings
it into the open court, and sprinkles it about the great altar.
Besides this, they set the extremities, and the kidneys, and the
fat, with the lobe of the liver, upon the altar. The high priest
likewise presents a ram to God as a burnt-offering.
4. Upon the fifteenth day of the same month, when the season of
the year is changing for winter, the law enjoins us to pitch
tabernacles in every one of our houses, so that we preserve
ourselves from the cold of that time of the year; as also that
when we should arrive at our own country, and come to that city
which we should have then for our metropolis, because of the
temple therein to be built, and keep a festival for eight days,
and offer burnt-offerings, and sacrifice thank-offerings, that
we should then carry in our hands a branch of myrtle, and
willow, and a bough of the palm-tree, with the addition of the
pome citron: That the burnt-offering on the first of those days
was to be a sacrifice of thirteen bulls, and fourteen lambs, and
fifteen rams, with the addition of a kid of the goats, as an
expiation for sins; and on the following days the same number of
lambs, and of rams, with the kids of the goats; but abating one
of the bulls every day till they amounted to seven only. On the
eighth day all work was laid aside, and then, as we said before,
they sacrificed to God a bullock, a ram, and seven lambs, with a
kid of the goats, for an expiation of sins. And this is the
accustomed solemnity of the Hebrews, when they pitch their
tabernacles.
5. In the month of Xanthicus, which is by us called Nisan, and
is the beginning of our year, on the fourteenth day of the lunar
month, when the sun is in Aries, (for in this month it was that
we were delivered from bondage under the Egyptians,) the law
ordained that we should every year slay that sacrifice which I
before told you we slew when we came out of Egypt, and which was
called the Passover; and so we do celebrate this passover in
companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice till the day
following. The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that of the
passover, and falls on the fifteenth day of the month, and
continues seven days, wherein they feed on unleavened bread; on
every one of which days two bulls are killed, and one ram, and
seven lambs. Now these lambs are entirely burnt, besides the kid
of the goats which is added to all the rest, for sins; for it is
intended as a feast for the priest on every one of those days.
But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the
sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of
the earth, for before that day they do not touch them. And while
they suppose it proper to honor God, from whom they obtain this
plentiful provision, in the first place, they offer the
first-fruits of their barley, and that in the manner following:
They take a handful of the ears, and dry them, then beat them
small, and purge the barley from the bran; they then bring one
tenth deal to the altar, to God; and, casting one handful of it
upon the fire, they leave the rest for the use of the priest.
And after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap
their harvest. They also at this participation of the
first-fruits of the earth, sacrifice a lamb, as a burnt-offering
to God.
6. When a week of weeks has passed over after this sacrifice,
(which weeks contain forty and nine days,) on the fiftieth day,
which is Pentecost, but is called by the Hebrews Asartha, which
signifies Pentecost, they bring to God a loaf, made of wheat
flour, of two tenth deals, with leaven; and for sacrifices they
bring two lambs; and when they have only presented them to God,
they are made ready for supper for the priests; nor is it
permitted to leave any thing of them till the day following.
They also slay three bullocks for a burnt-offering, and two
rams; and fourteen lambs, with two kids of the goats, for sins;
nor is there anyone of the festivals but in it they offer
burnt-offerings; they also allow themselves to rest on every one
of them. Accordingly, the law prescribes in them all what kinds
they are to sacrifice, and how they are to rest entirely, and
must slay sacrifices, in order to feast upon them.
7. However, out of the common charges, baked bread [was set on
the table of shew-bread], without leaven, of twenty-four tenth
deals of flour, for so much is spent upon this bread; two heaps
of these were baked, they were baked the day before the sabbath,
but were brought into the holy place on the morning of the
sabbath, and set upon the holy table, six on a heap, one loaf
still standing over against another; where two golden cups full
of frankincense were also set upon them, and there they remained
till another sabbath, and then other loaves were brought in
their stead, while the loaves were given to the priests for
their food, and the frankincense was burnt in that sacred fire
wherein all their offerings were burnt also; and so other
frankincense was set upon the loaves instead of what was there
before. The [high priest also, of his own charges, offered a
sacrifice, and that twice every day. It was made of flour
mingled with oil, and gently baked by the fire; the quantity was
one tenth deal of flour; he brought the half of it to the fire
in the morning, and the other half at night. The account of
these sacrifices I shall give more accurately hereafter; but I
think I have premised what for the present may be sufficient
concerning them.
Continue on to
Book
Three,
Chapter 11,
The Antiquities of the Jews
by
Flavius Josephus
Return to
The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
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