Certain aspects of the assumed 'time problem' with Jesus’ burial looked at
Glenn Miller (October 2, 2002)
answered by Gerhard Ebersöhn
Consideration of the following extracts begun 24 February 2010. View extracts at end of my considerations.
GE:
The Gospels create NO “time urgency problem” or even a feeling of a “time urgency problem”.
The Law allows no burial on the Sabbath (Seventh Day)— an agreed on, fact— the dispensation – the fore-ordination – of God PROVED it by the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus on the three consecutive days “according to the Scriptures” 1Cor15:3-4 “that He was crucified”, “that He was buried”, and “that He was raised”.
Jesus was crucified AND BURIED on ‘Crucifixion-day’— a disagreed on, supposition.
It is no supposition, claim people who believe ‘Good Friday’, ‘Easter Sunday’.
I maintain, on the contrary, according to the Bible the passover was over three days, the first of which was “the first day they KILLED the passover”— Crucifixion-day; the second day was “the first day ye shall eat unleavened bread”— Burial-day when they returned to the earth, corruptibility and forgottenness “that which remained” of the passover (which is the core idea of to bury).
I maintain therefore Jesus was NOT crucified AND BURIED on ‘Crucifixion-day’ whichever day of the week, but was crucified on “EVEN the first day” (of passover Abib 14) and buried on “the Feast” (of passover Abib 15) whichever day of the week—an indisputable FACT agreed on or disagreed on.
So people who believe in ‘Good Friday’ and ‘Easter Sunday’, REMOVE the Burial from the Sabbath and place it on ‘Good Friday’ on which Jesus allegedly was crucified because – THEY claim – ‘the Law’ prohibits a dead be buried on the Sabbath because ‘the Law’ prohibits a dead be buried after the day of death.
That’s the legalism of hypocrisy for you, in order to be able to reach to SUNDAY for ‘the third day’ and day of the resurrection, these people are they who CREATE a “time urgency problem”— necessary and indispensable for a Friday crucifixion Sunday resurrection! The Burial MUST be placed on the day of the Crucifixion in order to leave the Bible’s “in-between-day” of the Burial – which would have been the Sabbath according to them – VACANT.
GM:
There really is no 'time problem' here, that would necessitate a 'stop over' at the garden tomb, to begin with.
There are two major elements involved in showing this: (1) the 'ease' of doing the burial before sundown; and (2) the lower-than-assumed restrictions of the sabbath.
GE:
While ‘sundown’ is the one and only ‘major element’ that borders and defines the “restrictions of the sabbath” Day, the way it is used by Glen Miller assumedly because of “the lower-than-assumed restrictions of the sabbath”, this instantaneous division between days floats now this side then that side of itself over onto any of both days before and after it. The “elements” of “sundown” and “restrictions of the sabbath” – that should distinguish the days before and after ‘sundown’ from one another – are become useless and senseless.
It is claimed “before sundown” is the norm and only and all else exclusive alternative of the time of the Burial; all by pure presumption. But if the Burial had to be DONE “before sundown”, both statements, “the 'ease' of doing the burial before sundown” and “the lower-than-assumed restrictions of the sabbath” are in themselves contradictory statements that go against the obvious picture the Scriptures give of the 'ease' with which Joseph did the Burial. No matter what ‘restrictions’ or “lower-than-assumed restrictions” applied to “the sabbath”, no restrictions or relaxing of restrictions applied to the restriction ‘sundown’ to divide between the day of the Crucifixion and “the sabbath”. Joseph because ‘strictly’ AFTER ‘sundown’, with and at his ‘ease’ could undertake the Burial, while “the lower-than-assumed restrictions of the sabbath”, would be of help.
GM:
1. The ease of doing a regular burial before the Sabbath.
This can be demonstrated by simply looking at what was done in a simple, primary (non-funeral) burial, and then comparing these tasks to the time frames and burial infrastructure of the day. [Richard's article points out that the rabbinic position is that the executed criminal would have a burial, but not an honorable one. Therefore, we first have to determine what set of events would occur in each type--honorable burial and dishonorable burial.
The number of tasks to accomplish for a 'regular' burial (if elaborate mourning was not required, and large crowds were not expected) was not that great:
GE:
“The number of tasks ..... was not that great” that they could not be ‘accomplished’ with ‘ease’, “before the sabbath”— that is, “before sundown”.
GM claims it is “the number of tasks” that would determine whether it was possible “to accomplish a 'regular' burial” “before sundown” with “'ease'” because he imagines a very short time for the Burial; a time far too short for the Burial, no matter how few in ‘number’, the ‘tasks’ so imagined.
And then again, whatever “the number of tasks”— considering “the lower-than-assumed restrictions of the sabbath” (which are neither as strict nor as clear as one might have expected), what would their ‘number’ matter?
So what for at all argue for “the lower-than-assumed restrictions of the sabbath”? O, so long as the Burial did not happen on the day AFTER the day of the Crucifixion; as long as day of Crucifixion and day of Burial are – or is – the SAME DAY! Because that is what the Sunday resurrectionists must get if they want a resurrection on the First Day of the week.
Here is the perfect case of such treatment of the annoying existence of the autonomous day of The Burial; and observe its demarcation and its ‘tasks’ are equally diminished and played down as of no consequence for historicity or honesty.
This day – the day AFTER the day of the Crucifixion –, is the crux; the lost hub, the missing “In-Between-sabbath” of “That Day great day sabbath” of the passover that have the Sundayists’ Sunday-cart overturned BECAUSE THE WHOLE PASSOVER REVOLVES AROUND IT. This day must AT ALL COSTS be removed from the ‘belief-system’, and the surest way to do it is to AVOID it. Pretend it does not exist, and let sleeping dogs and sleeping watchmen lie.
GM:
In fact .......... set within the context of what little we know of first-century Jewish burial customs. When death occurred the eyes of the deceased were closed, the mouth bound up, the corpse washed (cf. Gos. Pet. 6:24) and anointed (m. Sanh. 13:5)—perhaps both at the place of death (cf. Jn 19:40) or at the home of the deceased and again at the tomb (cf. Mk 16:1).
GE:
“......the corpse washed ...... and anointed ...... perhaps both at the place of death (cf. Jn 19:40)......”
The comparison is false.
“cf. Jn 19:40” .... “Then (‘oun’) took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.”
Does “then (‘oun’)” refer to “the place of death”? Not in the least! “...... for if there were walls there he might bring [articles] — In the case of a corpse too, it is conceivable where the purpose is to cut out shrouds for him…And one may go to await nightfall in order to attend to the affairs of a bride or of a corpse, to bring a coffin and shrouds for him. [b. Shabb 150b, 151a]” [to whatever that may refer.]
Therefore, No! Cf. Jn 19:40, “THEN”- ‘oun’ -WHEN “they took the body .... TO BURY” infers many THEN’s before it .....
1) “THEN” WHEN hours before after nightfall “That Night”,
“AFTER these things Joseph” Jn19:38 had begun undertaking;
2) “THEN” WHEN hours before after nightfall “That Night”,
“the Jews’” Jn19:31 had held conference with Pilate;
3) “THEN” WHEN hours before after nightfall “That Night”,
“evening having had come already” Mark 15:42;
4) “THEN” WHEN hours before nightfall, BEFORE “That Night”,
“at the place of death” “everybody had left” Lk23:48 Mk15:40-41 Mt27:61;
5) “THEN” WHEN hours before nightfall, BEFORE “That Night”,
“the ninth hour” (‘mid-afternoon’) Mk15:34 Mt27:46 Jn19:30 Jesus had died;
In fact, “Then” (‘oun’) – in “Jn 19:40” – refers to WHEN hours BEFORE
1) all afternoon after “at the place of death” had passed
and
2) WHEN most of “That Night” of Joseph’s and Nicodemus’ undertaking after nightfall had passed.
Because the word “Then” in “Jn 19:40”, “Then (‘oun’) took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury” – “Jn 19:40” being “compared” –, refers to hours earlier after “nightfall” IN “That Night”— “AS” IN “That Night”, “is the ethics of the Jews TO BURY”.
“THEN” after nightfall “AS” “THAT NIGHT to be much observed” Ex12:42 “ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES”, “is the ethics of the Jews TO BURY” “that which remained” Ex12:10.... 1) “Joseph asked Pilate”; ‘THEN’, 2) Pilate had it confirmed by the centurion that Jesus had died; ‘THEN’, 3) Pilate “gave leave” to Joseph; ‘THEN’, 4) Pilate “surrendered” the body to Joseph and “commanded” the body be “delivered” to him; ‘THEN’, 5) Joseph went to the cross and “witnessed” how Jesus’ side was pierced; ‘THEN’, 6) Joseph had “the body taken down”; ‘THEN’, 7) he had the body taken “away” to “there” “where there were WALLS” “[b. Shabb 150b, 151a]” where he would be able to receive and “handle” or “treat” the body; ‘THEN’, 8) Joseph went and “bought clean linen”; ‘THEN’, 9) he at last began to “treat” or “prepare” the body; ‘THEN’, 10) Nicodemus “also came there” where Joseph IN ‘That Night’ had brought the body to. ONLY “THEN”, 11) “Jn 19:40”, “took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury”, “THEN”, 12) “laid they the body of Jesus there” “THAT SAME DAY” Dt21:22-23 Ex12-13— “That Day mid-afternoon as it began to dawn towards the Sabbath” Lk23:54.
“Then” in “Jn 19:40” — “Then (‘oun’) took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury”, means many hours BEFORE.
In fact, “Then” in “Jn 19:40” refers
to BEFORE the whole of the past daylight during which Joseph and the three other people had been occupied at burying Jesus;
to BEFORE the whole night before “That Day”, during which Joseph all by himself was occupied at obtaining and preparing the body for burial;
to BEFORE the whole afternoon before “That Night”;
to BEFORE it, when “then”, “at the place of death”
“there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour”; to BEFORE it, WHEN “then”, “at the place of death”,
“the earth did quake and the rocks rent and ....”;
when “THEN”, at the TIME of death,
“the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom”;
and “THEN”, the lintel of the door of the temple collapsed;
and “THEN”, AFTER, the aftermath of those calamities had endured;
and “THEN”, AFTER, only, “SUDDENLY there came Joseph ..... when evening already it had become and it was The Preparation now, and because That Day was a great day sabbath the Jews asked Pilate .....” Luke 23:50 John 19:31 Mark 15:42.
Therefore, the comparison “......the corpse washed ...... and anointed ...... perhaps both at the place of death (cf. Jn 19:40)......”, is false. The corpse was NOT washed OR anointed at the place of death. It was washed and anointed after the sun had set and after the night until midnight at the soonest; and was prepared to be buried “that same day” when it was laid in the tomb and Joseph closed the tomb “mid-afternoon as it began to dawn towards the Sabbath .... and That Day had been The Preparation” Lk23:54 throughout from “the evening having come” Mk15:42 Mt27:57 the night before.
GM:
The warm climate dictated a speedy burial, with the use of spices necessary to counter the stench of decomposition. For the same reason the body might be laid on sand or salt. The deceased were buried in their own clothes or in specially prepared wraps (cf. Mk 15:46; Jn 19:40; Gos. Pet. 6:24). Coffins were used in some cases (cf. Lk 7:14), though it is unclear whether their usage was normal in Jerusalem. When the body was in place, the tomb was closed off by a large rock, held in place by a smaller stone. ...........
GE:
“A speedy burial” is something relative. What is ‘speedy’? It can be the same day as death; it can be the day after. According to arguments concerning how “to counter the stench of decomposition” a burial on the third day after death may also pass for burial in good time, that is, for “a speedy burial”.
In the case of the interment of “That Which Remained” of the Passover Sacrifice of Yahweh the only thing that ‘dictated’ how ‘speedy’ it should be returned to the earth, was the passover commandment; NOT decomposition of the flesh or “the warm climate”, because it is written, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption .... His soul was not left in hell neither his flesh did see corruption.” Acts 2:27,31.
“The flesh of the sacrifice ..... shall be eaten the same day that he sacrifices his sacrifice ..... and on the next day also the remainder of it shall be eaten; but the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire ..... and if of the flesh of the sacrifice ..... be eaten at all on the third day IT SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED.” Lv7:15-18. Therefore by the same logic and typology burial on the day after the sacrifice was made would be “acceptable”. And since it is commanded every time it is commanded the sacrifice of the passover should be eaten – assimilated with the earthy and corruptible – on the day – Abib 15 – after it the afternoon before – Abib 14 – had been sacrificed, the ONLY ‘acceptable’ day on which “that which remained” of the Sacrifice of the Passover of Yahweh – the “flesh” of Jesus – could be buried, was on the day AFTER He had “made Sacrifice of Himself”. Burial on the same day as the Crucifixion would be ‘unacceptable’; it would not be “imputed unto Him that offere(d) it” unto righteousness, but would have been “an abomination; and his soul”, would have “b(orn) his iniquity”— God forbid! Jesus was NOT crucified on ‘Friday’; more important, Jesus was NOT crucified AS WELL AS BURIED on ‘Friday’! Jesus OBEYED God’s Laws.
GM:
"Jews of the NT period buried their dead promptly, as soon as possible after death and almost always on the same day. Preparations began at the moment of death: the eyes of the deceased were closed, the corpse was washed with perfumes and ointments (Acts 9:37), its bodily orifices were stopped and strips of cloth were wound tightly around the body— binding the jaw closed, the feet together and the hands to the sides of the body (Jn 11:44). The corpse was then placed on a bier and carried in a procession to the family tomb (Lk 7:12). Eulogies were spoken, and the corpse was placed inside the tomb, along with items of jewelry or other personal effects. The funeral was thus conducted without delay, and most bodies were interred by sunset on the day of death. ....." [HI:DictNTB, s.v. "Burial Practices, Jewish"]
GE:
Yes, “as soon as possible after death and almost always on the same day ..... without delay, and most bodies were interred by sunset on the day of death.” But that is not always or in every case; it may have been the rule, ‘normally’, but never was the rule in cases of rule or out of the ordinary! The cases of the hanged body of the killed criminal and of “that which remained” of the passover sacrifice were not ‘ordinary’; they were exceptional and therefore received precise prescription in ‘The Scriptures’, of how and when to be buried. In BOTH cases the commandment was that the body
1) should “not remain all night” (on the pole), but
2) should “before daylight”
3) be “removed” and
4) be buried (or burned) “that same day”.
[So they changed God’s Laws also here and say He was buried before sunset.)
In the instance of the ALREADY hung, and a “sepulchre new and prepared” Jn19:41,42— that, left the whole of “The Preparation” after it after sunset “had become evening it being The Preparation” Mk15:42 Mt27:57 until “mid-afternoon that day The Preparation” Lk23:54 for Joseph to get the body of Jesus interred. For no moment was it ‘necessary’ for him to ‘speed’ or ‘rush’. Compare Dt16:6-7, “and thou shalt return in the morning, and go unto thy tents”— a peaceful day of Feast was “That Day” of the Burial. The Gospels don’t give the slightest hint of disturbance of the peace of “That Day”; it is characterized by the serenity of Joseph’s undertaking from beginning until he “returned home”; as did the women who “followed after” and after they had finished to “prepare spices and ointments”, “began to rest the Sabbath”. Mt27:60 Lk23:56. All everybody did, they did “according to the Commandment”. Not only did the women “rest the Sabbath according to the Commandment”, but everything they or others did before the Sabbath on “The Preparation which is the Fore-Sabbath”, they did “according to the Commandment” for “the First Day ye shall eat Unleavened Bread”, “move out” and “burn that which remained”— Abib 15, and therefore, peacefully and without haste or anxiety. “They pitched in Succoth .... baked unleavened cakes” and ate. Nb33:5 Ex12:39 “become the People of the LORD thy God” Dt27:9 “Great peace have they who love thy Law: and nothing shall offend them.” Ps119:165. Not Joseph or Nicodemus or the women were hindered or opposed or offended in their task or privacy of “That Day”; instead, they were assisted by everyone else who were involved, Pilate, the centurion, and even the soldiers at the cross. Quite a different day was the day of Jesus’ Burial than the day of his Crucifixion! Truly no one did menial tasks; only the obligatory and holy demands of the sacred occasion.
GM:
"Those responsible would wash the body (Acts 9:37), anoint it with aromatic ointments (Jn. 12:7; 19:39), clothe it as in life (cf. 1 S. 28:14), swathe hands and feet in gravebands, usually of linen (Sir. 38:16; Jn. 11:44a), and cover the face or bind it about with a napkin or handkerchief (Jn. 11:44b). Such ministries ordinarily devolved upon loving relatives and friends, mostly women (cf. Lk. 23:54–24:1)." [ISBE, s.v. 'burial']
Most tombs were to the north and northwest of the city (Herod's was an exception, as were those elite tombs in the Kidron valley, associated with famous OT figures, and the High Priest's family). Presumably, the 'graveyards of the condemned' would have been with the other cemetery sites in the northern necropolis or in the same southern area in which the Potter's Field was located. So, the only movement of the body would have either been from the Cross to the (biblical account) Tomb of Joseph of A (traditional map sites yield a distance of only 50 yards); or from the Cross to the northern necropolis (300-600 yards?); or with the farthest plausible distance to the vicinity of the Haceldama--"Field of Blood" area--around a mile [at 3 mph, that's a 20 minute walk for a worst-case scenario]. So the distance to an alleged community/criminal gravesite would not be a factor.
The few 'heavy tasks' (e.g., carrying the 75lbs of spices of Nicodemus, carrying the physical body of Jesus) would likely have been done either by their servants (they both are represented as wealthy, and Nicodemus is generally considered to be of the rich Ben Gurion family) or by the professional, contract-labor burial tradesmen, common in the day.
GE:
Why must we resort to ‘explanations’ like this that cannot be of any help or necessity? What the Gospels tell us is explanation enough, sure and satisfactory to the smallest detail. More important, the Gospels’ story answers perfectly the God-given and therefore eschatological imperative wholeness and greatness of the Prophetic Word of “That Day great day of sabbath it was” the second day of the Passover of Yahweh, Feast and “first day ye shall eat Unleavened Bread” Ex12:15b, Abib 15 (in contradistinction to “the very first day ye shall put away leaven” Ex12:15a, Abib 14, its menial tasks and hustle and bustle of “Preparation of / for the Passover” Jn19:14 “when they always had to KILL the passover” Mk14:12 Lk22:7 Dt16:4 Ex12:5a.
GM:
" …The sources indicate .......... The case of a gentile who buried a Jew on the eve of the Sabbath indicates that, when necessary, Jews could use non-Jewish burial societies for the burial of Jews. .......... the familial obligation to bury its deceased members, and the "good deeds" performed by others in this regard, were not connected in any way to the charitable functions of the synagogues…The existence of private burial societies relieved the general urban as well as Jewish communal institutions from all matters concerning burial." [GLA:363ff]
GE:
This could have been so; in fact, may be a very important observation, because the “Jewish communal institutions” like the Sanhedrin and or “functions of the synagogues” certainly knew NOTHING of Joseph’s “secret” Jn19:38 undertaking. But it does not take into account the Burial of Jesus was no ‘general’, ‘matter concerning burial’ as though Joseph buried Him under the disrespectful gaze of those very enemies who crucified Him. Like his Crucifixion or Resurrection from the dead, was Jesus’ Burial the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy, Promise and Law and happened every aspect and every moment of it, as fore-ordained in the Plan of Almighty God who knew “The End” and “Amen” from “The Beginning of the creation of God” Rv3:14— of which plan and “all matters concerning burial” of the Passover of Yahweh, all we know, we know from the Scriptures, and understand from its actual story related in the FOUR GOSPELS and ‘Prophets’ (Mt12:39). The Jews from the second to the fifth century cannot tell us anything we may not learn from the Christian Sources directly and unaided. Nevertheless, aren’t the correlations and semblances astonishing? That makes the fantastic portrayals of a Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection the more grotesque.
GM:
.......... John 19:31 has the Jewish leadership ask Pilate to prematurely end the crucifixions, and take the bodies down. Since this request was for reasons of the Festival, some arrangements must have been 'standing orders' for such situations. According to Semahot 2.9, the other crucifixion victims should have been given full, honorable burials--they do not seem to have been 'condemned' by the Sanhedrin at all, nor are they mentioned by Joseph of A.]
The time frame available for all this is from approximately 3:00 pm until 'deep' sundown-plus in April (somewhere between 6.15pm and 7:15pm). That gives a spread of 3-4 hours, with the largest time component probably being the request by Joseph to Pilate for the body. The indications are that he went quickly (although we do not know where Pilate was at the time: he might have been at/close to the site, overseeing the event--the interchange with the Jews in John 19.19-22 seems to place Pilate at or close to the site)
GE:
Keen observation, “the Jewish leadership ask Pilate to prematurely end the crucifixions, and take the bodies down .... for reasons of the Festival”! Indeed it is EXACTLY John’s finding and ruling! Word for word ..... “The Jews THEREFORE, BECAUSE, it was The Preparation, FOR / BECAUSE, THAT, ‘SABBATH’ day was an HIGH DAY, THAT, the bodies SHOULD NOT, remain upon the cross ON THE ‘SABBATH’, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken and they might be TAKEN, AWAY” on the ‘sabbath’ by all means and “because” of it, “the Festival”-‘sabbath’, of course! It cannot be put plainer or clearer or more unambiguous, “the Jewish leadership ask Pilate to prematurely end the crucifixions, and take the bodies down .... for reasons of the Festival”! “The Festival”, was “the sabbath”, “That Day” or “that sabbath day”— and “great day sabbath” on top; and “for” its sake – “for” its ‘holiness’ sake; “for” its ‘greatness’ sake – “the Jewish leadership ask Pilate to prematurely end the crucifixions, and take the bodies down .”
No further explanation needed; the Gospels tell why the Jews suddenly changed their mind; why “the morning early” Jn19:14 still they wanted Jesus crucified no matter what; “Now when evening having come” Jn19:31 they want Him ‘down’ and taken away no matter what.
Imagine it was “the Festival” only “the morning early” Jn19:14, WOULD THEY HAVE WANTED HIM CRUCIFIED? “Not on the Feast!” Mt26:5. But “Now with evening having come” Mk15:42 Jn19:31 the Jews realizing it was “the Festival”, “now”, they “for reasons of the Festival” realized the embarrassment when this day of “the Festival” would break next morning and the bodies on the crosses would be there standing still as grim reminder of their lost Land of Promise and self-respect. So “the Jewish leadership ask Pilate to prematurely end the crucifixions, and take the bodies down .”
All “'standing orders' for such situations” were of no effect as far as the Jews were concerned; the ruler judged and the ruler 'condemned' and the ruler was the Roman state authority, Pilate (and Herod). But God “overseeing the event” overrules all rule. God’s own 'standing orders' for such situation as the Passover of Yahweh came into effect the moment “the Jewish leadership” forfeited its ‘rights’. And the Roman authority its, Pilate having “given the body over” and any mandate over it, to Joseph in priestly act of Moses and Israel of “taking out of Egypt”, “That Which Remained” of the Passover Sacrifice of Yahweh “by the Ethics of the Jews to bury”, The Holy Scriptures. Irrelevant are any and all “'standing orders' for such situations” from “Jewish leadership” or Roman.
“The time frame available for all this” was God’s— not man’s, Jew or Roman. “The time frame available for all this” was the Scriptures’— not of “some arrangements” or “'standing orders' for such situations” of “the Jewish leadership” or “Sanhedrin”, or of the “Semahot” or “restrictions of the sabbath”; or, of “Roman leadership” or “Roman authorities”. “The time frame available for all this” was the only ‘available’— the ‘time frame’ of the Passover of Yahweh: of the “three days and three nights” “three days” “on the third day” of which “God raised Christ from the dead” “according to the Scriptures” “the day after the sabbath” of “That Day great day sabbath” and “Feast” of the passover, “the first day” of “seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread”: “fifteenth day of the First Month”.
GM:
The time frame available for all this is from approximately 3:00 pm until 'deep' sundown-plus in April (somewhere between 6.15pm and 7:15pm). That gives a spread of 3-4 hours, with the largest time component probably being the request by Joseph to Pilate for the body. The indications are that he went quickly (although we do not know where Pilate was at the time: he might have been at/close to the site, overseeing the event--the interchange with the Jews in John 19.19-22 seems to place Pilate at or close to the site)
GE:
If “the time frame available for all this”— “all this” in “John 19:31”, “..... the Jewish leadership ask Pilate to prematurely end the crucifixions, and take the bodies down. Since this request was for reasons of the Festival, some arrangements must have been 'standing orders' for such situations. According to Semahot 2.9, the other crucifixion victims should have been given full, honorable burials--they do not seem to have been 'condemned' by the Sanhedrin at all, nor are they mentioned by Joseph of A.]” If “the time frame available for all this is from approximately 3:00 pm until 'deep' sundown-plus in April (somewhere between 6.15pm and 7:15pm). That gives a spread” for “the time frame available for all this” “of 3-4 hours” for “the Jewish leadership (to) ask”; for “some arrangements” to be made; and for the “burials (of the) victims” to be finished BEFORE “'deep' sundown-plus in April”.
What time on the clock (Greenwich-time) I cannot tell; but despite Judea is some distance from the equator, I doubt whether that distance could cause one and a quarter of an hour’s difference between ‘Jewish time’ of twelve hours from sunrise to sunset no matter the ‘standard-time’ duration of Greenwich-time hours. In other words, the Bible-time of “sundown” is the twelfth hour of the day (or first hour of the night) irrespective it were “somewhere between” ‘6 p.m.’ or “6.15pm” or “7:15pm”. Therefore “the time frame available for all this” inferred from “John 19:31” – taking “3:00 pm” as its starting point – will ALWAYS give “a spread of” THREE hours ONLY between “3:00 pm” (or “the ninth hour”) and “sundown” right on ‘the twelfth hour’ ‘Bible-time hours’. Sunset is sunset ‘shallow’ or ‘deep plus’ – and therefore the “coming” of “the evening” ‘Bible-time hours’ – summer, winter, spring, or autumn – is ‘6 p.m.’, ‘the twelfth hour’, no difference.
As I have said before, “restrictions of the sabbath” may have been “lower-than-assumed”, but that does not mean the ‘restrictions’ of “sundown” were “lower-than” REAL. “Before sundown” is “before sundown”; it is not “sundown” nor “from approximately 3:00 pm”. And “'deep' sundown” or “sundown-plus”, is after “sundown” regardless “from approximately” whatever time before ‘sundown’.
Sunset cannot be spread over “3-4 hours”. Nor can ‘evening’ which is from after sunset until dark, ‘approximately’, one to one and a halve hours at most. Maybe ‘evening’ could be longer or shorter the nearer or further one gets to the poles or the earth swings between day and night equinoxes; but these phenomena have NO bearing on our subject. Not even the factor of it having been “in April” could make any difference, because that time of year – spring-time – ‘hours’ were equal during day and night.
Therefore, Jesus died “the ninth hour”, ‘approximately 3:00 pm’. Three hours Bible-time hours remained until “sundown” “when evening having come it was The Preparation”, the day AFTER the Crucifixion “which is the Fore-Sabbath”. Joseph did not enter the picture any time before “the evening having come” Mk15:42 “since being The Preparation” Jn19:31. The Burial accordingly never began before Joseph had the body prepared for burial That Night and wasn’t done until he closed the grave “That Day The Preparation mid-afternoon as it began to dawn towards the Sabbath” Lk23:54. [Sunday worshippers, you better tear this text from your Bibles; never let the Saturdarians set eye on it. (Resolution 666 Councils of Antichrist Lackeys 1844 and 1983.)]
The Burial never occurred on Crucifixion day; NEVER! The Burial never occurred on Crucifixion day or Joseph had the body buried exactly the moment that Jesus died which is not only impossible and ludicrous but blasphemous. Ban the thought!
GM:
"The remark in Mark suggest that Joseph went to Pilate almost immediately after Jesus' death, since Pilate is not sure that Jesus is dead yet. Matthew and Mark noted earlier that it was becoming evening (probably somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M.), which meant that Sabbath was approaching, so the body had to be dealt with quickly or else left until Sunday." ......
GE:
After more than 14000 words in his article, Glen miller refers to “the remark in Mark”, that ‘suggests’, “that Joseph went to Pilate almost immediately after Jesus' death, since Pilate is not sure that Jesus is dead yet”. But for more than 14000 words before in his article, there is no suggestion of such “remark in Mark”. However .....
Note Glen Miller’s logical sequence of events:
“Jesus' death”
“almost immediately after”
“Joseph went to Pilate”
“Pilate is not sure that Jesus is dead yet”
“Matthew and Mark noted earlier that it was becoming evening (probably somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M.), which meant that Sabbath was approaching”
Therefore the actual sequence of events, according to Glen Miller, was,
1) “..... it was becoming evening ..... Sabbath was approaching”
2) “Jesus' death”
3) “almost immediately after”
4) “Joseph went to Pilate”
5) “Pilate is not sure that Jesus is dead yet”
Note that Glen Miller says “probably”, but ‘restricts’ the time to “somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M.” Not later than “5:00 P.M.”; while above, he allowed the less ‘strict’ “spread of 3-4 hours”, “from approximately 3:00 pm until”, “somewhere between 6.15pm and 7:15pm”.
Generous of him. But all of a sudden he gets mean. “That gives” no more than two hours, “between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M.”.
First observe GM changed the TEXT-sequence to paint his purposed logical picture of events. But “Matthew and Mark” did NOT ‘note’ “that it was becoming evening” or “that Sabbath was approaching ..... earlier”, i.e., before “Jesus' death”. That’s a huge and shameless lie.
“Matthew and Mark” did NOT ‘note’ “that ..... almost immediately after ..... Jesus' death”, “Joseph went to Pilate”, either. That’s just as huge and shameless, lie.
And so, it’s superfluous to further comment on “the body had to be dealt with quickly or else left until Sunday.”
Nevertheless, as I before have said, the Gospels create NO “time urgency problem” or even a feeling of a “time urgency problem”. But a “time urgency problem” is necessary and indispensable for a Friday crucifixion Sunday resurrection because the Burial MUST be placed on the day of the Crucifixion in order to leave the “in-between-day” of the Burial, VACANT – it must be emptied because it is the Sabbath that would be the day of Burial if Jesus had been crucified on FRIDAY and the Crucifixion would not be allowed on the Sabbath for these people who so believe in ‘Good Friday’ and ‘Easter Sunday’ – in order to be able to reach to SUNDAY for ‘the third day’ and day of the resurrection. That’s the legalism of their hypocrisy for you!
And that is why “the remark in Mark” 15:42 Mt27:57 is also corrupted by it having been changed
FROM,
“And now [that is, “now” MORE than three hours after “Jesus had given up the ghost” 15:37 “at the place of death (cf. Jn 19:40)” when the even was come / when already it had become evening / when already it was evening since it was / since it had become The Preparation // when the even was come / when evening had come .....”,
INTO,
“it was becoming evening” / “Sabbath was approaching”, ..... “probably somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M.”.
Like ‘The man became king’ is Aorist Ingressive, so the Aorist of the Verbs in these texts are like the English Past Perfect; and the English Past Perfect is no equivalent of or replacement for the Greek Imperfect or Present which in these texts are NONEXISTENT and contextually are IMPOSSIBLE, BECAUSE the day “ALREADY” ‘ehdeh’ “had become” the day of the Burial.
In Mark 15:42, Matthew 27:57 and John 19:31,
Aorist, ‘genomenehs’—
After the day of the Crucifixion “IT HAVING HAD BECOME evening, it HAD BECOME / HAD BEEN / WAS” the day of the Burial;
After the afternoon of three hours after “the ninth hour” before sunset after “IT HAVING HAD BECOME the evening”, “IT HAD BECOME / HAD BEEN / WAS The Preparation”.
Aorist, ‘ehn’, ‘ehlthen’—
After Abib 14, Abib 15 “HAD BECOME / HAD BEEN / WAS / CAME”.
After the Fifth Day of the week had been, the Sixth Day of the week (‘Friday’) “was / had become, The Preparation, evening having had come already”.
That is what the Aorist means; never, impossible, incorrect, and false, is it BEFORE “evening” “it was becoming evening” / “Sabbath was approaching”, ..... “probably somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M.”. “Now” at this stage of day BEFORE the body had been buried, AFTER sunset, and AFTER ‘6 p.m.’; “it was evening” of NIGHT; it “HAD BECOME evening” of night “already”: like in EVERY instance in the Gospels of the word “evening”- ‘heh opsia’— BEFORE the body had been buried!
NO ‘rush’, the WHOLE DAY lay AHEAD “now” for ‘the body to be dealt with’— the whole day, for ‘the body TO BE’ buried STILL.
AFTERWARDS, in Lk23:54 (Jn19:42) it is the Imperfect, ‘ehn’, and ‘epefohsken’, ‘epi’ + ‘e’ + ‘fohs’ + ‘en’ .... “went / moved on towards”, “drew near” = “mid-noon-after-was”, “shined-forth-on”—
“That Day (“great day sabbath” of passover .... “by the time of the Jews’ preparations”) WAS The Preparation, and (day) WENT on TOWARDS the Sabbath” or, “the Sabbath DREW near”.
“Now” (Lk23:54a) at this stage of day AFTER the body had been buried, at last “it was becoming evening” and after all “Sabbath was approaching”— but we’re talking about the ‘COMING evening’ implied (not mentioned) when and upon which the women would begin to “rest the Sabbath according to the Commandment” (verse 56b); i.e., the ‘evening’ of the Seventh Day of the week that would begin after ‘sundown’ at the end of Friday.
Nothing “quickly”; no haste; no ‘speed’; no ‘rush’, the whole day lay BEHIND and the body had been ‘dealt with’ in every respect “now”. The ‘rest’ of the Sabbath could peaceably set in. Of a hanged ‘victim’ that hurriedly had to be taken off the cross and be buried “quickly” before “sundown” still, we don’t see a thing; we hear nothing; we feel not the least. It’s all serenity “now” on “That Day great day sabbath” of the Passover of Yahweh. An awareness pervades the atmosphere of “all the works of God” to be “finished” in the imminent resurrection of the Son “In the fulfillment of the Sabbath”.
GM:
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” (John 19.19ff)
Even working alone, Joseph and Nicodemus (perhaps with their servants) could have done this in two hours:
"The actions now about to be described (going before Pilate who would call in the centurion, buying the linen cloth, taking the body down, tying it up, and putting it in a burial place) would have taken not much less than two hours." [DM:1211f; but notice that if Pilate were on-site, or if the centurion accompanied Joseph when he went to ask for the body, then this time is further reduced…and of course, with a burial 'firm' involved, this entire process could have happened in under 30 minutes, easily.]
GE:
“..... Joseph went to Pilate almost immediately after Jesus' death .....”! Unbelievable!
GM pretends “Joseph and Nicodemus” were “working alone” together ALL the time, and that Joseph did not start ‘working’, ALONE long BEFORE Nicodemus “also came there” where Joseph HAD been busy since “evening having come” six to nine hours at least before.
Leaping from before the crucifixion, over it and over every event that occurred then and afterwards, to after Joseph under difficulty and danger, requested the body from Pilate, Glen Miller goes on to say as though at the time of the argument over the ‘inscription’, “Joseph and Nicodemus .... Even working alone .... could have done this in two hours”. According to Glen Miller, “Joseph went to Pilate”, even before the crucifixion, just as or just after the argument between Pilate and the Jews about the “inscription” was going on! “..... Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” (John 19.19ff) Even working alone, Joseph and Nicodemus (perhaps with their servants) could have done this in two hours: "The actions now about to be described (going before Pilate who would call in the centurion.....”.
Unbelievable, Glen Miller averring, “Joseph and Nicodemus could have done this (the actions now about to be described) in two hours: ..... going before Pilate; call in the centurion; buying the linen cloth; taking the body down; tying it up” ..... AND, “putting it in a burial place”— “this”, “:”, “in two hours ..... less than two hours ..... in under 30 minutes, easily.”
What about Matthew 27:51-54 and Mark 15:38-39? Didn’t these things first HAPPEN ‘immediately after Jesus' death’?
What about Mark 15:40, Matthew 27:55 and Luke 23:48-49? What HAPPENED to “all the people” ‘immediately after Jesus' death’?
What about the after-effects of all these realities, like of even the darkness that so suddenly came and went? What happened with “all the land” between ‘immediately after Jesus' death’ and BEFORE “Joseph went to Pilate”?
What about John 19:31? Didn’t Joseph “AFTER THESE THINGS” and “secretly, for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might TAKE AWAY the body of Jesus”? Didn’t the Jews LONG AFTER ‘immediately after Jesus' death’ and “BECAUSE it had become The Preparation”, BEFORE “Joseph went to Pilate”, “besought Pilate that (the crucified) be TAKEN AWAY”?
What about John 19:39? Didn’t “Nicodemus (come) there” LONG AFTER ‘immediately after Jesus' death’ and how long AFTER Joseph BUT BEFORE “Joseph and Nicodemus could have done this”— “this” namely, to bury the body of Jesus?
COULD – even working together – Joseph and Nicodemus “have done this in two hours” or in “much less than two hours”— “in under 30 minutes, easily” “immediately after Jesus' death”!?
ONLY, if Mark 15:42 Matthew 27:57 John 19:31 Luke 23:50 are, either IGNORED, or, CORRUPTED. And there are several ways to do that, which I shall not now go into, but to point to Glen Miller’s ingenuity, “Sabbath was approaching ..... probably somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M.”.
Glen Miller obviously with “this in two hours” refers to
“the time frame available for all this ......
all this ...... at or close to the site ......
the site where ..... Jesus was crucified .....
the site where ...... the request for the body (was) put ......
the site where ...... Pilate (was) overseeing the event ......
the event ...... where Jesus was crucified ......
where ...... Pilate also had an inscription written ......
where ...... John places the interchange with the Jews .....
the event ...... site where ...... Joseph and Nicodemus could have done this”— the BURIAL “in two hours”.
Glen Miller meant to say with “this”: Crucifixion and Burial are placed within the exact same time-limits; even working alone, Joseph and Nicodemus could likely have done the burial, including “the few 'heavy tasks' (e.g., carrying the 75lbs of spices of Nicodemus ...... carrying the physical body of Jesus) ...... in two hours ...... immediately after Jesus’ death.
Notice WHERE and WHEN Glen Miller says “Joseph and Nicodemus could have done” the Burial “in two hours”:
“The time frame available for all this”— THE BURIAL .....
“Pilate overseeing the event where Jesus was crucified”!
When “Pilate had an inscription written and put on the cross” and had “the interchange with the Jews in John 19.19-22”, even BEFORE the Crucifixion!
“Joseph and Nicodemus could have done”, THE BURIAL, “in two hours” with “Pilate at or close to the site where Jesus was crucified”!
Glen Miller likewise completely identifies the moments of Jesus’ DEATH and the CLOSING of the grave ON THE SAME DAY! And so does all the Christian world. Amazing!
GM:
"The actions now about to be described (going before Pilate who would call in the centurion, buying the linen cloth, taking the body down, tying it up, and putting it in a burial place) would have taken not much less than two hours." [DM:1211f; but notice that if Pilate were on-site, or if the centurion accompanied Joseph when he went to ask for the body, then this time is further reduced…and of course, with a burial 'firm' involved, this entire process could have happened in under 30 minutes, easily.]”
GE:
Now the time of the Burial is reduced from “two hours” (from originally “3 to 4 hours”) to “under 30 minutes, easily” .... until Burial and Crucifixion are in fact REVERSED!
GM:
It should also be noted though, that John indicates that Jesus' mother was present at the Cross [Jn 19.25ff], and she could easily have been a member of the burial party (even though she is not mentioned as such--John might have simply taken her home with him, after knowing that Joseph of A was taking care of the burial).
GE:
John took the mother of Jesus home long before Jesus died; in fact, before the darkness set in at midday. Neither returned to the cross. It is prophesied EVERYONE would desert. And it is recorded “Everyone did return”, Lk23:48. It is theologised “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and DIE IT ABIDETH ALONE” Jn12:24. Jesus' mother was no “member of the burial party” because ‘the burial party’ started with one undertaker, Joseph of Arimathea; gained one member when Nicodemus “also came there”, and closed membership when the two Marys “followed after” in the procession to the grave.
And AGAIN, Glen Miller reverses Crucifixion and Burial, in actual fact, Death and Burial: “John might have simply taken her home with him, after knowing that Joseph of A was taking care of the burial”— BEFORE Jesus even DIED!
GM:
The large, royal-size amount of spices would not have been all used in the wrapping of the body; most would likely have been used as a 'bed' (like sand was used in common graves). The amount is substantial (commentators call it a 'royal' amount), but not impractical: if the spices were oils, they would be between 10-15 gallons; if dry powder (most likely, according to Brown), it would be the volume of 15-20 sacks of sugar or flour (this would fit in a medium-sized gym bag today). There is no need to assume that the body was 'smothered' in these ingredients. Some oils were needed for the cleaning process ("Shab 23:5 and early citations of Sm indicate that the corpse was 'anointed and washed,' i.e. it was first smeared with oil to remove the dirt and then washed to cleanse it of the oil." [HI:Sema:98.n3]) and some would likely have been burned by Nicodemus in 'royal tribute', as was done in Jeremiah 34.5 (" you shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your ancestors, the earlier kings who preceded you, so they shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!”").
"The amount of spices that he is reported to have brought appears to us staggering in quantity............
GE:
All these things are argued to lessen the time needed “to bury as is the ethics of the Jews” and keep the interment on the ‘restricted’ day and in the ‘restricted’ site of the Crucifixion, while disregarding the details the accounts do supply— see above.
Take this ‘argument’, “The large, royal-size amount of spices would not have been all used in the wrapping of the body; most would likely have been used as a 'bed' (like sand was used in common graves).” If the whole of “the large amount of spices” were to be used for the body itself, it would take much longer than if only a small part of it were used on the body itself, and the rest spread out on the surface of the ‘bench’ where the body was to be laid. So it’s simply assumed that was the way it was done, never mind that John wrote, “They took the BODY of Jesus, and wound IT in linen clothes WITH (all of) the spices, AS, the manner is.” HERE, is, that “manner” described! Why go look for it elsewhere? And the “manner” was to take the BODY and wind IT in linen clothes with ALL of the spices, which HERE, ‘to us’, may seem “staggering in quantity” but must “as the manner” was, have been mandatory.
And keep in mind John makes it clear the treatment of the body was NOT done in the grave, and that nothing of Nicodemus’ contribution of “myrrh and aloes” was used to form a “bed” in a grave; but all means and agents were finished “THERE” where Nicodemus “ALSO came” to join effort and goods with Joseph’s in preparation of the body to be interred in a ‘sepulchre’ later on.
The whole idea with the preparation of the body right on the spot of the Crucifixion is to make the interment quicker after the Crucifixion and before sunset— a totally FALSE and wilful attempt at corrupting the truth of the Scriptures for the sake of Sunday-worship.
Take this same assumption of how the long time needed to have the large amount of spices used up in preparation for interment of the body is reduced to only a little time, and compare it with another of Glen Miller’s, “.....acceptable reasons ..... to increase the honor of the burial (certainly not applicable in Jesus case)”. Why “not applicable in Jesus’ case”? Because the more or greater “the honor of the burial”, the more and longer the TIME of the burial and Sunday-resurrectionists don’t like the idea of a Burial that lasted more than an ‘easy’ and ‘quick’ “half hour” or so.
The undertakers of Jesus’ burial were of the elite among men, rulers in Israel, wealthy and influential men of the world— not from the lower classes or grave-diggers’ clans Glen Miller here refers to as according to him the likely contractors in Jesus’ burial. They were able to ‘buy’, their time!
Isaiah foretold, although He was reckoned and crucified with the criminals, his grave would be that of a rich man and turned out to be one “hewn out in rock”, in which no dead before had been laid. Which all goes to show Jesus was given a ‘royal burial’ of abundance in quantity and quality in every respect, also in respect of time and OCCASION— it having been “That Day of great day sabbath” of PASSOVER OF YAHWEH-‘honor’— the WHOLE and “IN-THE-BONE-OF-DAY” day of exception and status.
[Glen Miller, referring, “Richard's ...... final section discusses the Jewish emphasis on the "third day", as the measure of death's actuality. ("On the Third Day").”
This day, Abib 15, was NOT “the Jewish emphasis on the "third day" as the measure of death's actuality”. The Scriptural and Christian emphasis on the measure of LIFE’S actuality reflects “on the Third Day” Abib 16, of “First Sheaf Offering Waved before the LORD”— ‘Resurrection-Day’ of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead! So THIS – Abib 15 – was THE day of ‘Jewish ethics’ and of Christian and Scriptural ‘exodus- passover-emphasis’ on “the first day ye shall eat unleavened bread”, ‘as the measure of death's actuality’; as the ‘actualisation’ of Life’s completed assimilation with death, earth, darkness, nothingness and “forgottenness”.
Reasons Karl Barth, ‘Dogmatics in Outline’, “The seal of death will be that they will bury me as a thing that is superfluous and disturbing in the land of the living. ‘Buried’ gives to death the character of passing away and decay and to human existence the character of transitoriness and corruptibility. .... There is no great name in human history which will not some day or other have become a forgotten name. That is the meaning of being ‘buried’; and that is the judgment on man, that in the grave man drops into forgottenness. That is God’s answer to sin: there is nothing else to do with sinful man, except to bury him and forget him. .... Man is separated from God .... ‘descended into hell’. .... God would not be God .... if this verdict and its execution could be stayed.” Now herein is the glory and honour of Jesus in having been buried and of the grave of This Buried, in the words of Karl Barth, “But now the confession tells us that the execution of this verdict is carried out by GOD in this way, that HE, GOD Himself, in Jesus Christ his Son, at once true God and true man, TAKES THE PLACE of condemned man. .... Such is the LORDSHIP of Jesus Christ.....” Such is Jesus’ DIVINITY, his GRAVE and his BURIAL attest to it, because “God would not be God .... if this verdict and its execution could be stayed.”
The Divinity of the Christ exalts already in the lowest state of his humanity. Abib 15 was no fleeting, ‘easy, quick half hour’ on Crucifixion-day OF A MERE DEAD HUMAN; it was the ‘God-given and therefore eschatological imperative WHOLENESS’ (Lohmeyer) of “That Day” APPOINTED, “great day sabbath” of the Passover of Yahweh of and for Jesus’ INTERMENT: of and for “God-With-Us” FULLY even in the final and eternal reward of our sins: death and the grave; and that is why the Gospels so vividly sketch the WHOLENESS of “That Day” of Jesus’ no less ‘appointed’ than his Crucifixion, BURIAL.]
GM:
I should also point out that a Sabbath eve twilight burial is not at all uncommon in the Rabbinic literature. There are several references which seem to indicate (a) they were common; and (b) there was enough time to get them done without a problem:
"In [the case of] a town which is near a graveyard [and the dead] was brought [to burial] at twilight. (note 20)" [Soncino Notes:" (note 20). Of the Sabbath eve. In such a case the ceremonial would be performed on the Sabbath. Though the night forms, for general purposes, the beginning of the following day, in respect of the mourning on the first day of the death an exception is made, and the night is held to follow the previous day. Sabbath eve can accordingly be regarded for the purpose as Friday. viz., the first day of the burial." (B. Baba Bathra 100b)]
GE:
My first problem with this is the ‘translation’. Will a word like “Friday” be used in “Baba Bathra 100b”? Then what big differences may be implied if such words weren’t used? I wouldn’t know, but to me it seems the whole statement “Sabbath eve can accordingly be regarded for the purpose as Friday. viz., the first day of the burial"” is pseudepigraphic— belongs to Glen Miller.
My next problem with this is, if such strange to the Hebrew mind words are used, will it not be strange to the Hebrew mind IDEAS that are used here too? Like “twilight .... Of the Sabbath eve”? Are we speaking of day’s afternoon ending or of day’s after sunset evening beginning? It’s not like the Scriptures; how would I know?
These ‘Jewish sources’ can be so translated, that they can tell us exactly what the secondary ‘source’ – the translators or interpreters – wants to tell us.
Obviously whether “a Sabbath eve twilight burial” means just before sunset or even “2 to 4 hours” before sunset, or just after sunset or even “2 to 4 hours” after sunset, it means “a Sabbath burial”. So, what ‘Sabbath’ is meant or involved “in the Rabbinic literature” whenever they may refer to “a Sabbath eve twilight burial”? It all depends whether the ‘sabbath’ is looked at from its beginning or from its end. That was precisely the case in the case of Jesus’ Burial. In John 19:31,38 Mark 15:42 Matthew 27:57 and Luke 23:50, this “Sabbath eve twilight burial” is looked at prospectively; in Luke 23:54-56a John 19:41-42 this same “Sabbath eve twilight burial” is looked at retrospectively. And it both ways, is looked at as PRECEDING “The Sabbath according to the (Fourth) Commandment”, Luke 23:54-56b!
ONLY SO could there be “enough time to get (a burial) done without a problem:” BECAUSE THE WHOLE DAY is allowed for it. In fact, the whole day is COMMANDED for it— which is the underlying idea “in the Rabbinic literature”, namely, to clarify and enlarge on ‘The Law(s)’ on “a Sabbath eve twilight burial”! Saying that, I do not say “the Rabbinic literature” is the final or infallible word on the Scriptures about these things; on the contrary! Because the Jewish sages seem – judging from the quoted stanzas – to change the ‘sabbaths’ by chopping asunder or joining at random daylight and night of different days as though they rule the course of the sun or the rotation of the globe. (Or, as I said, is this the work of the ‘secondary source’ our ‘translator’ here?) I will for no purpose base my order or faith upon such whimsicalness as “Sabbath eve can be regarded as Friday. viz., the first day of the burial"”.
The different Old Testament ‘sabbaths’ should not be confused; read Exodus 12-13 and Leviticus 23 or read the Gospels to see how necessary that is. They specifically should not be confused where they manifest in the New Testament. Joseph’s undertaking on “That Day great day sabbath” of John 19:31 to Lk23:53b was “as is the ethics” of the Feast-sabbath of the passover “to bury”. It was lawful; it was obligatory— and had nothing to do with the “rest” of, or the forbidding of work on, “the Sabbath” mentioned in Luke 23:56b, “the Sabbath according to the (Fourth) Commandment”. “The ceremonial would be performed on the Sabbath” if the ‘sabbath’ was a ‘ceremonial sabbath’; it HAD to be performed on the sabbath if the sabbath was a ceremonial sabbath. “The ceremonial” would and had to be performed on the Sabbath if the sabbath was a ceremonial sabbath EVEN WERE the ‘ceremonial sabbath’ (on) “the Sabbath according to the (Fourth) Commandment”. That’s the idea “in the Rabbinic literature”, I’m sure!
It is pure nonsense then, “Though the night forms, for general purposes, the beginning of the following day, in respect of the mourning [Sic.] on the first day of the death an exception is made”. The impossibility of it is illustrated by Matthew 27:62 that says “On the following morning / day” ‘tehi de epaurion’— implying all the foregoing NIGHT, “which is AFTER The Preparation-Day” ‘hehtis estin meta tehn paraskeuehn’. It speaks of ‘Friday night’; and it says ‘Friday night’ was the “following day (and) morning AFTER” ‘Friday’ “The Preparation-Day”. Nowhere in the Bible (with the exception of the before-the-exodus era in Exodus) is the ‘day’ reckoned from sunrise or to, sunrise. (See several relevant studies.)
I therefore doubt the statement, “Though the night forms, for general purposes, the beginning of the following day, in respect of the mourning on the first day of the death an exception is made” is from any “Rabbinic literature” or that its idea can be traced to “the Rabbinic literature”. (Glen Miller’s use of reading-signs don’t help to preclude the conclusion either.) This I can and do say without hesitation, the idea or even ‘feel’ of this and similar remarks from Glen Miller’s article is completely contra the Scriptures.
GM:
"For all other dead, he should hasten the burial and not make the funeral elaborate…In an emergency, however, or on Sabbath Eve, or if rain is coming down on the bier, he should hasten the burial and not prolong the funeral." [Semahot IX.9] "'At twilight on Sabbath eve,'…Although a funeral might be rushed through at this time, and the day still counted in the sibah…" [HI:Sema:157, note 18]
GE:
Yes; it speaks of ‘ordinary’ deaths and burials; not of Abib 15 or of “that which remained” of the Sacrifice of Yahweh’s Passover, its return to dust and assimilation with, corruptibility and the corruptible through 1) eating the passover and 2) moving out and 3) burying (burning) “that which remained of it”— the main ‘tasks’ of passover’s ‘sabbath’ of Lv23:11,15 cf. Ex12:8,10; 13:1920; Nb33:3-5. [“That which remained of it” was no more to remain, not even in memory. Karl Barth above.]
And again, Joseph ‘hastened’ ‘rushed’ not. He did everything he did clearly on purpose and according to plan and “ethics” and in the spirit of the day and occasion which was that of the holy Passover of Yahweh, of the sacred second day of it— its “great day sabbath day”.
End first delivery 3 March 2010
Gerhard Ebersöhn
Suite 324
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Sunninghille 2157
In South Africa today security plays a vital part in any business or private home. This book and the volumes to follow, will guide you step by step through the essential precautionary measures to be taken in protecting your family and valuables. From employing security guards, evacuation of your site and security measures to burglar bars and alarms in your private home.
a Book compiled by me from experience gained after 10 years in the security industry as Industrial relations officer with Nosa qualifications, 1st Aid, fire protection and also S.O.B. grade A.
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