. A dictionary of the Bible .. . betraced to a strictly Jewish origin. In very distinct contrast to all this, the sepul-chral Iites of the Jews were marked with the samesimplicity that characterized all their religious ob-servances. The body was washed and anointed(Mark xiv. 8, xvi. 1 ; John xix. 39, &c.), wrappedin a clean linen cloth, and borne without any funeralpomp to the grave, where it was laid without anyceremonial or form of prayer. In addition to this,with kings and great persons, there seems to havebeen a great burning (2 Chr. xvi. 14, xxi. 19 ;Jer. xxxiv. 5): all these being measur
. A dictionary of the Bible .. . betraced to a strictly Jewish origin. In very distinct contrast to all this, the sepul-chral Iites of the Jews were marked with the samesimplicity that characterized all their religious ob-servances. The body was washed and anointed(Mark xiv. 8, xvi. 1 ; John xix. 39, &c.), wrappedin a clean linen cloth, and borne without any funeralpomp to the grave, where it was laid without anyceremonial or form of prayer. In addition to this,with kings and great persons, there seems to havebeen a great burning (2 Chr. xvi. 14, xxi. 19 ;Jer. xxxiv. 5): all these being measures moresuggested by sanitary exigencies than by any hank-ering after ceremonial pomp. This simplicity of rite led to what may becalled the distinguishing characteristic of Jewish se-pulchres—the deep loculus—which, so for as isnow known, is universal in all purely Jewish rock-cut tombs, but hardly known elsewhere. Its formwill be understood by referring to the annexed dia-gram, representing the forms of Jewish No. 1.—Diagram of Je\^i3h Sepulchre. In the apartment marked A, there are twelve suchloculi, about 2 feet in width by 3 feet high. Onthe ground-floor these generally open on the level ofthe floor ; when in the upper storey, as at C, on aledge or platform, ou which the body might be laidto be anointed, and on which the stones might restwhich closed the outer end of each loculus. The shallow loculus is shown in chamber B, butwas apparently only used when sarcophagi wereemployed, and therefore, so far as we know, onlyduring the Graeco-Roman period, when foreign cus-toms came to be adopted. The shallow loculuswould have been singularly inappropriate and incon-venient, where an unembalmed body was laid outto decay—as there would evidently be no means ofshutting it oft fiom the rest of the catacomb. Thedeep loculus on the othei- hand was as strictly con-formable with Jewish, customs, and could easily beclosed by a stone fitted to the end and luted intothe gr
Size: 1502px × 1662px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookiddictiona, booksubjectbible
