Sin offering
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A sin offering (Hebrew: קָרְבַּן חַטָּאת, korban ḥatat, IPA: [χaˈtat], lit: "purification offering"[1]) is a sacrificial offering described and commanded in the Torah (Lev. 4.1-35); it could be fine flour or a proper animal.[2] A sin offering also occurs in 2 Chronicles 29:21 where seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven he-goats were sacrificed on the command of King Hezekiah for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Like all types of sacrifices offered on the
Etymology
The Hebrew noun ḥatat ("sin") comes from the verb ḥata (חָטָא) basically meaning "to miss the mark, to err".[6] The first use is in the sentence "(..) Sin couches at the door; Its urge is toward you, Yet you can be its master"[7] to Cain in Genesis 4:7. The noun ḥatat can mean "sin," or also by metonymy in phrases such as "the bullock ... it is sin," or "a bullock for a sin, for atonement": it can also stand for purification offering. The high priest was instructed to "...lay his hand upon the head of the purification offering [rosh ha-ḥatat רֹאשׁ הַֽחַטָּאת], and the purification offering shall be slaughtered at the place of the burnt offering" (Leviticus 4:29).[8] To avoid confusion, the more explanatory term korban ḥatat ("a sacrifice of sin"; Hebrew: קרבן חטאת) is found in rabbinical commentaries.[9]
In the Jewish Bible
Chapters 4.1-5.13 of the
The end of the 37th weekly Torah portion
In the Greek Old Testament
In the
Chapter 4 of the Book of
Choice of sacrifice
The sacrificial animal required for a sin offering depended on the status of the sinner offering the sacrifice;
- for a a young bullock;
- for a king or nasi, a young male goat;[17]
- for other individuals, a female kid[18] or lamb;[19]
- for poor individuals unable to afford these, two turtle doves or young pigeons could be substituted, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering;[20]
- for the very poorest individuals, a tenth of an ephah of unscented fine flour could be offered instead of an animal.[2]
Like all types of sacrifices offered on the
Apart from such general offerings for an unintended sin, these offerings were made:
- on Yom Kippur, a bull as the high priest's offering, and a young male goat on behalf of the community;
- on the appointment of a priest, a calf as the priest's offering, and a small young goat on behalf of the community;
- on the termination of a eweas the Nazirite's offering;
- after recovery from tzaraat(skin disease), a ewe as the former sufferer's offering;
- shortly after childbirth, a dove as the woman's offering;
- after niddah (temporary marital separation due to menstruation) or recovery from zavah (abnormal bodily discharges), a dove or young pigeon.
Ritual
The ritual of the purification offering began with the offerer confessing his/her unintentional transgression while placing his/her hands and pushing his/her full weight over the head of the animal. In the case of community offerings the elders performed this function, in the case of Yom Kippur, the high priest performed this task. The animal would then be
, were burnt on the roof of the altar.On Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—some of the blood would be sprinkled in front of the veil covering the entrance to the Holy of Holies when the blood would be sprinkled in front of the mercy seat; this was done seven times. The remainder of the blood was poured out at the base of the altar, and the earthen vessel that had contained it would be smashed.
The remaining flesh of the animal (in later rabbinical interpretation as one of the
When the sacrificial animal was a bird, the ritual was quite different. The bird was slaughtered by a thumb being pushed into its neck, and the head being wrung off. A second bird would then be burnt on the altar as a whole sacrifice, completely immolated by fire.[3]
Textual criticism
According to 19th century
- The offerings for recovery from discharges and childbirth being for the breaking of a taboo about contact with blood - pus potentially containing blood, menstruation obviously containing it, and in the case of childbirth blood comes with the placenta. Textual scholars believe that the biblical regulation specifying the offering for childbirth in Leviticus 12 originally fell among those concerning bodily discharges in Leviticus 15 (due to various textual features), and hence that childbirth was treated as a form of abnormal discharge, for which a period of recovery was required.[23]
- The Nazarite's offering being due to the breaking of the Nazarite's own taboo nature, due to consecration to the deity, when the Nazarite vow was terminated.[24]
- slander[26] and hence people becoming inflicted with Tzaraas themselves being seen as taboo (thus being temporarily expelled from society as a result); the sin offering for recovery from Tzaaras, for which the same sacrificial animal as the Nazarite's sin offering is proscribed, being due to the breaking of this taboo state by the act of recovering.[24]
- The Yom Kippur sin offering is considered to have developed slightly later; the biblical text seems to explain this offering as being for the purpose of protecting the high priest from death (...so that he does not die) when he approached the mercy seat,[26] an action which was taboo (as the mercy seat was seen as sacred, but approach to it was prohibited). The passage in which this is explained as being about atonement for real sin, Leviticus 16:16 rather than just breach of this taboo, being considered by textual scholars to be a later gloss added to the text.[3] The sin offering required when a priest had sinned, for which there is a similar sacrificial animal as the Yom Kippur offering, is considered by scholars to be a much later development, and only added to the text of Leviticus in the latest stages of its compilation, after sin offerings had begun to be seen as being about atonement for actual sin rather than relatively immediate breaches of taboos.[3]
The other sin offerings are considered by scholars to be gradual developments; from being offered after contact with unclean animals, which is more of a taboo, to being offered for ritual uncleanliness in general, and finally to being offered for arbitrary sins.[3] The gradations, according to which the type of sacrificial animal depends on the social status of the sinner, are considered by textual scholars to also be a later development.[27]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0199978465. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ a b Leviticus 5:11
- ^ a b c d e Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, Laws of Unintentional Sins (Shegogot)1:1
- ^ Contrary to the common pejorative doctrine pertaining to the Old Testament held in Christian theology that Jewish qorbanot were for "sins", which is a well known fallacy, their use was far more complex—only some qorbanot in mostly one rare restrictive circumstance were used to atone for unintentional sins, and these sacrifices only accompanied the important required core means of atonement to be ever considered legitimate. Besides this one exception, there were the overwhelming majority of other purposes for bringing qorbanot, and the expiatory effect is often incidental, and is subject to significant limitations. Korbanot are brought purely for the purpose of communing with God and becoming closer to him. Also, they were brought for the purpose of expressing thanks, gratitude, and love to God. [1]
- ISBN 978-0199978465. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ISBN 978-0199978465. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ISBN 978-0199978465. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- Brown Driver BriggsHebrew Lexicon entry ḥatat
- ^ Lev. 4.1-5.13; Lev. 5.14-19; Lev. 5.20-26; cf. The Jewish Study Bible, Oxford Univ. Press, 2014, pp.201 ff.
- ISBN 978-0199978465. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- Burnt offerings (Lev. 1.1-17), Grain offerings (minḥa, Lev. 2.1-3.17), Sacrifice of well-being (zevaḥ, Lev. 3.1-17); Purification offering (ḥata't, Lev. 4.1-5.13); Reparation offering (ˈasham, Lev. 5.14-26)
- ISBN 978-0199978465. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ Bauer Greek Lexicon, entry hamartia
- ^ Leviticus 4:3
- ^ Leviticus 4:14 and Numbers 15:24
- ^ Leviticus 4:23
- ^ Leviticus 4:28 and Numbers 15:27
- ^ Leviticus 4:32
- ^ Leviticus 5:7
- ^ Leviticus 4:12
- ^ a b New King James Version
- ^ a b Jewish Encyclopedia, Priestly Code
- ^ a b c Jewish Encyclopedia, sin offering
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, et passim
- ^ a b Jewish Encyclopedia, leprosy
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia, Leviticus