Chapter V

_THE GREAT FESTIVALS._
EXOD. XXIII. 14–17; LEV. XXIII. 1–22;
NUM. XXVIII. 16–31; DEUT. XVI. 1–16.

THE great Historical Festivals, at which all males amongst the Israelites were required to appear before the Lord, were, as has been said already, (i) _The Passover_; (ii) _The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost_; (iii) _The Feast of Tabernacles_.

(i) _The Passover._ The original institution of this Festival has been already noticed. The directions for its yearly celebration are given in Ex. xxiii. 14–17; Lev. xxiii. 5–8; Num. xxviii. 16–25; Deut. xvi. 1–8.

As in Egypt, so now, on the 10th day of _Nisan_ or _Abib_, corresponding to the close of March or the beginning of April, each Paschal company, which might not exceed twenty or be less than ten, was to select a lamb or kid, a male of the first year, and keep it till the 14th day. If pronounced by the priests to be free from blemish, it was to be slain _between the evenings_, in the Court of the Tabernacle, and its blood poured round the Altar of Burnt-offering. It was then, after being flayed, to be taken to the house where the Paschal Company intended to assemble, to be roasted with fire, whole and entire without the breaking of a single bone, and to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

The Festival lasted from the 14th to the 21st of Nisan, and during this period nothing but unleavened bread might be eaten, and all leaven was to be carefully removed from the house before the 14th. The daily sacrifices for the nation consisted of (i) a _Burnt-Offering_ of two bullocks, one ram, seven yearling lambs, accompanied by the usual meat-offering, and (ii) one goat for a _Sin-Offering_. Thank-offerings, called by the Jews _Chagigah_, might also be offered by individuals during the Festival, especially on the 15th, the first day of Holy Convocation. (Comp. Lev. vii. 29–34; 2 Ch. xxx. 22–44; xxxv. 7.)

On the 16th the first ripe sheaf of barley was to be brought into the sanctuary, and there waved by the priest before the Lord, and at the same time a yearling lamb was offered with a meat- and drink-offering (see Lev. xxiii. 9–14). Till this sheaf had thus been waved, and this offering presented, no produce of the now ripening harvest, whether bread or parched corn, or green ears, might be eaten (Josh. v. 11, 12)[100].

(ii) At the end of seven complete weeks from the 16th of Nisan, the second day of unleavened bread, commenced _the_ FEAST OF WEEKS (Ex. xxxiv. 22; Deut. xvi. 10), or of _Harvest_ (Ex. xxiii. 16), or of _First-fruits_ (Numb. xxviii. 26), or of _Pentecost_ (Acts ii. 1), from the Greek word for the _fiftieth_ day.

The passages bearing on it will be found in Ex. xxiii. 16; Lev. xxiii. 15–22; Num. xxviii. 26–31; Deut. xvi. 9–12.

The Festival lasted but one day, which was kept with a holy Convocation. Its distinguishing feature was the offering of _two leavened loaves_, made from the new corn of the now completed harvest, which together with two lambs as a thank-offering were waved before the Lord. The especial sacrifices in addition to the daily offering were one young bullock, two rams, and seven yearling lambs as a _Burnt-offering_ with the usual meat- and drink-offering, and a goat for a _Sin-offering_; but thank-offerings might, as at the Passover, be made at pleasure by individuals.

The character of the Festival was pre-eminently an expression of gratitude for the harvest, which commenced with the offering of the first sheaf of ripe barley at the Passover, and ended with that of the two loaves now presented and made of the newly-ripened wheat. In its festive joy the man-servant and maid-servant, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow were to share with the freeborn Israelite, who was to be reminded of the bondage in Egypt, and his obligation to keep the Law[101] (Deut. xvi. 12).

(iii) The Feast of _Tabernacles_ or of _Ingathering_ (Ex. xxxiv. 22) was so called as being (i) a feast of thanksgiving for the completion of the ingathering of fruits and of the vintage, and (ii) as commemorating the dwelling of the Israelites in tents during their wanderings in the wilderness (Lev. xxiii. 43).

The chief passages relating to it are Ex. xxiii. 16; Lev. xxiii. 34–43; Num. xxix. 13–39; Deut. xvi. 13–15; and compare with these Neh. viii.

It was celebrated in the autumn on the 15th of the seventh month Tisri, and lasted seven days, of which the first and last were days of Holy Convocation. It was the most joyous of all the Festivals. During it the Israelites were commanded to live in tents or booths of green boughs of the olive, palm, pine, myrtle, and other trees with thick foliage (Neh. viii. 15, 16). The burnt-offerings were more numerous at this Feast than any other, including, besides the sacrifice on each day of 2 rams, 14 lambs, and a kid for a sin-offering, that of 70 bullocks, 13 on the first day, 12 on the second, and so on to the seventh, when 7 bullocks only were offered. If the Festival fell in a Sabbatical year, portions of the Law, chiefly Deuteronomy, were read each day in public (Deut. xxxi. 10–12; Neh. viii. 18). The most remarkable celebrations of this Feast were (i) at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings viii. 2, 65); (ii) after the Captivity (Ezra iii. 4; Neh. viii. 17)[102].

Later festivals were (i) the Feast of PURIM, or _Lots_, instituted by Mordecai to commemorate the defeat of Haman’s machinations against the Jews (Esth. iii. 7–15; ix. 24–26). It began on the 14th day of the 12th month Adar, and lasted two days. (ii) The Feast of DEDICATION, to commemorate the cleansing of the Temple after its defilement by Antiochus Epiphanes (Dan. xi. 31). Established by Judas Maccabæus, it was kept on the 25th of the winter month Chisleu, _December_ (Jn. x. 22), and lasted eight days, being distinguished by the offering of many sacrifices, a general illumination (hence its name the _Feast of Lights_), and other rejoicings.

In Scripture, dates are often fixed by a reference to the seasons or productions (Num. xiii. 20; 2 Sam. xxi. 9). The following Table, therefore, is here given, in which the civil and sacred months, their _approximate_ English equivalents, the various annual feasts, and the chief features of the seasons are combined. It is assumed that _Abib_ or _Nisan_ answers to April. (See Article _Month_ in Smith’s _Bib. Dict._ and Angus’s _Bible Handbook_, p. 270.)

CALENDAR
Year
───────── English Seasons
Sacred Month and
Civil Month (nearly) Festivals │ Productions
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
i.│ 7│ ABIB or │April│14. The PASSOVER│ Fall of the _latter_
│ │ NISAN │ │ │ or _spring_ rain.
│ │ (_green │ │ │ (Deut. xi. 14.)
│ │ ears_) │ │ │ Floods
│ │ Days 30 │ │ │ (Josh. iii. 14).
│ │Exod. xii. 2│ │16. First-fruits│HARVEST
│ │ │ │ of │ Barley ripe at Jericho.
│ │ │ │ barley-harvest│
│ │ │ │ presented │ Wheat partly in the ear.
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
ii.│ 8│ ZIF │ May │14. _Second │ Barley harvest general
│ │(_blossom_) │ │ Passover_ for │ (Ruth i. 22).
│ │ Days 29 │ │ those who │
│ │ 1 Kings │ │ could not keep│ Wheat ripens.
│ │ vi. 1 │ │ the first. │
│ │ │ │ Num. ix. │
│ │ │ │ 10, 11 │
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
iii.│ 9│ SIVAN │ June│ 6. PENTECOST │ Wheat harvest. Summer
│ │ Days 30 │ │ or FEAST OF │ begins.
│ │ Esth. │ │ WEEKS │ No rain from April
│ │ viii. 9. │ │ │ to Sept. (1 Sam.
│ │ │ │ │ xii. 17).
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
iv.│10│ THAMMUZ │ July│ │HOT SEASON.
│ │ Days 29 │ │ │ Heat increases.
│ │ Zec. │ │ │
│ │ viii. 19 │ │ │
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
v.│11│ AB │ Aug.│ │ The streams dry up.
│ │ Days 30 │ │ │ Heat intense.
│ │Esth. vii. 9│ │ │ Vintage (Lev. xxvi. 5).
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
vi.│12│ ELUL │Sept.│ │ Heat still intense
│ │ Days 29 │ │ │ (2 Kin. iv. 18–20).
│ │Neh. vi. 15 │ │ │ Grape harvest general
│ │ │ │ │ (Num. xiii. 23).
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
vii.│ 1│ TISRI or │ Oct.│1. Feast of │SEED TIME
│ │ ETHANIM │ │ _Trumpets_ │
│ │ Days 30 │ │10. Day of │ Former or early rains
│ │ 1 Kin. │ │ ATONEMENT │ begin (Joel ii. 23).
│ │ viii. 2 │ │15. Feast of │ Ploughing and sowing
│ │2 Chr. v. 3 │ │ TABERNACLES │ begin.
│ │ │ │ First-fruits │
│ │ │ │ of wine and │
│ │ │ │ oil (Lev. │
│ │ │ │ xxiii. 39) │
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
viii.│ 2│ BUL │ Nov.│ │ Rain continues.
│ │ (_rain_) │ │ │
│ │ Days 29 │ │ │ Wheat and barley
│ │ 1 Kin. │ │ │ sown. Vintage in
│ │ vi. 38 │ │ │ N. Palestine.
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
ix.│ 3│ CHISLEU │ Dec.│ │WINTER
│ │ Days 30 │ │25. Feast of │ Winter begins. Snow on
│ │ Neh. i. 1 │ │ _Dedication_ │ the mountains.
│ │ │ │ (1 Macc. │
│ │ │ │ iv. 52–59) │
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
x.│ 4│ THEBETH │ Jan.│ │ Coldest month. Hail,
│ │ Days 29 │ │ │ snow (Josh. x. 11).
│ │Est. ii. 16 │ │ │
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
xi.│ 5│ SHEBAT │ Feb.│ │ Weather gradually
│ │ Days 30 │ │ │ becomes warmer.
│ │ Zech. i. 7 │ │ │
─────┼──┼────────────┼─────┼────────────────┼─────────────────────────
xii.│ 6│ ADAR │March│ │COLD SEASON
│ │ Days 29 │ │14, 15. Feast of│ Thunder and hail
│ │Esth. iii. 7│ │ _Purim_ │ frequent.
│ │Esth. ix. 27│ │ │ Almond-tree blossoms.

NOTE.

_Laws of Purity._

Not altogether unconnected with these regulations respecting
Holy Times and Seasons were other enactments of the Mosaic code,
having for their object the enforcement of ideas of purity and
holiness. _Ye shall be holy unto Me_, was the Divine command;
_for I the Lord thy God am holy, and have severed you from other
people that ye should be Mine_ (Lev. xix. 2; xx. 7). Many of
these regulations were, doubtless, laws of health, tending
to regulate diet, enforce cleanliness, and guard against many
prevalent disorders. But over and above this, they had a higher
object, and formed part of the moral discipline of the elect
nation.

They regard (i) things unclean to eat; (ii) things unclean to
touch; (iii) unclean matters or conditions[103].

i. _Things unclean to eat._ The prohibitions respecting food
follow directly the laws concerning sacrifice. Portions of many
sacrifices, as we have seen, might be eaten. From this eating
the Law passes on to food generally, the nature of which has
“commonly no little influence on the refinement and manners of a
people.” Concerning vegetable eating, no rules are laid down. In
respect to animal food, the laws are clear and precise. (i) Of
_quadrupeds_, the clean were such as _both parted the hoof and
chewed the cud_, all others were unclean. All animals, therefore,
used in sacrifice might be eaten, as also the numerous species
of deer and gazelles (Deut. xiv. 5), but none of the _carnivora_,
or such animals as the camel, coney, hare, or pig. (ii) Of
_birds_ also, all that were offered in sacrifice might be eaten,
such as doves, pigeons, and also quails, but all birds of prey,
and nearly all the water-fowl, were unclean. (iii) Of _Fish_,
those only were clean that had both fins and scales. (iv) All
_Reptiles_ and _Insects_ were unclean, except locusts, and such
as had four legs for walking and two for springing (Lev. xi.
21, 22; comp. Matt. iii. 4). But the Israelite was also strictly
forbidden to eat anything that died of itself (Ex. xxii. 31), or
was torn by beasts, emphatically the blood of any animal (Gen.
ix. 4; Lev. iii. 17; xvii. 10, 12; Comp. 1 Sam. xiv. 32, 33).

(ii) _Things unclean to touch._ An Israelite incurred defilement
who touched or handled (i) the dead body of any animal, whether
clean or unclean (Lev. xi. 24–28), (ii) the body, bones, or
grave of a dead man (Num. xix. 11, 13, 16). The latter was
deemed a defilement calling for special purification. The person
was unclean seven days. For his cleansing a young red heifer
was slain outside the camp or town, in the presence of one of
the priests. Some of the blood the priest was then to sprinkle
seven times in the direction of the Sanctuary, to burn the
entire carcase, and cast into the fire cedar-wood, scarlet wool,
and hyssop. The ashes were then collected, and laid up in a
clean place, and a portion mixed with water was to be sprinkled
on whatever had been defiled, man, or place, or vessel. This
ceremony was to be repeated twice, on the third and on the
seventh day. On the latter day the person defiled washed his
clothes, bathed, and was clean at even. But still stricter
regulations were enforced when a priest or a Nazarite had become
defiled (Num. xix. 1–22).

(iii) _Unclean matters or conditions._ Many are enumerated, but
we need speak of only one, the disease of LEPROSY. This fearful
malady, indigenous in Egypt and Asia Minor, disfiguring the
whole person, and making it horrible to the beholder, was called
by the Jews _the Stroke_, and even by the Greeks the _first-born
son of Death_[104]. It made itself apparent by a white swelling
on the skin, especially on the face, turning the skin white (Ex.
iv. 6), and the hair white or yellow (Lev. xiii. 3, 10, 30), and
producing other disfigurements. The person affected with it was
instantly to repair to the priests (Lev. xiii. 2, 9), whose duty
it was to make a minute examination, and pronounce whether it
was a case of “true leprosy.” If so, the sufferer was pronounced
_utterly unclean_, and forthwith assumed the awful badges of
his sad condition. He rent his clothes, bared his head, put
a covering on his upper lip (Lev. xiii. 45), as though he was
mourning for the dead (Ezek. xxiv. 17, 22), and wherever he
went cried out, _Unclean! unclean!_ An exile from his home, his
family, his friends (Num. v. 2), he was bound to reside without
the camp or city in a separate house by himself, or in the
society of others similarly afflicted (Lev. xiii. 46; 2 Kings
xv. 5; 2 Kings vii. 3; Lk. xvii. 12). No Israelite ever pretended
to effect a cure of this awful malady. The priest could pronounce
upon the symptoms, shut out the sufferer from the congregation,
but he had no power to heal. If, however, the symptoms abated,
and there were any signs of a cure, the sufferer again went to
the priest, who carefully ascertained whether this was the case.
If so, a peculiar ceremony celebrated the healing. It consisted
of two stages, (i) Two birds were taken, one killed by the
priest over running water, the other dipped, together with
cedar-wood, scarlet wool, and hyssop, in its blood, and suffered
to fly away into the open air. The priest then sprinkled the
leper with the blood seven times, and pronounced him clean.
(ii) But before he could return to the society of his fellowmen,
he must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, bathe, and
then present himself at the Sanctuary with a he-lamb as a
_Trespass-offering_, an ewe lamb as a _Sin-offering_, and
a he-lamb as a _Burnt-offering_ with its usual meat-offering.
In cases of poverty two doves or pigeons might be presented
in place of the two latter offerings, but the he-lamb as a
_Trespass-offering_ was indispensable. This was first slain,
and its blood smeared by the priest on the leper’s right ear,
the thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot.
Consecrated oil was then similarly applied, and poured on his
head, and the other sacrifices offered, at the conclusion of
which atonement was deemed to have been made, and the Leper was
clean (Lev. xiv. 49–53).

The regulations respecting this fearful malady were no mere
sanitary regulations, for it was not catching from one person
to another (comp. 2 Kings v. 1; viii. 4), and the ordinances
respecting it did not apply to the stranger and the sojourner.
“From the whole host of maladies and diseases which had
broken in upon man’s body, God selected this, the sickness of
sicknesses, that He might thereby testify against that out of
which it and all other sicknesses grew, against SIN, as not
from Him, and as grievous in His sight[105].” It was the outward
and visible sign of the innermost spiritual corruption, a meet
emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal
disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the whole
body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man’s inner
nature, and renders him unmeet to enter the Presence of a Pure
and Holy God.

(iv) Among the _Vows_ known before the time of Moses (and which,
as a general rule, were discouraged by him, comp. Deut. xxiii.
21–23) was that of the _Nazarite_. The person making this vow
was bound, usually for a certain term, to abstain from wine or
strong drink, from grapes or anything made from the vine, from
cutting the hair of his head, or approaching a corpse, even
that of his nearest relative (Num. vi. 2–7). If he accidentally
touched a corpse, he was obliged on the seventh day to cut
off his hair, and begin his vow afresh on the next day, after
presenting to the priest two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons,
one for a sin, and the other for a burnt-offering, and a lamb
as a trespass-offering. At the expiration of his vow, he brought
to the Tabernacle a burnt-, sin-, and thank-offering (Lev. vii.
12, 13) with a meat- and drink-offering (Num. vi. 15), had the
left shoulder of the thank-offering waved upon his hands by the
priest (Num. vi. 19, 20), and cutting off his hair burnt it in
the fire on the altar. Of Nazarites for life three are mentioned
in Scripture, _Samson_ (the only one actually called a Nazarite,
Judg. xiii. 5), _Samuel_ (1 Sam. i. 11), _John the Baptist_
(Lk. i. 15).