SACRIFICIAL WORSHIP
OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT
BY
J. H.
KURTZ,
PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY AT
DORPAT.
AUTHOR OF “HISTORY OF
THE OLD COVENANT."
TRANSLATED BY
JAMES MARTIN, B.A.,
T & T.
MDCCCLXIII.
Digitally prepared and posted on the web by
Ted Hildebrandt (2004)
Public Domain.
Please report any errors to:
PREFACE.
TWENTY
years have passed since I was prompted by the appear-
ance
of Bahr's Symbolik to publish my work
on “Das Mosaische
Opfer, Mitau 1842." As this
work was sold off in the course of
a
few years, I cherished the desire and intention of meeting the
questions
that were continually arising, by preparing a new edition,
as
soon as I should have finished another work which I had then
in
hand. But the longer this task was postponed, the greater the
obstacles
to its execution appeared. For year after year writings
upon
this subject were constantly accumulating, which for the most
part
were strongly opposed to the standpoint and results of my
own
work, both in their fundamental view and in their interpretation
of
various details. These writings had also shown me much that
was
weak and unsatisfactory in my own work, particularly in the
elaboration
of the separate parts; though opposition had only con-
vinced
me more and more of the entire correctness of my earlier
opinions,
which were no other than the traditional and orthodox
views.
But this did not render me insensible to the fact, that if
the
work was to be taken up again, it must be in the form of a
thoroughly
new book. On the former occasion I had simply to
overthrow
the views of one single opponent, which were as unscrip-
tural
as they were unorthodox, and to raise by the side a new
edifice
upon the old, firm foundation of the Church. Now, on the
contrary,
not only is there a whole forest of opposing standpoints
and
opinions to be dealt with, that differ quite as much from one
another,
as they do from the view which I have advocated; but
8 PREFACE.
so
many breaches have been made in the edifice erected by me,
that
simply repairing the injured and untenable posts is quite out
of
the question, and it is much better to pull down the old building
altogether
and erect a new one in its place. The foundation,
indeed,
still remains the same, and many of the stones formerly
employed
prove themselves still sound; but even these require
fresh
chiselling, and such as are not usable have to be laid aside
for
new ones.
For so extensive a work, however, I could find
neither time nor
leisure,
especially as my studies lay in other directions, in conse-
quence
of a change that had taken place in the meantime in my
official
post and duties. It was not till a year and a half ago,
when
my academical labours led once more in the direction of Bibli-
cal
Antiquities, that I had to enter ex professo
into the Sacrificial
Worship
of the Old Testament. With this there arose so strong a
desire
to work once more at the subject with a view to publication,
and
thus, so to speak, to wipe off old debts, that I could not refrain
any
longer. Hence the present volume, which has assumed a
totally
different form from the earlier one, and therefore is to be
regarded
as an entirely new and independent work.
Thomasius, when speaking of the
Old Testament Sacrifices in
his
well-known work on Scripture Doctrines (III. 1, p. 39), says:
“It
ought, indeed, to be possible to appeal in this case to the con-
sensus of expositors; but how
widely do the views of modern writers
differ
from one another as to the meaning of this institution!” It
seems
to me, however, that there are but a few prominent points of
Biblical
Theology in which such a demand can possibly be made,
and
in this point perhaps least of all. Yet there is certainly hardly
any
other case, in which the complaints that are made as to the con-
fusion
of contradictory views are so perfectly warranted as they are
here.
How widely, for example, are theologians separated, who
PREFACE. 9
generally
stand closest together when questions relating to the
Church,
the Bible, or Theology are concerned, e.g., Hofmann
and
Baumgarten, Delitzsch and Kliefoth, Oehler and Keil! To what an
extent
doctrinal standpoints, that are in other respects the most op-
posed,
may be associated here, is evident from the fact, that in an-
swering
the most essential and fundamental question of all, viz.,
whether
the slaughtering of the expiatory sacrifice had the signifi-
cation
of a poena vicaria, it is possible
for me to stand by the side,
not
of Hofrnann, Keil, Oehler, and Delitzsch, but of Gesenius, De
Wette,
and Knobel.
In this state of affairs, a monograph upon this
subject would not
be
complete, without examining the theories of opponents, however
great
their confusion may frequently be, as well as building up one's
own.
Even where there is so little agreement, so little common
ground,
and on the other hand, so much opposition in details and
in
general principles, in the foundation as well as in the superstruc-
ture,
it appears to me to be the duty of an author towards his
readers,
not only to tell them his own views and to defend them by
rebutting
unwarrantable and unsuccessful attacks, but to give them
a
full explanation of the opposite views, and his reason for not adopt-
ing
ing them, in order that they may be placed in circumstances to
survey
the whole ground of the questions in dispute, and to form
their
own independent judgment, even though they may be led to
differ
from the views and conclusions of the author himself.
My reason for giving a secondary title to this
book,1 by which
1 The present volume is published in the
original with two separate title-
pages.
One is the title prefixed to this Translation; the other, "History of the
Old
Covenant; Supplement to the second volume: The Giving of the Law; Part
I.
The Law of Worship." As the author expressly states that he has written
this
as
an independent work, there was no necessity to publish the second title-page
in
the English Translation. The reader will be able to assign it to its proper
connection
with the " History of the Old Covenant."--TR.
10 PREFACE.
I
connect it with my “History of the Old Covenant,” is the follow-
ing:--According
to the original plan of that work, the second
volume,
which describes the historical circumstances of the Mosaic
age,
was to be followed by a systematic account of the Mosaic laws.1
But
I had not the time to carry out the present work on so exten-
sive
a scale. Moreover, as I have already stated, it has not arisen
from
the necessity for going on with the work just mentioned (a
necessity
which unquestionably does press most powerfully upon
me),
but from the necessity for returning to a subject upon which
I
had already written twenty years ago, and which had been taken
up
since from so many different points of view, in order that I
might
remove such faults and imperfections in my former work as
I
had been able to discover, and avail myself of new materials for
establishing
and elaborating my views. At the same time, by the
publication
of this volume, the substance of which was to have
formed
an integral part of my larger work, I have precluded the
possibility
of carrying out the latter upon the plan originally pro-
posed.
I have thought it desirable, therefore, that the third volume
of
that work should continue the history itself (as far as the estab-
lishment
of the kingdom); and that the present volume should
appear
as the first part of a supplementary work, embracing the
various
parts of the Mosaic legislation.
1 This plan is referred to at vol. ii. p. 328
of the original, vol. iii. p. 102 of
the
English Translation.--TR.
`
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
BOOK I.
GENERAL
BASIS OF THE SACRIFICIAL WORSHIP OF THE
OLD TESTAMENT.
Page
CHAPTER
I. The Persons Sacrificing, 18
A. § 1-5. The People,
18
B. § 6-9. The Priests, 33
,, II. § 10-16. The Place of Sacrifice, 39
„ III. § 17-25. The Various Kinds of
Sacrifice,
51
BOOK II.
THE BLEEDING SACRIFICE.
PART I.
THE RITUAL OF THE
SACRIFICE.
„ II. § 31-34. The Objects used in
Sacrifice, 75
„ III. § 35-47. The Presentation and
Laying on of Hands, 82
„ IV. § 48-71. Slaughtering, and Sprinkling
of the Blood, 101
„ V. § 72-84. Burning of the Sacrifice,
and the Sacrificial Meal, 150
12 TABLE OF
CONTENTS.
PART II.
VARIETIES OF THE BLEEDING SACRIFICE.
Page
A. § 85-88. The Sin-Offering, Burnt-Offering,
and Peace-
Offering, 174
B. § 89-92. The Common Basis of the Sin-Offering
and
Trespass-Offering, 182
C. § 93-105. The Difference between the
Sin-Offering and
the
Trespass-Offering, 189
„ II. § 106-122. Ritual of the
Sin-Offering and Trespass-Offering, 213
,, III. § 123-139. Ritual of the
Burnt-Offering and Peace-Offer-
ing, 249
BOOK III.
THE BLOODLESS SACRIFICE.
„ II. § 147-157. The Minchah of the
Fore-Court, 296
,, III. §158-161. The Minchah of the
BOOK IV.
MODIFICATION
OF THE SACRIFICIAL WORSHIP IN CONNECTION
WITH SPECIAL SEASONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES.
CHAPTER
I. The Consecration of the People, the Priests, and the Levites, 322
A. § 162-164. Covenant Consecration of the
People, 322
B. § 165-172. Consecration of the Priests and
the Sanc-
tuary, 328
C. § 173. Consecration of the Levites, 340
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 13
Page
CHAPTER
II. Adaptation of the Sacrificial Worship to Special Seasons
and Feasts, 341
A. § 174-176. Mosaic Idea of a Feast, 341
B.§ 177-179. Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Service,
348
C. § 180-189. The Feast of Passover, 355
D. § 190-193. The Feast of Pentecost. 376
E. § 194-196. The Feast of Tabernacles, 381
F. § 197-212. The Day of Atonement, 385
,, III. Adaptation of the Sacrificial
Worship to the Levitical and
Priestly Purifications, 415
A. § 213-216. Nature and Idea of Uncleanness in
connec-
tion with Worship, 415
B. § 217-223. Removal of Uncleanness caused by
Touch-
ing a Corpse, 422
C. § 224-228. Cleansing of a Leper when Cured, 432
„ IV. Adaptation of the Sacrificial
Worship to certain Peculiar
Circumstances, 440
A. § 229-230. Presentation of the First-Born of
Cattle, 440
B. § 231-233. The Nazarite's Offering, 443
C. § 234-237. The Jealousy Offering, 447
LIST OF WORKS
MOST FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO.
BAEHR,
K. CHR. W. F., Symbolik des Mosaischen
Cultus. 2 Bde. Heidelb.
1837, 39.
-----
Der salomonische Tempel.
BAUMGARTEN,
M., Theologischer Commentar zum Pentateuch. Zweiter Bd.
BUNSEN,
CHR. C. J., Vollstandiges Bibelwerk. Erster Bd. Leipzig 1858.
DELITZSCH,
FR., Commentar zum Hebraerbrief.
-----
System der biblischen Psychologie.
DIESTEL,
Set-Typhon, Asahel and Satan. In Niedner's Zeitschrift fur histor.
Theologie. 1860. Heft ii.
EBRARD,
J. H. A., Die Lehre von der stellvertretenden Genugthuung. Konigsb.
1857.
EWALD,
H., Die Alterthumer des Volkes
FUERST,
J., Hebraisches and Chaldaisches
Handworterbuch.
GESENIUS,
Thesaurus philol. crit. lingua Hebr. et Chald. Lipsiae 1835 sqq.
HAEVERNICK,
Vorlesungen uber die Theologie des A. T., herausg. von H. A.
Hahn.
HENGSTENBERG,
E. W., Die Opfer der heil. Schrift.
Ein Vortrag.
-----
Das Passa. Evangel. Kirchenzeitung. Jahrg. 1852. No. 16-18.
-----
Das Ceremonialgesetz. In his Beitrage zur Einleit. ins A. Test. Bd. iii.
by Ryland.
-----Die
Bucher Mose's and Aegypten.
of Moses.
HOFMANN,
J. CAR. K. VON, Der Schriftbeweis.
Zweite Halfte, erste Abth. 2
Aufl.
Nordlingen 1859.
-----
Weissagung and Erfullung. Nordlingen 1841.
KAHNIS,
K. F. A., Lutheriscbe Dogmatik. Bd. i.
16 LIST OF WORKS MOST FREQUENTLY REFERRED
TO.
KARCH,
G., Die mosaischen Opfer als vorbildliche Grundlage der Bitten im
Vaterunser. 2 Theile.
KEIL,
K. FR., Handbuch der bibl. Archaologie.
Erste Halfte: Die gottesdienst-
lichen Verhaltnisse der Israeliten.
-----
Die Opfer des A. Bundes nach ihrer symbolischen and typischen Bedeu-
tung. Luth. Zeitscbrift 1856, iv., 1857, i. ii.
iii.
-----
Biblischer Commentar uber die Bucher Mose's. Bd. i. Gen. and Exod.
KLIEFOTH,
TH., Liturgische Abhandlungen. Bd. iv. Auch u.. d. Titel: Die
ursprungl. Gottesdienstordnung u. s. w. Bd. i. 2
Aufl.
1858.
KNOBEL,
A., Die Bucher Exodus and Leviticus
erklart.
-----
Die Bucher Numeri, Deuteron. and Josua erklart.
NEUMANN,
W., Die Opfer des alten Bundes.
Deutsche Zeitschr. fur christl.
Wissenschaft von Schneider. Jahrg. 1852, 1853. r i
-----Sacra
V. T. Salutaria. Lipsae 1854.
OEHLER,
Der Opfercultus des Alten Test. In
Herzog's theolog. Realencyclop.
Bd. x.
-----
Priesterthum im A. Test. Bd: xii.
OUTRAM,
G., De sacrificiis 11. 2. Amstelod. 1678.
RIEHM,
E., Ueber das Schuldopfer. Theol. Studien and Kritiken. 1854.
RINCK,
S. W Ueber das Schuldopfer. Theol. Studien and Kritiken. 1855.
SCHOLL,
G. H. F., Ueber die Opferidee der Alten, insbesondere der Juden. In
the Studien der evangel. Geistlichkeit Wurtembergs.
Bd. iv. Heft
1-3.
SCHULTZ,
FR. W., Das Deuteronomium erklart.
SOMMER,
J. G., Biblische Abhandlungen. Bd. i.
Rein and Unrein nach dem mosaisch. Gesetze S.
183 ff.
STEUDEL,
J. CHR. FR., Vorlesungen uber die Theologie des A. Test. herausg.
von G. Fr. Oehler.
STOECKL,
A., Das Opfer, each seinem Wesen and seiner Geschichte.
1860.
THALHOFER,
V., Die unblutigen Opfer des mosaischen Cultus.
1848.
THOLUCK,
A., Das alte Testament im neuen Testament. 5 Aufl.
THOMASIUS,
G., Christi Person and Werk. Bd. iii.
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SACRIFICIAL WORSHIP
OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT.
BOOK I.
GENERAL
BASIS OF THE SACRIFICIAL WORSHIP OF THE
OLD TESTAMENT.
AS
the subject in hand is the sacrificial worship of the Old
Testament,
that is to say, of the Israelites before Christ,
we
have no need to raise the question: To whom were
the
sacrifices presented? By worship (cultus) we mean
the
worship of GOD; and from the very fact that the sacrifices of
which
we are speaking formed an essential ingredient in the Old
Testament
worship, they also formed a part of that service which
thus
obtained to the further question: By whom were the sacrifices
presented?
At the same time, we must inquire somewhat minutely
into
the peculiar position and organization of the Israelitish nation,
so
far as they affected the worship offered, in order to secure the ne-
cessary
basis for our investigation of the precise nature of the sacri-
ficial
worship of the Old Testament. With this we shall also have
to
connect an inquiry into the nature and importance of the place
in
which the sacrifices were presented, since this affected the sacri-
ficial
worship in various ways. And, lastly, we shall also have to
discuss
the questions: What was sacrifice, and what were the dif-