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The Ancient World Behind the Text: Ideas

The customs, offices and ideas a first reader knew without being told, what each meant then, and the nearest thing you already know.

Sacrifice and the daily offering

Animals were offered at the temple for sin, for thanks and for cleansing, and blood sealed covenants. Every day a lamb was offered at dawn and again in the afternoon, and Jews everywhere prayed at those hours.

Jewish life and lawTemple, synagogue and festivals

First, in plain English

When the church bell rang at noon, farmers stopped in the fields and prayed where they stood. At the temple in Jerusalem priests offered animals to God, for sin, for thanksgiving, and to mark a person clean again after an illness. Covenants were sealed with the blood of a sacrifice. Twice every day, at dawn and in the middle of the afternoon, a lamb was offered for the whole nation, with trumpets, singing and incense, while the people prayed. Jews far from the temple prayed at the same hours.

What it meant then

Bailey writes that the only daily service in the temple was the atonement offering, at dawn and again at three in the afternoon. It began at the great altar, where a lamb was sacrificed for Israel's sins and its blood sprinkled on the altar. Then came silver trumpets, cymbals and a psalm, and a priest went into the sanctuary to offer incense while the people prayed outside. Many devout Jews away from the temple prayed at the hour of incense, and the hours of the morning and evening sacrifices were set aside for prayer. The Mishnah gives the afternoon times. The daily whole-offering was slaughtered at half past the eighth hour and offered at half past the ninth, an hour earlier on the eve of Passover (Pesahim 5.1). It describes the blessing from the porch steps, the cymbal, the Levites' song and the people bowing, and closes, "This was the rite of the Daily Whole-offering" in the temple (Tamid 7.2-3). Other sacrifices marked particular events. The law set offerings for a healed leper (Leviticus 14), and at Passover each family had the priests kill its lamb in the temple. Covenants were sealed with sacrificial blood, though Jewish law and custom recoiled from the thought of drinking blood. Psalmists, prophets and teachers all held that prayer and a clean heart mattered more than sacrifice, without rejecting sacrifice itself. Firstfruits were the real start of the harvest (Leviticus 23:10), and the first of the dough offered to God made the whole batch holy (Numbers 15:20-21). Drink offerings, usually wine but sometimes water, were poured in Israel's worship (Leviticus 23:18, 37). Gentiles poured them too, at the start of banquets and in memory of the dead.

The bridge to today

An analogy: a village church whose bell rings for morning and evening prayer, so that people at work miles away stop at the sound. The service happens in one place; the hour belongs to everyone.

What it changes in the reading

Bailey sets the two men who go up to pray in Luke 18:10 at the daily offering, with its lamb for the sins of Israel in full view. Acts 3:1 calls the ninth hour the hour of prayer, close to the time the Mishnah gives for the afternoon offering. The blood of the covenant in Mark 14:24 draws on the way covenants were sealed by sacrifice.

Where the analogy breaks

Not a church service. The daily offering was a sacrifice, a lamb killed and its blood put on the altar by priests for the nation. The people's part was to pray and bow while it happened.

Where scholars disagree

What sacrifice achieved. Keener writes that under the law sin could be expiated only by bloodshed, "God's anger appeased by substitution". Merrill, in an article in the CSB Study Bible, explains the Hebrew word for atonement as to cover. Atonement, he writes, involves "an innocent party taking the punishment that was due to a guilty party." Wright and Bird answer that the system was never about animals killed as a vicarious punishment, "not to punish people's sins so that they could enter God's presence". Its aim was to cleanse sin and death from people and sanctuary so that God could live among them: "The sacrificial blood acted as the cleansing, purifying agent". The cultural backgrounds notes on Leviticus 16:14 describe the high priest purging the sanctuary with blood on the Day of Atonement, where Israel's neighbors cleansed their temples with other substances.

Passages where it appears

{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-17-11-19\/","n":"Luke 17:11-19, Ten lepers and the Samaritan who came back","s":"On the border between Samaria and Galilee ten men with leprosy call to Jesus from a distance. He sends them to the priests, they are cleansed on the way, and only one, a Samaritan, comes back to thank him.","r":"Luke 17:11-19"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-18-9-14\/","n":"Luke 18:9-14, Two men go up to the temple to pray","s":"Jesus tells of a Pharisee who thanks God that he is not like other people and a tax collector who stands far off, beats his breast and asks for mercy. The tax collector goes home justified.","r":"Luke 18:9-14"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-23-26-49\/","n":"Luke 23:26-49, The road to the cross, paradise, and the ninth hour","s":"Simon of Cyrene carries the cross, the women of Jerusalem mourn, and Jesus warns them of days to come. Crucified between two criminals, he promises one of them paradise and dies at the ninth hour.","r":"Luke 23:26-49"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/luke-24-36-53\/","n":"Luke 24:36-53, Not a ghost; hands lifted in blessing","s":"Jesus stands among the disciples, who think they are seeing a ghost. He shows his hands and feet and eats fish, opens the Scriptures to them, and leads them out to Bethany, where he lifts his hands and blesses them.","r":"Luke 24:36-53"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/john-1-19-34\/","n":"John 1:19-34, Not the Messiah, not Elijah, not the Prophet","s":"Priests and Levites from Jerusalem ask John who he is. He denies being the Messiah, Elijah or the Prophet, calls himself the voice in the wilderness, and points to Jesus as the Lamb of God.","r":"John 1:19-34"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/acts-3-1-26\/","n":"Acts 3:1-26, The lame man at the Beautiful Gate","s":"At the afternoon hour of prayer Peter heals a man lame from birth who begged at the temple gate, then tells the gathering crowd that Jesus is the prophet Moses promised.","r":"Acts 3:1-26"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/acts-21-17-26\/","n":"Acts 21:17-26, James, the rumors and the vow","s":"In Jerusalem James and the elders welcome Paul but warn him that thousands of believers zealous for the law have heard he teaches Jews abroad to abandon Moses. They ask him to pay for four men completing a vow and to purify himself with them in the temple.","r":"Acts 21:17-26"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/romans-3-21-31\/","n":"Romans 3:21-31, Redemption and the mercy seat","s":"Paul announces that God's righteousness has been revealed through faith in Jesus for all who believe, Jew and Gentile alike, through a redemption and an atoning death he links to the mercy seat.","r":"Romans 3:21-31"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/romans-8-18-30\/","n":"Romans 8:18-30, Groaning and firstfruits","s":"Creation groans as in labor, waiting to be freed from decay, and believers who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan too as they wait for their adoption and the redemption of their bodies.","r":"Romans 8:18-30"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/romans-11-11-24\/","n":"Romans 11:11-24, The olive tree","s":"Israel's stumbling has brought salvation to the Gentiles. Paul pictures Gentile believers as wild olive shoots grafted into Israel's tree and warns them not to boast over the natural branches.","r":"Romans 11:11-24"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/romans-12-1-21\/","n":"Romans 12:1-21, A living sacrifice","s":"Paul urges believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, to see themselves as members of one body, and to love without pretense: honoring one another, welcoming strangers, weeping with those who weep and repaying evil with good.","r":"Romans 12:1-21"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/philippians-2-12-18\/","n":"Philippians 2:12-18, Lights in a crooked generation, poured out like a drink offering","s":"Paul urges the Philippians to work out their salvation without grumbling, shining like stars in a crooked generation, and pictures himself poured out like a drink offering on their sacrifice.","r":"Philippians 2:12-18"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/philippians-4-10-23\/","n":"Philippians 4:10-23, A thank-you without a thank you, and Caesar's household","s":"Paul acknowledges the Philippians' gift in the language of contentment and of business receipts and sacrifice, without a direct thank you, and closes with greetings from the saints of Caesar's household.","r":"Philippians 4:10-23"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/2timothy-4-1-8\/","n":"2 Timothy 4:1-8, Itching ears, a drink offering, and the crown","s":"Paul charges Timothy before God and Christ Jesus to preach the word in season and out of season, because people will gather teachers to suit their itching ears; he himself is already being poured out like a drink offering, has fought the good fight and finished the race, and awaits the crown.","r":"2 Timothy 4:1-8"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/hebrews-9-11-22\/","n":"Hebrews 9:11-22, Blood, ashes and a will","s":"Christ entered the greater tent once for all with his own blood, not the blood of goats and calves. If the ashes of a heifer could make the unclean outwardly clean, how much more will his blood cleanse the conscience; and as a will takes effect only at a death, the new covenant was put in force by his.","r":"Hebrews 9:11-22"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/hebrews-9-23-10-18\/","n":"Hebrews 9:23-10:18, Once for all, and a seated priest","s":"Christ entered heaven itself, not a copy, and offered himself once at the climax of the ages; as people die once and then face judgment, he will appear a second time to save. The yearly sacrifices only reminded people of sin, but his body offered once has made his people holy, and he has sat down, his offering finished.","r":"Hebrews 9:23-10:18"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/1peter-1-13-25\/","n":"1 Peter 1:13-25, Minds girded, foreigners, and the lamb","s":"Peter calls his readers to be ready and sober, holy as God is holy, and to live as foreigners in reverent fear, since they were ransomed not with silver or gold but with the blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish. Born again of imperishable seed, the living word, they must love one another deeply.","r":"1 Peter 1:13-25"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/1peter-2-1-10\/","n":"1 Peter 2:1-10, Living stones and a royal priesthood","s":"Like newborn babies the readers should crave pure milk. Coming to Christ, the living stone rejected by people but chosen by God, they are being built into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood; Peter strings together Scripture's stone texts and calls them a chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation.","r":"1 Peter 2:1-10"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/revelation-6-9-17\/","n":"Revelation 6:9-17, souls under the altar and the great day of wrath","s":"At the fifth seal the souls of those killed for God's word cry out from under the altar, how long, and are given white robes and told to wait. At the sixth a great earthquake shakes the world, the sky rolls up like a scroll, and kings and slaves alike hide in the caves from the wrath of the Lamb.","r":"Revelation 6:9-17"}
{"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-passages\/revelation-14-1-5\/","n":"Revelation 14:1-5, the Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion","s":"The Lamb stands on Mount Zion with 144,000 who bear his name and his Father's on their foreheads, singing a new song only they can learn. They have kept themselves pure, follow the Lamb wherever he goes, and are offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.","r":"Revelation 14:1-5"}

Sources

Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, ch. 27, The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Herbert Danby, The Mishnah, Pesahim 5.1 and Tamid 7.2-3
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, on Luke 17:14, 19:45, 22:8-9, 22:20, 23:44, 23:46 and 24:50
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on Luke 23:46 and 24:50
CSB Study Bible, note on Luke 18:10-14
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, on Romans 8:23-25, 11:16 and 12:1
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on Romans 8:23 and 11:16
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, on Philippians 2:17-18 and 4:18
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on Philippians 2:17 and 4:18
ESV Study Bible, study notes on Philippians 2:17 and 4:18
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, introduction to Hebrews 9:11-22
Eugene H. Merrill, Jesus and Atonement in the Old Testament, article in the CSB Study Bible, after Hebrews 9
N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, The New Testament in Its World, ch. 30, The Argument of Hebrews, section 4
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, note on Leviticus 16:14

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