Atonement (Hastings' Dictionary)

By its derivation this word de- scribes the setting ' at one ' or reconciliation of two parties who have been estranged. It is used in the English Bible as the equivalent for various forms of the root nB3 in OT, and for KaToKKwyri in NT. The verb tsd (to cover) is used to describe the effect of the sacrifices at the original conse- cration of the high priest and the altar (Ex '29'*, Lv 8'°, Ezk 43^ etc.)

, and of the annual sacrifices for the renewal of the consecration of the high priest and his household, of the people, and of the tabernacle (Lv 16'" etc.), on the day called expressly ' the Day of Atonement.'

It is used also to describe the effect of the sacrifices offered on behalf of the nation and of individual Israelites, occasionally in connexion with the ' whole burnt-offering' (Lv 1^), hut more frcquciitl}' in connexion with the various forms of ' sin ' and ' trespass ' offerings (Lv 4" etc., Nu 5*), the prescribed acknowledgment of guilt or de- filement incurred accidentally or in ignorance.

It is used, besides, to describe the effect of the intercession of Moses at Sinai (Ex 3'2^), of the incense ollcred by Aaron (Nu 16^), and of Phinehas' summary judgment on Ziiuri (Nu 25"). The olieuces for which atonement is accepted in these ca.ses go far beyond anytliing with which the Levitical sacrifices were appointed to deal, and so the way is prepared for the hope of atonement for ' moral ollences as such ' expressed in Ps 65' 78™ 79", cf. Pr 16', Dn 9«.

The same verb when it describes the direct action of (Jod is translated ' to pardon ' (2 Ch 30", cf. Ezk 10'"). The subst. lEb (LXX Xirrpoi' = ' ransom,' cf. Mk 10") is u.sed of ' blood money' (Ex 21*', Nu 35»'), sanctioned on behalf of a man gored by an ox, but not in a case of homicide ; and of the half-shekel paid at a census (Ex 30'^). n-is; (LXX rb lXa<rT^pio>') = the mercy-seat. Two points in regard to the provision for atone- ment under the old covenant deserve especial attention.

First, this provision is ascribed directly to divine api)ointment. The sacrifices, therefore, while bearing witness to the existence of an obstacle in the way of man's communion with God, were guarded against the gross misinterpretation which would represent them as human devices for overcoming God's reluctance to forgive. Second, the power of atonement resided in the blood, as containing the life of the sacrificial victim (Lv 17").

Under cover of the blood of a victim slain by his own hand in acknowledgment of tlie righteousness of the divine juilgment on his sin, and in virtue of the life still (juick within it, liberated rather than destroyed \>y death, and brought by consecrated hands into direct contact with the symbols of the divine presence, the wor- shijiper, in spite of his defilement, might himseli draw nigh to God. In NT, though the thought is fundamental, and finds expression in a variety of forms, e.g.

Forgive- ness, Pro])itiation, Redemption, the word Atone- ment or its equivalent Reconciliation (itaTaXXo7/j, in L.X.X )iracti(iilly confined to 2 Mac fi*) is found only in 2 Co S'""', Ro 5'°' U", cf. Col l'". Here, as in (")T, the use of the word presupposes an estrange- ment between God and man. On man's side this 198 ATONEMENT ATONEjNIENT estrangement is the direct consequence of liis sin. On God's side it is the direct consequence of His holiness and His love.

Because He is holy and lovii-g, He cannot be inditlerent to sin. His wrath must rest upon the disobedient (Jn 3^, cf. Ro 1"*). Now in human wrath there mingles almost Inevitably a feeling of personal irritation, pique, or resentment. The language of the NT is carefully chosen to guard against the supposition that any such shadow mars the purity of the divine indig- nation. Men are spoken of as God's enemies (iX^poi, Ro 5'", cf. 8'), but God is never spoken of as the enemy of man.

Men are invited to accept the oH'ered reconciliation ; God is never brought before us as Himself needing to be appeased or reconciled. On the contrary, the atonement originates with Him. See esp. 2 Co 5" ' God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself,' Ro 3^ ' whom God set forth to be a propitiation.'

The atonement, there- fore, of which the gospel speaks, cannot, any more than the means of atonement provided uniier the law, be regarded as a device for overcoming any reluctance on God's part to forgive. It is the provision which He Himself has made for the removal of the obstacle to communion which sin has introduced. Let us consider a little more closely what this obstacle is. Sin is lawlessness (1 Jn 3*).

It is the refusal on man's part, a refusal now as it were ingrained in his very nature, to remain in subjection to the law of God (Ro 8'). Each act of sin, therefore, is the outward sign of a spiritual alienation from God. But yet more. Each act of sin reacts upon the sinner, and increases his alienation.

It not only weakens his power of moral self-determination, and so makes him more than ever a slave to his sin (Ro T") ; it incurs fresh guUt, and so adds new terror to the curse of the law (Gal 3'^) ; it deepens his defilement, and so makes him shrink more than ever Irom the presence of God. And the wages of sin, which from another point of view express the judgment of God upon it, is death (Ro 6^). The power by which this obstacle has been over- come springs from the person of Christ.

He Himself is our peace (Eph 2"). He, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, is the Lamb ' foreknown before the foundation of the world '(IP 1"), and the restora- tion of the broken harmony of the universe (Col l'", cf. Eph 1") springs from His eternal surrender of Himself to do the Father's will (He 10»).

This eternal sacrifice, which is thus seen to have its roots deep in the inmost mystery of the divine nature, was manifested in time, and became efi'ectual for our redemption, when the Word was made flesh and revealed at once the relation in which mankind stands to Him and His own eternal relation to the Father, througli a life on earth of perfect obedience to the Father's will.

This obedience reached its final consummation when He shed His blood upon the cross, and His life, even as the life of the sacrificial Wctims in the OT, was set free by death for the work of our recon- ciliation. The atonement, therefore, is ascribed specifically to His death (Ro 5'°), His cross (Eph 2"), and His blood (Col l**).

Tlie cost of the atonement is represented from two sides, — as it all'ected the Father, who ' spared not liis own Son, but freely gave Him up for us all' (Ro 8'-); and as it ati'ected the Son, who ' sutt'ered for us ' (1 P 2^'), and by ' whose stripes we are healed' (1 P 2'«, cf. 18 53°). The cost to the Father we clearly have no power to conceive, and the Bible makes no efiort to define it. The sufferings of the Son in our flesh were human sufferings.

We are able therefore in some measure to conceive of them. They were the direct result of His perfect acceptance of all the consequences that the presence of sin in the world entails upon us. Thej culminate on the one side in an agonising aiid shameful death ; on the other in an uulathuniable depth of spiritual suflering, when for a moment it seemed as if even God had forsaken Him (Mt 27'", cf. Mt 26**-" and parallels, He 6').

Such light as we can receive on the relation of these sufferings to the work of our atonement is derived chiefly from the typical ritual of OT sacrifices. This included, as we have seen, (1) the presentation of an offering with an acknowledg- ment of guilt, (2) the slaughter of tlie victim, (3) the symbolic use of the blood so shed. Each of these elements found a place in the sacrifice on the cross. (1) Christ Himself, as the Head of our race, presented Himself as an offering on our behalf.

The laying down of His life is represented as His own deliberate voluntary act (.In 10'"-). He made His soul an ofl'ering for sin (Is 53'°, cf. Mt 26^). He gave His life {<j/vxv) a ransom for many (Xiirpoy uKxi iroXXiy, Mt 20'^).

This presentation involved, according to OT analogy, the surrender to death of an appointed victim, together with a con- fession of our guilt, and the acceptance, with a full acknowledgment of its justice, of the sentence of death which has been pronounced upon us for our sin. (2) He was at the same time not only the Offerer but the 'Victim.

His whole life was (as we have seen already) a life of perfect self-surrender to the loving service of His brethren in trustful obedience to His Father's wUl. His voluntary submission to the death of the cross for the redemption ot His murderers, was the ultimate expression at once of His obedience and of His love. It is therefore tlie culminating point in His ofl'ering, and the final test of its completeness.

(3) The blood of the offering, which, again according to OT analogy, is regarded as the special seat of the atoning power, is represented as oeing sprinkled on those who enter the new covenant (He 12'", 1 P V). It is brought into the most intimate and impressive relation with each one of them when he talies into his hands the Cup of the covenant (Mt 26" etc., cf. Ex 24^*) and drinks of it according to the commandment.

In the power of the same blood, our Lord, as the great High Priest, has entered into the inmost heaven, and there without ceasing offers inter- cession (He 7") on our behalf. The blood thus becomes a living bond reuniting man to man and the whole race of man to God.

The effect of the atonement is therefore to re- move altogether the obstacle introduced by sin, to undo the work of the devil (1 Jn 3"), and to open anew the way by which sinful men can return into communion with their Father in heaven (He 10*). The blood of Christ, understood in tlie fuU measure of its spiritual reality, reveals the true law of man's being, and brings home to him the extent of his degradation.

By its revelation of the love of God triumphant over sin, it wins men back from their spiritual alienation, making them ready to return to their allegiance, and willing to give up their sin.

It cleanses their consciences from the stain of sin, and sets them free from the curse of the law, by the assurance that a perfect satisfaction has been oU'ered to the rigliteous claims of the divine justice, and by enabling them to make their own the perfect confession of their sins that has already been oflered in their name.

It is the wellspring of a new power of moral self-determination by which they may be enabled, in spite of the tyrannous domination of past habits acquired and inherited (1 P 1'"), and in the niid.st of an atmosphere of temptation, to live henceforward in ohedieuco to God's will, submitting in patience and in hope to ATONEMENT, DAY OF ATONEMENT, DAY OF 199 all tlie sufl'ering that He may require from them, whether by v,tiy of discipline or of service. It thus robs evun Jeath itsell of its sting.

It is true that we can but dimly see why such a sacrifice as the death of Christ should have been necessary, and guess in the light of partial human analogies at the secret of its power. But it is enough for our present guidance to know tliat the sacrifice itself has been od'ered, and that there have been men in every age who, from their own experience, have borne witness that it is eli'ectual. 8ee also FORGIVENESS and PROPITIATION. LrrEaATTRi.

— Among English treatises on the Atonement it will be enough to mention M'Leod Campbell, On the Mature of tlif. Atonement -.Vi. W. Dale, The Doctrine of the Atonement; K. D. Maurice, The Doctrine of Sacrifice ; H. N. Oxenham, The Cathoiie Doctrine of the Atonetnent ; B. F. Weatcott, Tfie Viclory of the Crou. See also Bruce, 11 urniiiatum of Christ, 317-400 ; Fairbairn, CTirtrt in Modem Theology, 479-487 ; Simon, Ufiiemption of Man ; Dorner, System of Christian Doctrine, iv.

1-124 et passim (see Index); Weiss, Bib. Theol. of NT, i. 419- 4.V2, IL 202-218; Ritschl, Christ. Lehre con d. llechtfert. u. rerr^ihtt, ( liiik'- tr. uf I't. i., HisUny of the Chriml'in Doctrine of Juuijl' 'ition and liecowtliatwn) ; Baur. lAhre vtm rf. Vmohn. in ihrer gesch. Bntiricfcetung ; Thomasius, Lehre von Christi Perton u. H'erk ; Hamack, Luther's I'heologie mil bes. BfZieh. aitj soine Versohn.'tk. Erios.-lehre. J. O. F. Murray. ATONEMENT, DAY OF (D-!s;n dv Lv 23" 25», ijiiifia.

{ii)i\aafioO, (lies expirttionum, or (Lv 2S-^}pro- /litiationis).* — Tlie principal passages relating to this great annual fast of the Jews are Lv 16 and .2;}i«-8j . ^,^t^ some additional particulars are to be found in Nu 29'"", Ex SO" ; of. Lv 25». All these pa.ssages, though probably belonging to different dates, are connected with the priestly code.

The Day of Atonement, which was a day for the assembling of the people for divine worship (a ' holy convocation ' Lv 23"), was kept in the autumn, on the 10th day t of the 7th month, or, according to our reckoning, from the evening of the 9th till the evening of the 10th. The people were charged (Lv 23""^^, cf.

16^- ^'), under pain of extermination from the community, to rest from every kind of work, and to ' atHict their souls,' t he last phrase denoting the strict abstinence from food and drink which marked a day of fasting and self-humiliation.

The special olierings for the day (in addition to the regular burnt-, meal-, and ilrmk- oU'ering), are prescribed in Nu 29'"" ; they consisted of a young bullock, a ram, and seven lambs of the first year, as burnt-ollerings, with their appropriate meal-oflenngs, viz. three-tenths of an ephah for each bullock, two-tenths for the ram, and one-tenth for each lamb, also of a he- goat for a sin-oliering.

These additional oflerings are similar to those for the 1st day of the month, and the 8th of the Feast of Booths (vv.>-«- ""j. The distinctive ceremonial of the D.ay of Atone- ment is described at length in Lv 10. The high priest first selected for himself a young bullock for a sin-ofTering, and a ram for a burnt-otl'ering ; then, having bathed, he discarded his distinctive golden vestments, and arrayed himself in gar- ments of white linen.

After this he took from tlie people a ram for a bumt-ofl'erinc, and two goats for a sin-offeriBg, and proceeded to choose liy lot from the two goats one for J " and one for AZAZELJ (Lv le'-'"). This done, he oU'ered the • Called bjr the later Jew» kdi' the day, iiai kdv (cf. ■ 1" LXX) (« great day, oix CI' the fast -day, Menachoth, xl., ♦nrf, K31 KOl» the great fast ; ct li wnmU, Acte 27>, Ep. Bar- nab. 1. *, Jos. Ant. XVII. vi. 4 ; ^ riif f. i.u-i^, xiv. iv. 3 (on xiv. xvl. 4, cf.

Schiirer, IIJ P i. L 398 n.) ; i Uyiu<n ,., Philo, ii. 138, 691 ; mrri.ac i«(iTr, li. 296. t Apparently the 10th day of this month was at one time regarded as New Year's Day'; see Ezk 401 and cf. Lv 25». t I'^V "^SjS f< make atonejnent for it, because, probably, by Itanrlint before J" during the ceremonial which followe, itshares In the atonement made thereby for the sanctuary, and so become* titled to bear away the sins of the people. So Hengst., Riehn, Keil, Nowack (Ueb. Archnol. ii.

192), aL bullock, which he had selected previously, for him- self and his family ; and having filled a censer with coals from the altar of burnt-ofl'ering, and takin" with him a handful of incense, he entered tlie Most Holy Place, where he threw the incense upon the burning coals, causing thereby a cloud of smoke to envelop tlie ark and the mercy seat ; after this he dipped his finger in the blood of the bullock, and sprinkled the blood once on the front (or east) side of the mercy seat, and seven times in the vacant space in front of the mercy seat (vv.

"•'*). Having thus completed the atonement for himself and his house, the high priest returned to the court ; and after killing the goat of the people whicli had been allotted to J", he again entered the Most Holy Place, and sprinkled its blood, in the same manner as that of the bullock, on the front of the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. The puri- fication of the Most Holy Place being thus accom- plished, the high priest went out into the Holy Place (called the ' tent of meeting' v.")

, and there performed a similar atoning ceremony. The de- tails of this ceremony are not described in Lv 16 ; but in Ex 30'°, which seems to be a later addition to P, we learn that the blood of the sin-oflering of atonement was to be placed on the golden altar of incense, which is nowhere mentioned in Lv 16. During this time no one except the high priest was allowed to be present in the tabernacle.

When the high priest again came out into the court, he completed the atonement of the sanc- tuary by placing on the horns of the altar of burnt-ottering some of the blood both of the bullock and of the goat, and with his fingers sprinkling the blood seven times on the sutar (V 16-ia) 'pijg living goat was then brought near ; and the high priest, having placed both hands upon its head, confessed over it all the sins and offences of the Israelites ; after which the goat wa led away, by a man standing in readiness, into the wilderness for Azazel, that it might bear the iniquities to a land 'cut ott',' i.

e. to one remote from human Iiabitations, from which there was no chance of its bringing back again its burden of guilt (vv.^"-"-'). The high priest then returned to the Holy Place, and after bathing, and putting on Ills usual priestly garments, came out and ofterod the two burnt-oli'erings (w.»- ») for hiin-sclf and for the peoiile (w.**- ").

Finally, the fat of the sin- ofl'crings having been consumed in sweet smoke upon the altar,t the rest of their flesh (in accord- ance with the general rule, Lv 4"'- »' etc.) was carried outside the camp and destroyed by fire ; those to whom this service wtus intrusted, and also the man who had led away the goat for Azazel, being not permitted to return to tlie con- gregation till they had bathed, and washed theii clothes (vv.^-»).

Two main questions arise in connexion with the Day of Atonement, wliich, as we shall see, are in some mea-Hure connected with each other: (1) to wliat date is the ceremonial enjoined in ch. 16 to be a-scribed ? (2) is the chapter describing it homo- geneous in structure ? (1) We hear notliing of the observance of the Day of Atonement in pre-exilic times, nor is any mention made of tliis day in the earlier legal codes ('Book of the Covenant,' Dt, H).

On the other hand, there are several points in the law regulating its observance which seem to connect it with the jjcriod after the exile, when the ceremonial aspects of sin and atonement at least occupied a more prominent place in the life and • The altar of v." cannot be the altar of Incense. Tlie purifi- cation of the Holv I'lacc has been de8cribc<l in v.l«f. For 'before J'" (v.is), cf. Lv 1» : J" dwells in the tabernacle (Ex 2.^j*'. ^. and the great oltar stands in front of this. t V.

20 seems to be misplaced. Its natural poaltion would be Immediately after v.m (cf. 4»-'0. '»• » etc.) 200 ATONEMENT, DAY OF ATONEMENT, DAY OF t lought of the people than was the case pre- viously. The phrase ' to artlict the soul ' (^jj njy, see Lv 16^- " 23-''- ^- ^^, Nu 29') occurs elsewhere only Is 58»- »• '" (exilic) and Ps 35" (influenced by Jer).

Fasting as a religious observance was prac- tised among the Hebrews in ancient times ; but we first hear of annual fasts on stated days in connexion with the fall of Jerusalem (Zee 7'"° 8"). The elaborate ritual of the blood probably points to a comparatively late date (cf. Lv 4'"^', one of the later portions of P j and contrast 9^'") ; while the nearest analogies to the public confession of sins (16-') are to be found in post-exilic writings (Ezr 9, Neh 1-'" 9', Dn 9^').

Moreover, the priestly prophet Ezekiel, in his legislation for the restored people (ch. 40-48), prescribes a ceremonial, which, « hile its general aim is similar to that of the Day of Atonement, is much simpler in character ; he enjoins, viz.

(45'"*'), two solemn purifications of the sanctuary on the 1st day of the first month, and on the 1st of the seventh month (so LXX ; see IlVm), when a young bullock was to be slain for a siu-otlerlng on behalf of all who might err through inadvertence or natural slowness {mer vks •nsDi), and the blood of the victim was to be placed on the doorposts of the temple, on the corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the inner court.

Tlie prophet, in his legislation for the future, attaches himself largely to existing usage ; if, therefore, the law of Lv 16 had been in his day a time-honoured institution, would he ha\'e either disregarded it or stripped it of so many of its significant rites? Does it not seem more probable that the law of Lv 16 is a develop- ment of the simpler ceremonial prescribed by Ezekiel ? Indeed, there are reasons for supposing that its introduction was decidedly later than Ezekiel's time.

In Neh 8-10 we possess a fairly cir- cumstantial account of the events of tlie 7th month (if B.C.

444, including, for instance (8, "'"), notices of what happened on the 1st and 2nd days of the month, and the observance, in accordance with Lv 23^-", of the Feast of Booths from the 15th to the 23rd days ; that being so, it is remarkable, if the fast of the 10th day had been an established institution, that no mention should be made of its observance, especially when we are expressly told (9"-) that the 24th day was observed as a day of fasting and of confession of sins.

Reuss, indeed, on the ground that the fast of the 24th would have been superfluous, if the fast of the 10th had just preceded, argued (Hist, sainte et la lui, i. 260) that Lv 16 did not even form part of the law-book read by Ezra; but, as Kuenen (//ex. § 15. 32; cf. Dillm. NDJ p. 673 ; Stade, Gesch. ii.

182) points out, this argument is hardly decisive ; the fast of the 24th is manifestly intended as a special token of humiliation for national shortcomings, prepara- tory to the conclusion of the covenant (9**"^) ; it has thus little or nothing in common with the annually-recurring Day of Atonement, and it might have been apjiointed whether Lv 16 was contained in Ezra's law-book or not.

But Kuenen agrees tliat the non-mention of the day on the part of the well-informed narrator of Neh 8-10 is ' very strange,' if it were an established institution, and considers it to be an indication that it was intro- duced/or the first time in the law-hook of Ezra, though not observed at once, on account of its forming part of a new system, which had not yet been formally accepted by the people.

Whetlier this argument be satisfactory or not, it is import- ant to recollect that the argument against the antiquity of the Day of Atonement is not, as it is often represented as being (e.(]. by Delitzsch, in his study on the subject, ZKWL, 1880, p. 173 ff.), solely an nrgumentum e silentio : that, as Kuenen observes (TA. Tijdschr. 18S3, pp.

207-212), is but one argument out of many ; the Day of Atonement is part of a system, the ceremonial system of tlie Priest's Code ; when, therefore, the question of ita antiquity is raised, it cannot be treated by itself, but forms part of a larger question, viz. the antiquity of that sj'stem as a whole, and must be answered in the same sense as that in which the wider question is answered. (2) Tlie second question is whether Lv 16 forms a liomogeneous whole.

The chapter is connected w ith the narrative of the death of Aaron's sons for oflering strange fire (ch. 10 ; cf . 16'- ** ' that he die not,' and ". u. ^nd contrast 'tire from the altar,' v.'^, with 'strange fire,' 10') ; but it treats of two distinct subjects, without clearly indicating the transition from one to the other.

It opens with a warning addressed to Aaron against rashly enter- ing the Most Holy Place, and prescribes the pre- liminary rites to be performed, whenever he may have occasion to do so.* It passes on to describe a solemn atoning ceremony to be per- formed for the tabernacle itself, and for the worshippers ; and it concludes with the institution of an annual fast on the day of the atoning cere- mony.

This change of subject suggests a doubt whether the chapter in its present form can be wholly the work of one writer. Dillmann explains the change of subject, and the connexion with ch. 10, by the supposition that originally the chapter contained the description of a ceremony of purification, to be performed in consequence of the defilement brought upon the tabernacle by the sin of Nadab and Abihu.

He supposes that directions were given for the repetition of the rite after any subsequent desecration ; that in later times it had become the practice to perform this service once, and once only, in every year; and that the chapter was altered to suit tne later practice. This ex- planation, however, requires us to supply a good deal which is not stated, and only indirectly suggested, by the present text. A different solution of the difficulty is proposed by Benzinger.

In an interesting and suggestive study on Lv 16 (ZATW, 1889, p. 65 0'.), Benzinger points out that the literary form of the chapter is imperfect. Thus v." and v."' are really doublets, suggesting that w.'"'" are derived from another source ; tliere is a sharp break between v.^ and v.^ ; vv.

^*" are not really a summary of the fore- going verses, for they introduce some new points (fasting and the date), and, while mentioning the whitegannents of the high priest, say nothing about the more important ceremonies connected with the sprinkling of the blood, and the goat for Azazel ; finally, v."" suggests the immediate carrying out of some definite command given to Moses. Ac- cordingly, Benzinger, who is followed by Nowack (Hehr. Arch. ii.

182-194), distinguishes between earlier and later portions of the chapter, and con- siders that the older sections are w.'"- •-"" (omitting 'which is for himself) i"- !»•»>> (regula- tions defining the conditions under wliich Aaron, when occasion required, was to enter the Holy of Holies), and vv.''

"" (a law prescribing a relatively simple rite of atonement — substantially identical with the inaugural ceremony of 9'" — to be re- peated annually on behalf of the people and sanc- tuary, and specifying the manner in which the day was to be observed publicly).

In this form, he points out, the law for the Day of Atonement would agree closely with Lv 23-'''*', whore also stress is laid on tlie necessity of fasting and ab- stention from work, but no allusion is made tt the special ceremonies prescribed in the central portion of ch. 16. The ' ofiering by fire ' of 23'', • With Tv.l 13 ("that he die not"), comp. Ex 28" (the con- ditinns under which Aaron may enter the Holy Place); alM Ex 3U20- 21, Xu 4l».

ATONEJIENT, DAY OF ATONEMENT, DAY OF '_'Ui and the ' sin-olfering of atonement' of Nu 29", would both be exphiined by the sacrifices alluded to in Lv lO'-" (or Nu 15^"'-) and described more fully in Lv 9. The more elaborate ritual [ire- scribed in the rest of the chapter (vv.°- '"'"• "•^) is, uiion Uenzinger's view, a subsecjuent development of that enjoined in w."

- ", which, as it now stands, is interwoven with directions relating to Aaron alone, on account of its having become the custom for the high priest to enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement only. That the ritual prescribed in this chapter was of grattual growth is indeed higlily i>robable ; but it may be doubted whether a merely literary analysis can adequately indicate its successive stages. The words not at all times in v.''

suggest that even when the supposed earlier law was formulated, there were restrictions on the occasion as well as on the mnnner of the high priest's entering the Holy of Holies, and the terms of vv.^-'*' appear to presuppose some preceding regulations, delining more particularly the character of the atoning ceremonies there alluded to.

t It is true, 23"'"^- is parallel to le^'^, in the stress which it lays upon the manner in which the Day is to be ob- served by the people ; but it also presupposes in v. some special atoning rites, the nature of which it does not itself more closely define, t Hence it seems that to limit the original regulations of the Day of Atonement to v.^*" wovild leave them less systematic and complete than is probable.

The more elaborate ritual prescribed for the bIoo<l, as compared with 9'"'°, and even with 4' '■ "■ i", is not necessarily due to its being a later develop- ment : it may be aue to the special solemnity of the occasion, a ceremonial enacted once a year only on behalf of the entire nation.

The chajiter undoubtedly deals with two distinct subjects (the conditions under which the high priest might enter the Moat Holy Place, and the annual Day of Atonement for the sins of the nation), which it imperfectly connects together. We may conjec- ture that the a.ssociatioii of these two subjects is due to the fact that the occasions of the high priest's entry into the Most Holy Place came gradually to be limited to tlie single annual Day of Atonement : it is also highly probaljle (esp.

in view of Kzk 45""*') that the ritual of this day was originally simpler than that now prescribed in Lv 16 ; but it may be doubted whether the successive stages in the amalgamation and develoinnent of the two ceremonials can be distinguished by means of a literary analysis. The Mishnic treatise YOmS, (i.e. the Day) gives several fresh details respecting the ceremonies observed on the Day of Atonement in the time of the Second Temple.

§ Minute directions were given to ensure the ceremonial purity of the high priest on that day. For the seven days preceding he dwelt in a special chamber, and not in his own house. It is expressly stated that ho entered four times into the Most lloly Place, viz. on the three occasions suggested by Lv Ifl', '*• ", and again after the evening sacrilice, to bring out the censer, and the plate whicli had held the incense. It is aaid that a stone three lingers high stood in the • Except ».>"> and v.

^Bi (from and make), which B«Dziii),'er tret« iw 1at«r hnnnoniBtic gloSHcfl. t The cinMiiiiHtantial enumcmtion of v. 83 must surpiv pro- •up|».«e Hointjthitij; more than cith-jr the oprlirmry Biii-otTcriii(f o( the eninimmity (Nil l.'iSlaa)^ or even Lv 0»- 1^ ;"mort'f»vfr. it exa<-t!y flMinnmrlRCH the prinripal present contents of vv.'***, 1 The 'olferinjf uiftiie liy Are' of t:':^ will not be the apecinl Alo lintf "lu-ridce intended ; for that offering Ib conwnon to most of the sacred »e.

^»on» mentione<l in ch. 23 (v.». l»i.. 23. *l). Nn 2fl^ 11 also alhirU-H (v.H) to the ' Bin-olTerinif of atonement' ; hut the calendar of Baered seaaoiiH, contAinnd m Nu 2S-'Jl>, may be of later date than the presi-nt fonn nf !.v Hi. I Of. Kp. liarnah. c. " (with (iclilinnll and Hamack'a notca), where tome of the same detaila are alluded to. Holy of Holies in the place of the ark (v. 2).

Im mediately before slaying the sin-ollering for him- self, the hi"h priest, laying hia hands upon it, made the following confession : ' I beseech Tliee, O Lord, I have done iniijuitously, 1 have trans- gressed, I have sinned before 'lliee, 1, and my house, and the sons of Aaron, Thy holy people.

1 beseech Thee, O Lord, forgive (ied), now, the iniquities, and the transgressions, and the sins, wherein I have done iniquitously, and trans- gressed, and sinned before Thee, 1, and my house, and the sons of Aaron, Thy holy people ' (iv. 2).

The blood of each of the siu-oll'erings was sprinkled by the lii^h priest, once u]i\vards and seven times downwards, first on the Holy of Holies, and after- wards upon the veil in the Holy Place : lastly, mixing the blood of the two victims, he put some of the mixture on the altar of incense, and poured out the remainder at the foot of the altar of burnt- oll'ering (vi. 1, 2). With regard to the two goats, we are told that they were to resemble one another as closely as possible ( vi. 1 ; cf .

IJarnab. 7" 6/ioioi.s). The lots were made of boxwood, and afterwards of gold ; the high priest drew out one lot in each hand, and then tied a ' tongue ' of scarlet cloth * upon the neck of the goat destined for Azazel. Tlie words of the high priest's confession were, ' We beseech thee, O Lord, Thy [people, the house of Israel, have done iniquitously, trans- gressed, and sinned before Thee. We beseecli Thee, 0 Lord, forgive, now, the iniquities, tlie tran.

sgressions, and the sins, wherein Thy people, the house of Israel, have done iniquitously, trans- gressed, and sinned before Thee ' (vi. 2). The goat was led away, accompanied by some of the noliles of Jerusalem ; and its arrival at a place which was regarded as the edge of the wilderness was sig- niilled back to the high jiriest in the temple.

Finally, the goat was conducted by a single man to a steep place called Suk, where it was thrown backwards over the edge of the cliff, and riashed to pieces among the rocks (vi. 6-8). The site has been identified by Schick (ZDPV in. -IliVi.) with a crag near the village of B6t-liudi!dfln, on the road running through Bethany into the wilder- ness, 12 miles east of^.Ierusalem (see AZAZKI,). The Day of Atonement represents the culminat- ing institution of the Levitical system.

Not only, fioni a merely formal point of view, does Lv 16 form the climax of the sacrificial and purificatory ordinances contained in Lv 1-15, but the cere- monial itself is of a jieculiarly comprehensive and representative character.

It was a yearly atone- ment for the nation as a whole (including the jiriests) ; and not only for the nation, but also for the sanctuary, in its various jiarts, in so far as this had been defiled <luriiig the jiast year by the sins of the people, in whose midst it stood. The sins thus atoned for must not, however, be sup- posed to be those committed 'with a high hand' (Nu 15*"-), i.e.

defiantly and wilfully; luil sins of ignorance and frailty (d7i'o>i^aTa, He 9'), such as Imiiian nature, even when striving after God, is ever liable to.t nninj Sk pc? : Rarnab. 7 r# i^,«, r« «•«»,•,. t The Jews, aa Danz |aee od fin.], pp. 1010-1012, shows fron' the Mishna (.VA(!//«'of/i 11), MaimonideB (Comjne/if. on Vfliiui 4-), and Aharliunel (min.T L"1TD, Venice, 1584, fol. 2.11, col. 3, 1. 14 IT.), in view of the comprehcnBlve terms of Lv Ifllfl.ai.

so, i,(,|,i that tlK- sairrillces of this <!ay made atonement for all sins of ever\ kiri'l, whether clone involuntarily or deliberately ; but thiB is all e.\a(;u'cratlon which is in conflict with the trenerai theory of the Jewish Biu'riflceB. The sin-offerinif made atonement only for sins committed 'In error,' i.«. accidentally ami involuntarilv (|,v 4X13.aw, Nu 15M-*), not for those committed 'with a hijrh hand'CNu i:fi«'), i.e. deflantly anil dclihenuely ; and it is in- credible.

In Bplte of the terms of Lv 101" 21, that the Bacridci* of this day can have so far rleviated in principle from the ceneral theory of the priestly letrislation aa to have bi.'cn sup)>'>sed to atone, r.ij., for the sin of an inji>onitent nuinlerer.

The cere, moniul of the Day of Atonement was desi|fnc<l in fact to elTeut L'02 ATONEIVIENT, DAY OF ATROTH-SHOPHAX The ceremonial was enacted at the central sanctuary ; but the individual Israelites, by their abstention from labour and fasting, not only ex- pressed at the same time their hunuliation for sin, tint also signified their co-operation in the offices of the day ; provision was thus made for tlie ceremonial being more than a mere opus operatum. A.

H it was the highest atoning ceremony of the year, the blood was not merely applied, as in other cases (Lv 4), to the altar of burnt-offering, or even to the altar of incense ; it was taken into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled, not once only, but seven times, as close as possible to the place immediately associated with the presence of J" (Ex 25, , Isu 7**). Once a year the sins of the peojile were thus solemnly atoned for, and the nation's lost holiness was restored (v.

*" ' to cleanse you : from all your sins shall ye be clean before J" ').

The slain goat made atonement for the people's sins, and restored their peace and fellowship with God ; the goat over which the people's sins were confessed, and wliich was afterwards sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, symbolised visibly their complete removal from the nation's midst (Ps 103'^, Mic 7'^) : ' a life was given up for the altar, and yet a living being survived to carry away all sin and uncleanness ' : the entire ceremonial thus symbolised as completely as possible both the atonement for sin, and the entire removal of the cause of God's alienation.

As regards the part taken in the office by the high priest, it is to be observed especially that the ceremonial of the Day of Atonement was the highest exercise of his mediatorial office : he per- formed an atoning rite on behalf of the entire people ; and, represented by him, the entire people had access on that day to the presence of J".

As the representative of a sinful people, he natur- ally discarded his gorgeous high-priestly dress,* and assumed an attire, which, being plain and destitute of ornament, was such as became a suppliant suing for forgiveness ; wliile, being white, it symbolised the purity and innocence required in those who appear in the immediate presence of the Holy One (cf. the angels in Ezk 9, 1. 11 102- »• ', Dn 10» 12«- ').

Nor can he, even then, complete the atonement for the people, until he has first offered atonement for his own sins ; and when he enters the Holy of Holies, the incense burnt by him there forms, further, a protecting cloud, comin" as a veil between himself and the lioliness of J' , and at the same time possessing a propitiatory efficacy (Nu IG^"'). Jos. {Ant. III. X. 3) gives a short account of the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement ; and Philo, in his treatise vepl ttjs (^So/iijs, § 23 (II.

29G, Mangey), draws out the ethical teaching which he understands them to imply. Allusions to the holy day are also found in Sir SC" , Ac 27", He 9'- ^. ■riie later Jews were not unconscious of the deeper spiritual truths of wliich the ceremonial of the Day of Atonement was the expression. Philo, for instance (^.

c), speaks of it as an occasion for tlie discipline of self-restraint in regard to bodily indulgences : the more effective, as it came at a season of the year when the fruits of the earth had just been gatliered in, and the temptation to an idf^at atonement and reconciliation on behalf of the nation, aa such ; its benefits extendiii];; to individuals, only in so far as thev had sinned involuntarilv, or were truly penitent. Comp. Oehlef, § 140 (KnK. tr. ii. 43 fl.) ; Riehm, A t Tfieot. { 37.

2 ; v. Orelli, in HerzoK^, xvi. 414 ; R. W. Dale, The Ataiiemml, pp. 85, 466-470 ; C. O. Slontellore, The Bible /or Home lieadtng, 1896. p. 144 ff. (where the ancient significance of this annual rite is well pointed out).

His dress became, In fact, almost that of the ordinary priests, except that he had still a turban * (ncjliD) — though only one of white linen, not his usual decorated one (Ex 2836f-)— Instead of a 'cap' (TWZiD, Ex 2S4°), and a plain linen ■ saah ' (S12K), instead of • coloured one (Ex 2840). indulgence would be naturally the stronger; ab- stinence at such a season would raise men's thoughts from the gifts to the Giver, who could sustain life Kal 5ta Toimov Kal di^ev toitujv.

Those who took part in the prayers for the day asked for forgiveness, not in dependence upon their own merits, aXXd Sid tt^c ?\ewf ipvcriv tov avyyvu/j.iji' Tpi KoXaueois dpi^ovTO! (cf. Vit. Mos. ii. 4, II. 138 ; Leg. Cai. 39, II. 591). The Mishna also is caieful to teacli that the ceremonies of the Day of Atone- ment are inell'ectual unless accompanied by re- pentance. ' Death and the Day of Atonement work atonement, where there is repentance (.laiBTin).

Repentance makes atonement for slight trans- gressions, both of omission and of commission ; and in the case of grave ones, it suspends punish- ment till the Day of Atonement comes, and brings atonement. If a man says, " I will sin, and (then) repent, I will sin, and (then) repent," Heaven does not give him the means of practising repentance ; and if he says, " I will sin, and the Day of Atone- ment will bring atonement," the Day of Atone- ment will bring him no atonement' (YOmd, viii. S-9).

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews con- trasts (9*^) the work of the high priest on the Day of Atonement with the superior atoning efficacy of the work of Christ.

The Jewish high priest entered once yearly * into the Holy of Holies, with the blood of appointed victims : Christ entered once for all into the true sanctuary, the actual presence of God, through His own blood ; He obtained not a temporary, but an eternal de- liverance (9"'''), His blood is far more efficacious for the cleansing and renovation of human nature (gii-14. a-8) than that whicli was offered under the Je\vish law.

And whereas, under the Law, full access to God was limited to the high priest, and to him, moreover, under many restrictions of time and mode, Christ has opened a new and living way, by which those whose hearts are properly purged from an evil conscience may at all times have free access to the Father (9<=-" W^'^). LrrKRATCTiB. — (a) The treatise of the Mishna, F^mfl, with Lat. tr. and notes in Surenhusius* ed. of the Mishna, 1699, ii. p. 206 ff. ; also ed. by Sheringham, 1648, ed.

2 (with an elabor- ate comparison [p. i05flE.]of the work of the high priest with that of Christ, by J. Rhenferd), 1698; and (with Heb. text pointed, and short notes, and glossary) by H. L. Strack (Berlin, 18S8) : many passa^jes of the Getnara on the same treatise are also translated by Wiinsche, in Der Bahyl. Talmud in seinen Uaqqadischen Eestandtheilen, i. (1886), pp. 340-389 ; see further, on the Jemsh ritual of the day, Otho, Lex. Habb. 1676,2 1757 (».y. Expiationis Festum); J.

Lightfoot, The Temple Service, c. 16 (Works, 1684, ii. 961-1); J. A. Dani, ' Fimctio Pontif. M. anniversaria,' in Meuschen, NT ex Talm. illustr. 1736, pp. 912- 1012 (with copious extracts from Jewish sources), followed, pp. 1013-39, by Uhenferd's 'Comparatio' (supr.); Maimonides, Uilchoth j/6m hak-kippurim, etc., at the end of Delitzsch's Comjn. on the Hebrews ; Edersheim, The Temple : it$ Ministry atid Services, pp. 263-288. (6) J. Spencer, de Legg. Bebr.t (1686), 111. viii. ; Bahr, Si/mb.

del Mos. Culttis, 1839, ii. 664 ff. ; Oehler, OT Theol. §§ HO, 141 ; Schultz, OT Theol. i. 367 f., 402-6 ; Dill- mann on Lv 16 ; Nowack, Hebr. Arch. ii. 183-104 ; Delitzsch, ZKWh, ISSO, pp. 173-183 ; Kuenen, Th. T. 1883, pp. 207-212, and Hex. J 16. 32 ; Wcllli. UUt. 110-112 ; Stade, Getch. u. 182, 268- 260 ; Benzinger, ZA TW, 1889, pp. 66-88. S. R. Driver and H. A. White.