Just curious: rending garments

[jbettin]

In Scripture, when the Pharisees are scandalized or horrified at something they perceive as blasphemous, they rend their garments. I understand the mood they’re expressing, but why that particular action? I’m curious about the cultural context.

 

[marty1818]

Tearing their robes was a sign of extreme distress or wrongdoing( Gen 37:29), 2 Kings 19:1, Ezra 9:3). In Mosaic Law the high priest was forbidden to tear his robes (Lev 10:6, 21:10).

 

[jbettin]

Ah, so it was part of Mosaic law – that makes sense. Was it because cloth was so hard to manufacture, and was therefore something valuable?

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I recall reading someplace that the Pharisees had a loosely stitched slit in their garment, which could be easily torn and repaired without harm to the garment.

Re the High priest, note that he tears his robe in the trial of Jesus.

" 65* Then the high priest tore his robes, and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy.

Matthew 26:65
I have read that this symbolized the end of the High Priesthood.

I ahve never seen it discussed, but it would seem that the efficacy of the Temple sacrifices must have ended when Jesus was sacrificed on Calvary.

 

[Aussieman88]

HaHa Ha yes the richest man in old testament was the man selling robes cause they were tearing their garments all the time.

 

[Glacies]

St. Jerome and Theophylact attest that the Jews customarily rent their clothes when they heard blasphemy or an inadvert thing occured to them. St. Bede the Venerable remarks that mystically the Jewish priesthood was rent like the clothes of the high priest because of their wickedness.

Catena Aurea Matthew 26:59-68:

Jerome: The same fury which drew the High Priest from his seat, impels him now to rend his clothes; for so it was customary with the Jews to do whenever they heard any blasphemy, or any thing against God.

Catena Aurea Mark 14:60-65:

Theophylact: The High Priest does after the manner of the Jews; for whenever any thing intolerable or sad occurred to them, they used to rend their clothes. In order then to shew that Christ had spoken great and intolerable blasphemy, he rent his clothes.

Bede: But it was also with a higher mystery, that in the Passion of our Lord the Jewish priest rent his own clothes, that is, his ephod, whilst the garment of the Lord could not be rent, even by the soldiers, who crucified Him. For it was a figure that the Jewish priesthood was to be rent on account of the wickedness of the priests themselves. But the solid strength of the Church, which is often called the garment of her Redeemer, can never be torn asunder.

 

[jonathan_hili]

I recall reading someplace that the Pharisees had a loosely stitched slit in their garment, which could be easily torn and repaired without harm to the garment.

Re the High priest, note that he tears his robe in the trial of Jesus. Matthew 26:65
I have read that this symbolized the end of the High Priesthood.

I ahve never seen it discussed, but it would seem that the efficacy of the Temple sacrifices must have ended when Jesus was sacrificed on Calvary.

Just as an addition to this, some scholars have argued that the rending of the Temple veil after Christ dies on the cross symbolically signifies God’s rending His garment: the Temple curtain which veiled the Spirit of God indwelling it.

 

[patrick457]

In Scripture, when the Pharisees are scandalized or horrified at something they perceive as blasphemous, they rend their garments. I understand the mood they’re expressing, but why that particular action? I’m curious about the cultural context.

I think you’re talking about the high priest here. (Normally I would devote a long post or two about the difference between a Sadducee - it seems likely that the high priests were regularly selected from the wealthy Sadducean families at the time of Jesus - and a Pharisee, but we’ll let that slide for now. )

Tearing one’s clothing is a normal expression of strong emotion, such as horror, grief or dismay. Elisha tears his clothes in two pieces when he is parted from Elijah (2 Kings 2:12); the king of Israel tears his clothes that the onlookers can see that he is wearing sackcloth underneath (2 Kings 6:30); Tamar does a violent show of grief upon being raped and then rejected by Amnon (2 Samuel 13:19); Athaliah is horrified at the discovery of the rebellion against her rule (2 Kings 11:14; cf. 2 Chronicles 23:13). People also rip their clothes upon receiving bad news (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 1:11; 13:31; Job 1:20) - in fact, the bearer of the news can arrive with torn clothing (1 Samuel 4:12; 2 Samuel 1:2; 2 Kings 18:37; cf. Isaiah 36:22; 1 Maccabees 5:14). Most often the news is about the death of either a family member (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 13:31; Job 1:20) or a close associate (2 Samuel 1:2, 11; 3:31); but it can also be about a disaster - say, a terrible defeat in which many were killed (Joshua 7:6; 1 Samuel 4:12; 2 Samuel 1:2, 11).

In all cases the tearing of clothing was an element of mourning, which could be ordered explicitly (2 Samuel 3:31). This may account for the self-humiliation performed by the men of Shechem in Jeremiah 41:5, which is obviously in reaction to the catastrophe of Jerusalem in 587 BC. A reversal of political fortunes (2 Samuel 15:32) or the hopeless prospect facing a besieged city (2 Kings 6:30) could also induce the rending of garments. Prospective disaster caused by God or man can also cause people to tear their clothing (Numbers 14:6; Judges 11:35; 1 Kings 21:27-29; 2 Kings 5:7-8; 22:11; 2 Chronicles 34:19; Esther 4:1; Ezra 9:3, 5).

 

[patrick457]

I recall reading someplace that the Pharisees had a loosely stitched slit in their garment, which could be easily torn and repaired without harm to the garment.

Actually, that was apparently a general feature of Jewish clothing at the time: tunics were usually made of two rectangular pieces of cloth sewn together at the shoulders, leaving an opening for the neck to pass through. This could facilitate adherence to purity laws, since if one half of the tunic became ritually unclean one could just remove it and sew another piece of cloth in its place without defiling the other half.

 

[marty1818]

Ah, so it was part of Mosaic law – that makes sense. Was it because cloth was so hard to manufacture, and was therefore something valuable?

My guess is that the law against the high priest tearing his robes existed because the robes were considered sacred.

Exodus 28:2 "For the glorious adornment of your brother Aaron you shall have sacred vestments made. "