True or false

[1tm315]

Can anyone tell me with certainty whether or not the story of the high priest having a rope tied to their ankles before entering the holy of holies in case they died while in there they could be pulled out by the rope because no one was allowed in but the high priest is true or false and what reference source you are basing your answer on?

Thanks!

 

[GRATEFULONEjim]

True

 

[GEddie]

Can anyone tell me with certainty whether or not the story of the high priest having a rope tied to their ankles before entering the holy of holies in case they died while in there they could be pulled out by the rope because no one was allowed in but the high priest is true or false and what reference source you are basing your answer on?

Thanks!

Based on Jewish sources, it would seem to be false.

From the Jewish Action web page at ou.org:

MISCONCEPTION: The Gemara relates that on Yom Kippur, when the Kohen Gadol entered the Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies) in the Beit Hamikdash (Temple), a rope was tied to his ankle so that in case he died, there would be a way to extricate his body.

FACT: While there was a real concern about the Kohen Gadol’s survival, there is no reference to this practice in the Mishnah, Talmud or Midrash. The Zohar does, however, state that a gold chain was tied to the Kohen Gadol’s ankle, but other sources, both halachic and Aggadic, could cause one to question this claim.

BACKGROUND: When the Beit Hamikdash was in existence, the highlight of the Yom Kippur service was the Kohen Gadol’s Avodah in the Kodesh Hakodashim. Twice during this exalted day, the Kohen Gadol would remove the eight priestly garments he wore during his service in the Beit Hamikdash all year long, immerse in a mikvah and don the four special white linen garments that were used only on Yom Kippur to enter the Kodesh Hakodashim. The rituals surrounding this entry, which are detailed in the Torah (Vayikra 16) and elaborated on by Chazal, had to be followed precisely. The slightest deviation could cost the Kohen Gadol his life (Vayikra 16:2). Indeed, many Kohanim Gedolim died during the Yom Kippur service (Yoma 5:1 [52b] with Rambam’s commentary; Tiferet Yisrael, Yoma, Yachin 22).

ICXC NIKA

 

[Christine85]

My Theology Professor of Old Testament said it’s true

 

[Deconi]

Can anyone tell me with certainty whether or not the story of the high priest having a rope tied to their ankles before entering the holy of holies in case they died while in there they could be pulled out by the rope because no one was allowed in but the high priest is true or false and what reference source you are basing your answer on?

Thanks!

TRUE

Exodus and Leviticus
God to Moses, Moses to Aaron on setting up the priesthood.

 

[KathleenGee]

Yes.

And the Day of Atonement was the one day set per year, where only the High Priest could enter to sprinkle sacrificial blood of slaughtered animals on the altar.

Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement by ascending wounded but glorious into the throne of heaven. And it is the Glorified, Resurrected Lord that He ministers to us of Himself at Mass.

 

[1tm315]

thanks to all who answered but what I was looking for was a source so I could use this story in a letter to a Pastor. I do not want to put something in it that cannot be verified one way or the other.

Anyone?

 

[Ignatius]

thanks to all who answered but what I was looking for was a source so I could use this story in a letter to a Pastor. I do not want to put something in it that cannot be verified one way or the other.

Anyone?

Looks like the consensus is that it’s true except in the case of Kohen Gadol.

 

[patrick457]

Can anyone tell me with certainty whether or not the story of the high priest having a rope tied to their ankles before entering the holy of holies in case they died while in there they could be pulled out by the rope because no one was allowed in but the high priest is true or false and what reference source you are basing your answer on?

Thanks!

Simple answer: false, just like the story about the folded napkin and the “eye of the needle” being the name of a narrow gate. Why? For the reason as GEddie states.

 

[Gorgias]

thanks to all who answered but what I was looking for was a source so I could use this story in a letter to a Pastor. I do not want to put something in it that cannot be verified one way or the other.

Depending on the reason you have for wanting to relate the story, you could always say, “an old Jewish myth has it that the high priest…”

 

[GEddie]

What folded napkin?

Blessed Advent and ICXC NIKA

 

[steve53]

False.

 

[patrick457]

What folded napkin?

Blessed Advent and ICXC NIKA

Have you heard that story which links the ‘folded napkin’ in Jesus’ tomb with supposed Jewish table manners?

 

[GEddie]

Have you heard that story which links the ‘folded napkin’ in Jesus’ tomb with supposed Jewish table manners?

No, I have not.

Have you a reference for such?
ICXC NIKA

 

[Sirach2]

[bibledrb]Exodus 28:31-35[/bibledrb]

I remember seein this ordinance in the O.T., but there is nothing that God commanded about wearing a rope to pull the priest out. If the bells no longer ring, I wonder if anyone else went in after the “dead” man? There would be no reason for him to die, if the bells are heard by the Lord as he entered the Holies.

 

[patrick457]

[bibledrb]Exodus 28:31-35[/bibledrb]

I remember seein this ordinance in the O.T., but there is nothing that God commanded about wearing a rope to pull the priest out. If the bells no longer ring, I wonder if anyone else went in after the “dead” man? There would be no reason for him to die, if the bells are heard by the Lord as he entered the Holies.

The thing is, the high priest does not wear his ‘regular’ vestments when he goes in to the Holy of Holies: instead, he is dressed only in linen clothing.

Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the LORD and died. The LORD said to Moses:

“Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). …]

“This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute. So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” And just as the LORD had commanded Moses, so he did.

Some people actually point to this statute as the reason why having the priest being bound at his ankle with a gold chain (so in the Zohar) is problematic.

 

[patrick457]

No, I have not.

Have you a reference for such?
ICXC NIKA

Let me quote from one version:

Why Did Jesus Fold The Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the napkin?
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

1. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
2. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put him!”
3. Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see.
4. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first.
5. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in.
6. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there,
7. while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying to the side.

Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m done”. But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because…

The folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!”

He Is Coming Back!!!

I’ll let you spot the holes in this one.

 

[Sirach2]

The thing is, the high priest does not wear his ‘regular’ vestments when he goes in to the Holy of Holies: instead, he is dressed only in linen clothing.

This was only the first part of the ceremony. In the first, he must go into the Holies wearing only linen garments to offer the blood of the sacrificial goat and make atonement. He then exits and lays his hands on the scapegoat transferring the sins of the nation upon it.
Lev. 16:5 From the Israelite community he shall receive two male goats for a purification offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
10 But the goat determined by lot for Azazel [scapegoat] he shall place before the Lord alive, so that with it he may make atonement by sending it off to Azazel in the desert.

23 Aaron shall return into the tabernacle of the testimony, and putting off the vestments, which he had on him before when he entered into the sanctuary, and leaving them there,

24 He shall wash his flesh in the holy place, and shall put on his own garments. And after that he has come out, and hath offered his own holocaust, and that of the people, he shall pray both for himself and for the people:

The second part of the ceremony begins after Aaron has imposed the sins of the people on the scapegoat and drove it into the desert. He then dresses in solemn vestments with the bells on the bottom and goes back into the Holies to pray for the nation. That is the critical moment for the people outside who listen for the jingling of the bells to see whether all the previous atonement had been accepted by the Lord, and that the high priest did not die.

 

[Bruce_Killian]

I have heard that Michael Barber PhD and Brant Pitre PhD researched and could not find any Jewish reference to a rope around a leg of the high priest.
But I have what I believe is a much better argument why the rope would be a waste of time comes from Leviticus 10 and the consumption of Nadab and Abihu by holy fire. If a person were to die inside the tabernacle or Temple their death because a body is unclean would defile the tabernacle for at least 7 days. Since the Temple was not defiled until the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, it did not happen. The priests would know that God would not allow the Temple to be defiled so a rope would be unnecessary. The alternative to dying in the Temple would be to be consumed as a holocaust like Nadab and Abihu because those sacrifices were most holy.
Grace and peace
Bruce

 

[Bruce_Killian]

The folded napkin = the coporal at mass

I have what I believe is a better reason for the folded napkin.
Briefly, Jewish burial practice required that a person be buried with all of their blood that could be collected and the body needed to be washed. So Jesus was buried with the dirt and stones from the base of His cross that received His blood. He was also buried with His cross, crown of thorns, etc. These things made an altar under Jesus’ body like the altar Elijah built on Mt. Carmel. Jesus’ body had to be washed in the tomb so that the blood remained in the tomb. Therefore, the floor of the tomb was covered with bloody water. At the time of His resurrection, the tomb was opened so that Holy fire from God could consume Him. The priest, the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and bloody water were consumed, but the linen remained because like Nadab and Abihu’s vestments the shroud and sudarium were not consumed.
The tomb has a strong link to the end of Mass because in Hebrew, the basin or chalice to collect the blood of the sacrifice was a SAF. SAF has a second meaning an entryway particularly to a room in the temple so the room where Jesus was buried could be viewed as a large basin for His Body and Blood. John saw Jesus buried and only saw the linen afterwards so only the altar cloth/priest’s vestments and the folded corporal remained. That is how he recognized that Jesus was raised from the dead (Holah Hebrew for rise up like smoke from a sacrifice. The same sacrifice at after every Mass today with generally the same remains. I detail some of these ideas at www.scripturescholar.com
Grace and peace,
Bruce