1. In case of leprosy (Mk 1"^ Lk 5", Mt 8^, Lk 17"'^"). — The uncleanness of the leper seems to have been due not to the fear of contagion, for contagious diseases were not, generally speaking, regarded as unclean, but to the repulsive appearance of this particular disease. Leprosy (wh. see) was counted to be a sjiecial scourge ; and the lejier was, like the madman, supposed to be smitten of God. This distinctiveness of leprosy in the vieAv of the priest is shown by the word used of its removal. Almost invariably its cleansing is de- noted by the word Kadapigeuv. The exception to this is in the account of the healing of the Ten Lepers (Lk 17^'), where the word iaadaL is used ; but this exception may be accounted for on the ground that the narrative is dealing with Samaritans, who were regarded as being an alien people. The regulations for the purification of leprosj^ had two parts (Lv 14^"^-). In the first ceremony, on the conclusion of which the leper was admitted to the camp, though not to his tent, two living birds were taken. One was killed over an earthenware vessel filled with 'living' (spring) water, in such manner that the blood dropped into the vessel. The other bird, along with cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop, was then dipped into the blood-stained water, and the leper was sjn'inkled with it seven times. The bird was then released ' into the open field,' and was supposed to fly away with the leprosy, the blood-brotherhood between the leper and the bird being established by the immersion of the bird in the water.
The ceremony is akin to that of the laying of the sins of the people upon the head of the scapegoat, which was then sent away into the wilderness (Lv l(i-i). By a similar ceremony, an Araij widow who is about to remarry makes a bird fly awaj' with the uncleanness of her widowhood (W. R. Smith, RS"^ 422, 447).
The second part of the ceremony took place eight days after the first part. Probably the ob- ject of the interval was to ensure an additional period of quarantine in Avhich it might te seen whether the cure had been effective. If the leper were in good circumstances, he off"ered two he- lambs and was anointed by the priest with blood
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PURITY
and oil. If the sutferer were poor, he could oti'er, in place of two lambs, one lamb and two turtle- doves, or two small pigeons. Our Lord did not interfere in any way with the ott'erings for purifica- tion of leprosy (Mk 1^^ Lk 5^\ Mt 8^).
2. In connexion with food (Mk V''^, Mt 15i--'», Jn 2^ 3^^). — The particular ritual connected with the ceremonial washing of hands affected Jewish life many times a day. Of the six books of the Mishna, the longest [Toharoth) is devoted to the question of purification, and thirty chapters of this book deal with the cleansing of vessels. Even if the hands were already ceremonially clean, they had to be washed before a meal. A washing of the hands between the courses, as also a washing at the conclusion of the feast, was practised fre- quently ; but this custom may have had its origin in obvious convenience, and not in any striving after ritual cleanliness (2 K 3''). In the ceremony itself, the hands were held over a basin while water was poured over them. The water was allowed to run down to the wrist (? Mk 7^ see Swete's note). Such was the ritual in the case of an ordinary meal. But if holy or sacrificial food was to be partaken of, the hands had to be com- pletely immersed in the water. If the hands were ceremonially unclean, there had to be two wash- ings. In the first, the fingers were elevated and the water was allowed to run down to the wrist, in the second, the finger tips were depressed, so that the water might run from the wrist down- ward, and might thus carry off the water that had, on the first washing, contracted the defilement of the hands. The water to be used in ceremonial washing was kept from possible defilement by being kept in large jars [vSplai, Jn 2*^). The vessel by which the water was drawn from these jars had to contain at least a quarter of a log, i.e. a measure equal to one and a half 'eggshells' (Edersheim, LT u. 9ff'.).
3. Before the Passover (Jn IP^ IS^s).— If the Jews were so particular to ensure ceremonial purity before an ordinary meal, they insisted on absolute ritual purity before the celebration of the Passover (Lv V^- ^i). The reason that kept Christ's accusers from following Him into the judgment- hall (Jn 18'-^) may have been simply the fear of the defilement they would incur by entering a heathen house. But it is still more likely that they re- mained outside for fear that the judgment-hall might contain somewhere within its walls a por- tion of leaven. The exclusion of leaven from all sacrifices offered to Jehovah was a very early custom (Ex 23^^ 34^^), and must have been due to the desire to avoid the association of any form of corruption with the Feast. This seems all the more clear, when it is noticed that the exclusion of leaven is associated with the command that no fat or flesh shall remain over till the morning. The efficacy of the sacrifice lay in the living flesh and blood of the victim ; thus everything of the nature of putre- faction had to be avoided. For this reason, milk, the commonest of foods in the East, had no place in Hebrew sacrifice (W. R. Smith, RS"" 220).