The second stage of purification began on the seventh day, when the leper had again to cut off the hair of his head, his beard, eyebrows, etc., wash his garments, and be immersed (Lev. xiv, 9). On the eighth day he had to bring two he-lambs without blemish, one ewe-lamb a year old, three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil ; the one he-lamb is to be a trespass-offering, and the other, with the ewe-lamb, a burnt and a sin-offering ; but if the man was poor he was to bring two turtle-doves, or two yomig pigeons, for a sin-offering and a burnt-offering, instead of a he- lamb and a ewe-lamb (ver. 10, 11, 21). With tliese of- ferings the priest conducted the healed leper before the presence of the Lord. What the offerer had to do, and how the priest acted when going through these cere- monies, cannot be better described than in the following graphic language of the Jewish tradition. '• The priest approaches the trespass-offering, lays both his hands on it, and kills it, when two priests catch its blood, one into a vessel, and the other in his hand ; the one Avho caught it into the vessel sprmkles it against the wall of the altar, the other goes to the leper, who, having been immersed in the leper's chamber [which is m the wom- en's court], is waiting [outside the court of Israel, or the men's court, opposite the eastern door] in the porch of Nicanor [with his face to the west]. He then puts his head into [the court of Israel], and the priest puts some of the blood upon the tip of his right ear; he next puts in his right hand, and the priest puts some blood upon the thumb thereof; and, lastly, puts in his right le<j,
LEPROSY
374
LEPROSY
and the priest puts some blood on the toe thereof. The priest then takes some of the log of oil and puts it into the left hand of his fellow-priest, or into his own left liand, dips the finger of his right hand in it, and sprin- kles it seven times towards the holy of holies, dipping his finger every time he sprinkles it ; whereujton he goes to the leper, puts oil on those parts of his body on which he had previously put blood [i. e. the tip of tlie ear, the thumb, and the toe], as it is written, ' on the place of tlic blood of the trespass-offering' [Lev. xiv, 28], and what remains of the oil in the hand of the priest he puts on the head of him who is to be cleansed, for an atonement" {Xt'ffaim, xiv, 8-10 ; Maimonides, Hilchoth Mi'chosrei Kepora, iv). It is in accordance with this ]ircrogative of the priest, who alone could pronounce the leper clean and readmit him into the congregation, that (lirist commanded the leper whom he had healed to show himself to this functionary (Matt, viii, 2, etc.).
(II.) Leprous Garments and Vessels. — Leprosy in gar- ments and vessels is indicated by two symptoms, green or reddish spots, and spreading. If a green or reddish spot shows itself in a woollen or linen garment, or in a leather vessel, it is indicative of leprosy, and must be shown to the priest, who is to shut it up for a week. If, on inspecting it at the end of this time, he finds that the spot has spread, he is to pronounce it inveterate leprosy (n"iX"2"2 T""!^), and unclean, and burn it (Lev. xiii, 47-52) ; if it has not spread he is to have it washed, and shut it up for another week, and if its appearance has then not changed, he is to pronounce it unclean and burn it. though it has not spread, since the distemper rankles in the front or at the back of the material (ver. 53-55). But if, after washing it, the priest sees that the spot has become weaker, he is to cut it out of the material; if it reappears in any part thereof, then it is a developed distemper, and the whole of it must be burned ; and if it vanishes after washing, it must be washed a second time, and is clean (ver. 56-59). The Jewish canons define the color green to be like that of herbs, ami red like that ofj'air crimson, and take this enact- ment literally as referring strictly to wool of sheep and flax, but not to hemp and other materials. A material made of camel's hair and sheep's wool is not rendered imclean by leprosy if the camel's hair preponderate, but is unclean when the sheep's wool preponderates, or when both are equal, and this also applies to mixtures of flax and hemp. Dyed skins and garments are not rendered unclean by leprosy ; nor are vessels so if made of skins of aquatic animals exposed to leprous uncleanness {Xe- f/aim,xi,2,3; Maimonides, ?<^ *■(//). xi,l; xii,10; xiii,l-3).
(III.) Leprous Houses. — Leprosy in houses is indi- cated by the same three symptoms, viz. spots of a deep green or reddish hue, depressed beyond the general level, and spreading (Lev. xiv, 33-48). On its appear- ance the priest was at once to be sent for, and the house cleared of everything before his arrival. If, on inspect- ing it, he found the first two symptoms in the walls, viz. a green or red spot in the wall, and depressed, he shut the house up for seven days (ver. 34-38), inspected it again on the seventh day, and if the distemper spread in the wall he had the atfect(<l stones taken out, the inside of tlie house scraped all round, the stones, dust, etc., cast into an unclean jilace without the city, and other .stones and plaster put on the wall (ver. 39-42). If, after all this, the spot rcai)pcared and sjiread, he pronounced it invet- erate leprosy, and luulean, had the house pulled down, and the stones, timlier, jilaster, etc., cast into an unclean phice withiiut the city, declared every one unclean, till evening, who had entered it. and ordered every one who had either slept or eaten in it to wash his garments (ver. 43^7).