RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Defilement and Purification
between the holy Hving God and the death which results from a sickness is thoroughgoing, and in insensate and finite things that corruption was considered inherent which is the opposite of God. In particular it may be remarked that since the disgust at blood, the seat of the life, was an old inheritance, it follows that those animals were not regarded as fit for food which devoured other animals in their blood; and a similar line of reasoning applies to the unclean birds of prey or carrion. The loss of blood at childbirth seemingly puts the mother into connection with death-phenomena — the issue of the vital fluid. The delimitation of the areas of cleanness and uncleanness through the action of instinctive repulsion and disgust reveals the basis of uncleanness in a religious-ethical-esthetic relationship. An unpleasant odor (like that of the camel) or repugnant habits or appearance may have helped to put some animals in the class of unclean. The derivation of the Old Testament presentations about unclean beasts from religioushistorical, demonistic, and totemistic origins, which derivation is approved by Stade, Benzinger, Frey, and Matthes, simply refers the matter to an earlier stage.
II. Purification. — 1. The Eemoval of Uncleanness : For unclean beasts there is no purification. The woman in childbirth. — For seven or fourteen days respectively (i.e., after the birth 1. Women Qf ^ |-,Qy qj. girl) the woman is as Child thoroughly unclean as in the time of birth' menstruation; and, after washing
herself and her clothes, she is clean from positive impurity, but not from negative impurity (i.e., keeping aloof from holy things and from the sanctuary), which can be removed only by presenting a lamb one year old as a burnt-offering, and a young pigeon or turtle-dove as a sin-offering; but, if she be poor, a pigeon or a turtle-dove suffices for the burnt-offering also (Lev. vii. 6-8).
In cases of leprosy, he who has shown a doubtful symptom of leprosy on his body has only to wash his garments; garments affected with leprosy must be burned; garments or stuffs which showed n ^ only doubtful signs of leprosy are to
-leprosy. ^^shed (Lev. xiii. 6, 34, 52, 54, 55, 57-58). At the purification of the leper, one of the two clean live birds is to be killed over a vessel containing spring water; the other is to be dipped in the mixed blood and water, together with cedar-wood, hyssop, and a crimson thread or band. The fluid is then sprinkled upon the convalescent seven times, and the living bird is allowed to fly away. The convalescent then washes his garments, shaves his hair, and bathes, as he is to do again on the seventh day. Of the blood of the lamb killed as trespass-offering the priest sprinkles upon the top of his right ear, upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot; then some of the oil is sprinkled seven times toward the holy place. Next the ewe-lamb is presented as a sin-offering, and the second he-lamb as a burnt-offering, accompanied by the usual bloodless oblation of the flour. In case of poverty, for the sin-offering and burnt-offering two turtle-doves or two young pigeons are accepted (Lev. xiv. 4-32). A leprous house is to be broken down, and he who
slept or ate in it must wash his garments. But, if the house is fleclared clean, its purification is effected as described above (Lev. xiv 4-7 45-63)
A man with a discharge, after recovering is to wash his garments, and bathe in running water; he presents two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, one for a sin-offering and the other for a burntoffering. Persons defiled directly or indirectly by such a person have only to wash their garments, and bathe their bodies. Earthen vessels touched by the patient must be broken; wooden ones . rinsed with water. Nocturnal accisio^s^' render the persons unclean till
the evening, when they must bathe, while all stained garments require washing (Lev. XV. 5-18). For the menstruating woman no purification is indicated; but the persons indirectly defiled by her must wash garments and person (Lev. XV. 21-22). Since, however, the irregular issue of blood on the part of the woman is regarded only as temporary, different from the regular issue, having the same defiling qualifications, it may be taken for granted that the lawgiver intended the same purificatory laws for the menstruating woman as for the one afflicted with an irregular issue of blood (Lev. xv. 25-26, 29-30).
Whoever carries the carcass of unclean animals must wash his garments; the objects upon which a carcass accidentally falls, such as utensils of wood, garments, or skins, require cleansing by being left in water till the evening; earthen vessels, ovens, and stoves must be broken. Carrying the carcass of a clean animal requires washing of garments (Lev. xi. 25, 28, 32, 33, 35, 40). Defilement
4 Dead ^^^^ ^ corpse requires a red heifer
Things without spot, and upon which never came yoke. The ashes of the burned heifer are put into running water, which becomes the water of abomination, i.e., the water appointed for the purification of uncleanness (in this sense the word may niddah, Num. xix. 9, is to be taken). With this water, those who have become defiled directly or indirectly for a dead person, as well as the house of the dead and its vessels, are to be sprinkled, by means of hyssop, on the third and seventh day after the defilement; and on the seventh day the person shall purify himself, and wash his clothes. The latter must also be done by him who prepares, keeps, and uses the ashes. The officiating priest, as well as the man who burned the red heifer, have, besides, to bathe their flesh in water (Num. xix. 1-8, 10, 12-13, 17-21). The Nazirite who became defiled by a sudden death was to shave his head on the seventh day, offer two doves or young pigeons, one as a sin-offering, the other as a burnt-offering, and a lamb as a trespass-offering, and lose the time passed in Naziritic separation before his defilement (Num. vi. 9-12).
Of the booty taken from heathen nations every thing that may abide the fire is to go through it, and must be purified with the water 5. Booty, separation; all that abideth not the fire is to go through the water; and a person touching such booty must wash his clothes on the seventh day (Num. xxxi. 23).
Defilement and Purification -ppjj^ -^j^^y SCHAFF-IIERZOG
2. Underlying- Conceptions: The destruction of unclean things, in whatever form or manner, needs no explanation. ( loing through fire is easily understood, since fire is often mentioned as a purifying means (Ps. xii. 6). That water should be used for removing the ethico-esthetic impurity is a matter of course; and it is possible that " living " water is meant, even where it is not expressly stated. The sin and burnt sacrifices required of the woman after childbirth, the leper, the man having a running issue, and the woman having an issue of blood, have their usual signification. In the purification of the leper all materials and actions show the great step which the person to be purified took from the awful nearness of death to the gladsome communion of untroubled life. In removing the impurity caused by the touch of a dead person the red color of the cow, as symbol of the source of life, being in the blood, must be considered. As a yoke had never come upon her, she was the emblem of virgin energy. Cedar-wood, crimson thread, and hyssop, which were also used, represent emblems of incorruptibility, medicine against impuritj', and symbol of life.
III. Postcanonical Development: When, in the time of Ezra, Israel undertook to observe even the laws concerning clean and unclean according to the Pentateuch, the scribes assumed clearly to define, not only the laws in the canon, but also inferences deduced from them. These rules and regulations are found in the treatises Ilullin, Xiddah, Tebul Yom, Ohalot, 'Abodah Zarah (ii. 6), Mikwa'ot, Yadayim (see Talmud). Evident among the restrictions were those against entering the house of a Gentile (cf. John xviii. 28; Acts X. 28), which resulted in defilement like that caused by contact with the dead, accounted for on the supposition of the burial of abortions in the house. The idea of a heathen land's conveying a like impurity finds support in Amos vii. 17, cf. Num. xxxi. 23. Water was used, as well as fire, in purifications; but the hand-washing, of which much appears in the New Testament, is not an ( )ld Testament phenomenon. But not all Israelites took part in these rigorous purificatory efforts. Religious indifference led to laxness (Tobit i. 10-11), while overscrupulousncss led to the formation of special societies, the most rigorous of which was that of the Chasidim (q.v.).
That the Old Testament ideas of impurities and purifications existed before and after the time of Christ is seen from I Mace. i. 62-63; II Mace. vi. IS, vii. 1-2, xi. 31; Tacitus, Hist., v. 4-5. The sixth part of the Mishnah (compiled about 180 A.D.) shows a development of the Old Testament purificatory laws. But partly in consequence of the declarations of Christ — though he did not abolish the ideas of his times concerning clean and unclean (Matt. viii. 4; Luke xvii. 14) when dealing with unconverted persons — concerning the spirituality of the Old Testament religion and morals (Matt. v. 17, 21 sqq., vii. 12, xi. 30, xii. 8, XV. 11); partly in consequence of the work of the Holy Spirit, who reminded the disciples of the new spiritual foundation of the Christian religion (.John xiv. 2(1), and showed to Peter in
a vision that the difference of food has lost its authority in the Christian eon of salvation (Acts X. 15), Jewish Cliristians were at a very early period converted to eat with Gentile Christians, by receiving Christ as the new living lawgiver (Gal. ii. 12-20). The departure of this Jewish- Christian part of the first Christians from Jerusalem, and the destruction of the temple, became, at least to the less rigorous among them, a guide to regard the lex ceremonialis of the Old Testament (cf. Heb. ix. 1) as perfected, i.e., spiritualized, in Christianity. The Church of Christ knows, it is true, that death is the wages of sin (Rom. vi. 23), and groans to be relieved from the body of this death (vii. 24); but she does not regard the death of the body as the evil most to be avoided, but the spiritual and everlasting death (Matt. viii. 22; Luke ix. 60). " Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." See for ethnic parallels COMPARATIVK RELIGION, VI.,1,C.
E. KoNIG.
Bibliography: From the comparative side the best three books are: J. G. Frazer, Golden Bough, especially i. 323^ 325, ii. 204-233, 304-309, London, 1900; E. B. Tylor, Primitive Culture, especially ii. 25-27, 431-433, ib. 1891; F. B. Jevona, Introduction to the History of Religion, pp. 57-58, 75-78, 102, U6-127, ib. 1896. For the Semitic world consult: Smith, Rel. of Sem., 122, 324 sqq., 447- 448; idem. Kinship, chap, viii., 304-311 et passim;
D. Nielsen, Die altarabische M ondreligion, pp. 204-208, Strasburg, 1904; M. J. Lagrange, Etudes sur les religions semitiques, pp. 140 sqq., 161, 237, 395 sqq., Paris, 1905. For other regions consult: F. C. Movers, Die Phonizier, 2 vols., Bonn, 1841-56; D. A. Chwolson, Die Ssabier, i. 146 sqq., St. Petersburg, 1856; L. Krehl, Religion der vorislamischen Araber, pp. 30-34, Leipsic, 1863; F. Spiegel, Eranische Altertumskunde, ii. 144-145, ib. 1S73; F. Justi, Geschichte des alten Persiens, pp. 144-145, ib. 1879; P. E. Lucius, Der Essenismus, Strasburg, 1881;
E. Westermarck, History of Human Marriage, chaps, xiv.-xv., London, 1894; A. Wiedemann, Die Toten und ihre Reiche im Glauben der alten Aegypter, pp. 25 sqq., Leipsic, 1900; Wellhausen, Heidentum, pp. 113 sqq.