Day of Atonement Sacrifices: Text: Leviticus 16.
Day of Atonement Sacrifices: Text: Leviticus 16.
Based on Zohar on Repentance and Purification and Fretheim on The Book of Leviticus.
Sin Offering Sacrifice forshadowing the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a disputed issue not only among the non-Catholics but also among the Catholics. Why should we go to a priest to have our sins forgiven? Don’t we receive forgiveness when we turn to the Lord directly with repentance? I see a lot of Catholics not approaching to this Sacrament because they don’t believe in the media of the priest to get absolution. Reflecting on Zohar’s “Repentance and Purfication”, and Fretheim’s “The Book of Leviticus” I see certain connection between the present Sacrament of Reconciliation and the sin offerings in the Old Testament. This connection springs out of the relationship between repentance and the ritual of sin offering which are part of the sacrament of Confession to some degree. We shall reflect on their connection in the light of the given sources.
Leviticus speaks of various types of offerings. Chapters 1 -7 speaks of fifteen different types of offerings. Besides offerings with expiatory significance there were offerings of thanksgiving, freewill offerings, etc. Not all of them were animal sacrifices. There were offerings of grain, wine, olive oil, etc. (Fretheim, p. 127). We deal with what these authors talk about purification brought about by the ritual of the Day of Atonement and the sacrifice of sin-offering.
Zohar presents very systematically how the blood ritual purifies the sanctuary as well as the guilty, and what the pre-requisite is to attain that purification. He talks about the priestly legislators’ view on repentance as a precondition for the efficacy of sacrifice. In trying to explain how the sinner’s personal purification is one of the effects of the ritual Zohar analyzes two basic issues, namely, the efficacy of blood in achieving atonement, and the
Based on Zohar on Repentance and Purification and Fretheim on The Book of Leviticus.
Sin Offering Sacrifice forshadowing the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a disputed issue not only among the non-Catholics but also among the Catholics. Why should we go to a priest to have our sins forgiven? Don’t we receive forgiveness when we turn to the Lord directly with repentance? I see a lot of Catholics not approaching to this Sacrament because they don’t believe in the media of the priest to get absolution. Reflecting on Zohar’s “Repentance and Purfication”, and Fretheim’s “The Book of Leviticus” I see certain connection between the present Sacrament of Reconciliation and the sin offerings in the Old Testament. This connection springs out of the relationship between repentance and the ritual of sin offering which are part of the sacrament of Confession to some degree. We shall reflect on their connection in the light of the given sources.
Leviticus speaks of various types of offerings. Chapters 1 -7 speaks of fifteen different types of offerings. Besides offerings with expiatory significance there were offerings of thanksgiving, freewill offerings, etc. Not all of them were animal sacrifices. There were offerings of grain, wine, olive oil, etc. (Fretheim, p. 127). We deal with what these authors talk about purification brought about by the ritual of the Day of Atonement and the sacrifice of sin-offering.
Zohar presents very systematically how the blood ritual purifies the sanctuary as well as the guilty, and what the pre-requisite is to attain that purification. He talks about the priestly legislators’ view on repentance as a precondition for the efficacy of sacrifice. In trying to explain how the sinner’s personal purification is one of the effects of the ritual Zohar analyzes two basic issues, namely, the efficacy of blood in achieving atonement, and the