The Last Week

An in-depth explanation of Mosaic Law and the cultural dynamics surrounding the Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.

by Maureen Chaffin

The Last Week
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The Last Week

An in-depth explanation of Mosaic Law and the cultural dynamics surrounding the Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.

by Maureen Chaffin

Published Oct 20, 2019
219 Pages
Genre: RELIGION / Holidays / Jewish



 

Book Details

Jesus was a Jew.

This book details the last days of Christ’s life, his death and resurrection; with commentary on those events as given from the historical perspective of biblical Jewish practices and beliefs. The Last Week describes the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, explains Levites and priests, various rituals, the Last Supper, koshering, the bitter gall, the sponge and vinegar, crucifixion, symbolism of Christ’s blood, who Pilate and Herod were, the Holy Ghost, Day of Preparation, High Sabbath, Roman flogging, why Christ called his mother Woman, why Jesus died and resurrected when he did, Jewish burial customs, Passover/seder, and much, much more.

 

Book Excerpt

John 12:3-7 Then took Mary [sister to Lazarus] a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair.… Spikenard or nard was a very expensive and highly valued perfume, symbolizing the very best. It has a strong aroma that clings to the skin and hair while releasing its heady perfume. Spikenard oil is from Nardostachys Jatamansi, a flowering plant of the valerian family which grows in the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal, China, and India. From Europe to China it was used for medicine and religious ceremonies. Spikenard was part of the consecrated incense used on the altar in the Temple. Great Ages and Ideas of the Jewish People; “Rabbi Ishmael’s mother insisted on the privilege of washing her son’s feet, in order to share in the merit of the Torah” (Schwarz, 1957, p.190). Jewish women did not publicly read the Torah, nor were they required to say the set prayers; washing a righteous man’s feet became a sacred ritual for gaining merit, forgiveness, and acceptance into the Kingdom of God. But using one’s hair takes on an even deeper, more spiritual meaning. There are cultures where the head is considered sacred and it is forbidden to touch the head/hair – not even to pat a child upon the head. They believe that inspiration and righteousness enter through the top of the head; evil goes out the bottom of the feet. In the biblical Hebrew culture, the hair was offered as a sacrifice on the temple altar, and it was done in the following manner: When a person took the nazar/nazir vow, they became a nazirite/nazarite. This vow, described in Numbers 6:1–21, required the person to abstain from eating or drinking wine, grape juice, gar of the vine/vinegar, grapes, raisins or intoxicating liquors. It also forbade the person from cutting their hair until at the end of their vow. A vow could last one month to five years – or however long the person chose – but one year was standard. Upon completion of the vow the person went to the Levites at the Temple. There the Nazarite had their hair shaved/shorn off their head, leaving the person completely bald. A Levite then took the hank of hair to a priest. The priest took the hair, laid it on the altar and burned it – making the hair a burnt offering unto God. Acts 18:18 And Paul…having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. For hundreds of years only men took the vow, then women began to do so. A woman’s vow could be negated by her husband, father, brother or son. But by the time of Christ, a bald woman was disdained and told that her crowning glory was her hair (1 Cor. 11:15) and to not shave it off (1 Cor. 11:6). Keeping her head covered did not mean putting on a scarf, it meant keeping her hair. When Mary used her hair to wash the Savior’s feet with nard, not only was she earning merit/forgiveness, she was also symbolically performing a temple offering.

 

About the Author

Maureen Chaffin

Maureen was a private music and art teacher before returning to college. She graduated from Colorado Christian University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree, then from Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies (Chicago) in 2013 with her Master of Science degree. Maureen is a published illustrator, thrives on doing research, and greatly enjoys public speaking.

Also by Maureen Chaffin

Joseph: Prophecy Fulfilled