[A NOTE ABOUT THIS ARTICLE: I’m rather excited about this new department. And that’s what it is and will be – not a series, but rather a department. I hope to present articles in this department most weeks. But they will be stand alone pieces, pointing to evidence for the existence of God, the truth of the Scripture and the reality of Yeshua / Jesus as the historical God-Man, Son of God and Promised Messiah and Savior of the world. We will be using science, history, archaeology, fulfilled prophecy and ancient texts to build the case for these Truths. Many may mock these truths. But they hold a losing hand. God has the evidence!]
The Talmud & the Crimson Thread
To understand what we are talking about here, we’ve got to know just what the Talmud is. Here’s this from the BBC. “The Talmud is the comprehensive written version of the Jewish oral law and the subsequent commentaries on it. It originates from the 2nd century.” That oral version had be around for centuries before being finally put on paper in the century after Christ came. It came to serve as the foundation of Jewish culture and theology. As such, it was an authoritative record of events as they related to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, also referred to as the Law. And this Talmud contains, in the case I’m about to relate, critical evidence that points to the truth of Scripture and the verification of Christ’s messianic claims.
Next, we’ve got to know a little bit about Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. It is also called the Day of Atonement, when Israel’s sins are washed away. As part of the sacred ceremony laid out in Leviticus 16, the priest was to bring two goats before the Lord. One would be sacrificed to cleanse the Most Holy Place in the
Temple and the other would have all of Israel’s placed on it through the laying on of hands and confession of those sins by the High Priest. The goats would be chosen by lot for their respective roles. That second goat, called the scapegoat, would then be led out into the wilderness, serving as the symbolic fulfillment of the removal of Israel’s sins. Now, here is where it gets interesting.
During the time of the Second Temple, the one that was around in Jesus’ day, a scarlet thread would be tied to the scapegoat as he was led out into the wilderness. The other half of the thread would remain in the Temple. I turn you over to ONE FOR ISRAEL to explain the rest.
“During the Second Temple era, it was tradition that a scarlet thread, made from wool, was fastened to the door of the temple, and later tied to the head of the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement. Once all the commandments had been scrupulously followed, it is written in ancient literature that this scarlet thread would miraculously become white. It was taken as a sign that God was pleased with the sacrifices, giving reassurance to the people of Israel and that their sin had been successfully atoned for as a nation….Around the time of 30 AD, some forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the scarlet thread suddenly stopped turning white on Yom Kippur. This is recorded in the Talmud in a couple of places.”
“Our Rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot [‘For the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the westernmost light shine; and the doors of the Hekal [the Temple] would open by themselves… (Tractate Yoma 39b, Soncino Talmud)” [There is another passage in the Talmud recording the same thing.] “For forty years before the destruction of the Temple the thread of scarlet never turned white but it remained red’. (Tractate Rosh Hashanah 31b, Soncino Talmud)” [So, this was noted by the Rabbis who had rejected Jesus as Messiah. Jesus was the last sacrifice needed. The offering of the Lamb of God was complete and sufficient. “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:28-30)]
ONE FOR ISRAEL offered this commentary at the end. “Some might assert that the scarlet thread ceasing to go white was a sign that the Jews were rejected. However, apart from the fact that all the disciples were Jewish, the entire first church was Jewish, and myriads of believers in the first centuries were Jewish, the Bible explicitly says this is not the case even for those who didn’t believe in Jesus: “‘I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!’” (Romans 11:1)” [So, the thread stopped turning white from the time of the Crucifixion until the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD! That sacrifice was no longer needed!
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