According to Jewish law, burial of the deceased had to occur within 24 hours of the individual’s death (Deuteronomy 21:23), because of climate factors, in order to maintain ritual purity. Soon after death, family members of the deceased would mourn and prepare the body for burial. The deceased’s body was washed and anointed with various oils and spices. The body was then wrapped in unique linen clothing that contained spices and placed on a stone shelf that was carved into the bedrock wall of a the tomb.
It does not say strips of linen ... even today we Jews use a shroud as large as a sheet ....
Notice where it says: “Unique linen clothing” ... no wrapping ...
According to Jewish law, burial of the deceased had to occur within 24 hours of the individual’s death (Deuteronomy 21:23), because of climate factors, in order to maintain ritual purity. Soon after death, family members of the deceased would mourn and prepare the body for burial. The deceased’s body was washed and anointed with various oils and spices. The body was then wrapped in unique linen clothing that contained spices and placed on a stone shelf that was carved into the bedrock wall of a the tomb.
It does not say strips of linen ... even today we Jews use a shroud as large as a sheet ....
And where did you pull this reference from? Not Deut. 21:23.
“his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.”
All that indicates is that the body should be buried on the same day. It doesn’t indicate anything about how the body is to be prepared. You surely can’t be saying a body can’t be wrapped in linen strips in less than 24 hours, can you?
I found where you pulled your quote here (if I’m wrong, please provide another link): http://www.jesusfamilytomb.com/back_to_basics/burial_practices/jewish_law.html .
It doesn’t mention a sheet or strips of linen, just uses the term “unique linen clothing”. Neither a sheet or strips of cloth would qualify as clothing in the conventional sense, so it’s a stretch to say clothing = sheet.
Unique? One of a kind. Unusual. Strange.
I’m sorry, I don’t see how the phrase “unique linen clothing” equates to “big linen sheet”.
I’ll refer you to the story of Lazarus:
The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go. (John 11:44)
The word translated as bound is the same one later to used to describe Jesus’ wrappings and means as though to have chains wrapped around you.
The word translated as wrappings here is “keiria” which means: 1) a band, either for bed-girth, or for tying up a corpse after it has been swathed in linen (swathed, btw, means “To wrap or bind with or as if with bandages.”)
The word translated as cloth here is soudarion which means: 1) a handkerchief 2) a cloth for wiping perspiration from the face and for cleaning the nose and also used in swathing the head of a corpse.
Note the parallel to John 20:6-7
And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying {there,} and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. (John 20:6-7)
The word translated as wrappings (twice) is othonion which means: 1) a piece of linen, small linen cloth 2) strips of linen cloth for swathing the dead.
The word translated as face-cloth here is again soudarion meaning: 1) a handkerchief 2) a cloth for wiping perspiration from the face and for cleaning the nose and also used in swathing the head of a corpse.
Neither of these descriptions from the Bible are consistent with using a large sheet. They ARE consistent with the body being wrapped with linen strips and a smaller cloth used to cover the face.
I understand all about tradition, and how things are done “even today”, but that doesn’t override what the Bible actually says. You’ve yet to address the main point: why the Bible indicates linen strips and a face cloth, NOT a large linen sheet.