More Josephus stuff

[semiopen]

The bowl looked like it was in remarkably good shape. I didn't really understand what it was used for. My understanding is that Red Heifers were very rare, so they sacrificed only a limited number. The blood must have been important (hope I don't have to read the ritual) and maybe that's where they put it in the bowl? If so, why is "partial DNA" in there of other kosher animals?

The Red Heifer was a creature of the first temple. In my mind that translates to mythical.

The ritual of the red heifer must have been carried out during the second temple period, in order to make possible cleansing from corpse impurity.

Andrew Criddle

I really doubt that Andrew.

http://www.templeinstitute.org/red_heif ... heifer.htm

The Mishna teaches that up until the destruction of the Second Temple, ashes had been prepared from a total of only nine red heifers. The very first red heifer was processed by Moses himself - as the verse states, "... have them bring you a red heifer." The second was done by the prophet Ezra in the days of the First Temple, and during the entire era of the Second Temple only seven more heifers were used for ashes. This was enough to provide for the nation's needs for purification throughout all those years.

At least this gets us back on track a little.

The Red Heifer in Israeli Judaism
http://www.aisisraelstudies.org/papers/ ... _Olson.pdf

In Josephus’ account of the Maccabean wars, he refers to Judah Maccabee’s cleansing of the Temple area and replacing the polluted vessels (Wars of the Jews 1:39). He also alludes to the burning of the red heifer and the use of its ashes in the rite of purification from corpse uncleanness.2 If this account is historically accurate, it would mean that the red heifer was necessary in ushering in any new dispensation of Jewish Temple ritual worship. The Second Temple was defiled by the Greeks before the Maccabees re-conquered it. In order to re-dedicate that temple, the Maccabean Kohanim sacrificed a new red heifer and used its ashes to go in, clean out the Temple, and then re-dedicate it.

This appears to be another dubious Josephus legend. My impression is he doesn't mention a more recent example.

Frankly I'm surprised that I was stepping onto such shaky ground with my statement. Still I'm not sure there is any real good evidence that these animals existed.

[Kris]

Yeah-- I don't really like all this stuff-- it takes me back to my fundy days. The funny thing is that there are red cows all over the place-- and what Ficino mentioned proves it. We have them in America, there are other breeds in other countries-- it all comes down to genetics. I have also read that some rabbis downplay any appearance of red heifers, probably because they know that it is not an impossibility-- and that the appearance of one of these creatures doesn't necesarily hearld the appearance of the messiah-- they simply state that a red cow will be available for the messiah when he needs it.

This is just one more thing that people can get all worked up about-- but most likely nothing will happen. Even if a temple was rebuilt, still nothing will happen. And then we as humans will move on to some other sign that we need to be looking for. So stupid.

[Ged]

-- it takes me back to my fundy days --

Its called, 'throwing out the baby with the bathwater.'