Note: Mishmarot and Young Priests

[Charles Wilson]

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/artic ... literature

I've been contemplating the 4 passages in the Gospels concerning Peter's movements ahead of his "Denials". The Story is still consistent with the 4 offerings:

Jewish Encyclopedia, "Temple, Administration and Service of":

"The priests were divided into twenty-four patrols ("mishmarot"), which were changed every week. The patrol was quartered partly in the Chamber of the Flame and principally in the Chamber of the Hearth, both of which were on the north side of the inner court ("'azarah").The latter chamber was a capacious one, surmounted by a dome. Half of the chamber extended outside the court to the "ḥel," a kind of platform surrounding the courts, which was considered as secular, in contrast to the sacred premises within, where the priests were not allowed to sit down, much less to sleep. A fire was always kept burning in the outer extension, at which the priests might warm their hands and bare feet. Here also they might sit down and rest for a while...".

The Fragments of the "Denial of Peter" appears to be another "Distributed Story" in the same manner as the Empty Tomb. NOTE: At almost every stage of the argument, a critical assumption may denied. Maybe the Story WAS part of an "Oral Tradition" that switched "Standing" to "Sitting" or vice versa. I don't think so in this case but YMMV.

We are invited to think that "standing" and "sitting" may be smoothed over into a unified whole. What if, however, the descriptions are accurate. I often see certain words or phrases as clues that a given passage means what it says: "You who are evil..." is not a comment about "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God...". It is, in context, a pointer that the story is about Herod. "There is one who is good..." is another, pointing to a rewrite from Josephus of Archelaus falling at the feet of Caesar.

What we must do here is to consider the statements about "Standing" and "Sitting" as accurate. Why does this help our understanding?

John 10: 1 - 6 (RSV):

[1] "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber;
[2] but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
[3] To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
[4] When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
[5] A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
[6] This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Look at the layout of the Temple from the Jewish Encyclopedia, the URL listed above. Consider for a moment that the descriptions in the Gospels are telling of Peter moving from the Secular "sitting" area to the Sacred "standing" area. What do we find?

This is the/an entrance to the Sacred Temple area. There are signs posted around the various areas on the Temple Grounds stating that you are subject to the Death Penalty if you are not of the proper Piety and Purity. In the Secular area, non-Priests could walk but at the Chamber of the Flames, not only are the Priests the only ones who could get through the door, those who get in cannot even sit.

Peter can get into this area.

Someone knows something and it ain't for the Glory of Jesus.

CW