Yom Kippur, the second in a series of major autumn holidays on the Jewish calendar, is considered the holiest day of the year. Many Jews who ignore synagogue on all other days of the year attend services on Rosh Hashanah and especially Yom Kippur. There are things that never change. As early as the first century, the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria wrote that Yom Kippur “is meticulously observed not only by those who are zealous for piety and holiness, but also by those who do not show any religiosity at all at any other time.”1 Such is the power of tradition and obligation community influence.
Yom Kippur in Tanakh
It is not difficult to imagine that in biblical times the celebration of Yom Kippur was very different from how it is observed today. There were no synagogues at that time, at least not until the Babylonian captivity. Instead, the center of worship was the Tabernacle (in our early history) and then the Temple (from the time of King Solomon).
What happened on Yom Kippur? There was no Kol Nidrei, no Al Het prayer, no Avinu Malkeinu. Instead of a rabbi, there was a kohen (priest) who conducted various ceremonies in the Tabernacle/Temple. In fact, the kohanim performed animal sacrifices on behalf of the people all year round—rituals that are completely unfamiliar to us today. There were daily sacrifices, as well as special holiday and weekly Shabbat sacrifices – bulls, goats and lambs; some were sacrificed to atone for sins, others to prepare a meal followed by festive communion.
Yom Kippur rituals
The Day of Atonement was dedicated to repentance and finding forgiveness. Animals were sacrificed throughout the year so that those who repented could receive divine forgiveness. But it was believed that Yom Kippur was the day on which the people were supposed to remove from themselves all those sins for which sacrifices had not yet been made. All relevant atonement rituals are described in detail in chapter 16 of the book of Leviticus, a summary of which is given below.
The rituals were meant to impress and inspire awe. First, the high priest – of all the priests, he was the only one who had the right to perform the rituals of Yom Kippur – dressed in white, and then sacrificed an ox for himself and his sins. He would then take the incense and enter the Holy of Holies, the most sacred interior of the Tabernacle/Temple. Only he and only once a year – on this day – had the right to enter the innermost space of the Holy of Holies. The smoke from the burning incense was supposed to hide the “throne of grace” from view, i.e. the lid that covered the Ark of the Covenant, where God dwelt between two golden images of cherubim. Thus the high priest could not “look” at God, who was too holy to be seen. The blood of the bull was sprinkled on the lid of the Ark and in front of the Ark to atone for the guilt of the high priest and the entire priesthood. Then this whole action was repeated with a goat sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people. White clothes, red blood, the sweet aroma of incense, smoke – in general, a very impressive ritual that powerfully affects several senses at the same time.
There was another dramatic element to the celebration. The high priest took the second goat and, placing his hands on the head of the animal, confessed the sins of Israel, and then drove the goat into the wilderness. This symbolized the removal of the sins of the people. Because the animal was “released” into the wilderness, it was called a “scapegoat,” which, of course, became a popular metaphor for anyone who bears the blame for someone else.
Yom Kippur in the New Testament
In the first few decades of the first century, the Temple was still standing – until its destruction by the Romans in 70 AD. This means that in the time of Yeshua (Jesus) and his early followers, the biblical Yom Kippur – with all the priests and sacrifices – was an integral part of Jewish life. In the book of Acts this day is referred to as “fasting”; this was a fairly common everyday name for this holiday:
“We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” (Acts 27:7-10) (emphasis added).
Yom Kippur fell in September or October, and as winter approached, ship travel in the Mediterranean became increasingly dangerous. Although the reference to “fasting” here serves as an indication of the dangers of sea travel, we know that Paul and other early Jewish followers of Yeshua continued to live as devout Jews, and the observance of Yom Kippur was no exception. It is clear that the author of the book of Acts, Luke (who may or may not have been Jewish) was – biblical scholars will never come to a consensus), considered it something familiar.
Although this is the only direct mention of the day in the New Testament Scriptures, the theme of Yom Kippur—redemption—can be seen throughout the New Testament. It is significant that on another holiday, Passover, Yeshua said that the purpose of his upcoming death was precisely redemption:
“And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-29) (emphasis added)
Passover was the right time for this statement by Yeshua, since the forgiveness of sins is essentially the liberation that Passover marks. However, the theme of atonement is discussed most fully in the text known as the Epistle to the Hebrews, addressed to the Jewish followers of Yeshua:
“Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But He has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:25-26).
Here the author uses a double image: Yeshua is the high priest who makes atonement for the sins of people, and he himself is the atoning sacrifice. This picture of the high priest sacrificing himself on Yom Kippur was stunning to first-century readers, and it makes the point perfectly: Yeshua gave his life as an atonement for us. Although the New Testament speaks about it rather briefly, the death of Yeshua is clearly shown as the final Yom Kippur for all time.
Notes:
Philo of Alexandria. Special laws.1.186.
by Rich Robinson / cis.jewsforjesus.org
Source: https://ieshua.org/jom-kipur-v-tanahe-i-novom-zavete.htm
