medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Forgive me for adducing Ludolf of Saxony again, but he explicitly rejects this identification and makes much out of the fact that the literal text of Lk has Zacharias offering incense at the Altar of Incense, rather than the Holy of Holies. He explicitly denies that Zacharias was high priest and makes much out of his being part of the rotation of "ordinary" priests. This is in part I, ch. IV of his _Vita Jesu Christi_, pp. 16a-b of the 1865 edition. Excerpts follow with the key sentence between ** **
Dennis Martin
Sacerdotes multi. Et sciendum hic quod cum Moyses unicum instituisset summum sacerdotem, cui mortuo unus per ordinem succederet, David volens ampliare cultum domus Domini, de viginti quatuor familiis, quae descenderant ab Aaron, instituit viginti quatuor sacerdotes: super quos tamen unus maximus erat et summus omnium, qui dicebatur Princeps sacerdotum. Instituit etiam ut vicissim ministrantes per hebdomadam, a sabbato usque in sabbatum, in tempore vicis suae singuli castimoniae studerent, nec interim in domum propriam intrarent, sed in domunculis circa templum constitutis, quae Exedrae vocabantur, cubarent. Et secundum sortes dedit cuique vicis suae hebdomadam, et octava sors cecidit super Abiam, de quo descendit iste Zacharias. Similiter de tribu Levitarum viginti quatuor Levitae erant, ut ipsi quoque eodem modo sortiti, juxta morem sacerdotis, octenis diebus ministrent. Zacharias autem cum in ordine vicis suae sacerdotio fungeretur, secundum exigentiam sortis suae octavae, exiit de domo ubi se sacerdotalibus vestibus induit, ut incensum poneret, ingressus in templum Domini, decima die mensis septimi, id est Septembris. Et interim omnis multitudo populi erat orans foris, extra templum, quia non erat licitum populo ingredi templum, sed tantum atrium.
**Zacharias non fuit summus sacerdos.** Ex his videtur Zacharias fuisse sacerdos simplex, non summus; quia hic dicitur quod ingressus fuit templum ad ponendum incensum tantum: hoc autem licitum erat minoribus sacerdotibus, secundum quod dicit Apostolus: In primo quidem tabernaculo quotidie introibant sacerdotes sacrificiorum ministeria consummantes; quia peracto sacrificio in altari holocaustorum, quod erat in atrio, ubi ministrabant sacerdotes minores, sacerdos qui ibi ministraverat, accipiebat prunas de altari holocaustorum, et intrans primam partem templi, quae vocatur sanctum vel sancta, concremabat in illa super altare incensi thymiama, et tunc erat sacrificium consummatum; et hoc fiebat omni die. In hoc enim erat consummatio sacrificii, quia sacrificia veteris Legis non [16b] erant accepta, nisi ex fide et devotione offerentium. Devotio autem per thurificationem designabatur, et ideo in hoc sacrificium consummabatur. In illam vero partem templi, quae dicebatur sanctum sanctorum, solus summus sacerdos intrabat cum sanguine hirci et vituli, immolati pro peccato populi, ut ex illo aspergeret contra propitiatorium. Quod autem Zacharias intraverit cum sanguine tali, non dicitur hic; sed solum ad ponendum incensum, unde Angelus apparuit ei a dextris altaris incensi, quod etiam vocatur altare aureum. Hoc autem altare non fuit intra sancta sanctorum, sed in prima parte templi, ad quam simplices sacerdotes poterant ingredi. Sed incensum quod soli summo sacerdoti licitum erat ponere intra sanctum sanctorum in die expiationis, hoc non ponebatur ad offerendum, sed ut nebula inde consurgens operiret oraculum, quando Pontifex aspergebat sanguine vituli et hirci contra oraculum; et nec aliquis historiographus, describens sacerdotium Judaeorum, mentionem facit de summo Zachariae sacerdotio.
Zacharias quid interpretur et significet. Per Zachariam, qui Domini memor interpretatur, bonus praelatus significatur, qui in suo pectore debet Dei memoriam gerere, pro sua et suorum subditorum salute. Hic autem templum ingreditur per diligentem divini cultus sollicitudinem, et offert incensum, per devotam orationem; et populus orat per ejus informationem. Memoria Dei triplex. Triplex vero debet haberi de Deo memoria, scilicet: potentiae ejus, quoad opera creationis; sapientiae, quoad opera recreationis; bonitatis, quoad opera retributionis: ita ut prima ad Patrem, secunda ad Filium, tertia ad Spiritum Sanctum referatur.
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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I've been doing some reading in a medieval harmony
that presents John the Baptist's father Zacharia as
high priest, seemingly (this is more reading the
allusions in the text than explicit) celebrating Yom
Kippur. I'm wondering if anyone knows medieval
sources for these traditions.
Thanks,
Larry Swain
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