Early Christian, Hebrew and Scandinavian Burial - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 34
About This Presentation
Title:

Early Christian, Hebrew and Scandinavian Burial

Description:

CHAPTER 2 Early Christian, Hebrew and Scandinavian Burial Cremation Beliefs -The disembodied soul was liberated by ritualistic ceremonies performed by the living so ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:81
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 35
Provided by: Ware157
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Early Christian, Hebrew and Scandinavian Burial


1
CHAPTER 2
  • Early Christian, Hebrew and Scandinavian Burial

2
Funeral Practices in early Hebrew Culture
  • Death Beliefs
  • The body is made of two elements.
  • Basar flesh
  • Nefeshbreath
  • At death the flesh returned to dust while the
    spirit (breath) persisted.
  • The dead retained most of their former powers of
    thought and feeling.

3
Funeral Practices in early Hebrew Culture
  • Also they believed that the spirit could take
    possession of stones, images or bodies of men.
  • The soul/spirit is found in the blood.
  • The Hebrew netherworld is called Sheol.
  • Believe in a concept of heaven and hell.

4
Funeral Practices in early Hebrew Culture
  • Ghosts
  • looked, acted and dressed like the bodies they
    left behind.
  • They believed in a shadowy afterlife.
  • Believe in a Monotheism as opposed to Polytheism
    (Yahweh).
  • The breath or the spirit would be put back into
    the body.

5
Funeral Practices in early Hebrew Culture
  • Burial Customs
  • When death occurred, souls of the righteous were
    passed into a blessed existence and the souls of
    the wicked were sent to a stake of punishment.
  • Both would raise from the netherworld to be
    judged at the last day to receive their rewards.

6
Funeral Practices in early Hebrew Culture
  • Burial Customs
  • After death the eyes and mouth were closed, body
    washed, anointed with spices and dressed in daily
    apparel to be recognized in the afterlife, and
    the body was placed in the fetal position.
  • Burial was on the evening of the day of death.
  • Why do you think it was so soon?

7
Funeral Practices in early Hebrew Culture
  • Burial Customs
  • It was mostly for hygienic reasons..
  • Putrefaction was quick to begin and would spread
    rapidly. The Palestine climate was hot sped up
    the process.
  • The poor were carried on a bier to the grave and
    buried.
  • The wealthy were carried to natural caves or
    sepulchers hewn out of rock.

8
Funeral Practices in early Hebrew Culture
  • Burial Customs
  • Coffins were not used until 597-547 B.C.
  • They wanted to return the body to the earth as
    quickly as possible.

9
Mourning Customs
  • -They rent or tore their garments
  • -The person mourning remained naked until the
    burial rites
  • -Bare feet remained a symbol of death
  • -Covered head with cloth or hands
  • -Cut their flesh and their hair
  • -Threw dust on themselves
  • -Fasting became part of the ritual

10
Mourning Customs
  • -Fasted until evening on the day of death
  • -Lamentation (What is another word for
    lamentation?)

11
Hebrew Burial
  • -Family members who were buried together remain
    together in Sheol.
  • -Extramural (What does that mean?) burial was
    in simple, unadorned, without inscription
    tombs.
  • -Tombs were unclean and were thought to defile.
    They were later made out of lime to whiten them
    ceremonially and shun passers.
  • -

12
Mourning Customs
  • -Christ said in a parable
  • woe unto you because you are as sepulchers
    that appear not, and men that walk over and are
    not aware
  • -There was No Ancestral Worship!

13
Varieties of Graves
  • -Sunken, with stone cover
  • -Bench
  • -Trench
  • -Single Chamber
  • Most common, recess graves. They were oblong
    excavations, 1 ½ feet square and 6 feet long cut
    lengthwise in chamber walls. Could consist of 1,
    2, 3 or more.

14
Varieties of Graves
  • -Burial places were sacred and used for worship,
    making vows and sanctuary
  • -The same offerings the Greeks were given at the
    tombs side
  • -Interment or Inhumation was a general and
    accepted practice.

15
Hebrew Burial
  • -Not a whole lot of embalming going onJacob
    Joseph were though.
  • -Cremation was frowned uponIt was considered an
    indignity and a means to intensify the disgrace
    of the death penalty.
  • -The grave localized the soul and the body, so it
    rested secure from harm.

16
Hebrew Burial
  • -To remain unburied was a misfortune. It was a
    duty to the living to bury all the dead.
  • -even when stoned the stones were used to
    bury the dead.
  • -The Hebrews dreaded the thought of not being
    buried-worse-being devoured by wild animals.
  • -Interment was denied as a punitive act only to
    the enemies of the Hebrews.

17
Funeral Beliefs and Customs of Early Christians
  • Death beliefs
  • Believed much as the Hebrews
  • Death, burial and resurrection and the eventual
    divine judgment to pass to good or bad.
  • Christ added significant additions
  • Commandment of love.
  • Devine sonship of manbrotherhood of man.
  • Internal conformity to spirit.
  • Infinite and equal value of every human soul.
  • No alienation of soul, it could not be destroyed.

18
Funeral Beliefs and Customs of Early Christians
  • Death beliefs
  • Concept of heaven and hell.
  • Soul was both spiritual and immortal.
  • Cremation beliefs
  • The body needed to be transformed on the judgment
    day so it was to be buried not burned.
  • Only used if disease or epidemic was present.
  • May be used to cover foul play.

19
Funeral Beliefs and Customs of Early Christians
  • Christs Influence
  • No official stance was ever taken on cremation.
  • Those who followed him in life followed him in
    death (he was buried so I will be too.)
  • Every soul has an equal reward if the become
    as little children
  • What is your stance on cremation?

20
Funeral Beliefs and Customs of Early Christians
  • Christian equality in death
  • All men are equal.
  • The first religion to say that eternity could be
    had by all, not just men, or certain people.
  • They looked at death as sleep.
  • Cemetery put to sleep in Greek.
  • First religion to say birth into eternity was not
    sad.
  • The afterlife was not feared.

21
Burial Customs
  • Canon law church law
  • Burial was done in accordance with the church.
  • It was simple unpretentious and organized.
  • The body was laid out with lights beside it.
  • Washed with holy water and incensed at stated
    times.
  • A cross was placed on the breast, or the hand was
    folded to make a cross.

22
Burial Customs
  • Burial was on consecrated ground.
  • EVERYONE received a Christian burial (even
    passers through who died).
  • If they couldnt pay for a funeral the state
    paid.
  • Early Christian cemeteries were outside of the
    city (extramural).

23
Burial Customs
  • The Hebrew Family
  • Eyes and mouth were closed by the husband or
    wife, children, etc.
  • The Hebrew women took care of the dead.
  • The Christian Family
  • The body was considered contaminated so the
    priests did not touch it except for the Kiss of
    Peace

24
Role of the Family
  • Someone rubbed the feet because it was believe
    that the spirit left the body from the feet to
    the mouth.
  • The body was clothed in white because it was
    believed that is what the soul went forth in.

25
Preparation
  • -The body was washed to make it appear to the
    best advantage in the afterlife.
  • -Lime was used to counteract the odor of decay
    (Hebrews).
  • -Perfumes and spices were used to counteract the
    odor of decay (Christians).

26
The Wake
  • The Christian Wake lasted for 3 days and had two
    purposes.
  • Make sure the body was dead (old Jewish custom).
  • Also the sepulcher was left unsealed for 3
    days.
  • Give comfort to the family
  • There were no overwhelming expressions of grief.
    The dead were asleep in Christ.

27
The Christian Procession
  • -Subdued and reverent.
  • -Death was a victory marking the beginning of a
    better life.
  • -Limited to the corpse, its bearers, family and
    friends.
  • -Only done in the daytime- symbolic of entering
    into eternal light and life.

28
The Christian Procession
  • -Lights were carried to symbolize the glory into
    which it was hoped the body had come, and the
    triumph of the new state. (What lights do we use
    now on the way to the grave?)
  • -Flowers were left on the grave.
  • -Alms were given to the poor at the grave. What
    is the version of this today?

29
The Christian Procession
  • Eventually the procession became more elaborate
    and they started taking the body to the church
    first, then to the burial site.

30
Ancient Scandinavians
  • Death Beliefs
  • believed in the journey of the dead
  • Cremation
  • Cremation began in the Bronze age and continued
    through the Iron Age.
  • Cremation was widely accepted by the Ancient
    Germans and Scandinavians.
  • As protection from the dead
  • Aid in freeing the spirit of the dead

31
Ancient Scandinavians
  • Cremation Beliefs
  • Thought of as protection from the dead.
  • -Burn the body to keep the spirits of the dead
    from harming the living. Story of Aran and
    Asmunder.
  • -Aid in freeing the spirit of the dea
  • The body and spirit would not reunite and it
    was only the spirit that gained entry into
    Valhalla

32
Ancient Scandinavians
  • Cremation Beliefs
  • -The disembodied soul was liberated by
    ritualistic ceremonies performed by the living so
    it may enter spiritual after life.
  • think of the Vikings and how they sent off their
    dead.

33
(No Transcript)
34
Ancient Scandinavians
  • Cremation Beliefs
  • -The disembodied soul was liberated by
    ritualistic ceremonies performed by the living so
    it may enter spiritual after life.
  • think of the Vikings and how they sent off their
    dead.
  • -Fire was considered an enabling agent in
    transforming the body.
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com