Vol. 6, No. 3 |
March 2004 |
Since You Asked | ~ Page 20 ~ |
Names may be included at the discretion of the Editor unless querists request their names be withheld. Please check our Archive for the answer to your question before submitting it; there are over 1,000 articles in the Archive addressing numerous biblical topics. Submit a Question to GGO. |
Can you tell me when the Jews stopped their animal sacrifices, and why? Was it because their city of Jerusalem and temple were destroyed?
The Romans prohibited Jews from even entering the city of Jerusalem after the city's destruction in A.D. 70. The Jewish revolt of A.D. 132-135 failed and Jews was unable to wrest the site of Jerusalem from the Romans. The Romans rebuilt and fortified the former capital of Judaism, naming it Colonia Aelia Capitolina, which they considered a Roman colony. A heathen temple dedicated to Jupiter Capitolinus was built atop Mt. Moriah where the Jewish Temple had stood (New Unger's). Along with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, "...the high priesthood and the SANHEDRIN were abolished" (Nelson's).
However, the Jews suspended their sacrifices on the 84th day of the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, and the Temple was destroyed on the 105th day of the siege (International Standard). Another source reads, "On the 28th of June the daily 'sacrifice (Dan 9:27) ceased' from want of an officiating priest... On September 11th at last the Romans gained the upper city..." (Fausset's). Centuries later, the Jews were permitted to make an annual visit to the western wall of the Temple mount where they prayed and mourned at the time of the former evening sacrifice. "Jews were forbidden to enter the city on pain of death. In the fourth century they got leave to enter it in order to wail on the anniversary of its capture; their place of wailing being then as now by the W. wall of the temple, where the Jews every Friday at three o'clock, the time of the evening sacrifice, wail over their desecrated temple" (Fausset's). However, "[s]ince the destruction of their Temple and their dispersion the sacrifices have been discontinued, but in all other respects the Mosaic dispensation is observed intact among the Orthodox Jews" (McClintock and Strong emphasis added).
Works Cited
Fausset's Bible Dictionary. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 1998.
International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 1996.
McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 2000.
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary. CD-ROM. Nashville: Nelson, 1986.
The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. CD-ROM. Chicago: Moody, 1988.
The "Chronology of the Bible" that appears in the back of The New Dickson Analytical Bible places the death of Noah by Ussher's calculations at the year 1998 B.C. (1452). The same chart lists the birth of Abram (Abraham as we better know him) at 1996 B.C. That many years ago, chronologists essentially mark the death of Noah and the birth of Abram as occurring about the same time.
If a Methodist women has a child, and her husband is wican believer. Can she baptize a newborn in any church by her self? ~ Andrea Delgado
The New Testament teaches that adult believers are baptized, not babies. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." (Mark 16:16). Babies are neither able to believe nor choose for themselves to be baptized. Regarding conversion in the early church, men and women rather than children responded to the Gospel call. "And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women" (Acts 5:14).
The Bible would not have anyone baptize babies. You do, though, need to research God's Word respecting his will regarding salvation, acceptable worship, etc. The churches of Christ rely solely on the New Testament for their instruction and practice in religion. The Bible alone is man's only sure avenue to the mind of God for humanity. Bible correspondence courses are available or you may want to seek out a church of Christ in your community to help you in your studies of the Bible.