Towards, unto, into and in Theos

Yom hakipurym, or day of the coverings (poorly translated day of atonement) is an event, termed a holy convocation, which comes on the 10th day of the seventh month set, as it is, between the blowing of trumpets on the first day of the seventh month and the beginning of the feast of tabernacles on the 15th day of the seventh month.

The importance of this day is seen in relation to the word which describes it – coverings – kipurym (כפרים). It is from the verb ‘to cover’ (kapar כפר) but it is expressed as a plural noun because there were a number of such coverings but also, as we shall come to see that, like as ‘elohym are plural manifestations of the one ‘el, so kipurym are multiple offerings, events and animals that look to the one offering, the one reconciliation and its place of fulfillment – the kaporeth. The verb translated ‘make an atonement’ occurs 15 times in Leviticus 16, which is the chapter which describes the day of the atonements. On one occasion it is translated ‘reconciling’. It is from a family of words which include this verb plus the plural noun alluded to above and a singular noun sometimes translated ‘ransom’ and often equated with a parity of value required to satisfy someone that a release from a debt can be accomplished.

To recap from previous posts then, we have seen the importance and positioning of the kaporeth. It was placed as a cover (kapar כפר) on the ark of the covenant, which was the first item of furniture revealed in Exodus 25 to be placed within the dwelling of ‘elohym with man and specifically in that place termed ‘holy the holies’, a cubic space situated beyond the vail (paroketh) where the glory of Yahweh was revealed and into which ‘Aharon alone was permitted to enter once a year.

That the kaporeth is set atop the ark of the covenant which contained the two tables of the ten commandments, whereby Yahweh made covenant with Yisra’el and in connection with which he revealed his covenantal name, reinforces the bi-directional covenant made with his people through Mosheh, which is accomplished by face to face revelation from ‘elohym to Mosheh and then from Mosheh to the people. This revelation is that which draws together, making one, the two kerubym. Thus embodying the idea of reconciliation.

This one day in the year when ‘Aharon entered into the holy of holies before the kaporeth was yom ha-kipurym and its focal point is the kaporeth. The ‘making atonement’, which we repeatedly see in Leviticus 16, is clearly related to the place where the blood of these offerings, that make atonement, is placed. This is seen by the relation of the Hebrew ‘make atonement’ (כפר) to the Hebrew kaporeth (כפרת).

The importance and figurative nature of this event is made clear by the writer to the Hebrews:

But into (εις) the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and the errors of the people: The holy spirit this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing…But anointed being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into (εις) the holy place, having obtained aionian redemption. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of anointed, who through the aionian spirit offered himself without spot to Theos, purge your conscience from dead works to (εις) serve a living Theos? (Hebrews 9.7,8;11-14)

So we see that the offering of anointed is predicated on the building of a better dwelling place of Theos in him. Manifestation of Theos and sacrifice are inextricably linked and are seen as a journey which, for Iesous, comes to a fruition in the holiest of all and in the presence of the father and for us is a journey towards serving Theos.

The pre-amble to the events of the day of the atonements is the death of ‘Aharon’s sons, Nadab and Abyhu, because they offered unacceptably before Yahweh. Yahweh lays down the conditions by which ‘Aharon can come before him.

And Yahweh said unto (אל) Mosheh, Speak unto (אל) ‘Aharon thy brother, that he come not (אל) at all times into (אל) the holy place within the vail before (unto – אל – the faces of) the kaporeth, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear (manifest) in the cloud upon the kaporeth. (Leviticus 16.2)

As we can see, the Hebrew is fascinating. The littering of the verse with the homographic ‘el (אל) both as ‘unto’ and ‘not’; the use of the verb ‘to appear’ which has this sense of manifestation and by use of which we see that Yahweh will manifest himself upon the kaporeth. This manifestation is seen in the kerubic speech ‘unto’ Mosheh and from Mosheh ‘unto’ ‘Aharon with the destination of this speech being the entry ‘into’ the holy of holies and ‘unto’ the kaporeth (the ultimate destination of manifestation). This journey can only be accomplished by prohibition and injunction (yea and nay or not and not/not). Furthermore, we have the Hebrew for ‘within the vail’ which (as we saw in a previous post about inversions) is using the inverted letters of kaporeth to make paroketh for ‘vail’ but is also combined with the truncated ל (signifying ‘to’) and placed after the word ‘within’ which is from the word for house. This word for ‘within’ is used in Genesis 6 to describe the preparation of the ark by Noah:

Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall thou make in the ark, and shall pitch (וכפרת) it within (מבית) and without with pitch (בכפר). (Genesis 6.14)

Here we can see that the word for ‘pitch’ is a homograph of kaporeth and the second time is a homograph of kapar (atone). Furthermore, the word ‘within’ is used as it is in Leviticus 16. The word ‘ark’ here is not the same Hebrew word used to describe the ark of the covenant although the two ‘arks’ are brought together in the New Testament where the Greek word used to describe them both is the same word, so we can see they are thematically linked. Furthermore this word ‘within’, deriving, as it does, from the word ‘house’ is used later on in the narrative of No’ah:

And Yahweh said to Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. (Genesis 7.1)

So, we see No’ah, like Iesous, entering with his house into a dwelling place he built at the direction of Yahweh made secure against the destruction of the wicked by a covering (atonement) within (of the house) and without (outside the house). This salvation accomplished because Yahweh sees (appears/manifests) in him righteousness. No’ah, like Iesous (and in the context of Leviticus 16 ‘Aharon), has provided a dwelling place for those of him as Yahweh has begun to dwell in him. This dwelling place, constructed, like the tabernacle, after the pattern given from heaven is a haven from the judgmental destruction against that which is outside. The dwelling of ‘elohym in man is that which protects from the ingress of iniquity.

Returning to the day of the atonements, we see that the day breaks down into two offerings. The offerings involve a number of animals. These are all couched in terms of ‘making an atonement’.

The first offering is of a bullock and a ram but, after the first mention of the ram, the focus of the offering is the bullock.

And ‘Aharon shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. (Leviticus 16.6)

The second offering is of two goat kids and a ram. Rather like with the offering of the bullock, any mention of the ram is restricted to the first description of the offerings and then the focus is on the two goats.

And he shall take the two goats, and present them before Yahweh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And ‘Aharon shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for Yahweh, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And ‘Aharon shall bring the goat upon which Yahweh’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before Yahweh, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. (Leviticus 16.7-10)

So, both offerings are seen as ‘making an atonement’ firstly for ‘Aharon and his house, representative, as is clear from Hebrews 9, of Iesous and his house. The second offering that makes atonement is for the house of Yisra’el and is accomplished, in a figure, by a dual sacrifice. That is, the sacrifice, and that which it represents is one but it consists of the death of one and the life of another.

And ‘Aharon shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before Yahweh, that the cloud of the incense may cover the kaporeth that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the kaporeth eastward; and before the kaporeth shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. (Leviticus 16.11-14)

Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the kaporeth, and before the kaporeth: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Yisra’el, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goes in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Yisra’el. And he shall go out unto (אל) the altar that is before Yahweh, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. (Leviticus 16.15-18)

So the figurative sacrifice involves reconciliation concerning the altar, representing the death of the sacrifice, and the kaporeth, representing reciprocal manifestation by spirit.

The making of atonement (or reconciling in v.20) is an outcome of the death of the bullock for the high priest and his house and the death of the goat and the life of the scapegoat for the reconciling of the people and the removal of their sins far away. These outcomes are premised upon the involvement of the kaporeth, where ‘elohym meets with man. The kaporeth is intimately bound up in the underpinnings of the euangelion – reciprocal manifestation – which is understood in the meaning of the name, which is the basis for the covenant, which speaks of a union (a reconciliation) between two who were previously at enmity.

This manifestation was particularly seen in Iesous, who manifested the name of the father in himself and gifted that opportunity of seeing/hearing and reciprocating to the father through him. This is the basis for his name: the name of the father revealed in him unto salvation.

As with ‘Abraham, receiving the covenant of circumcision, so with Iesous. He had to confront the flesh with the mind of Theos to overcome it, in himself and in his adversaries (within and without as it were) unto the shedding of his blood. The victory of his resurrection being the verdict of the father on his approbation of the son’s accomplishing of that task. Sacrifice unto the death of the flesh in the face of kerubic manifestation is the means both of the son’s (high priest’s) salvation and that of his house and, finally, that of the children of Yisra’el. This reconciliation is accomplished by faithful instruction and obedient reception of the word, unto the time and place of union, that time and place of becoming Theos.

Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the kosmos: but now once in the end of the age has he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So anointed was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9.25-28)