Spices
Carl Geisik cgeisik@lanl.gov
Mon, 08 Feb 1999 12:30:55 -0700 (00918523855, 3.0.32.19990208123054.0090ea10@dxmail.lanl.gov)
GEISIK
Greetings list members! I have been discussing, (with one of my favorite ala cartes), the matter of who prepared the burial spices for Jesus. Of course, as we all know, there appear to be some differences in the old book. Below are excerpts from our last exchange.
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>GEISIK
>Since we put to rest the matter of ole' Josie, let's get back to the spices.
>
>We will start with your references:
>
>John 19:
>38 ¶ After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body.
>39 Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds' weight.
>40 They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
>41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid.
>42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
>
>Notice that this was the day BEFORE the sabbath, and the spices were prepared by Nicodemus.
JERRY
>Ehhh! Says Nicodemus came bringing a mixture...not that he prepared them. Perhaps he hit a drive-up window on the way.
GEISIK
>Luke 23:
>50 ¶ Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,
>51 who had not consented to their purpose and deed, and he was looking for the kingdom of God.
>52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
>53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid.
>
>****Whoa!!! I thought he put the spices in by this time...oh well, let's continue.
JERRY
>It doesn't say that he did not add spices...it merely does not belabor the point.
GEISIK
>
>54 It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning.
>55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid;
>56 then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
>1 ¶ But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared.
>
>Funny, the same guy asked for the body and got it and arranged for the burial. However, for some reason, he seems to have forgotten who was to prepare the spices. Anyway, in this account Mary prepared the spices BEFORE the sabbath.
JERRY
>NO. He merely hasn't described who was to perform this task. Perhaps it was left to the common sense of those involved.
GEISIK
>OK, if we do some back flips, we MIGHT be able to reconcile your two accounts (after a few beers), but you need to do some real "chalk work" to reconcile these!
>
>
>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>SORRY, but let's look at:
>
>Mark 16:
>1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
>
>Heck Jerry, you missed this one! Looks like in this account Mary prepared the spices AFTER the sabbath was over.
JERRY
>No, it says Mary et al bought sweet spices (probably in addition to those they previously prepared...after all, He IS the son of God and all that)
GEISIK
>Oh well, I guess we just pick one and believe.
>
>Let's summarize:
>Mark: Mary prepared the spices after the sabbath was over.
>Luke: Mary prepared the spices before the Sabbath started.
>John: Nicodemus, not Mary, prepared the spices before the Sabbath.
>
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GEISIK
To sum up his argument, there were likely THREE sets of spices. One set brought by old Nico, one set brought by Mary et. al. and yet a third set brought by Mary after the burial just for good luck. Anyway, I don't really see anything in the verses to dispute his account, although it does seem strange that there would be three applications of spices even if, in Jerry's words, "He IS the son of God and all that."
Any thoughts?
Carl Geisik