Barbara gave this presentation at Belen Christian Church on Good Friday. We thought you might enjoy it.
Ripping of the
Temple Veil
Matthew 27:50-51
From
the measurements in Exodus 26:1-6 the Veil was 10 cubits
long and 10 cubits wide and constructed from 10 sheets of fine
twined linen, which is 15 ft x 15 ft. No thickness is provided for
the fine linen weave. Nor does 2 Chronicles 3:14 Solomon's temple
veil description does not provide any dimensions (“He
made the curtain of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen,
with cherubim worked into it.”)
Tradition holds that
the first century historian Josephus presumed the
thickness to be 4 inches, so strong that a horse on either end could
not pull it apart. Although Josephus does not really describe the
veil thickness, a deep internet search provided
This
quotation references a passage from the Mishnah, the early
codification of Judaism’s “oral law” — explanations of the
Torah. Here is the passage from
Herbert
Danby’s translation of the Mishnah:
...The
veil was one handbreadth thick
and was woven on
[a loom having] seventy-two rods, and over each rod were twenty-four
threads.
Its
length was forty cubits and its breadth twenty cubits;
it was made by eighty-two young girls, and they used to make two in
every year; and three hundred priests immersed it.
Alfred
Edersheim,The
Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.
In this work, Edersheim states;
The
Veils before the Most Holy Place were 40
cubits (60 feet) long, and 20 (30 feet) wide,
of the thickness
of the palm of the hand,
and wrought in 72 squares, which were joined together; and these
Veils were so heavy, that, in the exaggerated language of the time,
it needed 300 priests to manipulate each. If the Veil was at
all such as is described in the Talmud, it could not have been rent
in twain by a mere earthquake or the fall of the lintel, although its
composition in squares fastened together might explain, how the rent
might be as described in the Gospel.
Traditionally
the Most Holy Place in Herod's Temple was known
to be 60ft tall x 30ft wide. Which was greater in height than
King Solomon's temple built for the LORD with dimensions of twenty
cubits wide and thirty
high. (1 Kings 6:2) Translating to 30
feet wide,
and 45
feet high.
Envision the veil in Herod's
Temple 5.5 stories high and 30 ft wide.
Ancient
Egyptian time to today High quality Fine linen is made from the Flax
or Linseed plant's fibrous stem portion. The plant stem proportions
is 3ft-4ft in length, slender, and flexible. A plant most modern
populous would consider a useless wild flower. The woody stalk when
soaked in water, dried, the outer protective shell crushed, the
fibers removed and “combed” to separate the shorter fibers from
the longer fibers, creates the longer fibers that are twined and spun
into a yard then woven into a cloth.
We read this short
passage from the 3 Gospels ( Matthew, Mark, and Luke) quickly without
the understanding of the moment. “...And,
behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent..” The 5.5
story high veil ripped
from top to bottom, now in two pieces and the Most Holy Place, the
Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat, reserved for only one elected
High priest to see yearly, is exposed for the whole
priesthood
to see. The earth quaked so violently that the rocks rent/split.
What
rocks? Where?
The
Temple had large stones for the paved flooring in the Holy Place and
Most Holy Place as well as the walls. These were quarried stones
slabs for the floor and blocks stacked upon blocks for the wall.
Let's
paint a picture of the day. This is like every other Jerusalem
Friday before sundown except more busy due to the multitude present
for the Passover that just occurred. The Temple is busy with Sabbath
purchases and sacrifices, the courtyard is busy, and the Holy Place
daily functions are being done by assigned priests. An eclipse
occurred from noon until 3PM, then suddenly the events of a rent
veil, earthquake, and the rocks renting happens. Where do the
frightened multitude escape for shelter, the only place they can, the
Holy Place? But it's breaking and as a Jew not a priest cannot enter
or they will die. But and earthquake does not just the immediate
area. This is such a calamity that the natural “God' event is
spoken about in Jerusalem and beyond.
The
magnitude of the Father's pain, anger, and wrath of sin and death is
leashed upon the Temple. An final act sealing the Spirit leaving the
Temple more than 400 years prior. In one swift
moment
Jesus' obedience and death opened access directly to the One True God
and shattered the sacrificial third party ritual, for those
who followed Jesus in His ministry days, those who followed Jesus the
days after His resurrection and Jesus' followers up to today. We
take refuge in these events.
2 Samuel 22:2-3
He
said,
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My
God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
My savior, You save me
from violence.
