Conference taveng::bagels

672.0. "Burial Requirements?" by TERZA::ZANE (shadow juggler) Mon Mar 27 1989 17:14

   I read an interesting article in my local Sunday paper about the
   controversy over women being the first to witness Jesus's resurrection
   or not.  I noted what seemed to be an anomaly (among others) with the
   four accounts given in the gospels, namely, that the women had returned
   to the tomb to embalm Jesus' body.
   
   It was my understanding that we don't embalm the bodies of our dead
   before burial; we perform many cleansing rituals and then place the
   body in a sack or cloth before encasing it in a wooden box, so that
   it would decay as quickly as possible.
   
   So, I have two questions:
   
   1) What are the requirements regarding treatment of the dead body
      itself?  What is the reasoning behind these requirements?
   
   2) When did these requirements come into being?  If they came into
      effect after the time of Jesus, then there probably is not an anomaly
      here.  If they were if effect long before Jesus, then I have further
      questions about the gospels which are not applicable for this
      conference. 
   
   Note: I am not seeking to confirm or deny a resurrection, I am just
   interested in clearing up my perceived anomaly by understanding just
   what the Jewish burial requirements are and how long they have been that
   way.
   
   Thanks.
   
   								Terza
   

I don't think their purpose was to embalm the body, but rather to anoint it with
oil.  I understand that this was to be done on the day of burial, but since Jesus
died on the beginning of Sabbath, then it had to be put off until later.

/Mike