From: daveb@pogo.wv.tek.com (Dave Butler)
Newsgroups: alt.atheism
Subject: Re: Shroud of Turin (was DOES GOD EXIST?)
Date: 20 Aug 92 22:24:12 GMT
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville,  OR.

Paul Kominsky expresses doubt as to the source of the custom of putting coins
on the eyes of the dead.  He does this because I pointed out that coins on the
eyes in the Shroud of Turin count against its authenticity:

>> Excuse me Paul, but coins on the eyes is a Pagan Greek custom, to make sure
>> the dead had money to pay Charon for their passage across the river Styx.  
>> As such it would be an incredibly unlikely custom for orthodox Jews to adopt
>> (especially once you realize that it is the Jewish custom to bury the body
>> with no possessions at all, and that the body is simply wrapped in wide 
>> strips of torn fabric, (which in itself is another reason to dismiss the 
>> shroud)).  I doubt you will just take my word for it though, so I will 
>> point you to an more authoritative source.  A very good article on the 
>> subject is:
>>	"Was the coin-on-eye custom a Jewish burial practice in
>>	the Second Temple Period?" by R. Hachlili and A. Killebrew,
>>	_Biblical Archaeologist_, Summer 1983 issue, pp. 147-153.
> 
> Yes, I've heard of this, though I've not read that particular article.  
> However, since the burial of Jesus was supposed to be a provisional 
> burial and not a final burial, these objections may not apply.  (And,
> my understanding was that it was the coin in the mouth, not over the
> eyes, that was meant to pay for passage in the Greek custom.)

Paul I decided that some further research was demanded, on the custom of
putting coins on the eyes (ie: its source), and I so looked up the custom in
the "Standard Dictionary of Folklore".  It too agrees that the custom
descended from the Greek and Roman custom (actually the Greeks put the money
in either the mouth or hand).  The Greek and Roman custom seems to come from
the Etruscan custom of appeasing their god/demon of death Charon.  Eventually
it came to have significance that a man should be buried with some of his
riches so that he will not come back as a ghost and haunt the living, and this
harks back to the belief from Greek mythology, that those without proper
burial and coin were left as spirits on the shore of the living (The
dictionary goes into more historical details, so if you are still interested
you now have a reference).  Also if you like Paul, I can also get you a
reference describing orthodox Jewish burials and why it is considered
necessary and proper to strip the body of all property, riches and clothing
and simply wrap the body and a torn (not cut) winding cloth. 

By the way Paul, if I remember correctly from my research on Caesar, then
according to Janson's "History of Art", Roman coins were used as objects to
help venerate Gods, mythological hero's, and rulers (Caesar for example, who
was himself supposedly descended from Venus).  Thus I would find it further
dubious that orthodox Jews would put Graven Images which are forbidden by the
ten commandments, on the eyes of a Jewish body (let alone the person they
thought to be the Messiah). 

Finally Paul, just as I do not expect you to merely take my word for my
assertion, you should not expect me to merely accept your word as being
correct.  If you are going to insist that the Jews of that time did put coins
on the eyes of the dead, or that they stuck coins on the eyes of someone
provisionally buried, it is your responsibility to produce some sort of
documentation supporting your thesis.  Your assurance alone is in no way
compelling. 
 
				Later,

				Dave Butler

    Knowledge consists in understanding the evidence that establishes 
    fact, not in the belief that it is a fact.
				Charles T. Sprading
				American Writer

    PS. It also seems extremely odd that Jesus' followers would put coins 
    on his eyes in an effort to keep him from returning from the grave.