The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-04-13
THE METHOD OF BURYlNG THE
DEAD AT THE TIME OF CHRIST.


Christ. For this difference the nature
of their country would partly account;
the shallowness of the soil making it
often impossible to dig an earthen
grave of sufficient depth.f When out
of poverty or haste a grave of this
kind was sunk, it was generally cut
vertically into the rock, and covered
by a heavy slab or stone. AS rule,
however, either a, natural cave was
made use of, or an artificial one was
dug out of the side of some rock hill
or mound. If family tomb or ceme-
terry was required suitable place
was chosen, where either a natural
cliff existed, or vertical scarp could
easily be made In the face of this
scarp, at or below, the surrounding
level, small doorway was cut, which
was enlarged inwards till a square
hall or. chamber was formed in the
heart of the solid rock. If ceme-
terry was intended, this chamber
formed only the first of series; if
a family tomb, it formed the room
round which the bodies were to be
inferred. In each of it's three walls,
a number of horizontal recesses We're
bored, about six feet long,, and two
feet in diameter each way. In these
the bodies, after embalming, were de-
posted; the. feet lying towards the
mouth of the recess, which was closed
by a slab of stone resting against it
on the floor. These recesses were
called "koks," whence the tomb itself
is called a "kokim tomb" Tombs- of
this kind are found in Palestine con-
tanning. from, three koks to several
hundred; as in the so-called tombs of
the Kings, of. the Judges, and of the
Prophets near Jerusalem, which in
spite of their traditional names appear
to have been merely the cemeteries
of the city.
Another form of tomb, which seems
of more recent date, is that which
modern explorers distinguish by the
name of "loculus tomb" 1t was a
form more suited for single inter
ment, or for two or three bodies at
the most. 1t was simpler in construc-
ton than that last described, and had
the advantage of leaving the dead en-
tirely visible to those who enter it.
In place of the deep horizontal re-
.cesses of the kokim tomb, a kind of
low bench was carved out of one, two
OF even three sides of the chamber.
This bench stood about two feet above
the floor, and was of sufficient width
to receive the body on it's slightly
concave upper surface. Various
methods we're used for. securing the
front entrance OF. these tombs; the
doorway, which was low. and narrow,
was sometimes closed by a stone door
pivotted on a hinge, sometimes by
sliding slab, and occasionally by a cir
cular stone rolling in groove.
The tomb which Joseph of Arima-
thea had devoted to the 'use of his
Master was of this latter kind. A
shallow porch or ante-chamber had
been carved out of the scarp which
formed the western boundary of the
garden. From this a small doorway
4.6 feet high and feet wide, gave
admittance to the tombR itself. This
was a chamber measuring about six
feet in either direction, having a
single receptacle on the north side; a
ledge or bench two feet above the
floor and two and a half feet WIDE.
which. extended the full length of the.
cave. It's upper surface was slightly
followed to receive, the body. For the
purpose of closing the tomb, a breast
work of rock was left outside the
doorway, in which a sloping groove
was cut. In this groove a circular
disc of stone, about five feet in
diameter and a foot or more in thick
ness, was placed; which when pushed
along with a crowbar assembled the
inclined plane and fell back, clear of
the entrance, into hollow recess.
When pushed out of this recess it
rolled down the incline till it came to
rest in front of the door.
BY this method the tomb was easily
closed; but since the stone sometimes
. weighed from eight to ten hundred,
it required some force to roll it back.
The tomb could be easily sealed by
laying mass of wax or clay around
the stone and impressing it with a
private sign,
The preparations for burial among
the Jews We're much simpler than
those. of the Egyptians from whom
their usage was derived. This latter
people endeavored, by removing the
inward parts and excluding the air
from the, corpse, to preserve it for
ever incorrupt The Jews only aimed
at arresting the progress of decay
till the acuteness of grief had passed
away; in fact the work of embalming
was little more than a. tribute of re
spect for the dead. This process had
;, been but hastily performed on Fri
day afternoon. lest the approaching
) Sabbath should interrupt their work
Our. Lords body was then carried TIC
the tomb; it being intended, after the
{. sabbath was over, to complete the
task at greater. leisure. Many of the
devout and faithful women present
saw the place in which he was laid
! in fact, two of them,. Mary Magdaler
and Mary, the mother, of Joseph, re
manned some time after the rest
watching and mourning over against
the tomb, and only withdrew when the
darkness of night forced them re