Jewish concern for burial favored prompt interment. Bodies could be washed, wrapped, and treated with aromatic materials. In Second Temple Judea, some families used rock-cut tombs with burial benches or niches; later collection of bones into ossuaries also occurred in part of this period.
Customs & Culture
Jewish Burial and Mourning
The dead were normally buried promptly, and mourning involved family, neighbors, lamentation, and visits to the tomb. In the Second Temple period, rock-cut family tombs were common among those who could afford them.
Primary Scripture
Historical and Cultural Background
Biblical Examples
Lazarus has been in the tomb four days when Jesus arrives, and mourners have gathered with the family. Joseph of Arimathea obtains Jesus' body, wraps it, and places it in a rock-cut tomb before the Sabbath.
Biblical Significance
Burial customs explain the urgency of Jesus' burial before the Sabbath, the role of spices and linen, the women's later visit, and many physical details of the Lazarus and resurrection narratives.
Related Images
Common Misconceptions
Not every Jewish burial used an ossuary, and later ossuary burial should not be projected into every biblical period. Claims about exact meanings of folded burial cloths are especially prone to modern folklore.
Historical Setting and Evidence
Culture: Israelite, Judean/Jewish
Period: Patriarchal Period, Exodus and Wilderness, Conquest and Judges, United Monarchy, Divided Monarchy, Kingdom of Judah, Babylonian Exile, Persian Period, Hellenistic Period, Hasmonean Period, Roman / Second Temple Period
Evidence: Well Attested
Interpretive Importance: Essential
Jewish burial practices of the Second Temple period are exceptionally well documented archaeologically as well as in literary sources.
Scripture References
Related Information
Sources
John 11; Gospel burial narratives; Josephus; archaeological studies of Second Temple Jewish tombs and ossuaries.