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  • From: "Peter Eyland" <epe AT iprimus.com.au>
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: The blood of the covenant
  • Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2002 22:26:54 -0400


G'day Everyone,
I thought that "drinking blood" was used in the metaphorical sense of
obtaining a benefit at the cost or risk of one's life.

2 Sa 23 15 - 17 reads:
David said longingly, "O that some one would give me water to drink from
the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!"
16: Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines,
and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and
took and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it
out to YHVH, 17: and said, "Far be it from me, YHVH, that I should do
this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their
lives?" Therefore he would not drink it.

It is not a great stretch to assume that NT writers were aware of the
metaphorical usage of drinking blood in the Samuel passage.

If drinking their water was "drinking the blood" of the 3 men then
drinking wine at the eucharist would mean appropriating the benefits of
the new covenant (forgiveness) which were obtained at the cost of Jesus'
life.

Cheers
Peter
--------
P.Eyland AT unsw.edu.au
Director of Physics First Year Teaching Laboratories




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