Corpus-Paul

["Bob MacDonald" <bobmacdonald AT home.com>]

Stephen

Thanks for the clarification re the sacrifice.

You are right that the cultic transfer that I was thinking of has to do with
the role of priest rather than sacrifice. In the case of the red heifer, the
people cleaning up after the sacrifice are unclean till evening - as if they
had been made unclean as priests by the offering.

Christ is also the priest in his self-offering according to Hebrews - what I
would need is some reference in Paul that would allow me to think he also
associated Christ with the priestly role to see where this - he was made
sin - came from or developed from in his thinking.

I have to admit - I cannot find a 'priestly' link in Paul (excluding Hebrews
of course)

What does this say about Paul?

Bob

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-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen.Finlan [mailto:Stephen.Finlan AT durham.ac.uk]
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2001 4:23 AM
To: Corpus-paul
Subject: [corpus-paul] RE: The red Heifer


> who have been alienated (5:19). Then in 5:21 he uses the metaphor of

> sin-bearing drawn from sacrifice in the Temple."

Dear Bob, I think you are right to see some connection between
2 Cor 5:21 and Temple ritual, although the particular ritual
may not be the red heifer.

I think the point of contact that you see is that the priest was
pure and became impure, just as "he who knew no sin" became sin.
However, that same "exchange" takes place with regard to the
whole community in the scapegoat ritual (which is NOT a
sacrifice, by the way).  The scapegoat differs from sacrifice
at all these points:
SCAPEGOAT                     SACRIFICE
driven out                    carefully offered
to Azazel                     offered to God
becomes an impure thing       pure thing
not a gift                    can be described as a gift
sins of people loaded on it   nothing like that is stated

I don't think a sacrifice ever "becomes sin," but that could
easily be said about the scapegoat.

Your suggestion should be examined, of course, but these are
my thoughts as to the most likely cultic background to 2Co 5:21.

Thanks,
Stephen Finlan
University of Durham

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