David Robinson Army 1SG, firefighter, consultant (CFPS) - retired from all!

There are no indications from scripture, from secular history or from archaeology that burial practices changed significantly in the early Christian community versus the longstanding practices of the Jewish people. Although no longer bound by the edicts of Jewish law, burial soon after death remained the normal process. It was customary to cleanse the body, wrap it with grave clothes, cover it with a shroud, anoint the corpse with spices and perfumes and place it in a grave or tomb. In some cases, the body was placed in the tomb first followed by the other procedures.

This is not to say that there were no variations in these customs. We know from scripture and historical documents that the bodies of some individuals, mainly criminals who were executed and indigents with no family or friends to bury them, were unceremoniously discarded onto the perpetually burning trash heap outside Jerusalem in the Valley of Gehenna (or Hinnom). As discussed below, a distinction may also be made between the practices of “burial” and “entombment.”

There were many caves in the hilly terrain of Palestine and the stony soil made digging a grave difficult, if not impossible, in some areas. Choosing entombment over burial was often a pragmatic matter of convenience rather than religious or philosophical preference. There are indications that the best caves in an area were sometimes purchased by the rich for their burial sites (Genesis 25:9-10, Mark 15:43-46, etc.). Even though there are obvious technical differences between burial and entombment, both methods were considered to be acceptable and respectful means of laying a human body to rest. As a matter of fact, the biblical authors often used the terms interchangeably. Jesus, as well as the patriarchal fathers and others were said to be buried, but the method of their burial was actually entombment. Christians (and others) in first century Rome were commonly buried (or entombed) in the catacombs beneath the city. So, while we can make a technical distinction between burial and entombment, it is a distinction without a significant difference.

Another practiced which became widely used (probably) in the 2nd or 3rd centuries involved the use of ossuaries. Sometimes plain and unlabeled and sometimes ornate and inscribed, these boxes were used to store the bones of the deceased after decomposition. Typically, at some point after the anniversary of the death of an entombed individual, the tomb would be opened and the bones would be placed in the ossuary. The tomb would be cleansed and prepared for the next occupant. This pragmatic practice allowed the limited number of available tombs to be used multiple times. Many such ossuaries from this time period have been discovered in the Palestine area.

So, like Christians today, the early church had choices in their methods of burial. Those choices were made based on availability, affordability, social or religious status and personal preference. The choices were sometimes made by the individuals themselves as in the case of Abraham (Genesis 25:9-10), and sometimes by others after their death as in the case of Jesus (John 19:38-41). The methods chosen by early Christians indicate that they had two primary concerns. First, to show honor and respect for the body which was created in and, in some way, still bore the image of God. Second, they were concerned that in their method of burial (like in their baptism) they would symbolically identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, their Lord. The attention given to the somewhat elaborate preparations of the body before burial was, as it is today, an acknowledgement of the future bodily resurrection and eternal union with Christ that awaits all believers.

June 21 2016 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report