To
the ancient Egyptians, death was not the end of life but only a transition to
another plane of reality. Once the soul had successfully passed through
judgment by the god Osiris, it went on to an eternal paradise, The Field of
Reeds, where everything which had been lost at death was returned and one would
truly live happily ever after. Even though the Egyptian view of the afterlife
was the most comforting of any ancient civilization, people still feared death.
http://www.ancient.eu/article/1050/
The witnesses, laying their coats at the feet of Saul, were the men that would cast the first stones at Stephen in Acts 7. Why did they all lay their coats at Saul’s feet? The Talmud contains a very interesting account of the act of stoning that may provide the answer. “When the trial was over, they take him [the condemned person] out to be stoned. The place of stoning was at a distance from the court, as it is said, ‘Take out the one who has cursed.’ [i] A man stands at the entrance of the court; in his hand is a signaling flag [Hebrew sudarin = sudar , ‘scarf, sweater’]. A horseman was stationed far away but within sight of him. If one [of the judges] says, ‘I have something [more] to say in his favor,’ he [the signaler] waves the sudarin , and the horseman runs and stops them [from stoning him]. Even if [the condemned person] himself says, ‘I have something to say in my favor,’ they bring him back, even four of five times, only provided that there is some substance to...
Comments
Post a Comment