ATONEMENT, DAY OF (A.-tun-ment), (Heb• yome hak-ki,h-loor-eem', day of pardon, Lev. xxiii:27; xxv:9). In the Talmud this day is called great fisting, or merely the day; a circum stance which has suggested to some commentators the notion that by hemeran (Heb. vii:27) the apostle intended this atonement day.
(1) Time. Though perhaps originally meant as a temporary day of expiation for the sin of the golden calf (as some would infer from Exod. xxxiii), yet it was permanently instituted by Moses as a day of atonement for sins in general ; and this day—the loth of Tishri (our Septem ber or October)—is indeed the only fast ordained by Moses, though the later Jews, in commemora tion of some disastrous events, especially those which occurred at and after the destruction of the two temples, instituted a few more fast days, which they observed with scarcely less rigor and strictness than the one ordained by Moses for the purpose of general absolution (Lev. xvi :1-34 ; Num. xxix :7-II). This great fast, like all others among the Jews, commenced at sunset of the pre vious day and lasted twenty-four hours—that is, from sunset to sunset, or, as the Rabbins will have it, until three stars were visible in the horizon.
(2) Ceremonies. The ceremonies observed on this occasion are minutely described in Lev. xvi, and were of a very laborious character, especially for the high-priest, who had to prepare himself during the previous seven days in nearly solitary confinement for the peculiar services that awaited him, and abstain during that period from all that could render fiim unclean or disturb his devotions. The most remarkable ceremony of the day was the entrance of the high-priest into the sanctuary, a thing not allowed on any other day, and to which Paul alludes (Heb. ix :7). According to the Talmud and Maimonides, the entrance of the high-priest into the sanctuary took place four different times. The first time he was provided with the golden censer and the vessel filled with incense, when, after having entered, he placed the former between the two poles of the taber nacle and put the incense upon the coals. This done, he went out (according to the Talmud. ibid., backwards, so as not to turn his back on the sanctuary). At his second entrance he took with him the blood of the bullock which he had offered in expiation for his own sins and those of the other priests, placed himself between the poles of the tabernacle, dipped his finger in the blood and sprinkled it seven times below and once above the mercy-seat. This done, he left the basin with
the blood behind, and withdrew again. The third time Ile entered with the blood of the ram which he had offered for the sins of the nation, with which lie sprinkled towards the veil of the taber nacle eight times, and having mixed it with the blood of the bullock, he sprinkled again towards the horns of the altar of incense seven times, and once above it towards the east, after which he poured out the whole on the floor of the altar of burnt offering, having again left the sanctuary and taken with him the basins of blood. The fourth time he entered merely to fetch back the censer and vessel of incense, and having returned he washed his hands and performed the other ceremonies of the day.
That the high-priest entered mote than once into the sanctuary during this solemnity is cer tainly clear from the various rites which he had to perform there, as described in Lev. xvi :12, 14, 15. Nor does the assertion of the Talmud con tradict Ileb. ix :7, where the apostle tells us that the high-priest had entered only once on that day. since the expression which he uses may refer to the one day in the year when such a service alone took place.
(3) Other Duties of the High-Priest. The other duties of the high-priest on that day con sisted in frequent washings, changing his clothes, lighting the lamps. burning incense. etc., which operations commenced soon after midnight of the loth of the seventh month (Tishri). The cere monies of worship peculiar to this day alone (be sides those which were common to it with all other days) were: (I) That the high-priest, in his pontifical dress, confessed his own sins and those of his family, for the expiation of which he offered a bullock, on which he laid them; (2) that two goats were set aside, one of which was by lot sacrificed to Jehovah. while the other (Azazel), which was determined by lot to be set at liberty, was sent to the desert burdened with the sins of the people (Lev. xvi). According to the Talmud, both goats were to he alike in color. stature and age at the time of their being set aside for the purposes of that day.
On this day also the high-priest gave his bless ing to the whole nation, and the remainder of the day was spent in prayers and other works of penance.