In the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
word ''nazir'' meaning "consecrated" or "separated". Those who put themselves under a Nazirite vow do so by adding unto themselves a degree of sanctity, as it says: "Until the time is completed, etc., he shall be holy." A person who puts himself under a Nazirite vow without designating how long he intends to remain as such, he is obligated in all that pertains to Nazirite strictures for a period of thirty days. This vow required the person to observe the following strictures:
* Abstain from all wine and anything else made from the grape vine plant, such as
cream of tartar
Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, with formula K C4 H5 O6, is a byproduct of winemaking. In cooking, it is known as cream of tartar. It is processed from the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic ac ...
, grape seed oil, etc. (Traditional rabbinic authorities state that all other types of alcohol were permitted.)
* Refrain from cutting the hair on one's head; but to allow the locks of the head's hair to grow.
* Not to become
ritually impure
Ritual purification is the ritual prescribed by a religion by which a person is considered to be free of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification may ...
by contact with
corpses
A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stu ...
or graves, even those of family members.
After following these requirements for a designated interval (which would be specified in the individual's vow), the person would make three
offerings: a lamb as a
burnt offering
A holocaust is a religious animal sacrifice that is completely consumed by fire. The word derives from the Ancient Greek ''holokaustos'' which is used solely for one of the major forms of sacrifice, also known as a burnt offering.
Etymology and ...
(''olah''), a ewe as a
sin offering
A sin offering ( he, קָרְבַּן חַטָּאת, ''korban ḥatat'', , lit: "purification offering") is a sacrificial offering described and commanded in the Torah (Lev. 4.1-35); it could be fine flour or a proper animal.Leviticus 5:11 A sin ...
(''hatat''), and a ram as a
peace offering
The peace offering ( he, זֶבַח שְׁלָמִים, zevah shelamim) was one of the sacrifices and offerings in the Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 3; 7.11–34). The term "peace offering" is generally constructed from "slaughter offering" and the pl ...
(''shelamim''), in addition to a basket of unleavened bread, grain offerings and drink offerings, which accompanied the peace offering. He would also shave his head in the outer courtyard of the
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...
and then he would place the hair on the same fire as the peace offering ().
The word נזיר appears first in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis chapter 49, verse 26, which speaks of the blessings given to Joseph by his father Jacob. The word is translated in English as ''prince'', which is inaccurate; Jacob used the term because Joseph spent time in forced isolation from his family to fulfill the will and plan of God, making Joseph a Nazirite before the laws of Moses and thereby implying that there was no sin attached to this status by Jacob, who was describing how blessed Joseph was of the God of his fathers.
The nazirite is described as being "holy unto God"; yet at the same time, he or she must bring a sin offering. This has led to divergent approaches to the
nazirite in the Talmud, and later authorities, with some viewing the nazirite as an ideal, and others viewing the Nazirite as a sinner.
Laws of the nazirite
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
(Jewish law) has a rich tradition on the laws of the nazirite. These laws were first recorded in the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
(Written Law of Moses), in , and explained in their detail in the compendium of
Oral Law
An oral law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or community application, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, or the single rule that is orally transmitted.
M ...
known as the
Mishna
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
, as well as in the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
in the
tractate ''Nazir''. These laws were later codified by
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...
in the ''
Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law ('' ...
''.
Vows and sacrificial offerings
An Israelite (not a gentile) becomes a Nazirite through an intentional verbal declaration. The vow can be taken by both men and women. This declaration can be in any language, and can be something as simple as saying "me too" as a Nazirite passes by. In general there are two types of Nazirites, those who take a vow for a set time, and permanent Nazirites. A person can specify how long he intends to be a Nazirite, but if no time period or a time period of less than 30 days is specified, the vow is considered to last for 30 days. A person who says "I am a Nazirite forever" or "I am a Nazirite for all my life" is a permanent Nazirite and slightly different laws apply. However, if a person says that he is a Nazirite for a thousand years, he is a regular Nazirite. The permanent Nazirite has no source in the Bible but is known through tradition. At the end of their vow, the Nazirite brings three
sacrificial offerings to the
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...
. The first is a ewe for a ''chatat'' (sin offering), the second is a lamb for an ''olah'' (elevation offering), and finally a ram as a ''shelamim'' (peace offering) along with a basket of
matzah
Matzah or matzo ( he, מַצָּה, translit=maṣṣā'','' pl. matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which ''chametz'' ( leaven an ...
and grain and drink offerings. After bringing the sacrificial offerings, the Nazirite shaves their head in the outer courtyard of the Temple. Part of the Nazirite's offering is given to the
Kohen
Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for " priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally ...
. This gift is one of the
twenty-four kohanic gifts. A person can become a Nazirite whether or not the
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...
is standing. However, no temple means that there is currently no way to make the offerings that end the Nazirite vow, so anyone taking the vow would become a ''de facto'' permanent Nazirite.
All the laws of vows in general apply also to the nazirite vow. As with other vows, a father has the ability to annul the vow of his young daughter, and a husband has the ability to annul a vow by his wife, when he first hears about it (). A father, but not a mother, can declare his son, but not his daughter, a Nazirite, however the child or any close family member has a right to refuse this status. Likewise, all of the laws related to intent and conditional vows apply also to Nazirite vows.
Abstinence from grape products
A Nazirite must abstain from all beverages derived from grapes, even if they are not alcoholic. According to traditional rabbinic interpretation, the Nazirite may drink alcoholic beverages not derived from grapes. According to less traditional rabbinic interpretation, a Nazirite is forbidden to consume any alcohol, and vinegar from such alcohol, regardless of its source.
[The New JPS translation is: "wine and any other intoxicant". Classical rabbinical interpretation permits non-grape alcohols.] The law regarding combining wine or grapes with other food is similar to
kashrut, which applies to all Jews. An early rabbinic proverb warned the Nazirite: "Go away! Go away, O Nazirite! Take the long way around! Take the long way around, so that you may not come near the vineyard!"
Uncut hair
A Nazirite must refrain from cutting the hair of his head. He can groom his hair with his fingers or scratch his head and need not be concerned if some hair falls out, however, he cannot use a comb since it very likely to pull out some hair. A Nazirite is not allowed to use a
chemical depilatory
A chemical depilatory is a cosmetic preparation used to remove hair from the skin. Common active ingredients are salts of thioglycolic acid and thiolactic acids. These compounds break the disulfide bonds in keratin and also hydrolyze the hair s ...
to remove hair. However, a Nazirite who recovers from
tzaraath
''Tzaraath'' (Hebrew צָרַעַת ''ṣāraʿaṯ''), variously transcribed into English and frequently mistranslated as leprosy, describes various ritually unclean disfigurative conditions of the skin, hair of the beard and head, clothing mad ...
, (a skin disease described in ), is obligated to cut his hair, and a permanent Nazirite may cut his hair once a year. Nazirites who shave their hair are obligated to redo the last 30 days of the Nazirite period
Avoidance of corpses and graves
A Nazirite must
avoid corpses and graves, even those of family members, and any building that contains one. A permanent Nazirite becomes ritually impure through proximity to a corpse. Nonetheless, a Nazirite who finds an unburied corpse is obligated to bury it, although he will become defiled in the process.
If a Nazirite touches a
corpse
A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stud ...
or carries a funeral
bier
A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin, or casket containing a corpse is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., New York, ...
, or goes into a building that contains a corpse,
their vow is ended as unfulfilled.
[, ''Niddah'' 68b, s.v. .] In this case, after he has waited seven days for his purification, the Nazirite should shave their head and to bring sacrificial offerings.
After that, he is permitted to put himself under another Nazirite vow with a new time limit.
If the Nazirite simply enters an area where a grave or graveyard had been ploughed (in which case there is only a chance that he touched human bones), or if he went into a
foreign land that was declared unclean by the
chazal (sages) and had touched its earth, or if he stands beneath the branches of a tree or a rock that shades the ground ( he, סככות) near a graveyard, he still contracts a level of uncleanness. However this is less than the impurity of touching corpse, and although he must be sprinkled with water containing the ashes of a
red heifer on the third and seventh days, he is not required to shave his head or bring sacrificial offerings, and his Nazirite vow is not invalidated, though he adds seven days to the time he spends as a Nazirite to make up for the days of impurity.
In the Bible
In the Hebrew Bible
Two examples of nazirites in the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' Samson
Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
(
Judges
A judge is an official who presides over a court.
Judge or Judges may also refer to:
Roles
*Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc.
*Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...
13:5), and
Samuel (
1 Samuel 1:11). Both were born of previously barren mothers and entered into their vows through either their mothers' oath (as in the case of Hannah), or a divine command (in the case of Samson), rather than by their own volition. These vows required Samson and Samuel to live devout lives, yet in return they received extraordinary gifts: Samson possessed strength and ability in physical battle against the
Philistines
The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek (LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, whe ...
, while Samuel became a
prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
.
Some believe that Samson broke his vow by touching the dead body of a lion and drinking wine (). The divine terms concerning dead bodies are listed in Numbers 6:6, where Nazarites are forbidden from coming near "nephesh-mot" (a dead body). The issue of whether Samson broke his vow by touching the lion depends on the meaning of "nephesh" in the context of Numbers 6. The word usually refers to human dead, which seems to be its most focused meaning according to Numbers 6:7. However, there are prominent cases in the Pentateuch where "nephesh" refers to animals (see Genesis 1:21, 24; 9:12; Lev. 11:46; etc.). Therefore, the issue is an interpretive one. Also, the feast held by Samson for his marriage does not indicate that Samson drank wine. In addition, the supernatural strength that Samson was given would have been taken away at the time of Judges 14 if his nazirite vow had been broken. Goswell suggests that "we cannot understand the career and failings of Samson without attention to his Nazirite status."
Samson has a unique nazirite status called Nazir Shimshon which permitted him to touch dead bodies, since the angel who imposed the status omitted this restriction.
Radak ''Cervera Bible'', David Qimhi's Grammar Treatise
David Kimhi ( he, ר׳ דָּוִד קִמְחִי, also Kimchi or Qimḥi) (1160–1235), also known by the Hebrew acronym as the RaDaK () (Rabbi David Kimhi), was a medieval rabbi, biblical comme ...
conjectures that even without this special status, Samson would be allowed to touch dead bodies while doing God's work defending Israel.
The prophet
Amos
Amos or AMOS may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Amos Records, an independent record label established in Los Angeles, California, in 1968
* Amos (band), an American Christian rock band
* ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray
* ''Amos' ...
later condemned the Israelites for their failure to respect the nazirite vow, along with their failure to hear the prophets:
:''And I raised up some of your sons as prophets and some of your young men as nazirites; is this not so, O children of Israel? says the Lord.''
:''And you gave the nazirites to drink wine, and you commanded the prophets saying, "Do not prophesy."''
The
Septuagint
The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...
uses a number of terms to translate the 16 uses of ''nazir'' in the Hebrew Bible, such as "he who vowed" ( ) or "he who was made holy" ( ) etc. It is left untranslated and
transliterate
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...
d in Judges 13:5 as ''nazir'' ().
In the deuterocanonical texts
This vow was observed into the
intertestamental period
The intertestamental period (Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century ...
between the writing of the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
. The
deuterocanon
The deuterocanonical books (from the Greek meaning "belonging to the second canon") are books and passages considered by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East to be ...
al book
1 Maccabees
The First Book of Maccabees, also known as First Maccabees (written in shorthand as 1 Maccabees or 1 Macc.), is a book written in Hebrew by an anonymousRappaport, U., ''47. 1 Maccabees'' in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)The Oxford Bible Comme ...
, dated to about 166 BCE, mentions men who had ended their nazirite vows.
In the New Testament
In the Gospels
The practice of a nazirite vow is part of the ambiguity of the Greek term "
Nazarene" that appears in the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
; the sacrifice of a lamb and the offering of bread does suggest a relationship with Christian symbolism (then again, these are the two most frequent offerings prescribed in
Leviticus, so no definitive conclusions can be drawn). While a saying in and attributed to
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
makes it doubtful that he, reported to be "a winebibber", was a nazirite during his ministry, the verse ends with the curious statement, "But wisdom is justified of all her children". The advocation of the ritual consumption of wine as part of the
Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...
, the ''
tevilah
In Judaism, ritual washing, or ablution, takes two main forms. ''Tevilah'' (טְבִילָה) is a full body immersion in a mikveh, and ''netilat yadayim'' is the washing of the hands with a cup (see Handwashing in Judaism).
References to ri ...
'' in Mark 14:22–25 indicated he kept this aspect of the nazirite vow when Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the
kingdom of God." The ritual with which Jesus commenced his ministry (recorded via Greek as "
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
") and his vow in and at the end of his ministry, do respectively reflect the final and initial steps (purification by immersion in water and abstaining from wine) inherent in a Nazarite vow. These passages may indicate that Jesus intended to identify himself as a nazirite ("not drinking the fruit of vine") before his crucifixion.
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist (Latin: '' Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of t ...
clearly was aware that wine was forbidden in this practice, for the angel () that announces the birth of
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
foretells that "he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb", in other words, a nazirite from birth, the implication being that John had taken a lifelong nazirite vow.
In the Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles is also attributed to Luke (see
Luke-Acts) and in it is reported that the apostle
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
cut off his hair "because of a vow he had taken". From we learn that the early
Jewish Christians
Jewish Christians ( he, יהודים נוצרים, yehudim notzrim) were the followers of a Jewish religious sect that emerged in Judea during the late Second Temple period (first century AD). The Nazarene Jews integrated the belief of Jesus a ...
occasionally took the temporary nazarite vow, and it is probable that the vow of St. Paul mentioned in Acts 18:18, was of a similar nature, although the shaving of his head in
Cenchrea
Kechries ( el, Κεχριές, rarely Κεχρεές) is a village in the municipality of Corinth in Corinthia in Greece, part of the community of Xylokeriza. Population 238 (2011). It takes its name from the ancient port town Kenchreai or Cenchr ...
, outside of Palestine, was not in conformity with the rules laid down in the sixth chapter of Numbers, nor with the interpretation of them by the rabbinical schools of that era. If we are to believe the legend of
Hegesippus quoted by Eusebius,
James, brother of Jesus
James the Just, or a variation of James, brother of the Lord ( la, Iacobus from he, יעקב, and grc-gre, Ἰάκωβος, , can also be Anglicized as " Jacob"), was "a brother of Jesus", according to the New Testament. He was an early le ...
,
Bishop of Jerusalem, was a nazarite, and performed with rigorous exactness all the practices enjoined by that rule of life. In Paul was advised to counter the claims made by some
Judaizers
The Judaizers were a faction of the Jewish Christians, both of Jewish and non-Jewish origins, who regarded the Levitical laws of the Old Testament as still binding on all Christians. They tried to enforce Jewish circumcision upon the Gentile c ...
(that he encouraged a
revolt against the Mosaic Law). He showed the "believers there" (believers in Jesus, i.e. the Jewish Christians) in Jerusalem otherwise by purifying himself and accompanying four men to the
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
who had taken nazaritic vows (so as to refute the naysayers).
This stratagem only delayed the inevitable mob assault on him. This event brought about the accusation in that Paul was the "ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes", and thus provides further verification that the term ''Nazarene'' was a mistranslation of the term ''nazirite''. In any case, the relationship of
Paul of Tarsus and Judaism is still disputed.
What is curious is that Luke does not here mention the apostle
James the Just as taking nazirite vows, although later Christian historians (e.g.
Epiphanius ''Panarion'' 29.4) believed he had, and the vow of a nazirite would explain the asceticism
Eusebius of Caesarea ascribed to James, a claim that gave James the title "James the Just".
In Rabbinic literature
Reviewing
Halakhic and
Aggadic
Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism ...
literature,
Jacob Neusner
Jacob Neusner (July 28, 1932 – October 8, 2016) was an American academic scholar of Judaism. He was named as one of the most published authors in history, having written or edited more than 900 books.
Life and career
Neusner was born in Hartfor ...
writes that Jewish sages generally viewed the vow of the nazirite to be shrouded in "arrogance" and "weakness".
The Mishnah
The
Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...
(''Nazir'' 3:6) relates an incident concerning
Queen Helena of
Adiabene
Adiabene was an ancient kingdom in northern Mesopotamia, corresponding to the northwestern part of ancient Assyria. The size of the kingdom varied over time; initially encompassing an area between the Zab Rivers, it eventually gained control of N ...
(c. 48 CE) who had placed herself under a Nazirite vow for seven years, on condition that her son returned home from war safely. When her son returned home safely, she began to perform her Nazirite vow for seven years, at the end of which years she came up to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
to perform her duty by bringing the required animal offerings. When she arrived there, she was told by those professing to the philosophy taught by the
School of Hillel
The House of Hillel (Beit Hillel) and House of Shammai (Beit Shammai) were, among Jewish scholars, two schools of thought during the period of tannaim, named after the sages Hillel and Shammai (of the last century BCE and the early 1st century CE) ...
that she must observe her vow anew, and she therefore lived as a Nazirite for seven more years. Towards the end of those seven years, she contracted
corpse uncleanness
Corpse uncleanness ( Hebrew: ''tum'at met'') is a state of ritual uncleanness described in Jewish halachic law. It is the highest grade of uncleanness, or defilement, and is contracted by having either directly or indirectly touched, carried or ...
which rendered her vow as null and void, and, therefore, was required to repeat her Nazirite vow once again for a period of another seven years. Altogether, she continued her Nazirite vow for a period of 21 years.
The Jerusalem Talmud
According to the
Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...
(''Berakhot'' 7:2; ''Nazir'' 5:3), as explained by Talmudic exegete
Solomon Sirilio
Solomon Sirilio ( he, סיריליאו also שלמה סריליו) (1485–1554), the son of Joseph Sirilio, was a rabbi and author of one of the first commentaries made on the Jerusalem Talmud (''Seder Zeraim'').
Background
Solomon Sirilio was ...
, 300 persons who had taken upon themselves the Nazirite vow had immigrated to the Land of Israel during the reign of
Alexander Jannaeus
Alexander Jannaeus ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξανδρος Ἰανναῖος ; he, ''Yannaʾy''; born Jonathan ) was the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, who ruled over an expanding kingdom of Judea from 103 to 76 BCE. A son of John Hyrcanus, ...
(c. 103 to 76 BCE), at a time when
Shimon ben Shetach served as the head of the
Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence 'assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ap ...
. These nazirites had either fulfilled the days of their vow, and wished to perform their duty by bringing the required offerings for their atonement, or had been defiled by
corpse uncleanness
Corpse uncleanness ( Hebrew: ''tum'at met'') is a state of ritual uncleanness described in Jewish halachic law. It is the highest grade of uncleanness, or defilement, and is contracted by having either directly or indirectly touched, carried or ...
and were still required to bring animals for their atonement, accompanied with the shaving-off of their hair and burning it on the altar. However, being wholly incapable of providing for themselves these animals, they appealed to the head of the Sanhedrin to release them from their Nazirite vows, in which case their vows would be made null and void in retrospect and they would be exempt from bringing the animal offerings.
Shimon ben Shetach, being brother-in-law to the king, presented their case before the king, saying that, in the event that their vows cannot be cancelled, each would have to bring for his atonement three sacrificial animals in accordance with the
Mosaic law
The Law of Moses ( he, תֹּורַת מֹשֶׁה ), also called the Mosaic Law, primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The law revealed to Moses by God.
Terminology
The Law of Moses or Torah of Moses (Hebrew ...
(), and since they had not that with which to pay for such animals, he would be willing to foot the bill for half these men and women if the king would defray the cost of the other half. The king consented, agreeing to pay half the cost of the animal purchases for 150 persons, for a total of 450 sacrificial animals. Meanwhile, Shimon ben Shetach found a way to
annul the vows of 150 persons, in which case, they were exempt from bringing any animal offering, and he, too, was free from his obligation to pay for their animal offerings - since none were necessary for the one-hundred and fifty people whose vows were cancelled retrospectively. The king, however, was still obligated to foot the bill for the remaining 150 people who could not be released from their vows.
When it was told the king that Shimon ben Shetach had not paid for any animal offerings (in keeping with his part of the deal), and not realizing that Shimon ben Shetach had succeeded in releasing them from their vows, the king was angry with his brother-in-law, as if he had been tricked and deceived by him. Shimon ben Shetach fled for his life, until eventually he was called back under the assurances that the king would do him no harm, at which time Shimon ben Shetach explained the situation to the king, and how that when a nazirite has his vow annulled (on certain conditions), he is no longer obligated to bring the three sacrificial animals for his atonement.
According to the Jerusalem Talmud,
Simeon the Just
Simeon the Righteous or Simeon the Just ( he, שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַדִּיק ''Šīməʿōn haṢadīq'') was a Jewish High Priest during the Second Temple period. He is also referred to in the Mishnah, where he is described as one of the la ...
(a
High Priest
The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste.
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...
) opposed the nazirite vow and ate of the
sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...
offered by a nazarite on only a single occasion. Once a youth with flowing hair came to him and wished to have his head shorn. When asked his motive, the youth replied that he had seen his own face reflected in the spring and it had pleased him so that he feared lest his beauty might become an idol to him. He, therefore, wished to offer up his hair to God, and Simeon then partook of the
sin offering
A sin offering ( he, קָרְבַּן חַטָּאת, ''korban ḥatat'', , lit: "purification offering") is a sacrificial offering described and commanded in the Torah (Lev. 4.1-35); it could be fine flour or a proper animal.Leviticus 5:11 A sin ...
which he brought.
The Babylonian Talmud
If "any man die very suddenly beside him, and he defile his consecrated head" the nazirite must undergo a cleansing. He was to shave his head on the seventh day and on the 8th day bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to a priest as a
sin offering
A sin offering ( he, קָרְבַּן חַטָּאת, ''korban ḥatat'', , lit: "purification offering") is a sacrificial offering described and commanded in the Torah (Lev. 4.1-35); it could be fine flour or a proper animal.Leviticus 5:11 A sin ...
. The
Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
claims this is a contradiction, leading to two divergent views.
Samuel of Nehardea
Samuel of Nehardea or Samuel bar Abba, often simply called Samuel (Hebrew: שמואל) and occasionally Mar Samuel, was a Jewish Amora of the first generation; son of Abba bar Abba and head of the Yeshiva at Nehardea, Babylonia. He was a teacher ...
and Rabbi
Eleazar ha-Kappar
Eleazar ha-Kappar ( he, אלעזר הקפר, or אליעזר בן הקפר , read as ''Eliezer ben ha-Kappar'', or אלעזר בן הקפר, read as ''Eleazar ha-Kappar'') was a Jewish rabbi of the fifth and last generation of the Tannaim era. He ...
, focusing on the sin offering of the nazirite, regarded nazirites, as well as anyone who fasted when not obligated to or took any vow whatsoever, as a sinner. A different
Rabbi Eliezer
Eliezer ben Hurcanus or Hyrcanus ( he, אליעזר בן הורקנוס) was one of the most prominent Sages (tannaim) of the 1st and 2nd centuries in Judea, disciple of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai Avot of Rabbi Natan 14:5 and colleague of Gamalie ...
argues that a nazirite is indeed holy and the sin referred to in the verse applies only to a nazirite who became ritually defiled.
Nazirites in history
Josephus
Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
mentions a number of people who had taken the vow, such as his tutor Banns (''Antiquities'' 20.6), and
Gamaliel
Gamaliel the Elder (; also spelled Gamliel; he, רַבַּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הַזָּקֵן ''Rabban Gamlīʾēl hazZāqēn''; grc-koi, Γαμαλιὴλ ὁ Πρεσβύτερος ''Gamaliēl ho Presbýteros''), or Rabban Gamaliel I, ...
records in the
Mishna
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
how the father of Rabbi Chenena made a lifetime nazirite vow before him (Nazir 29b). In ''
The Jewish War
''The Jewish War'' or ''Judean War'' (in full ''Flavius Josephus' Books of the History of the Jewish War against the Romans'', el, Φλαυίου Ἰωσήπου ἱστορία Ἰουδαϊκοῦ πολέμου πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ...
'' 2.15.1., Josephus briefly recounts an episode where, in the 12th year of the reign of
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
, during the outbreak of the
First Jewish-Roman War
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
,
Bernice the sister of King
Agrippa II and daughter of
Herod Agrippa
Herod Agrippa (Roman name Marcus Julius Agrippa; born around 11–10 BC – in Caesarea), also known as Herod II or Agrippa I (), was a grandson of Herod the Great and King of Judea from AD 41 to 44. He was the father of Herod Agrippa II, the ...
, had put herself under a Nazirite vow and had come to Jerusalem thirty days before she was to offer her sacrifices, during which time she was to abstain from wine and, at the conclusion of which days, to shave the hair of her head. Josephus adds that those who put themselves under the Nazirite vow often did so when they "had been either afflicted with a distemper, or with any other distresses."
Early Syriac Christianity
Several Syriac Christians beginning in the 4th century appropriated the vow in ascetical practice.
Apharat writes in the 4th century: "The sons of Seth were virtuous in their virginity, but when they became mixed up with the daughters of Cain, they were blotted out with the water of the flood. Samson was honorable in his Naziriteship and in his virginity, but he corrupted his Naziriteship with his licentiousness."
John Scully records
Ephrem
Ephrem is a masculine given name, a variant spelling of Ephraim (also spelled ''Efrem'', ''Ephraem''). It is the name of biblical Ephraim, a son of Joseph and ancestor of the Tribe of Ephraim.
People
First name Pre-Modern
* Saint Ephrem, one o ...
suggesting that "the vines of Paradise rush out to meet only those ascetics who lead a life of virginity and abstain from wine" in the 4th century.
John the Solitary refers to
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
for a model of fasting in the 5th century.
Dadisho
Mar Dadishoʿ was Catholicose of the East from 421 AD to 456 AD. During his reign as Catholicos, in 424 AD, the Church of the East declared itself independent of all other churches, resulting in Mar Dadishoʿ taking the title of Patriarch
T ...
's ''Commentary on Abba Isaiah'' lists several physical activities in relation to the term "Nazirite".
The anonymous author of the ''
Cave of Treasures
The ''Cave of Treasures'' (Syriac ''M'drāth Gazzē'', Arabic ''Maghārat al-Kunūz'', Ge'ez ''Baʿāta Mazāgebet'' Tigrinya መዝገብ ገዛ ) sometimes referred to simply as ''The Treasure'', is an apocryphal and pseudoepigraphical work, t ...
'' writes: And
he Priestshall be a Nazirite all the days of his life. He shall not take a wife, he shall not have a house to dwell in, and he shall not offer the blood of animals or fowl. Rather, he will offer bread and wine to God.
Medieval Judaism
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...
(1138–1204), following the view of Rabbi Eliezer Hakappar, calls a nazirite a sinner, explaining that a person should always be moderate in his actions and not be to any extreme. Nevertheless, he does point out that a nazirite can be evil or righteous depending on the circumstances.
Nachmanides
Moses ben Nachman ( he, מֹשֶׁה בֶּן־נָחְמָן ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; el, Ναχμανίδης ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ra ...
(1194–1270), in his commentary on the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
, sides with Samuel of Nehardea and Rabbi Eliezer. He explains that ideally, the person should be a nazirite his whole life. Therefore, ceasing to be nazirite requires a sin offering.
Many later opinions recorded in the
Tosafot
The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot ( he, תוספות) are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes.
The auth ...
compromise between these views and explain that a nazirite is both good and bad.
Interpretations in Kabbalah
According to
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
, material elements can be subjected to transcendental or symbolic analysis: the archetype, the "reference-principle", and the form, that is the "matter" subject to the modality proper to it, compose the "foundation" together. Thus also the fruits in nature present meanings beyond the
literal interpretation
Literal and figurative language is a distinction within some fields of language analysis, in particular stylistics, rhetoric, and semantics.
*Literal language uses words exactly according to their conventionally accepted meanings or denotation.
...
like almost any creature or almost everything present in the creation: proof of this are the Jewish religious ceremonies performed with the ''Seder of
Pesach
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or ...
'', the ''Seder of
Tu BiShvat'' and the ''Seder of
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...
''. Therefore also the grape and each of its derivatives present a meaning beyond appearance.
A
midrash
''Midrash'' (;["midrash"]
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
ic rabbinical interpretation in this regard indicates that the fruit of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil
In Judaism and Christianity, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ( he, עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע, ʿêṣ had-daʿaṯ ṭōḇ wā-rāʿ, label=Tiberian Hebrew, ) is one of two specific trees in the story of the Garden ...
is precisely the grape.
In modern religion
Rastafari
The tradition of the nazirite vow has had a significant influence on the
Rastafari religion, and elements of the vow have been adopted as part of this religion. In describing the obligations of their religion, Rastafari make reference to the nazirite vow taken by Samson. Part of this vow, as adopted by the Rastafari, is to avoid the cutting of one's hair. This is inspired by the text of Leviticus 21:5 "They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard nor make any cuttings in their flesh." The visible sign of this vow is the Rastafarian's
dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also known as locs or dreads, are rope-like strands of hair formed by locking or braiding hair.
Origins
Some of the earliest depictions of dreadlocks date back as far as 1600–1500 BCE in the Minoan Civilization, one of Europe' ...
. Some Rastafari have concluded that Samson had dreadlocks, as suggested by the description stating that he had seven locks upon his head (Judges 16:13).
Additionally, the Rastafari are taught to abstain from alcohol in accordance with the nazirite vow. They have also adopted dietary laws derived from Leviticus, which accounts for some similarity to the prohibitions of the Jewish dietary law of Kashrut.
Protestant perspectives
In 1979,
Witness Lee
Witness Lee (; September 5, 1905 – June 9, 1997) was a Chinese Christian preacher and hymnist belonging to the Christian group known as the local churches (or Local Church) in Taiwan and the United States. He was also the founder of Livin ...
of the
Local Church movement published the ''Principal of the Nazarite,'' a short pamphlet outlining a metaphorical interpretation of the vow for uptake amongst Christians.
Lou Engle, a charismatic evangelical American leader, has written ''Nazarite DNA,'' which outlines a metaphorical interpretation of the vow.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Temperance Movement
See also
References
Further reading
* Chepey, S. ''Nazirites in Late Second Temple Judaism: A Survey of Ancient Jewish Writings, the New Testament, Archaeological Evidence, and other Writings from Late Antiquity''. AJEC 60. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2005.
* Gordon, Robert P. ''Hebrew Bible and ancient versions: selected essays of Robert P. Gordon''.
** Chapter 6 "Who Made The Kingmaker? Reflect on Samuel and the Institution of the Monarchy"; Terms: "Nazirite", etymology
p. 65p. 66an
etymologyselect pages
* Neusner, J. "Vow-Taking, The Nazirities and the Law: Does James' Advice to Paul accord with Halakah?", pp. 58–82 in ''James the Just and Christian Origins'' (eds. B. D. Chilton and C. A. Evans; Supplements to Voum Testamentum 98; Leiden: Brill, 1999) 76–79
* Scully, Jason. "The Exaltation of Seth and Naziritie Ascetisim in the "Cave of Treasures" ''Vigiliae Christianae,'' 2014, Vol. 68, No. 3 (2014), pp. 310–328. .
*Anthony Caffey, ''Matthew 2:23 And the Use of the Old Testament: Christ as Nazarite/Judge/Deliverer Par Excellence,"'' PhD Dissertation, TEDS, (2015)
External links
*
*
* {{Cite EB1911 , wstitle=Nazarite , volume=19 , page=319 , first1=William R. , last1=Smith , first2=Stanley A. , last2=Cook , short=1
* Full text of th
an
at Machon Mamre.
Hebrew words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible
Jewish asceticism
Jewish oaths