Lesson&#12&

The&Scapegoat&(Levi&cus*16:*20022a)*

The$Scapegoat$ 1$

All*year*long*Israel’s*sins*have*been*pollu&ng*the*sanctuary.**Although*

individuals*have*brought*purifica&on*offerings*to*cleanse*the*sanctuary*of*

their*involuntary&sins,*their*offerings*have*had*no*affect*on*the*ac&ons*of*the*brazen*sinner*who*has*refused*to*repent.**His*or*her*sins*con&nue*to*

pollute*the*sanctuary,*seeping*ever0deeper*into*the*inner*recesses*of*the*

Holy*of*Holies,*posing*the*very*real*threat*that*God*will*abandon*his*

sanctuary,*leaving*the*people*to*fend*for*themselves,*a*na&on*without*God.***

Thus,*Lesson*#11*(Levi&cus*16)*introduces*the*annual*Day*of*Atonement,*

Yom&Kippur,*when*the*High*Priest*enters*the*Holy*of*Holies,*purifying*it*with*a*sin*offering—the*blood*of*a*goat—and*then*transferring*the*pollu&on*and*

the*sins*of*the*people*onto*the*head*of*a*second**“scapegoat,”*dispatching*

it*into*the*wilderness,*bearing*the*all&the*sins*of*all*the*people.*

The$Scapegoat$ 2$

The*concept*of*the*“scapegoat”*has*a*long*history*in*the*

religions*of*the*world*and*in*cultural*anthropology.*Sir*

James*Frazer’s*monumental*120volume*work,*The&Golden&Bough,&a&Study&of&ComparaAve&Religion*(3rd*edi&on,*190601915)*devotes*all*of*Volume*9*to*“The*Scapegoat,”*a*

companion*to*Volume*4,*“The*Dying*God.”***

In*Lesson*#12*we*examine*the*“scapegoat”*in*depth.*

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The$Scapegoat$ 4$

Recall*in*Lesson*#11*the*70part*

structure*of*the*“Day*of*

Atonement”*(16:*1034):*

Introduc&on*(102)*

1.   Prepara&on*(3010)*2.   Purifica&on*of*the*sanctuary*

(11019)*

3.   Rite*of*the*Scapegoat*(20022)*4.   A^ermath*(23028)*

5.   Epilogue*(29031)*Conclusion*(32034)*

A*

The$Scapegoat$ 5$

We*might*easily*envision*the*

chapter*schema&cally,*with*the*

“Rite*of*the*Scapegoat”*as*the*

center*element,*making*it*the*

focal*point*of*the*chapter:*

A *Introduc&on*(102)*

B *Prepara&on*(3010)*

*C *Purifica&on*of*the*sanctuary*(11019)*

* *D *Rite*of*the*Scapegoat*(20022)*

*C’ *A^ermath*(23028)*

B’ *Epilogue*(29031)*

A’ *Conclusion*(32034)*

The*idea*of*the*“scapegoat”*has*

ancient*roots*buried*deeply*

within*the*collec&ve*

consciousness*of*the*human*

experience:**it*is*an*archetype,*

explored*by*Sir*James*Frazier*in*

volume*4*of*his*90volume*

anthropological*study,*The&Golden&Bough&(1913);*Joseph*Campbell’s*seminal*study*of*

compara&ve*mythology,*The&Hero&with&a&Thousand&Faces&(1949);*and*Carl*Jung’s*classic,*

Man&and&His&Symbols&(1964).*

The$Scapegoat$ 6$

Sir*James*Frazier*defines*the*

“scapegoat”*in*The&Golden&Bough&“In&the&first&place&.&.&.&what&I&have&called&the&immediate&and&the&mediate&expulsions&of&evil&are&idenAcal&in&intenAon;&in&other&words,&that&whether&the&evils&are&conceived&of&as&invisible&or&as&embodied&in&a&material&form,&is&a&circumstance&enArely&subordinate&to&the&main&object&of&the&ceremony,&which&is&simply&to&effect&a&total&clearance&of&all&the&ills&that&have&been&infesAng&a&people.&&If&any&link&were&wanAng&to&connect&the&two&kinds&of&expulsion,&it&would&be&furnished&by&such&a&pracAce&as&that&of&sending&the&evils&away&in&a&liQer&or&a&boat.&&For&here,&on&the&one&hand,&the&evils&are&invisible&and&intangible,&on&the&other&hand,&there&is&a&visible&and&tangible&vehicle&to&convey&them&away.&&And&a&scapegoat&is&nothing&more&than&such&a&vehicle.”&

The&Golden&Bough,**vol.*4,*p.*224*

The$Scapegoat$ 7$

Sir*James*Frazier*(185401941)*

Furthermore,*Frazier*goes*

on*to*say:*

“When&a&general&clearance&of&evils&is&resorted&to&periodically,&the&interval&between&the&celebraAons&of&the&ceremony&is&commonly&a&year,&and&the&Ame&of&year&when&the&ceremony&takes&place&usually&coincides&with&some&wellUmarked&change&of&season,&such&as&the&beginning&or&end&of&winter&in&the&arcAc&and&temperate&zones,&and&the&beginning&or&ending&of&the&rainy&season&in&the&tropics.”&

The&Golden&Bough,**vol.*4,*p.*224.*

The$Scapegoat$ 8$

Not*me.*Sin*

The$Scapegoat$ 9$

Poor*lifle

*

guy!*

I*get*it.**An*intangible&evil*like*sin*is*taken*away*from*the*community*

annually*by*something*tangible,*like*an*object,*an*animal*or*a*person—in*

the*case*of*Levi&cus,*on*the**

Day*of*Atonement,*a*goat.$

Sin*

Sin*

Sin*

Sin*Sin* Sin*

Not*me.**

The$Scapegoat$ 10$

The*cat*blames*

stuff*on*me*all*the*

&me!*

But*do*we*find*examples**

of*the*“scapegoat”*outside*

of*Levi&cus*16?*

There*are*many&examples*

of*the*“scapegoat”*apart*

from*Levi&cus!*

For*example*.*.*.**

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The$Scapegoat$ 12$

“The*1st*month*of*March”*(mosaic),*c.*A.D.*2000250.*

Sousse*Archaeological*Museum,*Tunisia.*

According*to*John*Lydus*in*De&Mensibus,*a*5th0century*work*on*pagan*religious*fes&vals,*the*ancient*

Romans*celebrated*the*sacra&mamurio&(the*“rite*for*Mamurius”)*

on*March*14*or*15,*the*transi&on*of*

the*old*year*into*the*new*on*the*

Roman*calendar,*by*dressing*up*an*

old*man*in*animal*skins,*bea&ng*

him*with*s&cks*and*chasing*him*out*

of*town!*

A*scapegoat*ritual,*all*the*evils*of*

the*previous*year*were*heaped*

upon*the*old*man,*who*was*

symbolically*banished,*paving*the*

way*for*a*befer*new*year.*

The*Roman**

Sacra&Mamurio&*

The$Scapegoat$ 13$

The*Greek*Thargelia&[“thar0yee’0lia”]*was*one*of*the*major*

Athenian*fes&vals*in*honor*of*Apollo*and*Artemis,*

celebrated*on*their*birthdays*in*the*month*of*Thargelian,*May*6*&*7.*

An*agricultural*feast,*the*Thargelia&included*purifica&on*offerings*and*thanksgiving*offerings*of*first*fruits.**For*the*

purifica&on*offering*a*sheep*was*sacrificed*on*the*Acropolis,*

followed*by*a*scapegoat*rite.***

The*6th0century*B.C.*Greek*poet*Hipponax*claims*that*the*

two*ugliest*men*who*could*be*found—one*represen&ng*the*

city’s*men*and*the*other*the*women—were*led*around*with*

strings*of*figs*on*their*necks,*whipped*with*fig*wood*

switches,*and*driven*to*the*shoreline*outside*the*city.**

Hipponax’s*lurid*imagina&on*may*well*have*exaggerated*

some*of*the*details*of*the*rite*(he*claims*they*were*whipped*

on*the*genitals,*stoned,*burnt*and*their*ashes*scafered*on*

the*sea!),*but**among*the*Greeks.*

Jan*Bremmer,*“Scapegoat*Rituals*in*Ancient*Greece,”*Harvard&Studies&in&Classical&Philology,*vol.*87*(1983),*p.*306.*Apollo*of*the*Belvedere,**

Va&can*Museum,*Va&can*City$

The$Scapegoat$ 14$

“When&evening&comes,&whoever&the&army&commanders&are,&each&of&them&prepares&a&ram&.&.&.&then&I&twine&a&cord&of&white&wool,&red&wool,&and&green&wool,&and&the&officer&twists&it&together,&and&I&bring&a&necklace,&a&ring,&and&a&chalcedony&stone&and&I&hang&them&on&the&ram’s&neck&and&horns,&and&at&night&they&Ae&them&in&front&of&the&tents&and&say:&&‘Whatever&deity&is&prowling&about,&whatever&deity&has&caused&this&pesAlence,&now&I&have&Aed&up&these&rams&for&you,&be&appeased!’&&And&in&the&morning&I&drive&them&out&to&the&plain&.&.&.&then&the&officers&lay&their&hands&on&the&rams&and&say:&&‘Whatever&deity&has&caused&this&pesAlence,&now&see!&&These&rams&are&standing&here&and&they&are&very&fat&in&liver,&heart,&and&loins.&&Let&human&flesh&be&hateful&to&him,&let&him&be&appeased&by&these&rams&.&.&.&and&the&people&say:&&‘Look!&&Whatever&illness&there&was&among&men,&oxen,&sheep,&horses,&mules,&and&donkeys&in&this&camp,&these&rams&.&.&.&have&carried&it&away&from&the&camp.’”&

O.R.*Gurney,*Some&Aspects&of&Hi_te&Religion.**Oxford:**Oxford*University*Press,*1977,*p.*49.*

Seated*Deity,**

late*Hipte*Empire,*13th*Century.$$

As*Sir*James*Frazier,*Joseph*

Campbell*and*Carl*Jung*

argue*that*the*“scapegoat”*

is*an*archetype,*a*universally*present*idea*in*

every*&me*and*culture*that*

constantly*recurs*in*

mythology,*religion*and*

literature.*

So,*we*turn*now*to*its*

appearance**in*Levi&cus*16.*

The$Scapegoat$ 15$

16$The$Scapegoat$

The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16: 20-22a)

Scapegoat

“When he has finished purging the inner sanctuary, the tent of meeting and the altar, Aaron shall bring forward the live goat. Laying both hands on its head, he shall confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and their trespasses, including all their sins, and so put them on the goat’s head. He shall then have it led into the wilderness by an attendant. The goat will carry off all their iniquities to an isolated region.”

17$The$Scapegoat$

• After the purgation rite, Aaron moves on to the scapegoat rite.

• The scapegoat is chosen by lot, either by Aaron using the urim and thummim contained in the pocket of his breast piece, or by special lots used for the occasion, bearing the inscription: 1) le’YHWH (“belonging to the Lord”) or 2) la’azaz’el (“belonging to Azazel”).

18$The$Scapegoat$

• Azazel seems to be a vestigial remnant of Mesopotamian polytheistic belief emblematic of chaos and disorder, a hint of its presence still faintly felt like fading dream in Leviticus. • Azazel is only used in the Bible here in Leviticus 16, but later Jewish thinking uses the word as the name of one of the fallen angels in the Book of Enoch.

(Enoch is not a book of the Bible; it was written around 200 B.C., and it is part of the Pseudepigrapha, a collection of 63 works on biblical themes written between 200 B.C. and A.D. 200).

19$The$Scapegoat$

• William Tyndale, the Protestant reformer and Bible translator, first rendered 'aza'zel as “scapegoat,” following the Greek Septuagint by properly translating 'az as “goat” and 'azel as a form of the verb “to go away”; hence 'aza'zel is the “go away goat,” or “scapegoat.”

• As we noted in Lesson #11, placing both hands on the goat, signifies transference, unlike the one-handed gesture of “giving to God” that we have seen in the 5 Great Sacrifices.

20$The$Scapegoat$

• As we also noted in Lesson #11, iniquities denote ritual and moral impurities; trespasses denote sins resulting from open and wanton rebellion against God.

• Aaron confessing the iniquities and trespasses of the Israelites is crucial, for by confessing them, they are transformed into inadvertences, thus qualifying them for sacrificial expiation.

As*Jacob*Milgrom*observes—and&as&we&have&seen&in&our&invesAgaAon&of&the&scapegoat&as&an&archetype—the*

an&quity*and*ubiquity*of*the*Azazel*

rite*is*crystal*clear.***

In*the*ancient*world*purga&on*and*

elimina&on*rites*go*together.**It*is*not*

enough*simply*to*banish*impurity;*its*

power*must*be*nullified*by*banishing*

evil*to*its*place*of*origin:**

• to*the*netherworld;**• to*enemy*territory*where*it’s*malevolent*

power*can*work*to*your*benefit;*or**

• to*the*wilderness*where*it*can*do*no*harm.*

Hence,*the*scapegoat*is*banished*to*

the*wilderness*in*Levi&cus*16.*

The$Scapegoat$ 21$

It*is*clear*from*our*text*that—**

• the*Israelites*are*not*worshiping*Azazel,*for*an*animal*heaped*with*sins*would*not*

be*an*acceptable*offering*for*either*God*or*

a*demon;*

• the*goat*is*not*a*vicarious*subs&tute*for*Israel,*since*the*goat*is*not*punished*or*put*

to*death*for*the*sins*it*bears.***

There&is&nothing&in&Scripture&to&suggest&that&&the&goat&is&stoned&or&pushed&off&a&cliff.**

rather;*

• the*goat*is*simply*a*vehicle*(as*Sir*James*

Frazier*observes)*to*dispatch*Israel’s*sins*to*

the*wilderness,*a*place*of*chaos*and*

disorder*where*it*can*do*no*harm*and*its*

power*is*nullified.*

The$Scapegoat$ 22$

Not*me.**

The$Scapegoat$ 23$

But*I*wonder,*what*will*

happen*to*the*goat*

when*it*gets*to*the*

wilderness?*

The$Scapegoat$ 24$

William*Holman*Hunt.**The&Scapegoat*(oil*on*canvas),*1854.*Lady*Lever*Art*Gallery,*Port*Sunlight,*Merseyside,*England.*

To*this*point*our*examina&on*of*the*

scapegoat*has*followed*a*well0trodden*

path*of*anthropological*and*scriptural*

scholarship.*

But*I’d*like*to*turn*now*to*Mary*

Douglas’*original,*penetra&ng*insights*

into*the*scapegoat,*as*she*presents*

them*in*LeviAcus&as&Literature&(1999).**Doing*so*will*open*vistas*on*Levi&cus*16

—and*indeed*on*all*of*Scripture—that*

few*have*seen*before.*

So,*follow*me*as*we*explore*

this*new*trail.*

25$The$Scapegoat$

The*basic*structural*

technique*used*in*Scripture*is*

parallelism:**a*statement*

made*and*then*restated*in*an*

amplified*form,*either*in*like*

or*in*contrast.*

The$Scapegoat$ 26$

A*

The$Scapegoat$ 27$

For*example,*in*Psalm*8:*304*we*

read:*

“When&I&see&the&heavens,&the&work&of&your&hands,&&the&moon&and&the&stars&which&you&arranged,&&what&is&man&that&you&should&keep&him&in&mind,&&mortal&man&that&you&care&for&him?”&&

We*have*two*parallel*structures:*

When*I*see*the*heavens,*the*work*of*your*hands,*

* *****A * * * * *****B*

* * *****A’* * * * *****B’*

the*moon*and*the*stars*******which*you*arranged,*

what*is*man***that*you*should*keep*him*in*mind,**

*A * * * * *B*

*A’ * * * * *B’*

mortal*man*************that*you*care*for*him?**

This*basic*structural*technique*lies*at*the*

very*core*of*Scripture,*from*the*sentence*

level,*as*in*Psalm*8,*to*the*overall*

structure*of*the*Chris&an*canon.*

In*The&Literary&Guide&to&the&Bible,*Cambridge*University*professor*Frank*

Kermode*observes*that*“the&Old&Testament&is&to&the&New&Testament&as&A&is&to&B&in&Hebrew&parallelism.”**That*is,*the*Hebrew*Scriptures*make*a*statement*

that*is*then*“stepped*up”*and*

transformed*in*the*New*Testament.*

The$Scapegoat$ 28$

Parallelism,*by*its*very*nature,*posi&ons*

pairs&(words,*phrases,*sentences,*stories*and*even*the*canon*of*Scripture*itself)*in*

juxtaposi&on,*some&mes*to*highlight*

contrasts,*and*some&mes*to*amplify*

likenesses.*

We*see*such*structural*parallelism*in*may**

biblical*characters:**Cain*and*Able;*Isaac*

and*Ishmael;*Jacob*and*Esau;*Joseph*and*

his*brothers;*the*Israelites*and*the*rest*of*

humanity*.*.*.*and*so*on.**

Look*closely*at*some*examples.*

The$Scapegoat$ 29$

The$Scapegoat$ 30$

Peter*Paul*Rubens.**Cain&Slaying&Abel&[Genesis*4:*1016]*(oil*on*oak*panel),*160801609.*Courtland*Ins&tute*of*Art,*London.*

The$Scapegoat$ 31$

Pieter*Lastman.**Hagar&and&Ishmael&Sent&Away&[Genesis*21:*1021]*(oil*on*wood*panel),*1612.*Kunsthalle*Hamburg,*Germany*

The$Scapegoat$ 32$

Hendrick*ter*Brugghen.**Esau&Selling&His&Birthright&[Genesis*25:*19034]*(oil*on*canvas),*c.*1627.*Thyssen0Bornemisza*Museum,*Madrid.*

The$Scapegoat$ 33$

Giovanni*Andrea*de*Ferrari.*Joseph’s&Coat&Brought&to&Jacob&[Genesis*37:*1036]*(oil*on*canvas),*c.*1640.*El*Paso*Museum*of*Art,*El*Paso,*Texas.*

A*

The$Scapegoat$ 34$

These*complex*and*nuanced*stories*

have*several*elements*in*common:*

• Each*story*consists*of*characters*in&opposiAon:**Cain*and*Abel;*Isaac*and*Ishmael;*Jacob*and*Esau;*

Joseph*and*his*brothers;**

• In*each*story*God*chooses*one*character*to*play*a*role*in*the*plan*of*redemp&on,*while*the*other*

characters*are*free*to*follow*their*own**des&nies:*

• Abel*wandered*the*earth*and*“sefled*in*the*land*of*Nod,*east*of*Eden”;*

• Ishmael*became*the*founder*of*the*Arab*people;*

• Esau*became*the*founder*of*the*Edomite*people;**

• Joseph’s*brothers*became*the*founders*of*ten*

tribes*of*Israel;**

• God’s*sovereignty*drives*the*choice*of*one*character*over*another,*not*any*inherent*quality*or*

lack*of*quality*in*the*person*himself;*and*

• *The*character*God*chooses*drives*the*con&nuing*narra&ve*ac&on*forward.*

In*LeviAcus&as&Literature**Mary*Douglas*

suggests*that*Levi&cus*embodies*a*

mode*of*thought*that*she*calls*

“analogical,”*a*mode*en&rely*different*

from*Western*linear*“analy&cal”*

thinking.**Douglas*suggests*that*

Levi&cus*views*reality*as*an*elaborate*

system*of*correspondences,*best*

understood*through*their*analogous*

rela&onships*with*all*the*others.**

These*stories*of*pairs*that*we*have*just*

read,*with*one*character*separated*from*

another*based*on*God’s*set*purpose,*

reflect*an*intricate*network*of*meaning*

best*understood*as*part*of*a*larger*

pafern.*

And*so*it*is*with*the*scapegoat.*

35$And$he$said$.$.$.$$

Mary*Douglas*(192102007).*

A*

The$Scapegoat$ 36$

It*is*not*coincidental*that*the*

scapegoat*forms*the*culmina&ng*

element*in*a*series*of*purifica&on*

rites:***

1.   childbirth,*a^er*which*a*woman*offers*

two*birds,*one*as*a*sin*offering*and*the*

other*as*a*burnt*offering;*

2.   Sara’at,*a^er*which*a*person*offers*2*

clean*birds,*one*of*which*is*killed*as*a*sin*

offering*and*the*other*set*free;*

3.   Bodily*discharges,*a^er*which*a*person*

offers*2*birds,*one*as*a*sin*offering*and*

the*other*as*a*burnt*offering;*and*

4.   Day*of*Atonement,*during*which*Aaron*

offers*2*goats,*one*of*which*is*killed*as*a*

sin*offering*and*the*other*set*free,*the*

scapegoat.*

A*

The$Scapegoat$ 37$

Read*within*the*larger*system*of*

correspondences:***

• Two*goats*are*set*before*the*Lord,*who*chooses*one*as*a*sin&offering&and*the*other*as*a*scapegoat,*just*as*he*chooses*Abel*over*Cain;*Isaac*over*

Ishmael;*Jacob*over*Esau;*and*Joseph*over*his*

brothers.**Each*is*chosen*by*God’s*sovereignty,*not*

because*of*any*inherent*quali&es*they*may*or*may*

not*possess.*

• Just*as*in*the*cleansing*rite*for*sara’at,*the*bird*of*the*sin*offering*is*slaughtered*and*the*living*bird*

(along*with*cedar*wood,*scarlet*yarn*and*hyssop)*

dipped*in*the*blood*of*the*sacrificed*bird,*

iden&fying*it*with*the*sin*offering,*a^er*which*it*is*

set*free*to*“fly*away*over*the*countryside,”*so*is*

the*scapegoat*iden&fied*with*the*sacrificed*goat*

by*transferring*the*sins*of*the*people*onto*its*

head,*a^er*which*it*is*set*free*to*“carry*off*their*

iniqui&es*to*an*isolated*region.”***

We*have*no*idea*what*happens*to*the*

bird*that*is*set*free*a^er*the*sara’at&rite,*just*as*we*have*no*idea*what*happens*to*

the*scapegoat*that*is*set*free*a^er*the*

Day*of*Atonement*rite.***

Both*the*bird*and*the*scapegoat*carry*

the*sins*of*the*people*with*them*as*Cain,*

Ishmael,*Esau*and*Joseph’s*brothers*

carry*their*own*sins*with*them,*each*

finding*a*home*apart*from*the*main*

narra&ve*trajectory*of*Scripture.**

Perhaps*the*same*thing*happens*to*the*

scapegoat.*

The$Scapegoat$ 38$

Viewing*the*scapegoat*as*one*element*

in*an*elaborate*system*of*

correspondences*greatly*enriches*our*

understanding*of*Scripture.***

As*we*have*seen,*the*scapegoat*is*

certainly*an*archetype,*a*idea*

universally*present*in*every*&me*and*

culture*that*constantly*recurs*in*

mythology,*religion*and*literature.**But*

the*scapegoat*also*shimmers*

luminously*within*the*intricate*web*of*

correspondences*woven*by*parallel*

words,*phrases,*sentences,*stories*and*

the*canon*itself.*

Viewed*in*this*way,*the*scapegoat*is*one*

&ny*&le*in*the*dazzling*30dimensional*

mosaic*that*is*Scripture.*

39$And$he$said$.$.$.$$

Not*me.**

The$Scapegoat$ 40$

That*is*a*really*fine*insight!**But*

if*we*view*the*scapegoat*in*this*

way,*is*there*a*deeper,*

typological**correspondence*

with*Christ*in*the*New*

Testament?**

I*though*you’d*

never*get*there.*I*

want*to*hear*about*

Jesus!.*

Yes,*there*is.*

As*we’ve*said*previously,*the*

Epistle*to*the*Hebrews*is*in*many*

ways*a*gloss*on*Levi&cus,*so*we*

should*expect*to*find*something*

in*Hebrews*to*address*the*

typological*correspondences*with*

the*Day*of*Atonement*and*the*

scapegoat*.*.*.*and*we*do!*

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A*

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Isaiah*sets*the*stage*

In*Isaiah*chapters*40055*(o^en*called*“deutero0

Isaiah,”*or*“2nd*Isaiah”)*we*have*four*“servant*

songs”:**Isaiah*42:*107;*49:*106;*50:*109;*and*52:*13*

–*53:12.**In*these*songs*God*calls*his*servant*to*

lead*the*na&ons,*but*the*servant*is*horribly*

abused*and*ul&mately*sacrifices*himself*on*behalf*

of*those*he*was*sent*to*lead.*

As*we*learn*in*the*preface*to*the*songs,*the*

servant*is*Israel:*

“But&you,&Israel,&my&servant,&&Jacob,&whom&I&have&chosen,&&offspring&of&Abraham&my&friend—&

You&whom&I&have&taken&from&the&ends&of&the&earth&&and&summoned&from&its&farUoff&places,&

To&whom&I&have&said,&‘You&are&my&servant.’”&

* * * * *(Isaiah*41:*809)*

A*

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Viewed*typologically*through*a*

Chris&an*interpreta&ve*lens,*the*

servant*is*Christ*who*fulfills*three*

roles*on*the*Day*of*Atonement*

(“Good*Friday”*in*Chris&an*terms):***

1.   He*is*the*great*high*priest*who*

represents*us*before*God;*

2.   He*becomes*our*“sin*offering,”*the*goat*

that*is*slain;*and**

3.   He*becomes*the*scapegoat*who*bears*our*

sin*and*who*takes*it*away.**

Listen*to*Isaiah**

44$The$Scapegoat$

The “Suffering Servant” (Isaiah 53: 4-6)

“Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured.

We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity.

He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way;

But the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.”

And*now*we*turn*to*

the*Epistle&to&the&Hebrews*

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46$The$Scapegoat$

“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

(Hebrews 9: 11-14)

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Jan*van*Eyck.**“Mys&c*Lamb,”*detail*of*the*Ghent&Altarpiece&(oil*on*panel),*1432*Saint*Bavo*Cathedral,*Ghent.*

1.   What*is*an*archetype?*

2.   According*to*James*Frazier,*what*is*a*

scapegoat?*

3.   What*happens*to*the*scapegoat*a^er*it*is*

dispatched*to*the*wilderness?*

4.   If*people*had*been*making*sacrifices*daily*

to*address*their*sins,*why*was*it*

necessary*to*have*a*separate*day*of*

atonement*each*year?*

5.   In*what*sense*is*Jesus*our*scapegoat?*

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Copyright*©*2015*by*William*C.*Creasy*

* All* rights* reserved.* No* part* of* this* course—audio,* video,*

photography,* maps,* &melines* or* other* media—may* be*

reproduced*or*transmifed*in*any*form*by*any*means,*electronic*

or* mechanical,* including* photocopying,* recording* or* by* any*

informa&on* storage* or* retrieval* devices* without* permission* in*

wri&ng*or*a*licensing*agreement*from*the*copyright*holder.*

The$Scapegoat$ 49$