Does Jesus' descending into hell in the Apostles Creed have any reference to the scapegoat's descend in the Jewish tradition?
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The Creed of the Apostles say that Jesus descended into hell after his death on the cross. He is referred to as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In this context, it would be useful to have a look at the tradition relating to absolution from sins, that was prevalent among the Jews of ancient times,following Leviticus 16: 6-10 . Two goats were procured, similar in respect of appearance, height, cost, and time of selection. Having one of these on his right and the other on his left, the high priest, who was assisted in this rite by two subordinates, put both his hands into a wooden case, and took out two labels, one inscribed "for Yahweh" and the other "for Azazel". The high priest then laid his hands with the labels upon the two goats and said, "A sin-offering to Yahweh" . He then fastened a scarlet woolen thread to the head of the goat "for Azazel"; and laying his hands upon it again, recited the confession of sin and prayer for forgiveness.This prayer was responded to by the congregation present. A man was selected, preferably a priest, to take the goat to the precipice in the wilderness; When he came to the precipice he divided the scarlet thread into two parts, one of which he tied to the rock and the other to the goat's horns, and then pushed the goat down . The cliff was so high and rugged that before the goat had traversed half the distance to the plain below, its limbs were utterly shattered. Men were stationed at intervals along the way, and as soon as the goat was thrown down the precipice, they signaled to one another by means of kerchiefs or flags, until the information reached the high priest, whereat he proceeded with the other parts of the ritual.
So, we see the scapegoat descending to the ravine with the sins of the faithful. Of course, there are different schools of thought on what is actually meant by hell in the Apostles'Creed. Would it not, however, make sense if Jesus put into practice for the first and the last time, the descend of the scapegoat of the older times which symbolized the remission of sins of Israel ?
My question, therefore is: According to Catholic scholars, does Jesus' descending into hell in the Apostles Creed have any reference to the scapegoat's descend in the Jewish tradition ?
Asked by Kadalikatt Joseph Sibichan
(13704 rep)
Apr 7, 2022, 09:28 AM