ANCIENT WORLDS BIBLICAL MUSEUM & RESOURCE CENTER “I AM the door….” - Jesus (John 10:9) The front doors of homes in the Biblical era would have differed greatly, even as ours do today. Most doors were narrow, short, and hinged on stone sockets, while some were hung with leather hinges. The door would swing open easily. Country dwellers in the daytime would probably leave their door standing wide open. In the cities people would have been more cautious. A Hebrew’s door held great spiritual significance. The stone threshold was considered sacred, and during the Passover blood was sprinkled on it to remind the Jew of his miraculous deliverance during the plagues in Egypt. Every Jewish door had a tubular metal or wooden box, called a mezuzah. fixed to the doorpost. Inside the mezuzah was a parchment bearing the words of Deut. 6:4-9, the credal statement of Judaism called the shema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love The Lord thy God with all thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up,. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of the house, and on thy gates.” Mezuzah parchments are still produced today by specially trained scribes. The parchment is precisely rolled and placed in the box so the Hebrew word meaning “Almighty” can be seen through a hole in the box. Often, before entering or leaving his home, a Jew will kiss his fingers and place them on the mezuzah. The mezuzah served several purposes: a testimony to the neighbourhood, a sign of faith in God’s protection, and a reminder of Israel’s history. The door was usually not locked but it could be. Some locks were opened with large wooden keys. These keys, though often huge, were sometimes worn around the person’s neck. The house could also be secured by a wooden bar behind the door. Photos: 1.) Ancient door handles. 2.) Doorway in the Jewish Quarter - Jerusalem 3.) Macedonian Mezuzah 4.) Jewish man dressed from prayer - Phylacteries, called tefillin in Hebrew, are used by observant Jewish men - they are required to place one box on their head and tie the other one on their arm each weekday morning. during prayer. PLEASE LIKE & SHARE
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 17:59:37 +0000
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