Goat for Yahweh, Goat for Azazel: The Impact of Yom Kippur on the Gospels [Paperback]

This book explores the influence of the Day of Atonement on the Gospels. In the first chapter, Hans M. Moscicke studies the effect of Yom Kippur traditions on Matthews Final Judgment episode (Matt 25:3146), arguing that the evangelist portrays the expulsion of the unrighteous as a purgative event resembling the yearly expulsion of iniquity from the temple by means of the scapegoat. In Chapter Two, he contends that Matthew constructs a goat-for-Yahweh typology in his baptism scene (Matt 3:1617) and a goat-for-Azazel typology in his temptation narrative (Matt 4:111). He argues in the third chapter that Lukes narrative regarding Jesuss visit to Nazareth (Luke 4:1630) has been shaped by Jubilee and Yom Kippur traditions. In Chapter Four he explores the impact of ancient elimination rituals and scapegoat traditions on the Gerasene exorcism pericopae (Mark 5:120 parr.). Finally, in the final chapter he investigates the influence of the Day of Atonement on Johns resurrection narrative (John 20:1123), especially his allusion to the cherubim and atonement slate in John 20:20.Hans M. Moscicke (PhD in Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity, Marquette University) is currently an instructor at Saint Louis University.

Moscicke's work provides fascinating and unprecedented insight into how the New Testament Gospels drew upon Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement ritual in their portrayal of the life and teachings of Jesus. Engaging an impressive array of primary source material, Moscicke places the Gospels in their proper Second Temple context, revealing how the evangelists utilized imagery from Leviticus 16 and various Yom Kippur traditions to advance their respective theological messages. Goat for Yahweh, Goat for Azazel is clearly written, precise in details, and extremely interesting. For years to come it will benefit both scholars and lay people seeking to recapture the sacrerdotal dimensions of the earliest stories about Jesus. Andrei A. Orlov, Marquette Univerlã²