What was the water ceremony in the Temple, the water libation ceremony ?
John 7:37-38 "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Could this be what author, Diana Wallis Taylor, meant in her historical novel, Mary Magdalene, a Novel? (Pp. 274-276). This is historical and biblical fiction, and it is Large Print (LP).
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Tim Maas
Supporter
The water pouring ceremony began each morning at the temple as the daily sacrifices were being prepared. The High Priest, accompanied by a large procession of worshippers, would first walk from the temple to the pool of Siloam. Arriving at the pool, the priest would fill a golden vessel with its water. He would then, along with the worshippers, proceed back to the temple. Once at the temple, the group would enter the inner court through a southern-facing entrance called the Water Gate (which got its name from this ritual). The priest would then walk up a ramp made of planks (called the Kebesh) in order to access the brazen altar. When the High Priest reached the altar, he would turn to the left where there were two basins, one dedicated to receiving offerings of wine (Leviticus 23), and the other dedicated to water. Both basins drained to the base of the altar. Just before the priest was to pour the water, the crowd of worshippers would shout, "Raise your hand!" The priest would then raise his hand higher before emptying the vessel into the basin. By my understanding, the Jews believed the ceremony primarily represented the pouring out of God's Holy Spirit, based on Isaiah 12:1-3.
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