Choschen

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Choschen as a decorative element of the main Sephardic synagogue of Ramat Gan
Vestments of the Jewish high priest, attempted reconstruction ( Brigham Young University )

As Choschen ( Hebrew חֹשֶׁן ḥoshen ) is the name given to a breast pocket that belonged to the vestments of the Jewish high priest.

Biblical description

The Choschen was made for Aaron , the brother of Moses , according to the biblical description ( Ex 28.15-30  EU ).

The basic material of the Choschen was a textile material, more precisely defined as "Kunstweber-Machart". What is meant is a weaving technique. The high priest wore a purple robe, to which the brightly patterned textiles Efod and Choschen formed a contrast. In terms of color, the robes corresponded to the color scheme of the sanctuary ( mishcan ), which made Aaron's and his successors' affiliation to the divine sphere obvious.

The choschen only fulfilled its function when it was attached to the efod , another piece of the high priest's regalia.

The text is very interested in the fact that the Choschen is tight. That is why gold rings are attached to the four corners of the bag. Golden chains go through the two upper rings, because the Choschen is relatively heavy due to its twelve gemstones. In contrast, purple cords are provided for attachment to the two lower rings. They should prevent the Choschen from slipping.

The robes of the high priest, as described here, correspond to the conditions of the Second Temple , even if individual elements may be older. Some exegetes assume that the Choschen in the complicated form of Ex 28 is a creative achievement of the priestly scriptures, which thus has several purposes:

  • Loose bag for the Urim and Thummim . By the time of the Second Temple, the Los oracle was long out of use. The lots, the shape of which is unknown (perhaps rods), are symbolically interesting because of their names (Luther translated: "Light and Law"). The high priest brought the just world order to YHWH in a ritual. Something similar is known of the Ma'at from Ptolemaic Egypt.
  • Fixed connection of the loose bag with the efod: The utensils for the oracle are literally bound to the high priest.
  • The high priest carries the names of the twelve tribes “above his heart” during his service at the sanctuary - a kind of silent prayer for the whole community (after Benno Jacob ).

Attempts to identify the gemstones

For each of the twelve tribes of Israel, a gemstone was attached to the breast pocket (three stones in four rows), on which the name of the tribe was engraved. There are different models of how the logs are distributed to the individual gemstones; after Rashi and Ramban they were arranged according to age.

Name of the tribe Masoretic text Septuagint Septuagint German Identification of the stones according to the Jewish tradition ( Ludwig Philippson ) Zurich Bible Standard translation 2016 Luther Bible 2017
Ruben Edema אֹדֶם σάρδιον Sárdion Sarders A red stone. ruby ruby Sarders
Simeon Pitda פִּטְדָה τοπάζιον Topazion topaz Since the topaz was called golden yellow or green in ancient times, this stone is identified with the greenish chrysolite from Egypt. Chrysolite topaz topaz
Levi Bareqet בָּרֶקֶת σμάραγδος Smáragdos emerald Emerald: grass green, shiny and transparent. emerald emerald emerald
Judah Nofech נֹפֶךְ ἄνθραξ Ánthrax carbuncle In ancient times a stone like a glowing coal, therefore identified with ruby ​​or garnet. malachite Carbuncle ruby
Dan Sappir סַפִּיר σάπφειρος Sáppheiros sapphire A sky blue stone. Lapis lazuli sapphire sapphire
Naftali Yahalom יָהֳלֹם ἴασπις Íaspis jasper Completely uncertain, perhaps a variety of chalcedony: flesh-colored with milk-white stripes. jasper jasper diamond
Gad Leschem לֶשֶׁם λιγύριον Ligýrion Ligyrion Hyacinth: "ponceauroth" and transparent. Hyacinth agate Lynkurer
Ashtray Schvo שְׁבוֹ ἀχάτης Achátes agate Agate: with all primary colors and stripes. agate Hyacinth agate
Isachar Achlama אַחְלָמָה ἀμέθυστος Amethystos amethyst Amethyst: purple blue and transparent. amethyst amethyst amethyst
Zebulun Tarshish תַּרְשִׁישִׁ χρυσόλιθος Chrysólythos Chrysolyth Chrysolyth: pale green or yellow. According to Pliny in Spain to find what fits the Hebrew name (cf. the city of Tarschisch). topaz Chrysolite turquoise
Joseph Shame שֹׁהַם βηρύλλιον Berýllion small beryl Schohamstein: beryl or onyx . Carnelian Carnelian onyx
Benjamin Jaschfe יָשְׁפֵה ὀνύχιον Onýxion onyx Jasper: different colors, opaque. Egyptian jasper is brown. onyx onyx jasper

reception

Choschen ha-Mischpat, "Breast pocket of the right decision", is the name of the fourth part of the Shulchan Aruch .

The Vulgate translates the Choschen as rationale : "Rationale quoque judicii facies opere polymito juxta texturam superhumeralis ..." (Ex 28.15a). "The B (rustschild) of the high priest apparently depends on an episcopal breast ornament, which from the 11th to the 13th century is mentioned several times in the written sources as a rationale and depicted on monuments, but is not preserved in a single example."

literature

Web links

Commons : Hoshen  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Claudia Bender: The language of the textile . ISBN 978-3-17-020102-6 , pp. 66 .
  2. ↑ Claudia Bender: The language of the textile . ISBN 978-3-17-020102-6 , pp. 239 .
  3. ↑ a b c Thomas Staubli: Dresses in Biblical Times . S. 71 .
  4. ↑ Claudia Bender: The language of the textile . ISBN 978-3-17-020102-6 , pp. 241 .
  5. ^ Benno Jacob: The Pentateuch . Leipzig 1905, p. 315 .
  6. ↑ Ludwig Philippson (ed.): The Israelite Bible . Contains: the holy original text, the German translation, the general detailed explanation with more than 500 English woodcuts. tape 1 . Leipzig 1844, p. 479 .
  7. ↑ Wolfgang Kraus, Martin Karrer (Ed.): Septuaginta German . The Greek Old Testament in German translation. Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-438-05122-6 , pp. 84 .
  8. ↑ Ludwig Philippson: The Israelite Bible . tape 1 , p. 478-479 .
  9. ↑ Otto Schmitt: Breastplate (Rationale). In: RDK Labor. Retrieved August 19, 2018 .