Jewish Festivals Documented During the First Century: Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hoshana Raba

46 CE

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Continuing in trying to find justified similarities between Jewish and pagan practices, Plutarch documents the Jews keeping the appointed times of Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Hoshana Raba during the first century.

Plutarch (46-119 CE),Quaestiones Convivales, IV, 6:2:‍

“First”, he (e.g. Moeragenes) said, “the time and character of the greatest, most sacred holiday of the Jews clearly befit Dionysus. When they celebrate their so-called Fast (Yom Kippur), at the height of the vintage, they set out tables of all sorts of fruit under tents and huts plaited for the most part of vines and ivy. They call the first of the days oft he Feast Tabernacles (Sukkot). A few days later they celebrate another festival (Hoshana Raba), this time identified with Bacchus not through obscure hints but plainly called by his name, a festival that is a sort of ‘Procession of Branches’ or ‘Thyrsus Procession,’ in which they enter the temple each carrying a thyrsus. What they do within I know not; but it is very probable that they perform the rites of Bacchus.

The waving of the Lulav, commanded in Leviticus 23:40, is done throughout the Festival of Sukkot. The Lulav consists very specifically of four species: palm, willow, and myrtle leaves, as well as a citrus fruit called an etrog, which is waved together as a bundle. Hoshana Raba, the 7th day of the festival, is the culmination of the waving of the lulav, and the bimah (synagogue platform) is encircled seven times.

A thyrsus was a staff of fennel covered with ivy vines and topped with a pine cone or artichoke. It was carried during Hellenic religious ceremonies and typically associated with the Greek god Dionysus, and later the Roman god Bacchus.

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Left: Jewish Lulav with the Four Species

Right: Roman Pagan Thyrsus

Lulav: Shutterstock

Thyrsus Wikipedia

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Overview

Plutarch (46-119 CE), Quaestiones Convivales, IV, 6:2:

At this, all did urge him (e.g. Moeragenes) and beg him to go on. “First”, he said, “the time and character of the greatest, most sacred holiday of the Jews clearly befit Dionysus. When they celebrate their so-called Fast (Yom Kippur), at the height of the vintage, they set out tables of all sorts of fruit under tents and huts plaited for the most part of vines and ivy. They call the first of the days of the Feast Tabernacles (Sukkot). A few days later they celebrate another festival (Hoshana Raba), this time identified with Bacchus not through obscure hints but plainly called by his name, a festival that is a sort of ‘Procession of Branches’ or ‘Thyrsus Procession,’ in which they enter the temple each carrying a thyrsus. What they do within I know not; but it is very probable that they perform the rites of Bacchus.

The waving of the Lulav, commanded in Leviticus 23:40, is done throughout the Festival of Sukkot. The Lulav consists of the four species, palm, willow and myrtle leaves as well as a citrus fruit called an etrog. They are waved together in a bundle. Hoshana Raba, the 7th day of the festival, is the culmination of the waving of the lulav and the bimah (platform) is encircled seven times.

A thyrsus was a staff of fennel covered with ivy vines and topped with a pine cone or artichoke. It was carried during Hellenic religious ceremonies and typically associated with the Greek god Dionysus, and later the Roman god Bacchus.

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