Volume 2

366
Life of Jesus Christ
burning perfumes.
I saw, too, the celebration of the Feast of Atonement
in Jerusalem, the numerous purifications of the High
Priest, his arduous preparations and mortification, the
sacrifices, the sprinkling of blood, the burning of incense,
also the scapegoat, and the casting of lots for the two
goats. One was for sacrifice, the other was chased away
into the desert with something containing fire tied to its
tail. It ran wildly through the wilderness, and at last
plunged down a precipice. This desert, which was once
traversed by David, commenced above the Mount of
Olives. The High Priest was today violently agitated and
troubled; he would have been glad if another could have
performed the duties of his office instead of himself. He
was full of dread at the moment of entering the Holy of
Holies, and he earnestly begged the people to pray for
him. The people thought he must have committed some
sin, and felt very anxious lest some calamity might befall
him in the Holy of Holies. The truth was, his conscience
smote him for the share he had had in the murder of
Zachary, the father of John. This sin was chastised with
interest in the person of his son -in -law, who passed sentence
of death on Jesus. I do not think this High Priest
was Caiaphas, but his father-in-law.
The Holy Mystery was no longer in the Ark of the
Covenant. There were in it only some little linen napkins
and the various compartments. This Ark of the Covenant
was new and quite different in form from the first. The
angels were different. They were seated and surrounded
by a triple scarf; one foot was raised, the other hung at
the side of the Ark, and the crown was still between
them. There were all kinds of sacred things in the Ark,
such as oil and incense. I remember that the High Priest
burned incense and sprinkled blood, that he took one of
the little linen cloths from the Ark, that he nlixed some
blood (which he either drew from his finger or had on