What is the relationship between the Bible and "Halloween", a "pagan" holiday? The word "halloween" comes from the English word "all hallow's eve," meaning "the day before the saints." The feast of All Saints was chosen to Christianize a Celtic pagan festival.
Isaac blessed Jacob
Luca Giordano's Painting (1632-1705)
Halloween is always associated with the symbols of death and the afterlife. Masquerade tradition comes from the belief in the presence of the dead, they return to haunt the living. So today, people are still dressed up as monsters, ghosts or witches to make people believe that the devil actually returns to haunt them at night. Disguises do not originate in the Bible. In contrast, the idea of costume is different. Here are some of the biblical accounts.
Disguised as Esau
The most famous makeup was that Jacob used a goatskin to make his hair the same as his brother Esau (Stk 27). Jacob successfully deceived his blind father, believing he had blessed his eldest son.
Disguised as a prostitute
In the untold story narrated in Genesis (chapter 28), a woman named Tama dressed up as a prostitute. In this culture, when the husband dies, the brother of the deceased must marry his widow. But his father-in-law did not want Tama to marry his youngest son. She escaped this situation when disguised as a prostitute to have sex with her father-in-law!
Disguised as the dead
Chapter 28 of the book Samuen I tells the story of King Saun worry about his future because of the war with the Philistines. Since the necropolis is prohibited, Saun must dress up to avoid being recognized. After dressing up, he went to meet her mate to be able to contact the prophet Samuen died a few years ago. Because pretend not so smart so she recognized him. Furthermore, the counseling did not help much because he died later.
Do not dress up as sheep or as an apostle
The New Testament does not narrate a dresser. On the contrary, the New Testament uses masquerading as a silhouette to talk about lies and lies. For example, Matthew 11: 15-16 says, "Beware of the false prophets; they are clothed in sheep and come to you; But inside, they are the wolf. »In other New Testament writings, they speak of the censure of the false prophets, using false words to deceive the community. In 2 Cor 11: 13, St. Paul instructs to observe "the apostles, the scumbers, the apostles of Christ".
In short, narratives of masks in the Old Testament imply that there is a deception or that it is unauthorized. The New Testament continues this negative use associated with disguise to speak of false prophets.
Have a good Halloween ... happy!