Corban

CORBAN, Mark vii. 11. or Corbona, Mat. xxvii. 6. This word comes from the קרבKarob. קרבן Corban.Hebrew, Karab, or Hekerib to offer, present. It stands for an Offering, a Gift, a Present made to God, or his Temple. The Jews sometimes swore by Corban, or the Mat. xxiii. 18.Gifts offered unto God. Whosoever sweareth by the Gift that is upon the Altar, is bound. Theophrastus says, that the Tyrians forbad the use of such Oaths as were peculiar to Foreigners, and particularly of Corban; which, as¹ Josephus informs us, was in use only among the Jews.

Jesus Christ reproaches the Jews in the Gospel with the cruelty which they shewed towards their Parents, and says that to excuse themselves from giving any part of their fortune to them, they would tell them, May what you ask of me be corban,² and consecrated to God, or, May all that I am able to give you, be corban, and devoted to God in such a manner, that neither you nor I may be able to employ any thing of it to our use; or, lastly, I swear by corban, or the Gift which is made to God, that I will not assist you in any thing whatsoever. S. Matthew expresses much after this manner the reply which Children made to their Parents; It is a Gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me³. The Offering which I make to God will be of service to you, I have devoted that to God, which you ask of me; it is no longer either yours or mine, but you will share in the merit of my Offering.

Josephus⁴ remarks, that among the Hebrews, Men and Women sometimes made themselves Corban; that is to say, consecrated themselves to God, or certain Ministries in his service. When Persons of this sort were desirous to releasc themselves from the obligation which they had thus imposed upon themselves, or the Ministry to which they had devoted themselves, they gave a sum of Money to the Priest, a Man fifty, a Woman thirty Shekels. If they were not in a condition to pay this sum, they agreed with the Priest, and gave him so much as he was satisfied with.

Philo⁵ speaking of those who devote themselves to God, relates what Moses says in Leviticus, ch. xxvii. 2, 3, 4. and following verses, He who has devoted his soul, his Life, his Person to God, shall pay the price estimated by the Priest. A man from twenty to fifty, shall give fifty shekels, according to the measure of the Sanctuary; and a woman thirty. From five to twenty a boy shall pay twenty shekels, and a girl ten. From a month old to five years, five shekels shall be given for a male child, and three for a female. From sixty and above, a man shall give fifteen, and a woman ten shekels. If he who has made the vow is too poor, he shall present himself before the Priest, and shall pay according to the estimation which shall be made of him. What is the reason, says Philo, that in all this there is no consideration of the age, wealth, or other qualities of those who make the Vow? To this he answers, The reason is first, because the Vow is of equal dignity, let the condition of those who make it be what it will. 2°. It is not decent to value those who make Vows, as we do Slaves, who are rated according to their beauty, their graceful stature, or good health. The third and principal reason is this, that equality of Conditions, which is despised by Men, is considered and esteemed by God.

Lev. xxvii. 9, 10, &c.Moses speaks farther of different sorts of Corban, or Dedications made by the Hebrews, of some part of their Estates, which was afterwards redeemed, or if it consisted in Cattle was sanctified, in the manner appointed by the Legislator.

Acts xxiii. 12. Mat. vii. 11.When a Man had devoted all his fortune, he was forbidden to make use of it; if all that he was to give his Wife, or his Father and Mother, was declared Corban, he was no longer permitted to allow them necessary subsistence. They who in the Acts of the Apostles made a Vow neither to eat nor drink, till they had killed S. Paul, in some sort made every thing Corban that belonged to them; or every thing that might supply them with Meat and Drink. The Sons mentioned in the Gospel, who declared every thing Corban that they could contribute to the support of their Father and Mother, were induced to this cruelty by some transport of Passion only; for had they done so through avarice, what could they have gained by devoting that to God which they refused their Parents? But without devoting it to God, they were satisfied with declaring it to be Corban with respect to those to whom a part of it was due; for example, they said, my whole fortune as to you is Corban, I can give you no share of it: I have made a Vow to communicate nothing of it to you⁶.

To facilitate the practice of these Vows, which were so contrary to Charity and Religion, or rather to confirm and increase the spirit of Superstition in the People, the Jewish Doctors did not require them to be pronounced in the most formal manner; it was of little consequence whether the word Corban were so much as mentioned, tho’ this was most in use, provided something was said which might come near it. These are the Vows, thus imperfect in the terms of them, which the Talmudists call Handles⁷ °, because, as it is sufficient to take a Vessel by the handle, in order to lift it up all intire; so to compleat a Vow, it is enough to pronounce any word of it; and if any said, May this be as the Temple to me, or as the Altar, or as the Fire, or lastly, as the Sacrifice this was not to be dispensed with. They permitted even Debtors to defraud their Creditors, by consecrating their debt to God⁸, as if the thing were theirs, and not their Creditors.

Corbona signifies also the Treasury of the Temple, where the Offerings which were made in Money were deposited. The Jews taking up the Money which Judas cast into the Temple, after he had betrayed Jesus Christ, made a scruple of laying it up in the Treasury of the Temple, Mat. xxvii. 6.because it was the price of Blood; and an Offering of such a nature was esteemed to be impure. They resolved therefore to purchase a field with it, to be a burying place for Strangers.

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