These festivals, besides their religious purpose, had an important bearing
on the maintenance among the people of the feeling of a national unity.
The times fixed for their observance were arranged so as to interfere as
little as possible with the industry of the people. The Passover was kept
just before the harvest commenced, Pentecost at the conclusion of the corn
harvest and before the vintage, the feast of Tabernacles after all the fruits
of the ground had been gathered in.
(3.) The Day of Atonement, the tenth day of the seventh month (Leviticus
16:1, 34; 23:26-32; Numbers 29:7-11). (See ATONEMENT, DAY OF.)
Of the post-Exilian festivals reference is made to the feast of Dedication
(John 10:22). This feast was appointed by Judas Maccabaeus in
commemoration of the purification of the temple after it had been polluted
by Antiochus Epiphanes. The “feast of Purim” (q.v.), Esther 9:24-32, was
also instituted after the Exile. (Cf. John 5:1.)
- FESTUS, PORCIUS the successor of Felix (A.D. 60) as procurator of
Judea (Acts 24:27). A few weeks after he had entered on his office the case
of Paul, then a prisoner at Caesarea, was reported to him. The “next day,”
after he had gone down to Caesarea, he heard Paul defend himself in the
presence of Herod Agrippa II. and his sister Bernice, and not finding in
him anything worthy of death or of bonds, would have set him free had he
not appealed unto Caesar (Acts 25:11, 12). In consequence of this appeal
Paul was sent to Rome. Festus, after being in office less than two years,
died in Judea. (See AGRIPPA.) - FEVER (Deuteronomy 28:22; Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:30; John 4:52; Acts
28:8), a burning heat, as the word so rendered denotes, which attends all
febrile attacks. In all Eastern countries such diseases are very common.
Peter’s wife’s mother is said to have suffered from a “great fever” (Luke
4:38), an instance of Luke’s professional exactitude in describing disease.
He adopts here the technical medical distinction, as in those times fevers
were divided into the “great” and the “less.” - FIELD (Hebrews sadeh), a cultivated field, but unenclosed. It is applied
to any cultivated ground or pasture (Genesis 29:2; 31:4; 34:7), or tillage
(Genesis 37:7; 47:24). It is also applied to woodland (Psalm 132:6) or
mountain top (Judges 9:32, 36; 2 Samuel 1:21). It denotes sometimes a
cultivated region as opposed to the wilderness (Genesis 33:19; 36:35).
Unwalled villages or scattered houses are spoken of as “in the fields”