Protective Sacrifice
A recent reader, Steven wrote:
… I am intrigued what your conclusions were for the sacrifices, especially the Day of Atonement and its ritual. If the sacrifices were to protect themselves from the “radiation” then why wouldn’t they use the Urim and Thummim instead of approaching the Ark?
Regarding the Day of Atonement, I discuss it briefly in the body of the book, but be sure to read about it in the appendix under Yom Kippur, pp. 353 ff., for my complete explanation.
Your question regarding the use of the Urim and Thummim is a good one. Again, I discuss them in various places in the book. Briefly, these objects were held in the “breastplate of judgement,” worn with the ephod by the High Priest. They are very sparsely mentioned, but I do give my opinion as to their use.
The ephod was a portable communications device, and references to it, even later on, always connect it to a priest. Even when David asks that it be brought to him, it is Abiathar, a priest, who brings it. (1 Samuel, 23: 5-12) So, since it is always in the hands of a priest, I assume he was properly protected, (oil, clothing, head-piece, etc.) from possible danger of radioactivity, just as he was when dealing with the Ark of the Testimony. In essence, there was just as much danger using the ephod (with its Urim and Thummim) as there was the ark. According to my research a number of protections were used by the priests. Sacrifices were only one of them.
