THE VENERABLE BEARD
All orientals honored the beard, called in Hebrew, a word found seven times in the Old Testament. God forbade the Hebrews to shave. “Nor shall you cut your hair roundwise, nor shave your beard.” Lev.19,27. This law was for all the people, but a special rule was laid down for priests, “Neither shall they shave their head, nor their beard, nor make incisions in their flesh.” Lev.21,5.
Heathens dedicated their hair to idols or demons, and Hebrews dedicated their hair and to God. Many ancient religious ceremonies we find among the heathens relating to the beard. To preserve the Hebrews from these superstitions God forbade them to shave head or beard.
The leper shaved his whole body, as a sign of his disease, (Lev.14,9), while the Hebrew wore a long beard as a mark of manhood, virtue, perfection, strength, and wisdom.
The Nazarite “Separated” never cut his hair or beard, to show that he was dedicated to God. His hair and beard were trimmed at the door of the tabernacle, at the Nicanor Gate when his vow ended. Num.6,18. This was the origin of the tonsure, a ceremony which admits a man into the ranks of the clergy of our day. Christ was the Nazarite foretold by the prophets.Gen.49,26 (the desire of the everlasting hills); Lament.4,7. (Her Nazarites were whiter than snow, purer than milk, more ruddy than the old ivory, fairer thn the sapphire). On Monday of Passion week, he came to the Temple and received the tonsure. From apostolic times comes down the clerical tonsure. In the early Church all the clergy wore beards, as we learn in the father’s writings. The Fourth Council of Carthage rules “A cleric will not foster his hair nor shave his beard.”
Among the Hebrews the beard was so honored that no one ever dared to touch it except to kiss manhood’s greatest ornament as a sign of honor. Joab took Amasa by the beard to kiss it, when he stabbed him 2 Kings20,9-10.
Hammond shaved the beards and heads of David’s ambassadors sent to comfort him at his father’s death, and that disgrace brought on a war. 1Par.19,4; 2 Kings10,4. Arabs in ancient days shaved their beards, and cut their hair in round forms, when they dedicated themselves to Bacchus, god of drunkenness, and on all these people of the Orient, for their superstitions, God’s condemnation was foretold. Jer.9,26; 25,23, `
Following the Mosaic law, the beard was sacred to the Jew, and at the time of Christ all wore beards. The Jerusalem Jews of our day wear long ringlets of hair hanging down before their ears, even boys after their confirma-
tion at twelve conform to this custom. But as a sign of sorrow they shave off the beard and cut their hair.
Arabs, sons of Abraham through Ismael, have the greatest respect for the beard, which they say God gave to distinguish men from women. They never shave. The greatest insult offered an Arabian is to cut off his beard. The longer the beard the more learned and venerable the man. Wives and children still kiss the beard as a sign of respect.
They swear and make contracts by the beard; and when they ask a favor they say, “By your beard. By the life of your beard grant me this.” “May God deign to guard your blessed beard.” “May God pour out his blessings on your beard.”
An Arab having received a serious wound in the jaw, said he would rather die than allow the doctor to shave off his beard, so the wound could be better attended. When Peter the Great of Russia ordered all his subjects to shave, he roused much opposition, and many asked their friends to bury their beard with them. Polish Jews looked on one who cut off his beard as having renounced Judaism, and the rabbis preached against shaving. Moors of Africa kiss the beard when they meet.
In our day when ceremonial visits are made in the East, a servant sprays scented water, like cologne, on the beard of the visitor. When the Hebrews attended banquets at the time of Christ, a servant holding a censer in his right hand, went from one guest to another and incensed the beard of each guest, swinging the censer up and down before him, so the smoke rose up through his beard. When this custom first arose we cannot find, but it was customary at all banquets and at the Passover in the time of Christ. This was the origin of the ceremony of incensing the clergy at a High Mass.
The Egyptians always shaved, as the mummies of their dead show. When Joseph was released from prison before he could appear before Pharao he shaved. Gen.41,14. Herodotus says they let the beard grow while mourning, but shaved at all other times. They sometimes wore a false beard. Shaving became a religious rite among them and the Hebrews wore a beard as a protest against Egyptian and heathen superstitions, for pagan priests cut their hair and shaved in peculiar ways in honor of their gods, whence the Lord’s command about “the corners of the beard.” Levit.19,27;21,5.
By the lapse of ages the beard became highly honored among the Hebrews, and at the time of Christ all wore beards, a custom still seen in the Orient. Saint Augustine says, “The beard is a sign of perfection” “Christ’s beard was a sign of his divine power” “It is a sign of manhood.” Jews of our day in the old countries wear long beards, like Arabian chiefs, as a sign of age and authority.
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