Mankind is unique in this world in that we take the time to do something with the bodies of the dead. No other species on the face of the earth does the same, although there are a few species which have places where the dying go to die. We humans have either buried our dead in the earth beneath us, in a few cases buried them at sea or we have burned their bodies, cremating them even if it wasn’t called by that name. Depending on the culture and the status of the individual, those burials can be pretty elaborate, with many riches and provisions buried along with the body, for the deceased to use in the afterlife. In other cases, it was more of a means of disposal, than anything else.
Many societies have used cremation at different times in history. There was often a reason for doing so, such as limited land to use, the earth being very hard to dig into with the tools they had available, or even them giving the deceased’s body as an offering to their gods.
Cremation has also been used as a means of controlling epidemic spread of disease, even during times in history where the mechanism for the spread of disease wasn’t really understood. Yet somehow, even without that understanding, the more basic understanding that burning the body of someone who died of disease could prevent that disease from spreading, at least from that dead person.
The saying, “I wouldn’t touch that person with a 10-foot pole” supposedly comes from the burial of King Henry VIII, who was said to have died of syphilis. The pall bearers were so afraid of the disease which had eaten away at his body, that they wouldn’t even touch the casket. Therefore, they lowered it into the grave with 10-foot poles. This shows us that people as early as the 1500s understood that diseased bodies were contagious and could pass on disease, even if they didn’t understand what had infected those bodies.
Uncleanness in the Bible
The Old Testament Law makes it clear that touching a dead body makes one ceremonially unclean. It goes farther than that though, requiring that the person who has been made unclean be “cleansed” by bathing.
He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because of the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him. – Numbers 19:11-13
Of all the things that can make a person ceremonially unclean, the Jews consider touching a dead body the worst. Please note that this is not to say that they have committed a sin; but rather that they cannot join the assembly of the people for religious service at the tabernacle. They must pass through a cleansing process first, before they can be considered clean once more and congregate.
The cleansing process literally consisted of bathing; physically cleansing the body and the clothing. This is required to be done on the third and seventh day. Why this is required is not really explained in scriptures. However, if someone were to die from a disease, those who touched that person, providing medical treatment, preparing them for burial and burying them could become infected by contact with the dead body. The seven days provides an opportunity for them, their families and the community around them to see if they have become infected as well. In that, we can see a very practical application for this particular commandment of the law.
The Jews and Cremation
But even in the case of bodies which were infected, because the person died of a disease; the people of Israel and later the Jews were negative about cremation. We find very few references to cremation in the Old Testament. Most notably, we find that King Saul was cremated, but not for the reasons we might think.
Saul and his sons were killed in battle against the Philistines. First, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons were killed (1 Samuel 31:2). Then arrows from Philistine archers hit Saul, mortally wounding him (1 Samuel 31:3). Knowing that he was about to die, but not wanting to be captured by his enemies, Saul told his armor bearer to thrust him through with his sword, finishing him off before his enemies could arrive. Yet the armor bearer refused, so Saul fell upon his own sword, essentially committing suicide so that he would not be captured (1 Samuel 31:4).
Nevertheless, the Philistines found Saul’s dead body on the field of battle, stripped his armor off, cut off his head and hung his body on the wall of their city to proclaim their victory (1 Samuel 31:8-10). This was obviously unacceptable to the people of Israel, some of whom took action:
Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. – 1 Samuel 31:11-13
It is clear that this was not a custom in Israel, but was some rather desperate action taken by those men. Burning them was probably seen as a dishonorable act, rather than a way of honoring the fallen. But at the same time, it was clearly more honorable than leaving their bodies hanging on the wall of the Philistine city, for the birds to pick at and for all to see. In providing a less than honorable burning and burial, these men saved their king from what was clearly a dishonorable end.
The only other times we see the burning of bodies in the Old Testament is as a matter of disgrace. The earliest example of this happened during the time of Joshua. A man, Achan, had stolen some items from the small town of Ai, when Israel attacked it. This was in direct disobedience to God, causing the nation to lose the battle, fleeing from before the men of Ai and leaving 36 of their brethren behind, killed.
God told Joshua to find the offender, by bringing the people before Him. He would reveal to them who had sinned, which He did.
Then Joshau, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold (all three of which he had taken from Ai, against God’s specific commandment), his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? the Lord will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stone them with stones. – Joshua 7:24-25
While this punishment seems rather harsh, it illustrates how negative the general attitude towards cremation was in Old Testament times, at least amongst the people of Israel. There are a number of different places in the Old Testament where it talks about people dying, who were related to some of our favorite Biblical characters. In all cases, they were buried, usually in a cave and typically after some sort of embalming. Although I have to say, the embalming that the Israelites did was nowhere near as elaborate as that practiced by the Egyptians.
One more example from the Old Testament isn’t so much about burning bodies to keep them from further disgrace or even as a means of punishment; but rather as a means of desecrating an altar to a false god. When Josiah became king, he started a revival in the nation of Judah. This was after the nation of Israel was split, during the time of King Solomon’s son. While a number of the kings of Judah served God, they did so with varying degrees of commitment. Josiah was one who served God enthusiastically, to the point of burning anything associated with worshiping the false gods Asherah and Baal.
This was an extensive act, which probably took several years to fulfill, as the people of Judah had fallen into much idolatry, erecting statues and altars to false gods and even putting “sacred” items to Baal and Asherah in the Temple of Jehovah God.
In one such instance, he was destroying a high place that had been built by Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom after the nation split. Seeing tombs in the surrounding hills, he ordered that the bones be removed from those tombs and burnt upon the now broken-down altar to desecrate it (2 Kings 23: 15-17).
Cremation in the New Testament
We find no instances of cremation happening in the New Testament, although the burning of people declared to be heretics was a fairly common practice by the Catholic Church in the Dark Ages. Even that shows us something about the attitude towards creation that has permeated church history, as those who were burnt at the stake were considered the worst sort of sinners.
Yet, this served a practical spiritual purpose as well, at least in the eyes of those who were presiding over the burning of these heretics. At the time, there was much fear of witches and witchcraft. Those who were accused of heresy were also often accused of witchcraft. Burning them at the stake ensured that their bodies were destroyed, keeping the supposed witches from being able to come back to life.
At the same time, such treatment of these heretics instilled fear into the hearts of the people who saw it; fear that they would spread to others. This gave the Roman Catholic church incredible power over the people, helping to ensure their fidelity.
This could very well be where the aversion to cremation started in the Church. There are many who believe that cremation makes it impossible for the resurrection of the dead, a basic tenant of Christianity. They assume that God needs some part of the original body to still exist, in order for Him to raise the person from the dead. But there is no scriptural foundation for this belief, merely what has been passed down through the generations.
God does not need a bone or other part of the body to be able to resurrect the person; He created Adam out of the dust of the earth and He is still capable of doing the same again, as many times as are necessary. Man’s spirit and soul can’t be burned, so God can breathe those into the new body he creates out of the dust of the earth, just as He did with Adam.
And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. – Genesis 2:7
This sort of thing illustrates the importance of knowing the Bible for oneself. There are many things which are said to be Biblical, which are not, as well as things which are said, that people don’t realize originate in the Bible. Without a good understanding of the Bible, we cannot discern which of these is true and which is false.
But What Does the Bible Say About Cremation?
One could almost think that the Bible is actually in favor of cremation; ignoring the examples from the Old Testament and concentrating on a verse that is commonly misquoted in funerals:
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return. – Genesis 3:19
But the Bible doesn’t actually say whether cremation is acceptable or not, leaving it up to us to decide. This is not to say that we can add to the Word of God, deciding that it is not acceptable and trying to impose that upon others. Rather, it is saying that we can decide for ourselves, whether we are going to use cremation for our own bodies, once we no longer have use of them.
Please note that we have no right to add commandments to the Bible which are not there; just like we have no right to remove what is there. God alone has that right and He isn’t exercising it. We must take what the Bible says, as it says it; nothing more.
Should some family member decide to be cremated, there’s really no problem with it. More and more Christian families are opting for cremation today, for purely financial reasons. Funerals are expensive, as well as buying burial plots. In comparison, cremating the body of a loved one can save the family several thousand dollars, while keeping them from having to add financial suffering to the emotional suffering they are already going through. The ashes of the dead can be enshrined at a cemetery, kept in the family home, or scattered, as the family wishes.
From a purely emotional sense, it can be easier on the family to scatter the ashes, although some family members may not be ready to accept that option immediately. Keeping the ashes in the home can be morbid, even in a nicely engraved urn. It becomes a constant reminder of the person who has died, binding them in their grief, rather than allowing them to pass through the grief to a place of peace on the other side. Better that they reach that place of peace, remembering fondly the one who has passed away and the good times they had with them.