The Audacious Theology Behind Yom Kippur

Less praying; more acting

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, began at sundown last evening and ends today at dusk. It's been my experience that Christians know very much about Passover, since the links to the Passion story are explicit in the Gospels, but know very little about Yom Kippur and how the holy day interacts with and informs what the evangelists attempted to convey in their Gospel narratives. Another reason why Christians seldom consider Yom Kippur is that it's outlined in the Book of Leviticus, probably the book of Israel’s scriptures most neglected by the church.

Recovering the connection is key, however, because, though the Gospels locate Jesus’s crucifixion during the Passover, they nevertheless adorn their passion stories with allusions to the Day of Atonement.