A young man followed Jesus, with nothing but a LINEN CLOTH about his body

[tonychanyt]

When they arrested Jesus in Mark 14:

51 a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

a linen cloth
σινδόνα (sindona)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4616: Fine linen, a linen cloth. Of uncertain origin; byssos, i.e. Bleached linen.

Why was this man wearing only a linen cloth?

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges:

having a linen cloth] He had probably been roused from sleep, or just preparing to retire to rest in a house somewhere in the valley of Kidron, and he had nothing to cover him except the sindôn or upper garment, but in spite of this he ventured in his excitement to press on amongst the crowd. The word sindôn in Matthew 27:59, Mark 15:46 and Luke 23:53 is applied to the fine linen, which Joseph of Arimathæa bought for the Body of Jesus. The LXX. use the word in Jdg 14:12 and in Proverbs 31:24 for “fine under garments.”

Mark 15:

46a Joseph bought a linen shroud [G4616], and taking him [Jesus] down, wrapped him in the linen shroud [G4616] and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock.

 

[a_ntv]

Tradition says that the young was Mark himself. But this is not the point.
If we focus on the linen, we may think that it was something to much expensive for being a nightdress used by the young.

The reference here is probably to the high priest who entered in the Holy of the Holies using only a linen vestment to pour the blood on the day of Atonement.

The meaning is that to stay near Jesus was like to stay into the Holy of the Holies. When the young escaped (v.52), he was without linen.
The same meaning is the linen of Joseph where the body of Jesus was places (15.46) and the angel in the tomb with the white vest (16.5) [the linen was white].

That is a reason why Catholic and Orthodox clergy use always a white vestment (below the casule or other above vestments) when approaching the altar.

 

[tonychanyt]

the high priest who entered in the Holy of the Holies using only a linen vestment to pour the blood on the day of Atonement.

reference?

 

[a_ntv]

Read some classic historical book such as "Judaism: Practice and Belief, 63 BCE-66 CE" by E. P. Sanders, pag 99 and following.

 

[tonychanyt]

Read some classic historical book such as "Judaism: Practice and Belief, 63 BCE-66 CE" by E. P. Sanders, pag 99 and following.

Thanks for the references. To save the effort of everyone, this is how to do referencing in a scholarly manner:

1. Give the name of the source.
2. Provide the link to the source. It is the URL address.
3. Indent the quoted text.
4. Bold the relevant keywords that are important to the point that you are making.
5. Be concise and to the point.

This is what I do for others who read my posts. It is a standard high-school scholarship. If you practice this, I guarantee you: it will improve your analytical thinking. In any case, no one is required to do it here.

 

[a_ntv]

Thanks for the references. To save the effort of everyone, this is how to do referencing in a scholarly manner:

1. Give the name of the source.
2. Provide the link to the source. It is the URL address....

Referencing in a scholar manner does not require to use only online texts. Not even Wiki required that.
The Sanders' book I quoted is physically on my bookshelf.

However if you need an online reference, please note the article "High Priest" in the Britannica Encyclopedia, High priest | Temple Rituals, Priestly Duties & Priestly Garments, where is written "..to enter the Holy of Holies... once a year on Yom Kippur... On this occasion he wore only white linen garments,..."

 

[tonychanyt]

Referencing in a scholar manner does not require to use only online texts.

Right.

Thanks for the reference. This is how to do referencing in a scholarly manner:

1. Display and indent the quoted text.
2. Selectively bold the relevant keywords that are important to the point that you are making. No need to bold the entire sentence. Have a laser-sharp focus.
3. Be concise and precise to the point. No need to quote the whole chapter.