CORBAN. - In Hebrew c., like its Akkadian counterpart qurbān, means "offering" or, according to the etymology, "presentation of a gift to God" (cf. Lev. 2:1, 4; 7:13; 9:7, 15; Num. 7:3; Ezek. 40:43): the term is found only in the three books cited, that is, in the legislation concerning worship. It was also Hellenized and used by Flavius Josephus (cf. Antiq. Iud., IV, 73).

In the rabbinic world c. also came to mean the formula of an oath, by which one declared that a given object or animal was consecrated to God. Once such a formula was pronounced, the matter of the vow became unusable for profane purposes. From the Gospel (Mark 7:11) we know that such a promise was often uttered by ungrateful children, who thereby barred their parents from the use of desired objects. This habit was proper to the Jews. Flavius Josephus, in fact, notes that among the Tyrians vows or oaths "c." were not recognized (Contra Ap., II, 175). By extension, the place or receptacle that kept the monetary offerings was also called c.; it was in practice the treasury of the Temple (Matt. 27:6; Flavius Josephus, Bell. Iud., II, 175).

Bibliography

BIBL.: K. H. Rengstorf, Kogbav, in G. Kittel, Theologisches Wörterbuch zum N. Test., III, Stuttgart 1938, pp. 860-66.

Angelo Penna

@incollection{ec4_corban_ebr_qorban_gr_korban_vo, author = {Penna, Angelo}, title = {Corban (Ebr. QorbĀN, gr. κορβάν; volg. corban e corbona)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IV}, pages = {529}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/corban-ebr-qorban-gr-korban-volg-corban-e-corbona} }

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