HEREM (Septuagint ἀνάθρης) (m.a.) - Among the Hebrews it designated: 1) a penalty by which individuals or peoples declared objects of execration were exterminated in honor of God (Lev. 27:29); or it indicated the punished themselves. Such were the Canaanites (Deut. 7:1-6 etc.), cities that turned to idolatry (Ex. 22:19 etc.), violators of the h., etc. Their goods were sometimes destroyed, at other times partly reserved. The transgression of the h. constituted a most grievous sin. 2) A vow by which men, fields, animals, etc., were consecrated to God, renouncing the right of redemption (Lev. 27:28). Since they became "most holy things," the fields and the things belonged to the priests (Num. 18:14; Lev. 27:21; etc.). It is not certain that it was practiced with men (v. ANATEMA).

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: A. Fernández, El herem biblico, in Biblica, 5 (1924), pp. 3-25; J. Döller, Der Bann im Alten Test. und im spätern Judentum, in Zeitschrift für katholische Theologie, 37 (1913), pp. 1-24; L. Delporte, L'Anathème de Jahn, in Recherches de science religieuse, 5 (1914), pp. 297-338.

Bonaventura Mariani

@incollection{ec6_herem_settanta_anathres_m_a, author = {Mariani, Bonaventura}, title = {Herem (Settanta ἈΝΆΘΡΗΣ) (Μ.Α.)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {1415}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/herem-settanta-anathres-m-a} }

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Herem (M.A.)

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