Pastor Matt's Blogosphere

Cremation vs. Burial - Part 2

(more info from the referenced website below)

What Does The Bible Say About Burial? (Continued):
The burial of many important Biblical figures is described in the Bible:
Genesis 25:8-10: Abraham
Genesis 23:1-4: Sarah
Genesis 35:19-20: Rachel
Genesis 35:29: Isaac
Genesis 49:33 and 50:1-13: Jacob
Genesis 50:26: Joseph (The Israelites went to great effort to bury his body in the Promised Land; they retained it for over 300 years in Egypt and after the Exodus during 40 years of wanderings before burying it.)
Deuteronomy 34:6: Moses (God selected a burial site at a secret location in Moab for Moses.)
Joshua 24:29-30: Joshua
Joshua 24:33: Eleazar
1 Samuel 25:1: Samuel
1 Kings 2:10: David
Matthew 14:10-12: John the Baptist
Acts 5:5-10: Ananias and Sapphira
Acts 8:2: Stephen

To be not given a proper burial was considered to be a great tragedy and dishonor.
1 Kings 13:22: A prophet disobeyed God by eating a meal in a forbidden location. God laid a curse on him: that his body would not be buried in the tomb of his fathers. Shortly after, the prophet was attacked by a lion and his remains left on a road.
Jeremiah 16:6: God laid a horrible curse on the Israelites: that many would die of diseases, will not be mourned and would be "like refuse lying on the ground" (NIV). Their bodies will be consumed by animals and birds.
Jeremiah 22:19: God laid a similar curse on Jehoiakim because of his pride and disobedience. Jeremiah said that he would be given the burial of a donkey: to be dragged away and thrown outside the city gates.
Crucifixion: Of the countless number of tombs in Palestine from the era of Roman occupation which have been excavated, only one skeleton has been found which bears the marks of a crucifixion. That is because after a Roman execution, the lifeless body would be typically discarded in an open pit where it would be devoured by wild dogs. To be forbidden a traditional burial added greatly to the horror of this method of execution.